Hasta La Gadget!

British mobile bandwidth hogs won’t have to curb their data enthusiasm anytime soon if a scheduled ‘super WiFi‘ trial minds it manners. Led by Microsoft and backed by the UK’s biggest TV providers, this roided-up wireless network surfs along the spare 150MHz spectrum that terrestrial television avoids. Christened the ‘white spaces,’ networks abroad (and in the US) maintain these unused frequencies to prevent signal interference, but with MS’ Dan Reed calling spectrum “…a finite natural resource,” operators don’t have much else to mine. Set for testing in Cambridge — chosen for its dense cluster of buildings old and new — this repurposed TV signal walks through walls its weaker mobile brethren smack into (at up to 16Mbps, no less!). With a similar British Telecom rollout already underway in Scotland, we’d say the tech has an imminent Anglo-future — pity the US can’t seem to unravel the red tape fast enough for a homegrown build-out.

[Image courtesy ZDNet UK]

Microsoft-led consortium to trial super WiFi network across the pond originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Jun 2011 13:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Talk of whether Apple plans to release an iPhone “4S” or an “iPhone 5” has been bouncing around for months. A new report suggests the company may be working on both a tweak to the 4 model, and a whole new iPhone.

Originally posted at Apple Talk

So, here’s the good news: Boingo Wireless has teamed up with Aircell, a company that provides WiFi in the skies. Now, the bad news: it barely matters. At first blush, we assumed a Boingo / Gogo tie-up would allow monthly subscribers to the former to get gratis access to the latter; in fact, that’s not at all the case. According to the release (shown in full after the break), in-flight access “is a premium service and is not included in monthly plans,” and in fact, there’s not even a discount given to Boingo subscribers. The point here? To make billing even easier, since you’re logging in with your Boingo credentials. Gee, thanks.

Continue reading Boingo teams with Gogo for in-flight internet magic, leaves us wanting more

Boingo teams with Gogo for in-flight internet magic, leaves us wanting more originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Jun 2011 12:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After meeting with Taiwanese suppliers, Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty says Apple will start manufacturing the next iPhone in August with an eye toward a release late in the third quarter.

Originally posted at News – Apple

It’s already been found unconstitutional by lower courts, and now the Supreme Court of the United States has finally weighed in on the infamous California state law that sought to ban the sale of violent video games to minors. In a seven-to-two ruling on the Brown v. The Entertainment Merchants Association case, the Supreme Court said that video games are indeed protected as free speech under the First Amendment, and noted that under the constitution, “esthetic and moral judgments about art and literature . . . are for the individual to make, not for the Government to decree, even with the mandate or approval of a majority.” Inevitable, perhaps, but still a fairly historic day or the video game industry — and one that we’re guessing will be a bit more positively received than a certain other milestone involving violent video games this year. You can find the complete ruling in PDF form at the source link below.

US Supreme Court strikes down California law, says video games are protected as free speech originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Jun 2011 11:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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