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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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LG isn’t short of a few Voice over LTE handsets, but this neck-hugging Bluetooth handset promises to offer similarly crisp voice calls, if the feature’s available, without the need to fumble around in your pockets . The Tone + headset totes a pair of in-ear buds, is available in both white and black and will even vibrate in Battle Royale terror style when you receive a call. LG has built in a “professional grade audio codec”, the aptX, to improve audio performance alongside that VoLTE compatibility. The headphones can event pair to two devices (even two smartphones) and read out your received SMS messages. You can expect the micro-USB rechargeable Tone+ to last around 15 hours of talk-time, or 500 hours on standby. Pricing is yet to be confirmed, but LG promise to launch the device in the US, Korea and China by the end of the month.

Continue reading LG’s first VoLTE Bluetooth headset revealed: Tone + packs ‘high-quality’ audio codec

Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio/Video, Mobile

LG’s first VoLTE Bluetooth headset revealed: Tone + packs ‘high-quality’ audio codec originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 03:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The little blue marble we call Earth is no stranger to HD Voice — it’s been around commercially since Orange debuted the service over its 3G network in Moldova nearly three years ago — but the technology still hasn’t been officially deployed over an LTE network. That is, until SK Telecom launches the service later today. Doing so will allow the South Korean carrier to snag the crown for world’s first before Sprint, which recently announced that its network won’t have it until later this year. It’s a win-win scenario for the company: HD Voice over LTE is meant to vastly improve call quality and reduce latency for the customers, while lessening network strain and offering new revenue-making opportunities for SK Telecom. What about devices? It hasn’t announced any brand new smartphones that can take advantage of the service, but the company’s ready to pre-load the Samsung Galaxy S III with software that enables HD Voice capability, and is planning to push an update to current owners of the flagship device. If you’re the type of person that still makes the occasional call, this kind of progress should come as pleasant news.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

SK Telecom deploys HD Voice over LTE, claims title of world’s first originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Aug 2012 10:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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