FCC approves Google’s white space wireless database

FCC approves Google's white space wireless database

Google may have been on pins and needles while the FCC scrutinized its white space wireless database over the spring, but it can relax this summer — the FCC has given the database the all-clear. The approval lets Google serve as one of ten go-to sources for white space devices needing safe frequencies in the US. It also lets those with interference-prone devices, such as wireless microphone users, register the airwaves they consider off-limits to white space technology. The clearance won’t have much immediate effect when very few Americans are using the spectrum, but it’s a step forward for rural broadband rollouts and other situations where long-range, unlicensed wireless comes in handy.

Filed under: , ,

Comments

Via: SlashGear

Source: FCC, Google

US Justice Department clears Softbank acquisition of Sprint

Justice Department clears Softbank acquisition of Sprint

Softbank and Sprint have been on pins and needles ever since January, when the US Department of Justice asked the FCC to delay the carriers’ merger as it scrutinized the deal over national security concerns. The two networks can breathe a little easier this weekend, as the DOJ just dropped its request for more time. There’s “no objection” to the acquisition following a review, the agency says. Not that the companies are completely out of the woods: the FCC has to approve the buyout, and there’s still the small matters of Dish’s bids for both Sprint and Clearwire. Softbank may not want to drop its backup plan just yet.

Filed under: , , ,

Comments

Via: Computerworld

Source: FCC (PDF)

Samsung Knox gets official DoD approval for government use

Samsung Knox gets official DoD approval for government use

Samsung announced in March that its Knox security suite would debut with the Galaxy S 4. That might not have happened exactly as planned, but just as the WSJ predicted the Department of Defense has given it the official hat-tip for use in government departments. Good news for Samsung, who will now see its Knox-enabled devices added to the alongside BlackBerry on the official list of approved hardware.

Filed under: , ,

Comments

Provo council approves fiber network sale to Google, but city must front $1.7 million

Image

Provo, Utah’s plan to sell its cost-plagued fiber network to Google has been approved by the municipal council, meaning it’ll soon become the third Google Fiber city. However, while still not receiving any money upfront as earlier reported, it’ll now have to advance $1.7 million in equipment and engineering costs not part of the deal before, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. In exchange, each Provo resident will get a free 5-megabit internet connection for seven years and Google will have to upgrade the network to connect all the city’s homes. It’s not quite free, however, as the city’s 120,000 residents must still pay a $39 million bond for building the network — meaning they’ll shell out $3.3 million for each of the next 12 years.

Filed under: ,

Comments

Source: Salt Lake Tribune

Sony Xperia Tablet Z passes through the FCC in WiFi trim

Sony Xperia Tablet Z passes through the FCC in WiFi trim

Sure, we’ve seen Sony dissect the Xperia Tablet Z to show its inner workings, but that doesn’t get the slate any closer to its spring launch. An FCC approval will, however. The tablet has swung through the US agency in its regular WiFi form, with photos and a user manual removing any doubts as to its nature. While there’s no surprises here — not unless you really, really wanted to know the exact location of the WiFi antenna — the move should leave just a few formalities between Americans and Sony’s extra-thin design.

Filed under: ,

Comments

Source: FCC

OLPC XO-4 surfaces at the FCC, right on cue

OLPC XO4 surfaces at the FCC, right on cue

The One Laptop Per Child team hasn’t always been punctual — see the XO 3.0, née XO-3 — but it should be right on time with the XO-4. In step with March production plans, the ARM-based portable has passed through the FCC’s approval in both conventional and touchscreen flavors. All models share 5GHz-capable 802.11n WiFi as well as Bluetooth; there’s no cellular surprise lurking underneath, if you’re curious. More than anything, the filing is good news for students in the developing world, who are that much closer to touchscreen laptops at a time when the technology is still fresh for just about everyone.

Filed under:

Comments

Source: FCC

OUYA promises quick game approval process, reviews start by the end of February

OUYA promises quick game approval process, reviews start by the end of February

OUYA CEO Julie Uhrman’s promising a quick, simple approval process for games on her company’s upcoming Android-powered game console, the OUYA. She told us in an interview this week:

“It’s similar to mobile: they’ll submit their games, and we’ll review for intellectual property infringement, and malware, and excessive pornography. But ultimately it’s a quick review and you’re in the storefront in one capacity or another.”

That’s not the only mobile model OUYA’s following; Urhman already said the OUYA hardware will iterate on an annual basis, similar to the mobile market.

Despite the console’s impending March launch to Kickstarter supporters, OUYA’s yet to begin reviewing games for its storefront. “We literally just opened the ability for developers to upload their games into the store,” Uhrman explained. The review process isn’t too far off, however — she’s predicting a “middle-to-end of this month” timeframe. “We’re building that right now,” she said, when asked who’s staffing that approvals process. “We are a start-up like any other start-up, it’s just-in-time business.”

The first consumer-ready OUYA consoles are planned for a March launch, with availability at retail to follow in June. The $99 console made a big splash on Kickstarter, eventually raising over $8.5 million when the original goal was a meager $950K.

Filed under: ,

Comments

New Apple iPad mini, 4th-generation iPad reach the FCC

New Apple iPad mini, 4thgeneration iPad reach the FCC

Apple’s iPad mini and 4th-generation iPad didn’t arrive alone. In the company’s time-honored tradition, it has timed the FCC filings for both devices to show up alongside the products themselves. Each iOS tablet has been approved in both singular WiFi and dual cellular editions: the iPad mini has appeared as the WiFi-only A1432 as well as the A1454 and A1455 for worldwide HSPA+, EV-DO and LTE coverage, while the full-size iPad has been cleared in directly paralleled A1458, A1459 and A1460 versions. Not surprisingly, the frequency range matches that of the iPhone 5 and suggests that we’re dealing with the same Qualcomm MDM9615 chip. We’ll know more once the two iPads are in our hands and those of teardown artists, but for now you can explore Apple’s regulatory gymnastics in full at the source links.

Filed under: ,

New Apple iPad mini, 4th-generation iPad reach the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 15:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceA1432, A1454, A1455, A1458, A1459, A1460  | Email this | Comments

Nokia Lumia 820, 920 for AT&T swing through the FCC

Nokia Lumia 820, 920 for AT&T swing through the FCC

Hopefully AT&T subscribers weren’t spooked when the Nokia Lumia 920 first passed through the FCC in only its non-US guise, and its lower-end 820 cousin only as the (currently unofficial) Verizon-ready Lumia 822. The two Windows Phone 8 flagships have had follow-up approvals in GSM versions that are unmistakably destined for AT&T and Canadian carriers. Never mind the slightly distracting RM-820 model number on the Lumia 920; it reveals the 920’s distinctive curved design, 700MHz LTE in AT&T’s range and AWS-based LTE for both AT&T as well as its Canadian neighbor. The Lumia 820 is equally identifiable as the RM-824, even if it limits the LTE access to AT&T’s network. We haven’t seen any shocking revelations from either device, although we weren’t expecting any from phones that hew so closely to the original templates. The filings mostly set expectations for Microsoft’s October 29th event — now that the likely stars of the show are cleared to make their appearances, the companies involved should breathe more easily.

Filed under: , , ,

Nokia Lumia 820, 920 for AT&T swing through the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Oct 2012 21:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceFCC (1), (2)  | Email this | Comments

Toshiba Excite 10SE / AT300SE gets caught visiting the FCC, may tout Jelly Bean

Toshiba Excite 10SE  AT300SE possibly sighted at the FCC, may tout Jelly Bean

If you’re Toshiba, what do you do when you’re looking to goose interest in the Excite 10 tablet? Roll out a quick follow up, of course. Accordingly, the FCC has just recently cleared a refreshed tablet, the AT300SE, that the Bluetooth SIG suggests will be called the Excite 10SE in North America. As shown, it’s a European-spec WiFi model that gives away little by itself. It’s when we combine this with the Bluetooth listing and speed tests that a clearer picture of the upgrade emerges — there’s been an AT300SE in GLBenchmark’s performance charts that we’ve seen running Jelly Bean (unavailable to current Excites) on top of what looks to be the familiar 1,280 x 800 display and 1.3GHz Tegra 3. While there may be other surprises lurking in areas the tests can’t reach, the documents point to a quick nip-and-tuck from Toshiba to keep tablet sales afloat rather than a full overhaul.

Filed under:

Toshiba Excite 10SE / AT300SE gets caught visiting the FCC, may tout Jelly Bean originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Oct 2012 23:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceFCC, GLBenchmark, Bluetooth SIG  | Email this | Comments