Hasta La Gadget!

If you get a lot of work-related email, there’s a good chance that you’ve seen the misuse of priority tags — potluck dinners are suddenly as vital as company-wide meetings. It’s with a sense of dread, then, that we learned that Microsoft has applied for a patent on prioritizing phone calls. The approach would let callers choose an urgency level that flashes alerts, sends messages and otherwise signals that a call can’t wait. It would simultaneously foil telemarketers and other cold callers by requiring a passcode or encrypted authentication. If granted, the patent could be useful for on-call workers and worried parents. That said, we won’t mind if Microsoft declines to use it; we don’t need high-priority calls to refill the office coffee pot.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Microsoft

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Source: USPTO

Orange was one of the vanguards of high-quality cellphone calls, having kicked off HD Voice with a Moldovian launch back in 2009. The premium chatter has always stopped at the border, however — even two Orange customers couldn’t see the improvement if they were in different countries. The carrier is bridging that gap with claims that it’s the first to support improved voice on the international level: starting today, Moldovans and Romanians on Orange can give each other a ring and expect the extra-smooth calling they’re used to from local conversations. We don’t yet know if and when other countries will hop on the bandwagon. We’ve reached out, but it’s possible that any upgraded links between other countries will come only from case-by-case negotiations. Those in Bucharest might want to track down any relatives in Chișinău for a quick chat in the meantime.

Continue reading Orange begins first HD Voice calls between countries, decides clarity knows no borders

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

Orange begins first HD Voice calls between countries, decides clarity knows no borders originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Oct 2012 11:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re still struggling to decide which carrier to use for your iPhone 5, you may have had some of the decision made for you. Following statements by Verizon that hinted simultaneous voice and data still wouldn’t be an option despite the inclusion of LTE, which theoretically frees up CDMA for calls, we’ve confirmed with Apple spokesperson Natalie Harrison that this is indeed the case. It’s “not yet possible” to do side-by-side CDMA voice and LTE data on a “single-radio” design like the iPhone 5, she says. That’s technically true, although it may be a case of Apple wanting to keep hardware differences to a minimum between CDMA and GSM users. AnandTech founder Anand Lal Shimpi tells the New York Times that Verizon phones like the Galaxy S III, which don’t have this limit, follow a different approach: where Apple uses a second antenna to improve overall reception for a single connection, Samsung and other phone makers use theirs to keep both data and voice flowing in harmony. While it’s a tradeoff with its own benefits, the choice means that iPhone 5 units for Verizon, Sprint, and every other CDMA carrier still won’t let you check your e-mail in mid-call without WiFi. If that’s an issue, you’ll have to turn to AT&T (or T-Mobile with an unlocked phone) to get your fix.

Filed under: Cellphones

Apple confirms iPhone 5 won’t do simultaneous voice and LTE data on CDMA networks originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Sep 2012 20:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hidden among the higher-profile items at Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10.1 launch today was a device that at first seemed familiar, but turned out to be far more than your everyday S Pen. That’s right, Samsung’s already capable stylus just got a major boost — meet the BT S Pen. The device, which received no formal introduction during its host device’s launch event, first appeared in the “press kit” bag that attendees received on the way out the door. It’s similar in size and shape to the company’s Galaxy S Pen Holder Kit, which serves as a sleeve for the standard-issue Note S Pen, but Bluetooth functionality, along with a microphone and tiny speaker, enable the lightweight plastic contraption to double as a wireless headset — sure to come in handy with the SIM slot-equipped international Note 10.1 flavor.

We caught our first hint of the pen’s functionality upon discovering a bundled AC adapter — that seemed mighty odd. The box also included an unusually beefy user manual and no fewer than five replacement “nibs” (read: stylus tips). Pairing took but a few seconds, and then we were on our way answering calls with a single tap of the talk button. There’s also a built-in vibration mechanism, which serves to alert you to incoming calls. Sound quality was solid, but speaking into a pen admittedly felt a bit odd — you may not draw as many stares as you would if speaking directly into a 10.1, but the seemingly unusual action may still turn a few heads. Otherwise, the S pen functioned as expected.

The packaging is all we have to go off of at this point — Samsung reps we spoke to didn’t know to expect the device today, so there’s no pricing or availability info to share. We do know that it’s rated for three hours of talk time and 130 hours of standby, it weighs 21 grams, offers Bluetooth 3.0 compatibility and will work with Galaxy Note devices — you could use it as a headset with other gadgets, though there wouldn’t be much appeal. It also includes a micro-USB charging cable, with the port accessible just above the shirt clip. That’s all she wrote for now — apparently this accessory was available exclusively at today’s event, and may not make its way to the US, if it’s released at all. You can see it in action now though, in our hands-on video after the break.

Continue reading Samsung HM5100 Bluetooth S Pen makes a surprise debut in our Note 10.1 ‘press kit,’ we pencil in a chat (hands-on)

Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Tablet PCs

Samsung HM5100 Bluetooth S Pen makes a surprise debut in our Note 10.1 ‘press kit,’ we pencil in a chat (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Aug 2012 18:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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