An eBay user spent more than $2,500 for what might be Google’s upcoming mid-range phone, a device that by the seller’s admission doesn’t even work. Whatever you think of the sale, it at least means we’re getting a few more pictures of the alleged Pixel 7a that could be hitting store shelves in just three month’s time.
For nearly two years, NASA engineers had been worried that the fuel supply of the Mars Odyssey orbiter was running low, bringing a tragic end to the precious spacecraft. But as it turns out, they had miscalculated what’s left in the orbiter’s gas tank and that it’s good to go for another two years, according to NASA.
Amazon is facing a class-action lawsuit that was filed on Thursday, claiming the company did not inform Amazon Go customers that they were being recorded at its New York City location. According to the lawsuit, Amazon was in violation of the Biometric Identifier Information Law passed in 2021 which requires all New…
Satellite-to-phone service is only just getting started, and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) wants to give a boost. The regulator is proposing rules that would make it easier for phone carriers and satellite operators to provide coverage in remote and underserved areas. Under the plan, satellite companies teaming with cellular providers could get FCC permission to operate on some licensed, flexible wireless spectrum normally reserved for ground-based service.
Operators would have to meet certain requirements. They’d have to use non-geostationary orbit satellites, and get leases from terrestrial spectrum owners in a given area. After that, though, they could provide outdoor service even in areas where cellphones are completely non-functional.
Few devices support satellite connections so far. Apple’s iPhone 14 family can use satellites to send emergency messages. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Satellite enables texting off the grid, but only for Android phones using Snapdragon systems-on-chip and the X70 modem. It won’t arrive until the second half of 2023, however. Carrier partnerships also won’t kick off in earnest until T-Mobile and SpaceX roll out their Starlink-based collaboration. Testing for that begins later this year, although it should work with both standard texting as well as some messaging apps.
The technology usually depends on line of sight to a satellite, and the limited bandwidth of existing solutions makes them impractical for significant data transfers. However, they can help you reach first responders during a hike or confirm your arrival at a camp site in the wilderness. Eventually, the hope is to use satellites for general data.
The FCC is looking for public input on how the satellite-to-cell rules would bolster access to 911 and Wireless Emergency Alerts. The agency is also exploring whether or not it can apply the framework to other purposes, regions and wireless bands. If the proposal moves ahead, though, carriers beyond T-Mobile may have a relatively easy time filling (some) gaps in their networks.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/fcc-proposal-would-make-it-easier-for-smartphones-to-link-to-satellites-193012161.html?src=rss
The rap duo’s “It’s All a Blur” tour is set to kick off June 16 in New Orleans.
LEGO commemorates another automotive milestone with the 75th anniversary Land Rover Defender 90 kit – featuring customizable off-road bits and a moving winch.
Officials in Texas want to make sure the state’s science textbooks don’t paint oil and gas in a bad light. The Texas State Board of Education shifted its guidance to schools last month, asking that they focus on the supposedly “positive” aspects of fossil fuels in educational material, E&E News reported.
Star Trek: Picard is a show that, for its first two seasons, vacillated wildly between whether or not it wanted to be a self-serious look at how time had changed and wounded Jean-Luc Picard, or a daring, often unhinged heroic adventure for its titular hero. Its third season has been as strong as it is nostalgic, but…
You like your vacation days? You like your little paid scraps of freedom, personal leave, and sick time that allow you to indulge in frivolous human needs like going to the doctor, seeing faraway family, or resting when ill? Well then, you better not fall behind at work, because all of it could legally disappear in an…
There’s plenty of talk around what AI can do right now, with new language and machine learning models popping up seemingly every day. It’s easy to lose track of all the areas where artificial intelligence is impacting our lives, including the topic of this particular article: Removing unwanted people and objects from…
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