Kogan Mobile to wind down after wholesale provider ispONE goes bust

Telstra wholesaler ispONE enters administration, leaves Kogan Mobile in limbo

Virtual carriers are only as healthy as the companies that provide their services — and Australia’s Kogan Mobile is learning this the hard way. Its wholesale cellular partner ispONE has just entered administration following a contract dispute with Telstra, ending all its deals for prepaid 3G services and leaving Kogan Mobile no choice but to wind down. Customers have already lost the ability to add or replenish services; they’ll have up to 60 days after a Telstra notice to use any credit they have left, and 180 days to port their numbers elsewhere. While Kogan’s shutdown may only affect about 100,000 people, it still represents an unfortunate loss of competition in a country with few major providers.

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Via: iTnews.com.au

Source: Kogan Mobile, Telstra Wholesale

KT Skylife plans to trial 4K satellite TV service in 2014

KT Skylife tests 4K satellite TV broadcasts, plans to trial service in 2014

Satellite TV in Ultra HD quality is no longer just a dream: following a successful test broadcast this week, KT Skylife has unveiled a roadmap for offering 4K TV to its subscribers. The Korean provider plans to trial one channel of UHD content in the efficient H.265 (HEVC) video format next year, with a full commercial launch due in 2015. Widespread availability will depend on KT Skylife’s ability to clear regulatory hurdles, CEO Jae-chul Moon says. The real challenge, however, may be finding customers with Ultra HD TVs. While prices are falling quickly, there’s no guarantee that 4K sets will be commonplace in two years’ time.

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Source: The Korea Times

Ceton ships InfiniTV 6 PCIe tuner, crams six HD channels into a home theater PC

Ceton ships InifiniTV 6 CableCARD tuner in PCIe form

Ceton vowed that it would release a PCI Express equivalent of its InfiniTV 6 ETH box, and it’s delivering on that promise (if belatedly) by shipping the InfiniTV 6 PCIe. The adapter still lets Windows Media Center users watch or record up to six HD cable TV channels through one CableCARD, but in a form factor that slots neatly into a dedicated home theater PC. The board is in stock at Amazon and Newegg today at its expected $299 price. While that cost puts the InfiniTV PCIe at the high end of the TV tuner spectrum, it may be worthwhile for viewers who just can’t afford to miss a show.

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Source: Ceton, Amazon, Newegg

Galaxy Mega 6.3 press render surfaces with navy blue body, AT&T branding

Galaxy Mega 63 press render surfaces with navy blue body, AT&T branding

Courtesy of the ever-reliable @evleaks, it appears the Galaxy Mega 6.3 is indeed coming to AT&T. A purported press render shows the device colored in a navy blue plaid with the carrier’s globe logo below the rear-facing camera. Of the few versions that passed through the FCC, you may recall that this one (SGH-I527 Melius) features Ma Bell-compatible LTE connectivity. There are currently no other details aside from all that, but it seems this behemoth of smartphone should hit the States soon.

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Source: @evleaks

Engadget Mobile Podcast 187 – 08.17.13

Engadget Mobile Podcast 179 - 05.09.13

This week’s episode begins with Myriam and Brad singing a Rick Astley tune — yeah, you’ve been warned. Stream it below to catch their extended thoughts on the Moto X, Xperia Z Ultra, Lumia Amber update and more!

Hosts: Myriam Joire, Brad Molen

Producer: Joe Pollicino

Music: TychoCoastal Brake (Ghostly International)

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Engadget Podcast 356 – 08.16.13

Engadget Podcast 356  081613

Above: Terrence O’Brien wearing a disguise comprised of a fake beard and aviators. Below: The streamable explanation. This is the Engadget Podcast.

Hosts: Brian Heater, Terrence O’Brien, Peter Rojas

Producer: Joe Pollicino

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Fresh Paint updated to support lower-tier Windows Phone 8 devices

If you’re one of many Windows Phone 8 users who downloaded the Fresh Paint app when it arrived on mobile devices a few weeks ago, you might’ve been disappointed to find it wouldn’t run on certain devices. That’s because the initial release of the program was only for higher-end WP8 phones with a healthy dosage of RAM. Now, however, it has been updated to run on Windows Phone 8 handsets with just 512MB of RAM, which includes models like the HTC 8S, the Nokia Lumia 520/521, 620, 625 and 720. So if you now have a qualifying handset, feel free to hit up the Windows Phone Store link below to unleash that pent-up creativity on a digital canvas.

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Source: Windows Phone Blog, Fresh Paint (Windows Phone Store)

LG G2 coming to six major Canadian carriers this fall

LG G2 hands-on

LG was unsurprisingly silent regarding a Canadian launch for the G2 at its New York City event, but it’s making up for that today with initial release details for the country. As in the US, LG plans to support most larger carriers: its 5.2-inch phone will be available this fall through Bell, Rogers, SaskTel, Telus, Videotron and Wind Mobile. There are no mentions of pricing at this stage, although the Canadian G2 will share the American variant’s 3,000mAh battery and 32GB of storage. It will at least offer more variety in the local smartphone selection — when the G2 ships, many Canucks will see at least two Android flagships on their network of choice.

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Source: LG

Nokia Lumia 625 reaches the UK on August 28th with LTE on three networks

Nokia Lumia 625 arrives in the UK on August 28th

Brits who’ve wanted Nokia’s budget phone ambitions writ large — namely, the Lumia 625 — won’t have to wait much longer. The 4.7-inch Windows Phone will be available on August 28th through EE, O2, Vodafone, Carphone Warehouse and Phones4U. If you’re interested, you can pick up the device for free on a £21 per month contract, or buy it outright for £179 on pay-as-you-go service; early adopters get a second colored back as a bonus. EE, O2 and Vodafone should all support the Lumia 625’s LTE either immediately or the day after, so it’s just a matter of choosing the 4G network you prefer.

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Source: Nokia

Engadget HD Podcast 362 – 08.08.13

Engadget HD Podcast 347 - 04.30.13

Right on schedule, we’re back with all the latest HD news — and a whole lot of FCC leaks and Chromecast-related updates. Better yet, Richard and Ben are ready to get Engadget HD’s Yahoo Pro Pick ’em Football league going again now that we’re in the pre-season. Stream this week’s episode below and get filled in on it all.

Hosts: Ben Drawbaugh, Richard Lawler

Producer: Joe Pollicino

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