Hasta La Gadget!

Spot has introduced a satellite-powered global cell phone called – quite aptly – the Spot Global Phone. The handset offers connectivity almost anywhere in the world, making it ideal for trekkers, frequent travelers, sailors, or anyone else who ventures off into places unknown – or unserviced by your regular cell phone provider. As you might suspect, the candy-bar style phone comes with a hefty price tag, in this case a dollar shy of $500, with the monthly plans starting at $25 for 10 minutes of talk time.

As you can tell from the phone’s image, the Spot Global isn’t priced so high for up-and-up hardware, but rather for its satellite connectivity. The phone harkens back to the days of candy-bar handsets, offering a 4-line, 12-character display, a 99 entry address book, security via a lock code and keypad lock to avoid accidental dials, and changeable ringtones. The battery is said to last 36 hours on standby and 4 hours whilst talking.

The handset does offer data connectivity if paired with a monthly (or annual) service plan that offers data. With a mobile Internet connection, the handset can be used to access the Internet, though – as you might suspect based on the display’s size – this is achieved via a laptop using the phone as a modem and a USB data cable. Same goes for sending and receiving email, it would seem.

There’s also the ability to receive text messages, although they are limited to a mere 35-characters. Those who subscribe will receive a local area phone number. As far as plans go, the cost falls in line with what you would expect from a satellite cell phone – expensive, but not beyond what is normal for the market. Both monthly and annual plans are available, with each having its own plus and minuses based on the needs of the user.

Annual service plans start at $300 for 120 minutes, increasing to $480 for 960, $780 for 2400, $1200 for 4800, and $1800 for unlimited minutes. The cost per minute is highest for the cheapest plan (for minutes over the allotted number), starting at $2.50 and decreasing to $0.25. If such rates are too steep, there’s also the monthly plan, which gives 10 for $25 monthly, 80 minutes for $40, up to 400 minutes for $99 and unlimited for $150. The price per minute over the allotted amount is the same as with annual plans.

SOURCE: Find Me Spot

Spot unveils Global Phone satellite handset for near-global coverage is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Newt Gingrich, who is a former House speaker and was a 2012 Republican presidential nominee, is wanting to figure out a colloquial name for the cell phone in today’s modern age. He’s “really puzzled” about what these new contraptions are that run Android, iOS, Windows Phone, etc., and he’s wanting your help with what to call these devices.

Gingrich says that most people would call these devices “cell phones,” but he’s not so sure. With all of the things that you can do with a modern handheld device, Gingrich thinks that “cell phone” is obsolete, and we need a new name for what Gingrich calls “handheld computers,” although he thinks that specific name is a bit “misleading,” since the real power of these devices is in the “networking” rather than its computational power.

Gingrich says that “if it can take pictures, then it’s not a cell phone.” He also lists off other examples, such as if it can access a McDonald’s app, YouTube, Wikipedia, and Google, then it’s not a cell phone. So, if it’s not called a “cell phone” or a “handheld computer,” then what is it called? Gingrich wants your help.

However, as expected, many commenters have chimed in saying that “smartphone” has been the agreed-upon name for these devices for several years now, with some commenters stating that fact more nicely than others, but nonetheless, it looks like Gingrich will get his answer fairly easily, and no longer will he have to be puzzled by his iPhone that he holds up in the video.

According to ABC News, though, Gingrich’s press coordinator says that “smartphone” isn’t a viable naming option either, saying that such a device doesn’t offer “a smarter way to make phone calls.” He says that the term “smartphone” still refers to the device as a phone, which isn’t its main function anymore for the most part. Gingrich doesn’t mention “smartphone” in the video, which he probably should have, but either way, we’re not so sure that Gingrich will be able to get the general public to stop calling it a smartphone and call it something else. It’s a term that has been ingrained in users’ heads for too long.

VIA: Gawker

Newt Gingrich “puzzled” by smartphone in 3 minutes of embarrassment is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Rugged phones are nice, but they are almost invariably crap. According the Wall Street Journal, Samsung is making a move to kick that trend with an upcoming waterproof, dustproof Galaxy S4. More »

Since its March 26 unveiling, T-Mobile has been aggressively pushing the plan changes it has made, alterations that it says make it America’s “Uncarrier.” Such claims were challenged in Washington, where the state Attorney General’s Office initiated an investigation into the carrier’s advertisements. The investigation resulted with T-Mobile being accused of making deceptive statements about its plans.

The issue at play is that T-Mobile makes claims that seem to be contradicted by the fine-print in its uncarrier plans, which are promised to have no restrictions and yearly contracts. Such is the case with plans that aren’t accompanied by a cell phone, but not with plans where the customer gets a phone, which they are required to keep under T-Mobile service for two years or pay the device’s full retail price upon dropping the service.

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson said of the matter: “In our view, those advertisements were quite deceptive.” And one of the attorney’s working the investigation, Paula Sellis, expounded on that, saying: “You had to dig very deeply to understand what the terms of the program were, and you had to put two and two together.” T-Mobile doesn’t agree with their conclusion, as you might expect, but has agreed to change its advertisements and to offer customers a refund.

Says T-Mobile:

As America’s Un-carrier, our goal is to increase transparency with our customers, unleashing them from restrictive long-term service contracts — this kind of simple, straightforward approach is core to the new company we are building. While we believe our advertising was truthful and appropriate, we voluntarily agreed to this arrangement with the Washington AG in this spirit

According to Tech Hive, no customers complained about T-Mobile’s claims and services, with the investigation being prompted by the advertisements the carrier put out. For its part, T-Mobile has to pay $26,046 in costs and fees, has agreed to make its consequences of cancellation, true costs, and terms more clear, and to train its staff within the next 21 days to provide this information. Those who subscribed to one of the uncarrier’s plans by today are eligible for a full refund upon service cancellation.

[via Tech Hive]

T-Mobile settles “uncarrier” deceptive claims dispute with refunds and ad changes is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Over at the Bunnie Studios blog, a $12 cell phone purchased from the Mingtong Digital Mall was given a complete (and relatively simple) teardown to see what exactly goes into making such an inexpensive cell phone. Unlike the ultra-cheap handsets that are available through various carriers, such as prepaid’s Net10 and Tracfone staples, the $12 cell phone – which has no name – is completely unbranded and unlocked.

As you can see from the pictures, this is about as basic of a cell phone as you can get; it looks like a toy, almost as if it came in a child’s playset or a novelty store. It is a fully functional cell phone, however, that isn’t tied to any carriers, services, or stores. Likewise, the blogger says that the $12 price tag is for a single unit, not a bulk discount rate, and that it isn’t priced as part of any sort of promotion. Just an ordinary, very cheap cell phone.

Word has it the actual construction price of the cell phone is in the single digits, meaning you’ve probably spent more on a movie ticket than it cost to make a simple cell phone. As the blogger points out, the cell phone without a name is less than half the price of the Arduino Uno while offering quite a bit more (relatively speaking) in terms of hardware. Such a conundrum prompted a teardown.

Opening the cell phone was as easy as popping its plastic apart, revealing a nearly connector-free board harboring a MediaTek MT6250DA and a Vanchip VC5276. Says Bunnie Studios, volume pricing for the MediaTek is less than $2. There’s a battery soldered to the board, as well as a Bluetooth antenna and a backlit keypad. While the teardown didn’t entirely solve the mystery of why it is so cheap, it was an intersting look nonetheless, showing that, in a perfect world with the right contacts, a simple cell phone without any plan subsidization or other factors can be assembled for about the cost of your last meal.

[via Bunnie Studios]

Teardown looks at what goes into making an ultra-cheap cell phone is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.