Hasta La Gadget!

Sick of that spotty (read: non-existent) cell coverage 1,000 miles off the coast of Alaska? This time, you can’t blame AT&T. There is an option for getting connected, though, and it’s not quite as pricey as you think. Spot, a subsidiary of satellite communications giant Globalstar, recently announced its new Global Phone, a fairly basic lightweight handset that supports phone calls, SMS and compressed data at speeds of up to 28 kbps for $499. Usage fees are also fairly reasonable, with plans ranging from 10 minutes per month for $25 to unlimited calling for $150, plus a $50 activation fee. There’s also an 80-minute plan for $40, 200 minutes for $65 or 400 minutes for $100 with monthly billing. The device itself sports four hours of talk time or 36 hours of standby, and provides direct access to GEOS International Emergency Response Coordination Center when you dial 911. The Global Phone is available now through a variety of retailers, including Bass Pro Shops, Cabela’s and REI.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

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Source: Spot

Although Panasonic’s cellphones have traveled far from Japan, the company has left the hot Indian market relatively untapped — until today, that is. The company is staking its first proper claim in the country with the launch of the P51. The Android 4.2-toting smartphone reflects the local market’s taste for big-screened yet modest phones between its 5-inch, 720p LCD and quad-core 1.2GHz MediaTek processor, but comes across as a sort of Galaxy Note lite: Panasonic bundles both a capacitive stylus and a magnetic flip cover in the box. The remaining hardware is a slightly unusual mix of budget and premium components, with the so-so 1GB of RAM and 4GB of expandable storage buffered by an 8-megapixel rear camera, a 1.3-megapixel front camera and support for both HSPA+ and dual SIM cards. The P51 will be comparatively expensive for India at 26,900 rupees ($517) contract-free when it’s available next week, but it should be a bargain next to its pen-packing Samsung counterpart.

Update: Panasonic is being a bit clever with its Indian foray — we now know that the P51 shares a TCL-built design template with the Alcatel Scribe Easy, keeping the French phone’s basic formula while upgrading the processor, camera and screen resolution. However, the P51 is definitely identical to the TCL Y900 in China.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Via: FoneArena

Source: Panasonic

Currently, Google Wallet is available on a plethora of smartphones, but is there really such a thing as too much coverage? Google surely doesn’t seem to think so. Earlier today, the company added support for its mobile payment system to the GS4, HTC One (Sprint) and the Galaxy Note II (Sprint and US Cellular). If you own one of these devices, hit the Google Play link below to add its NFC-powered tap and pay capabilities.

Filed under: Software, Mobile, Google

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Via: Google Wallet (Google+)

Source: Google Play

NEC’s just broken some new ground with the Medias X, the world’s first liquid-cooled smartphone that was launched as part of DoCoMo’s summer lineup. Rather than aiming it at the propeller-heads usually associated with that tech, though, NEC and DoCoMo are marketing it toward women in the same patronizing manner as the infamous HTC Rhyme and Fujitsu Arows Kiss F-03D. But back to the handset itself: cooling for the quad-core Snapdragon 600 CPU works via a liquid-charged tube from the processor to a graphite “radiator” along the system board that disperses heat. We’re not exactly sure why the phone needs it, though, as the rest of the specs don’t exactly scream overheating: Android 4.2, a 4.7-inch 720p display, LTE and a 13.1-megapixel Exmor RS camera. Though NEC claims the phone runs much cooler than a standard model (see the graphic after the break), we haven’t heard too many complaints about hot phones lately — but perhaps we’re hanging with the wrong crowd.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Via: The Verge

Source: NEC

Sony’s Xperia ZR isn’t reaching the market all by its lonesome: it’s accompanied by a high-end Bluetooth headset, the SBH50. The sequel to the Smart Wireless Headset Pro mostly ups the ante with NFC — listeners just have to tap the smart remote against their Xperias (or many other NFC-aware devices) to get going. There’s still the emphasis on higher-than-usual quality for wireless audio; likewise, the remote continues to preview calls and messages, play FM radio and take the owner’s pick of wired headphones. Sony has only committed to launching the SBH50 “soon” and hasn’t mentioned prices, but we’d use the previous headset’s $150 price as a rough benchmark. Catch Sony’s overview video after the break.

Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Portable Audio/Video, Mobile, Sony

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Via: Sony Mobile (Facebook)

Source: Sony