Hasta La Gadget!

You know what they say about the little ones, they love nothing better than to follow us in our example. Dad and mom both have tablets each? Well, little Johnny wants one, too. The thing is, tablets are not something that are cheap to purchase for most families, and you do not simply replace a cracked screen just like that without taking quite a substantial hit to your bank account. Good thing there are companies out there who have designed child-friendly tablets at an affordable price too, and the Archos Childpad is one of them.

The Archos Childpad comes across as a kid-friendly tablet, where an 8” model is well on its way to keep the 7” Archos Childpad company, showing up at the hallways of the FCC earlier this week. The FCC documents failed to share any more details concerning the upcoming 8” Archos Childpad, apart from its name as well as back drawing, but it does seem most likely for this tablet to arrive with a 1024 x 768 pixel display, although a lower resolution would not be out of place, either, and there is a possibility of HDMI output thrown into the mix, too.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Kobo Aura HD E-Book Reader, Next Google Nexus 7 Expected To Ship 8 Million Units This Year,

The Department of Justice told the Federal Communications Commission that the upcoming wireless spectrum auction should give smaller carriers, like T-Mobile, a fighting chance to obtain spectrum in the low-frequency band. The wireless spectrum up for sale is being offered voluntarily by TV broadcasters so that wireless carriers can take advantage of them. However, with big-timers like AT&T and Verizon Wireless looming around, smaller carriers are unable to compete.

The 600MHz frequency band will be sold at the auction. Currently, AT&T and Verizon Wireless have a similar low-band 700MHz frequency, which they are currently using to build out their 4G LTE coverage. However, many smaller carriers have very little of these lower frequency bands. In fact, T-Mobile has none. These low-frequency bands are highly coveted, as they can penetrate through buildings, and travel long distances.

The DOJ told the FCC that if AT&T and Verizon Wireless were to purchase all the spectrum they want from the auction, they won’t use the spectrum efficiently. It believes that the two major wireless carriers will purchase the spectrum just to make sure the smaller carriers don’t have the chance to use them. Without the added competition, the major carriers would be able to continue to charge high fees. The DOJ stated in its filing,

“A large incumbent may benefit from acquiring spectrum even if its uses of the spectrum are not the most efficient if that acquisition helps preserve high prices.”

The DOJ also states,

“Namely, the more concentrated a wireless market is, the more likely a carrier will find it profitable to acquire spectrum with the aim of raising competitors’ costs. This could take the shape, for example, of pursuing spectrum in order to prevent its use by a competitor, independent of how efficientialy the carrier uses.”

The DOJ states that by giving smaller carriers a chance to purchase the spectrum they need, more competition would ensue, which would be the best thing for the wireless business. If smaller carriers are able to secure low-band frequencies from the auction, they will be able to improve their coverage, and in turn “make them stronger, more aggressive competitors.” It’s still undecided how the DOJ and FCC will regulate the auction, however the DOJ suggested that the larger carriers be only allowed to purchase smaller blocks of the low-frequency spectrum.

[via CNET]

DOJ requires wireless spectrum auction to give smaller carriers a competitive chance is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
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Have you heard of Arnova tablets in the market before? If you have answered in the affirmative, then you would most probably also know that this is a range of affordable (read: low-cost) tablets from China that were manufactured with the permission of parent company Archos, before the collection of Arnova stamped tablets are then shipped over to the West for sale. So far, the Arnova label has already amassed dozens of different models as part of its family, and a fourth generation of Arnova tablets do seem to be well on their way.

In fact, it was just a few months ago when the Arnova 8 G4 arrived over at the FCC, and we are pleased to bring you word that an Arnova 97 G4 has followed the G4’s footsteps sometime this week. I guess one can make an educated guess based on the naming convention, that the Arnova 97 will feature a 9.7” display, where it runs on a 1.6GHz Rockchip RK3066 ARM Cortex-A9 dual core processor, 8GB of internal memory, 1GB RAM, and will be accompanied by an 8,000mAh battery, a microSD memory card slot, a microUSB port, and mini HDMI output, in addition to two cameras – one in front, and the other at the back, and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean in tow.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Acer Iconia A1-810 Might Be iPad Mini Rival, Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 (8.0) Confirmed…Or Is It?,

Uncle Sam just played host to Samsung’s SPH-L500 smartphone at the FCC, and it looks like the handset’s next stop will be Sprint. With a 850 / 1900 CDMA radio and support for Band 25 LTE / SVLTE (simultaneous voice and data), the South Korean-designed smartphone carries the requisite kit to operate on the Now Network, and also packs WiFi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth and NFC. Though other details are scant, digging into the government paperwork reveals one major clue: size. Measuring up at roughly 5.2 inches tall and 2.6 inches wide, it’s clear that we’re in store for a hefty device, as it’s ever so slightly smaller than the Galaxy S 4. Big Yellow and Samsung haven’t made the hardware official just yet, but that’s likely to change soon as it’s cleared one of the final hurdles left between it and US availability.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung, Sprint

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Source: FCC

Once in a while, a product meanders through the FCC that we’ve actually never heard of. Today we found a test report concerning LG’s Jukeblox, a “networked media module” that doesn’t seem to exist anywhere else on the internet. The report details that the unit has an 802.11 b/g WiFi module, but no hints as to its intended purpose or destination. At a guess, we’d posit that the device is destined to rival the AllShare Cast, but given that “Jukeblox” is also the name of SMSC’s digital audio technology, LG might have to deal with some trademark wrangling before this product sees the light of day.

Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Wireless, LG

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Source: FCC