Google’s always cooking something up, and the company has our undivided attention when the press gets invited over for a breakfast featuring Sundar Pichai, the man in charge of Chrome and Android. While the invite doesn’t indicate anything specific, we’re expecting to hear some sort of announcement next Wednesday. We’d love to get some more details on the elusive Android 4.3 or perhaps a new Nexus 7 (heck, a new Nexus anything would be just fine with us), but we’ll just have to wait and see what Sundar has in store.
Verizon is sending out invites to the press regarding a mystery event next week. While the invite doesn’t reveal which products are set to be announced, we have a pretty solid indication of what to expect: we’re told that the event will involve “the next generation of one of [its] most popular family of devices.” Given that the Droid is Big Red’s most popular device lineup — not to mention the fact that the rumor mill indicates a series of new Motorola-made Droids are on the way in the near future — it’s quite likely we can expect to see two or three devices decked out with Verizon’s favorite brand.
Ready to tackle new challenges and experiences, Tim Van Damme, the Lead Designer for Instagram, will be leaving the Facebook-acquired company to join up with Dropbox. Van Damme has a healthy track record, having designed for Instagram since January of 2012, as well as Gowalla and TenForce prior to that time. He’ll join former Facebook designers Rasmus Andersson and Soleio Cuervo in his new position starting in early August; in the meantime, he’ll be taking a few weeks off, though we wonder if he’ll be sharing any pictures of his vacation or the amazing food on you-know-what.
Mayor Bloomberg’s government is often finding ways to keep The Big Apple as connected to the internet as can be. Today, in an effort to bring more connectivity options to its residents (and tourists), the City of New York announced that it’s teaming up with Cablevision and Time Warner Cable to add WiFi hotspots to 32 parks across the five boroughs. Of course, these will be available in addition to free services already provided by companies such as AT&T in select parts of the city.
Unlike with similar offerings, however, these new hotspots will require potential users to be Cablevision Optimum Online or Time Warner Cable broadband subscribers in order to get free access. Those who have the proper credentials will be able to connect gratis via a WiFi-enabled device anytime, while non-subscribers can do so at no cost for up to 30 minutes every 30 days, or for 99 cents per day. The full list of participating NYC parks can be found after the break, and fret not if your favorite didn’t make it — we’re told WiFi is “coming soon” to more locations.
Could it be that T-Mobile’s efforts aren’t going unnoticed in the wireless community after all? Less than a week after John Legere unveiled Jump — and just hours after we heard rumors about Verizon’s forthcoming upgrade program — AT&T has taken the wraps off of AT&T Next, an upgrade program that begins on July 26th. Next takes some elements of Jump and the UnCarrier’s monthly installment model and adds its own spice to it. So here’s how it works: instead of paying for a subsidized phone or tablet and agreeing to a two-year contract, the retail price of the device gets split up into twenty separate monthly payments that get added to your standard bill (so yes, it’s still technically a financial commitment — just done in a different manner). You can pay off the phone faster, if you prefer, or just stick out the 20-month period. As an example, the Samsung Galaxy S 4 will cost you $32 a month on top of your standard wireless plan. While that doesn’t sound like a bedazzling option, AT&T is hoping to sweeten the deal by letting Next customers trade in their current handset or slab after the first year of use and swap it out for a fresh model. This won’t cost you anything up front, but it resets your monthly payment plan back to month zero.
We asked AT&T if these plans will come with any other hidden restrictions or if certain features will be shunned in favor of the traditional contract, and we were assured that they would remain the same across the board; we even confirmed that grandfathered unlimited data plans are still allowed on Next. As for other matters of fine print, all tablets and phones (including the iPhone) are available through the program, and you won’t have to worry about upgrade or activation fees, though the standard credit check applies. Small business customers won’t be able to take advantage of Next at the time of launch, but AT&T tells us that it’s coming and we’ll have it by the end of the year. It also appears likely that this isn’t meant to be an eventual replacement to the existing two-year contract option. Your move, Verizon.
On July 8, Amped Wireless put its 700mW 802.11AC dual-band Wi-Fi router up for pre-order, and now it has announced the same for its ACA1 500mW dual-band AC Wifi USB adapter. The device is currently available for pre-order from Amped’s website for $89.99, with the shipping date being pegged as July 22. On an unspecified date later this month, it will also be launched in retail stores.
The ACA1 is being hailed as the first long-range 802.11AC adapter to be compatible with Mac OS X in addition to Windows, and is specifically optimized to work with its 700mW AC router we mentioned above. The device is likewise compatible with all other wireless networks, and is also the first of its kind to feature high-gain dual-band antennas and amplifiers.
There are two high-gain dual-band antennas on the ACA1, as well as four amplifiers that offer a combined power of up to 500mW. This is opposed to the 100mW or so you’re find from a regular Wi-Fi adapter, which also lack the range extension features of Amped Wireless’s offering. This works out to a range increase over standard adapters of about 3x.
The adapter connects to devices via USB 3.0, and as with the related router and other Amped Wireless products, features the Wi-Fi Analytic Tool Apps. The software works by enabling “advanced software” options for network analysis and optimization. You can find out more about the device in the video above.
Amped Wireless’s CEO Jason Owen said: “Operating in the 5GHz band, 802.11ac devices suffer from the poor range inherent with the 5GHz band. With the ACA1, users can extend their 802.11ac connections to download HD videos and transfer data files throughout their homes, backyards and offices. The ACA1 allows Mac and Windows users to freely use their computers and enjoy the full benefits that come with 802.11ac speeds.”
Droid Life got their hands on internal Verizon slides that reveal that Verizon has plans to let its customers upgrade their phones more often. Yeah, kind of like T-Mobile’s Jump plan. The ‘VZ Edge’ plan will supposedly let Big Red customers upgrade to a new phone once they have paid off 50% of their phone. Upgrade before your upgrade. Pay to keep paying.
Do you leave your phone on the kitchen table a lot? If you do, then you’ll be pleased to know that it won’t just be sitting there idly, thanks to a collaboration between DuPont Building Innovations and the Power Matters Alliance.
They’ve come up with a surface that can charge smartphones and other devices wirelessly. They basically took Powermat’s wireless charging technology and embedded that within Corian solid surfaces. The latter is basically a synthetic, granite alternative that’s often used for countertops.
This new technology isn’t just for kitchen counters. The surface can also be installed on nightstands and coffee tables. The DuPont-PMA team up is especially exciting. Who knows? We might soon see countertop chargers installed in public spaces soon.
“It’s not me, it’s you,” scolds the distant WiFi hotspot as your connection drops for the ninth time in an hour. As much as you may dream of buying a 20 meter Ethernet cable, Amped Wireless is determined to curtail that flirtation with its latest piece of 802.11ac hardware, the ACA1. The USB 3.0-powered unit clips to Windows and OS X machines, utilizing the company’s long-range mojo to ensure that you’ll be the envy of frustrated tweeters on the periphery of a public router. The gear arrives on July 22nd, but pre-orders begin today with $89.99 securing you a piece of the action — and if the idea of that big Ethernet lead still appeals, we’ve got a video to convince you otherwise after the break.
Sprint announced its first tri-band 4G LTE devices back in May, and now the recently acquired carrier says they’ll start shipping on July 19th. The Novatel MiFi 500, Netgear Zing Mobile Hotspot and Netgear 341U USB dongle all support the 800MHz, 1900MHz and 2.5GHz bands. The hotspots will set you back $49.99 with a new contract, whereas the dongle is $19.99 — that’s after a $50 mail-in-rebate, of course. The Zing can roam on GSM networks and has a 2,500mAh battery and, while we don’t know how big the battery is in the MiFi, Sprint says it should last 10 hours on a single charge. Plans start at $34.99 per month for 3GB of combined 3G/4G data, with an extra $15 doubling that and another $30 on top of that quadrupling your bucket to 12GB. Sadly, there’s no unlimited data option.
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