Hasta La Gadget!

The Motion Picture Association of America has been trying to get a waiver for the FCC Selectable Output Control (SoC) ban since it went into effect — the ability to only allow content to flow from a HDCP protected HDMI port. Up until now there has been lots of debate and no action. The bad news is that the MPAA can now use SoC to protect high value content, the good news is the FCC really locked down exactly when it can be used. Basically any movie that’s never been released on disc (DVD or Blu-ray) can be protected with SoC for 90 days. The reason the FCC granted this partial waiver was because the content affected isn’t currently available to cable and satellite anyways — in other words consumers who own older HDTVs, without HDMI ports, don’t currently expect access to these movies. So for those with older hardware nothing changes, and for those with the latest and greatest, you’ll be able to rent newer movies from home. And for everyone else there’s the HDfury2 — no, they’ll never learn that DRM is a big waste of time and money. Full waiver after the jump.

Continue reading FCC will let the MPAA disable analog outputs, kind of

FCC will let the MPAA disable analog outputs, kind of originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 May 2010 16:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With FCC approval out of the way it looks like the Dell Aero is all set to meet the leaked Q2 launch goal. Sure, we’ve already seen a generic Dell Mini 3iX (model V02B) pass through the FCC with AT&T (Canadian Bell Mobility, Telus, Rogers) bands back in November. But today’s Mini 3iG (model V01B) sports 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth, UMTS 1900 / 850 support, and the undeniable “Aero” marketing name destined to grace the first of many Android handsets made by Dell (uh hem, Foxconn) to be sold Stateside. For whatever that’s worth.

Dell Aero slips though the FCC, ready for Q2 launch originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 May 2010 07:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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That ugly, pixelated label doesn’t really look like much, does it? Ah, but there’s so much going on here! A closer examination reveals that the label is a dead ringer for the label found underneath the endcap of HTC’s lovely unibody aluminum Legend — but this isn’t exactly the Legend with which we’re already well acquainted. Instead, this FCC filing is for a phone that operates on the 850 and 1900MHz WCDMA bands, a pretty strong sign that it’ll be coming to AT&T (and / or Rogers, Bell, and Telus) at some point. Further evidence lies in the FCC ID itself: the original Legend bears an ID of PB76100, while this puppy is the awfully similar PB76110. Sure, it’s no gigahertz-class, WVGA ultraphone, but we’ve got to admit — the Legend’s sexy enough to have us a little excited.

HTC Legend coming to AT&T, according to FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 May 2010 11:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Why hello there, Mr. Blue Hue QWERTY slider from HTC. Looks like you’ve found yourself clamped to a complementary orange FCC testing unit, and the related paperwork tells us you’re down with AT&T’s 3G bands. The home, menu, back and search keys up top suggest you’ve Android coursing through the circuitry, but without some official word from your company or a proper name — “PC70110” just doesn’t suit you, really — we’re left only to gaze upon a handful of snapshots. Oh, you tease.

HTC ‘PC70110’ slider tested by FCC with love of AT&T’s 3G, probably Android originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Apr 2010 23:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s no secret that Julius Genachowski and his posse up in Washington are taking spectrum reallocation very, very seriously in an effort to nip any danger of a wireless broadband crunch in the bud, and the FCC’s taken another small step in that process today with the creation of the “Spectrum Task Force.” It sounds like the Task Force’s main job is to get the entire agency on the same page with regards to its long-term spectrum planning, ultimately playing “a critical role in the execution of the spectrum recommendations in the National Broadband Plan.” In other words, the critical topic of spectrum reallocation isn’t going away — and while Genachowski continues to emphasize his intention to make license sales by TV broadcasters fully voluntary, we could see things starting to get hostile if the broadcast industry’s mood doesn’t change. Unfortunately, we’re not aware of any plans for these guys to actually dress up in SWAT uniforms and ride around on Segways should the need arise. Follow the break for the FCC’s full statement.

Continue reading FCC launches Spectrum Task Force, unused frequencies become wanted criminals

FCC launches Spectrum Task Force, unused frequencies become wanted criminals originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Apr 2010 15:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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