Hasta La Gadget!

Just so you’re aware, there’s a new word in the English language this month, one made by Sprint, one called “Framily.” If you’re getting pumped up about the many, many … Continue reading

Back in September 2013, Sprint announced their One Up program which basically joined the likes of carriers such as AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile in allowing their customers to upgrade their smartphones mid-contract, as opposed to having to wait until the end. This made Sprint the last of the major carriers to offer this service, but it seems that the program was not a success, at least not to Sprint, which is why the carrier has announced that they will be putting an end to their One Up program, making them the first of the major carriers to do so. According to Sprint’s support page, it states that the carrier had actually retired the program last week on the 9th of January, which was also the same information relayed to customers who enquired about it.

Instead, according to Sprint’s support page, the carrier seems to direct customers to their Sprint Framily Plan which to be honest is nothing like its One Up plan, simply because it does not seem to offer customers an option to upgrade early to a newer handset. In the past we have seen how carriers have decided to do away with it device subsidies, stating that subsidies are just not financially maintainable in the long run. No doubt upgrading to a newer handset mid-contract will be costly to carriers so we have to wonder if that is the reason Sprint has axed its program, or if they will be reworking it and re-introducing it at a later date. Anyone bummed that the One Up program has been retired?

Sprint Ends One Up Program original content from Ubergizmo.

LG has confirmed the US launch plans for the LG G Flex, with the curved smartphone set to launch later this quarter. The phone will be offered on AT&T, T-Mobile … Continue reading

U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota has today taken up the battle cry of numerous legislators before her, calling for wireless carriers to enable new anti-theft technology on handsets.

According to the Senator, one-third of robberies involve cell phone theft, resulting in an estimated $30 billion in lost or stolen phones.

That said, Klobuchar has written a letter to the heads of the major wireless carriers, including Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and U.S. Cellular.

In the letter, she requests an explanation as to why “the most advanced security features” haven’t been provided to consumers.

This comes on the heels of Apple’s iOS 7 launch, which included an Activation Lock feature inside Find My iPhone. This essentially worked as a kill switch, requiring the owners passcode to reactive an account, wipe the device, turn off Find My iPhone, or sign out of iCloud.

The NYT reported last month that Samsung was trying to bring a similar technology to handsets but that it was rejected by carriers.

After all, the carriers make a pretty penny from insurance policies protecting against lost or stolen phones, which has become a huge issue in major cities. Cops have even lovingly given iPhone theft a name: Apple picking.

Meanwhile, carriers have made light of phone theft with stupid commercials. All this while people get hurt.

Here’s the full text of Senator Amy Klobuchar’s letter:

Dear Messrs. McAdam, Stephenson, Hesse, Legere, and Meyers:

I am writing to express my concern regarding the increase in crimes involving the theft of mobile devices across the country. As a member of the Senate Commerce Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee, I understand that consumers are utilizing more mobile technology and this is spurring growth in our economy. Unfortunately, more and more consumers are also at risk of being targeted by criminals looking to steal cell phones and other devices for illegal resale. I appreciate the work the industry has done in creating a database to keep stolen phones from being reactivated, but more action is needed.

According to the Federal Communications Commission, almost one-in-three robberies involve phone theft and the cost to consumers of lost or stolen phones is more than $30 billion each year. I’ve heard from local law enforcement officials about the continued call for the wireless industry to engage with them further and to adopt “kill switch” technologies on devices. Additionally, state Attorneys General have suggested that wireless carriers have not taken adequate steps to fight cell phone theft.

As Chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights, I expect wireless carriers to compete against one another to ensure consumers are offered the most advanced security features and offerings. Your five companies are the nation’s leading wireless carriers, collectively serving more than 90 percent of the nation’s wireless subscribers. With that market share comes an obligation to do all you can to utilize technologies available to protect consumers.

While I understand your companies are continuing to work with law enforcement on the stolen cell phone database, it is clear that consumers want and deserve a comprehensive strategy to prevent mobile device thefts. That is why I respectfully request that each of your companies provides my Judiciary Subcommittee detailed information on the following issues by January 9, 2014:

· Information explaining whether you have had offers by handset manufacturers to install “kill switch” technology, and, if so, why your company has or has not adopted such technology.

· Information about whether you have considered including this solution on handsets made by manufacturers now competing with Apple’s activation lock technology that operates as a “kill switch” on iPhones. If not, please describe your reasoning behind the decision made by your company.

· How your company will include such technology options at no cost to consumers in the future and how your phone security offerings differ from your competitors.

Identifying ways to curb mobile device theft is a top priority of mine and I will continue to advocate for the American wireless consumer. I also believe additional action to protect wireless consumers is necessary and that’s why I am asking you for this information. The status quo is not acceptable.

Sincerely,

Amy Klobuchar

Thank you to Sprint for sponsoring this article. Get inspired by innovation and see what’s next at Sprint.com/faster.

Sprint Faster is a great site to visit if you’re looking for the latest on new and upcoming technological breakthroughs, featuring stories from leading tech experts on the shape of things to come.

While flying drones are often associated with military missions or espionage, the ability to send small payloads through the air under remote control opens up possibilities for all kinds of other interesting applications. In fact, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) could change everything from the way we provide emergency services in disasters to how your pizza is delivered. Here are just a few technologies in the works that could send tiny aircraft into our skies in the not-too-distant future.

Perhaps the most well publicized recent story about flying drones is that of Amazon’s Prime Air service. This outlandish sounding package delivery service would use flying drones to deliver small packages at ranges up to 10 miles from Amazon’s warehouses. The drones would autonomously navigate to their destination using GPS coordinates, and could deliver payloads up to five pounds, which Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos says would cover 86% of the individual items they sell. Such a service could substantially reduce delivery and fuel costs, since the flying drones operate on electricity, and fewer drivers would be required for delivery.

In addition, the service could enable deliveries in as little as 30 minutes to homes within range of Amazon’s widespread shipping facilities. There are certainly questions about the viability of such a service, ranging from theft to air and consumer safety, but it sure seems like a cool idea. And Amazon is one of the few companies with the resources and logistical expertise to pull something like this off.

While remote-controlled drones are frequently used in search and rescue missions, they generally are used to assess conditions and safety or to look for survivors. But there’s at least one project in which the drones could more directly save lives. In development by Iran’s RTS Lab, the Pars Aerial Rescue Robot could be used not only to relay visual and heat signature feedback to rescue personnel, it could actually carry and drop rescue supplies.

The most compelling example of this so far is the ability to do marine search and rescue operations, flying over victims in the water and dropping life preservers to them. Multiple rechargeable drones would be stored aboard rescue ships to help search much larger areas of open water than possible with a single helicopter, and deliver supplies to multiple victims in the water.

Another unexpected use of UAVs is in the field of archeology. Inexpensive flying drones have been used to survey large archaeological dig sites and generate topographic maps in a fraction of the time required for traditional surveys. Even more importantly, the drones can be used as to monitor and protect historically significant sites from damage or destruction. In Peru, archaeologists have used drones to map numerous sites, though they have struggled with the nation’s higher altitudes, and are currently experimenting with blimp-based drones instead of quadcopters.

These are just a few of the more unconventional uses for UAV technology. In addition to the examples here, flying drones are regularly being used to help shoot movies and TV shows, to detect and monitor forest fires, and to even help locate deposits of minerals for use in the production of fuel. They’re also being used for less serious uses, like delivering sushi and burritos.

Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored post.” Technabob received compensation for writing it, however, we only recommend products or services we find newsworthy or have used personally, and believe will be good for our readers.

Thank you to Sprint Faster and Technorati Media for being sponsors of this article. All opinions expressed here are my own.