Hasta La Gadget!

Hear ye, hear ye! The 7-inch Android-powered tablet market has just gotten a little bit more crowded with the Kobo Arc hitting the FCC. Needless to say, you can tell from the name of this tablet alone that bookseller Kobo is behind it, and the industry widely expects the Kobo Arc to come with an introductory price of $199 – making it more than one Benjamin more affordable than the recently announced iPad mini, and yet placing it within striking distance of the Amazon Kindle Fire HD and Google Nexus 7.

Having the Kobo Arc appear at the FCC website means only one thing – it is being prepared, and is most probably on schedule to hit store shelves in due time. Some of the hardware specifications found in the Kobo Arc include a 7” IPS display at 1280 x 800 pixels, a 1.5GHz TI OMAP 4470 dual-core processor, 802.11n Wi-Fi connectivity, and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera. It will come with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich on board, although fret not about the future, as Kobo has confirmed that they are developing an Android 4.1 Jelly Bean software update sometime down the road. Another advantage of the Kobo Arc is it will carry Google Play Store compatibility for third party apps, in addition to its own digital book store. The Kobo Arc will come in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB flavors for $200, $250 and $300.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: HTC DLX takes a stroll through the FCC’s gardens, HP ElitePad 900 knocks on the FCC,

There may be some truth to the legends, after all. We’ve seen various rumors and purported leaks surrounding an HTC DLX (or J Butterfly) destined for Verizon, but the FCC may have just given us the first truly tangible evidence through a new filing. The agency has cleared the giant smartphone under the often thought US-specific HTC6435LVW name with Verizon’s CDMA and LTE bands, as well as some HSPA-capable world roaming for good measure. While nothing’s certain until HTC or Verizon says so, it’s hard to imagine this model being destined for any carrier beyond Big Red. All that may be left now is a final launch and learning whether or not we’ll need to etch that supposed Droid DNA name into our collective consciousness.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, HTC, Verizon

Likely Verizon-bound HTC DLX swings through the FCC, shows its Droid DNA originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Nov 2012 16:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cell phones, smartphones in particular, have this unfortunate combination of high cost and ease-of-theft. Once a cell phone is snatched, it can easily be used by swapping out the SIM card with a new one, at which point identifying the phone as stolen becomes all but impossible. To help curb this problem, a database of stolen cell phones has been launched in the U.S.

Back in April, we reported that the FCC and wireless carriers were joining forces to create a national database for zapping stolen phones into serviceable gadgets. Part of that database is now live, and works by blocking the stolen cell phone’s IMEI number, making it impossible to get service. AT&T and T-Mobile have both launched a joint database that blocks stolen phones, while Verizon and Sprint are slated to launch their own databases soon.

By the end of November 2013, the four major carriers will merge their databases, with smaller carriers joining in, to create a unified system for targeting and blocking stolen phones. Also in the plans is joining the national database with an international one to block stolen phone use overseas. “The goal is to not only protect the consumer by cancelling the service, but by ultimately protecting the consumer by drying up the after market for stolen phones,” said CTIA Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Chris Guttman-McCabe.

Consumers are also being encouraged to join in the anti-smartphone theft task. Cell phone users advised to use PINs or passwords with lock their phones, and to enable remote wiping capabilities. “Consumers also play a key role in protecting their information and preventing smartphone theft. By using passwords or PINs, as well as remote wiping capabilities, consumers can help to dry up the aftermarket for stolen devices.”

[via Network World]

Stolen cellphone database goes live in the US is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Julius Genachowski has revealed that Hurricane Sandy has knocked out a full quarter of cellphone towers and cable services in the 10 most affected states. The FCC chief believes that, as more towers expend their battery back-ups and the storm’s continued presence, the situation’s going to get worse before it gets better. He’s also reiterated that users should avoid making non-essential calls and use e-mail or social media to avoid overloading the straining networks. One point of interest in the call, was that land line phone outages were much less widespread — which might be something to remember if you’ve ever considered cutting the cord.

Filed under: Wireless, Internet

Hurricane Sandy has knocked out 25 percent of all cell towers, cable services in 10 states originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Oct 2012 06:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Whenever a particular device or consumer electronics arrive at the FCC, you know for sure that it is being primed for a general release to the masses, and the same can be said for the Dell XPS 10. Having arrived at the doorsteps of the FCC today, complete with its user manual as well as photos of the 10” tablet’s case and internal components, we do look forward to the day where the Dell XPS 10’s product page appears for the masses to take advantage of – after parting with their fair share of dollars and cents, of course.

For starters, the Dell XPS 10 is a 10” tablet that will carry a 1366 x 768 pixel display, powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, have up to 64GB RAM, sports both front and rear cameras, has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. It will run on the Windows RT platform, which is actually Windows 8 for devices that have ARM-based processors underneath the hood, so kiss goodbye to backwards compatibility of older apps which run on Windows 7 and before.

(more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Dell XPS 10 tablet has a full-featured dock , Dell Latitute ST hits the FCC,