After years of relying on the outdated Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 chipset in its wearables, Mobvoi dropped the first Snapdragon Wear 4100 chipset earlier this year. Now they are adding to the TicWatch Pro 3 series with a LTE connected option, but only in Europe.
Expand Expanding Close
We’re about two months into Android Wear 2.0 and while we have seen some great smartwatches on paper, none of them have actually stuck the landing. With revised software and improved capabilities, the second generation of Android Wear devices should be awesome, but they just aren’t. And I think I know why…
More areas of the country are likely to see gigabit LTE, say carriers, as the FCC has approved the use of the 5GHz spectrum for mobile data.
The 5GHz band is currently used for WiFi, and there had been concerns that there would be conflicts between the two, but the FCC accepted that equipment manufacturers had demonstrated that LTE and WiFi could co-exist in the same spectrum …
LG this evening has announced the Action CAM with LTE and YouTube Live support. LG says that this is the “first” action camera to be available globally with LTE connectivity built-in. With LTE connectivity, users are able to stream directly to sites like YouTube Live without the need for a smartphone.
We told you a few days ago that the troubled LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE — with that mouthful of a name — finally relaunched on AT&T after being pulled from sale just days after it became available in November of last year. Now, the watch is seeing its rebirth on Verizon as well, and the red carrier is also adding to its lineup a new budget handset by the name of LG K4 LTE…
The LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE — yeah, that’s a mouthful of a name isn’t it? — is back. The Android Wear smartwatch that was supposed to debut the latest version of Google’s smartwatch software all the way back in November of last year was pulled from sale just days after it became available. LG eventually confirmed that the device was suffering a quality issue with a display component, but it was unclear what the device’s future would be.
Now, it seems that the Korean company has relaunched the LTE-enabled smartwatch… Expand
Expanding
Close
In the somewhat troubled downhill path it entered a couple of years ago, HTC decided to change things up towards the end of last year, introducing a somewhat controversial new mid-range phone, the A9. Despite the lack of its signature front-facing speakers, the phone stood out. With a new, heavily iPhone-inspired design but a nonetheless solid build and decent specs, the Taiwanese company seemed to be onto something. There was even a promise of out of the box compatibility with AT&T and T-Mobile as well as Sprint.
HTC went a step further, however, saying that it would do everything in its power to provide support for Verizon, too, with a future software update. Unfortunately, as the company announced today, plans to make the device compatible with the Big Red’s network have been abandoned after a long period of testing…
Sony will be acquiring an Israeli chip maker called Altair Semiconductor for $212 million, the handset maker announced in an official press release this week. Altair Semiconductor is known for its advancements with LTE (Long Term Evolution) modems. They’ve been working on making LTE chips that are faster, with lower power consumption, all while at a lower cost. This possibly means that Sony can deploy LTE technology to markets that may not have it as of yet. The acquisition is slated to be all wrapped up early by February 2016, just a few weeks away.
B&H offers the Unlocked LG G4 32GB Smartphone in Black Leather for $349.99 shipped. That’s $100 off the original list price, $69 less than Amazon’s current listing and the lowest we can currently find. It has a 5.5-inch IPS LCD multi-touch display, Android 5.1 Lollipop, Dual-Core Processor, and a 16 megapixel camera. Amazon shoppers gave it 4.4/5 stars.
With ever more devices trying to squeeze growing volumes of mobile data through a limited number of LTE frequencies, Verizon is leading the push for use of unlicensed frequencies – known as LTE-Unlicensed, or LTE-U. As well as increasing capacity, LTE-U would potentially offer faster speeds.
The problem? These are the same frequencies used by WiFi, Bloomberg reporting that Google, Microsoft, Comcast and other oppose rapid adoption for this reason.
The three companies have been among a group lobbying the Federal Communications Commission to delay LTE-U’s adoption pending further tests [claiming that it] “would substantially degrade consumer Wi-Fi service across the country.”
The companies argue that while both existing LTE frequencies and WiFi play nicely when it comes to competing demand for use of the same airwaves, LTE-U doesn’t … Expand
Expanding
Close
Last week, LG abruptly announced it was canceling the launch of its Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE indefinitely, citing an unidentified hardware problem that directly affected the day-to-day functionality of the device. Now, Telegraph has obtained a statement from LG in which the company reveals the hardware issue plaguing its LTE-capable watch relates to the display.
We’re here at the Lincoln Center Walter Reade Theater to cover what has been rumored for quite some time and announced just last night... Expand
Expanding
Close
Qualcomm had already promised its top-of-the-range Snapdragon 820 chip – expected to be used in next year’s flagship Android smartphones and cellular tablets – will boost battery-life and offer great improvements to photos. Now the company says we can also expect much faster LTE-Advanced connections, and smarter, faster charging.
The Snapdragon 820 will increase maximum LTE download speeds by a third, from 450Mbps to 600Mbps. Maximum upload speeds will double to 150Mbps – currently viewed as an impressive download speed. And speeds could be even higher thanks to support for the as yet unofficial LTE-U standard … Expand
Expanding
Close
T-Mobile has announced that it’s going to seriously clamp down on any users using unauthorized methods to get around its tethering cap. Those caught using more data than they should be on the highest tier, unlimited Simple Choice plan will be warned to stop, before being moved down to the entry-level plan. This move is aimed specifically at smartphone users who deliberately break T-Mo’s terms and conditions using workarounds to conceal their tethering usage.
The magenta carrier published an updated FAQ page on its support site stating that some customers have been blowing way past the 7GB tethering limit on the highest Simple Choice plan. Some using as much as 2TB (2000GB) of data on their mobile plan. Its biggest concern is the experience created for others. With people using the network so heavily, it can ruin the network performance for everyone else. The carrier has developed a software to detect those using workarounds and will initially warn users. If they carry on abusing the network, then they get moved on to a plan with just 1GB data (including tethering).
We’re first warning these customers that they’re illegally using more data than they bought. We hope folks will stop on their own so they can keep their current plan. These customers are on an unlimited 4G LTE smartphone plan that includes a set amount of Smartphone Mobile HotSpot data, but they’re using workarounds to make their tethering look like smartphone usage which helps them use significantly more 4G LTE tethering than their plan includes.
Once they’re on a plan with a set amount of 4G LTE data, it won’t matter what method they use for Smartphone Mobile HotSpot. Once they use their 4G LTE data bucket, they’ll continue to be able to use data at reduced speeds and still never worry about overages.
T-Mobile will start communicating these changes with its customers from today and notes that only a very small percentage of its customers have been discovered to be concealing their tethering. Despite it being a very small fraction of the customer base, it has a “disproportionately negative impact” on the experience for everyone else.
National carriers across the US have been adding features that make it easier to use their service in Mexico and Canada as a growing trend, and today AT&T has announced enhancements to its pre-paid GoPhone plans to include 4GB of high speed data use in Canada and Mexico as well as the United States. The new AT&T GoPhone feature goes into effect on August 21st and is supported on the carrier’s $60 pre-paid plan without making any changes.
In addition to 4GB of data for use across North America, the GoPhone plans include unlimited talk and text in the US, Canada, and Mexico as well. AT&T’s $60 GoPhone plan is reduced to $55/month for customers using the carrier’s Auto Refill automatic payment feature. Important to note, though, is that AT&T’s GoPhone plans specifically mean data speeds up to 3G, not faster 4G LTE speeds, when mentioning high speed data.
For post-paid subscribers, AT&T supports international calling and texting to Mexico, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands on its 15GB and 20GB Mobile Share Value plans that it simplified over the weekend. More similarly, T-Mobile enhanced its own plans last month to support 4G LTE data use in addition to text and calls in Canada and Mexico without international roaming fees.
Google’s Project Loon has been in development for a couple of years now, and it’s finally signed up its first official partner: Sri Lanka. The deal between the government of Sri Lanka and Project Loon will see the nation become the world’s first to be fully covered by Loon’s floating towers.
Sri Lanka’s IT minister, in a statement to Lanka Business Online said: “As a result of this agreement, the entire Sri Lankan island – every village from Dondra to Point Pedro – will be covered with affordable high speed internet using Google Loon’s balloon technology.”
This news comes shortly after the hot-air balloon Internet tech was upgraded to act more like a mesh to provide faster, more consistent Internet coverage. They’ll launch 13 balloons over the next few months, and see the network size grow over time afterwards.
It’s a pretty exciting time for the small nation which typically has little rural coverage. Google’s balloons represent a saving in transmission costs, and will bring LTE network coverage to those who previously had nothing.
The unlocked 2nd-generation Moto E might have already began receiving Android 5.1 Lollipop straight from Motorola in early May, but Verizon customers rejoice: your over-the-air update is dropping now.
This update brings all the changes we’ve come to expect from the 5.0.2 to 5.1.1 bump as well as a slightly tweaked “Interruptions” control menu and Device Protection, which ensures that a lost or stolen device will remain locked (aka can’t be factory reset) until the original owner signs into it with his or her Google account. Verizon has a handy PDF that covers most of the changes coming with this update.
To check if your Moto E has pulled down the update yet, head into the Settings app and select About Phone > System updates.
LG’s series of G Pad tablets might be getting a new addition as images showing a new variation of the tablet leak online courtesy of reliable leaker Evleaks. Expand
Expanding
Close
Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.
Amazon free app of the day: Drawing Pad (Reg. $2)
JayBird BlueBuds X Sport Bluetooth Headphones $119 shipped (Reg. $170)
Belkin Fusive Portable Bluetooth Speaker $34 Prime shipped (Reg. up to $85)
Bosch’s new REAXX table saw uses advanced sensors to protect your hands
LG has been around the Android Wear scene since the beginning. First we saw the original G Watch, then came the G Watch R, but this year LG is raising the bar in a big way. For 2015, LG has two new offerings. One of which is a stylistic upgrade over the G Watch R and another that takes its wearable mission outside of the Android Wear space altogether. Today we’re taking a quick look at LG’s Watch Urbane and Urbane LTE. How do these watches compare to previous releases from LG? Well, let’s go ahead and find out…
It’s been a long time coming, but Google has finally decided to post the Lollipop factory images for the LTE Nexus 7 (2013) and the ‘Mobile’ Nexus 7 (2012). The image, specifically, is a build of Android 5.0.2. As per usual, the OTA update should start hitting these devices soon, and we’ll let you know when these OTA downloads are available.
You can download the factory images over at Google’s developer page. If you’d like to install one or any of these factory images without waiting for the over-the-air update to hit your device, check out our comprehensive guide.
According to the Moto G page on the Brazilian Motorola website, there appears to be another model of the company’s affordable Moto X alternative in the works, sporting LTE and a variety of other minor changes (via Android Police). It was only a matter of time before this device popped up consider its predecessor had 4G capable model, and now it’s (almost) here.
The latest build of Android, 5.0.1 Lollipop, has been rolling out to devices for about a week now, and the factory image page has been slowly but surely getting updated with more downloads. A couple days ago we saw the addition of factory image downloads for the Nexus 4 and 6, but today the page has been updated with a link for the LTE model of the Nexus 9.
It’s not the first LTE Chromebook, but it’s the first from Asus to offer cellular connectivity with sales of the device quietly kicking off at Best Buy and other retailers late last week. Asus doesn’t appear to have made an official announcement, but an LTE version of the C300 Chromebook variant is now selling through Best Buy according to an announcement sent over from Altair Semiconductor, the company providing the LTE chip for the Chromebook: Expand
Expanding
Close