Hasta La Gadget!

There was a time when Audience’s contribution to the iPhone’s call clarity was not only praised, but actively hunted down. But now it looks like the party is over — at least according to the chip maker itself. Citing events “in the normal course of business” the firm believes that its technology won’t be making it into Apple’s next handset — unsurprisingly a big blow for its shareholders. While it remains unconfirmed, Audience suggested in a conference call that Apple has built its own audio team. Something that is possible already creating a hubbub with other industry players. Though all things going well, we’ll only have to wait a week until the new iPhone hits the surgeon’s bench anyway.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Audience noise-cancelling said not to feature in next iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Sep 2012 07:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s a sign of the times that as our smartphones do more, the less we use them for their intended purpose, you know, as a phone. Vodafone’s seizing upon the trend by offering you unlimited calls and texts, but keeps a firm hand on the hose marked “data allocation.” Vodafone Red will set you back £29 a month, offering you 1GB of mobile internet on the network, while £34 gets you Vodafone Red Data, doubling your allowance to 2GB. The plans go live in-store and online from tomorrow, and are available to pair with any handset that the company current sells — and, we’d hope, any that arrive in the near future.

Continue reading Vodafone offers unlimited voice, texts, 1GB data with £29-per-month Red plan

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Vodafone offers unlimited voice, texts, 1GB data with £29-per-month Red plan originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Sep 2012 09:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon’s certainly at the forefront when it comes to involving text-based emergency services with mobile devices in the US, and thus it’s natural for rival AT&T to have to keep up in this department — much like with those Long Term Evolution rollouts. The good news is that AT&T has announced it’s partnering with the Tennessee administration in hopes of taking advantage of the state’s “next-generation” 911 IP infrastructure; one which has been in the works for a few years now. Naturally, the trials are limited to AT&T subscribers in The Volunteer State, and for those folks the text-to-911 process will be as self-explanatory as it sounds, with the Rethink Possible carrier taking care of all the backend work by sending such messages to emergency call services. While it’s indeed only a small chunk of the country, it’s definitely a step in the right direction — that said, only time will tell how efficient this solution can be.

Continue reading AT&T teams up with the state of Tennessee to start text-to-911 trials

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

AT&T teams up with the state of Tennessee to start text-to-911 trials originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Sep 2012 05:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Most US carriers have been pulling back on the sheer number of pre-installed apps thrown onto the latest Android devices, but Verizon appears to be heading in the opposite direction. An announcement found within the safe confines of Big Red’s internal system indicates that the Samsung Galaxy Stellar wasn’t the only product in the lineup to get officially introduced to a suite of Amazon apps — every single Android device gracing Verizon’s shelves will also get the same treatment. The suite includes apps for the Kindle, Shopping, MP3, IMDb, Audible and Zappos. There was no word on whether the bloatware can be disabled or uninstalled, but since the policy goes into effect today, we should find out pretty soon. We highly doubt this will be a focal point at Amazon’s press event, but we won’t skirt over the possibility of it getting some time on Jeff Bezos’ teleprompters.

As a sidenote, Verizon mentions here that this policy excludes Google experience devices and tablets, which could be cause for speculation that new Nexus devices (including tablets) are en route to the LTE carrier. This wording is pretty open, however, and it may simply be Verizon’s way of covering themselves in case such a device comes out in the future.

[Thanks, Anonymous!]

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Wireless, Mobile

Verizon adding suite of Amazon apps to all new Android devices originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Sep 2012 00:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile confirmed rumors of true unlimited data plans almost as soon as they emerged, which left a surprisingly long gap between the announcement and real availability. Consider that gap closed — as promised, the Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data plans are ready for action. Those who don’t need hotspot support on a smartphone can add $20 to a Value voice plan or $30 on a Classic plan to get throttle-free, uncapped data. For real. While we’d ideally see a best-of-both-worlds scenario with hotspots and unfettered speeds together in one plan, it’s hard to object to a second major US carrier defending unlimited data in an era where we’re regularly getting less for the money. Can we have a few more providers onboard, please?

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

PSA: T-Mobile’s we-really-mean-it unlimited data plans go live originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Sep 2012 19:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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