Hasta La Gadget!

The “Facebook Phone” sits up there with Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster in mythology and legend, but in reality it’s just a term instead of an actual phone branded by the social media service. We’ve seen the title applied to several phones in the last four years: the HTC Salsa and ChaCha, the Motorola Motokey Social and at least three phones from INQ. Today that term may be attached to yet another device, the HTC First, though we’re likely to see a handset with much tighter Facebook integration using a custom Android skin called Facebook Home. We’ve all heard plenty of rumors about today’s event, but now it’s finally time to learn exactly what Zuckerberg & Co. have in store for us. Join us for our live coverage of the Facebook event!

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, HTC, Facebook

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Companies like Cisco have tried lending Major League Baseball a hand in its quest to serve better internet connectivity to game attendees, but Bud Selig & Co. know that a little more has to be done if the proper results are to be achieved. Now, through its own MLB Advanced Media branch, the league is teaming up with Qualcomm Technologies (a subsidiary of the chip-maker) to launch a collaboration that’ll “survey, plan and optimize network connectivity for fans at supported MLB parks.” According to the terms of the partnership, Qualcomm engineers will provide a detailed plan and assessment on how to improve wireless access at baseball fields, and that’s taking into consideration 3G, 4G and, of course, WiFi. Here’s to hoping the MLB / Qualcomm alliance plays out well for the sake of those who enjoy an IRL version of America’s national pastime — because we all know how important it is to be able to quickly share that “I can see Rudy Giulani from where I’m sitting” tweet.

Filed under: Wireless, Internet

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Via: TechCrunch

Source: Major League Baseball

The 2013 MLB season is officially in full swing (pun intended), and thousands upon thousands of spectators will flock to MLB stadiums all around the country every day for the next few months. However, these spectators will be wielding smartphones, so providing a great WiFi experience is a priority for stadiums across the country, and Qualcomm is partnering up with the MLB to make such improvements.

Qualcomm announced that it’ll be working with the MLB over the next two years to implement WiFi improvements to each of the 30 MLB stadiums to assess the level of WiFi coverage. The company said that select stadium reviews are underway as we speak, with the rest of fleet getting improvements over the next two years.

Qualcomm noted that WiFi traffic has been on the rise at MLB ballparks, and the company will not only figure out ways to improve WiFi coverage in stadiums, but also figure out new ways to deliver helpful and interesting content to spectators during the game. Financial terms of the partnership were not disclosed, and it’s not said how much upgrades will cost.

Qualcomm will also be working with carriers to improve 3G and 4G coverage in and around MLB stadiums. Frankly, improved wireless coverage is becoming more of a must at high-traffic areas like sports stadiums. With the growing amount of connected smartphones making their way into the hands of sports fans, stadiums will need to compensate by offering better WiFi coverage during the games.

Qualcomm bringing WiFi improvements to MLB stadiums is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The HTC First might be launching on AT&T, but that doesn’t mean this built-for-Facebook device is going to be limited to the US: we just learned it will eventually arrive in Europe too, on Orange and the UK’s EE network. Unfortunately, whereas AT&T came armed with pricing and availability details ($100 on April 12th), we still have no idea when, exactly, the phone will hit these other carriers. If you want to try before you buy, of course, you should be able to download the Facebook Home skin through Google Play pretty soon.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, HTC, Facebook

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LG Electronics Japan is releasing a wireless sound bar system “NB4530A”, a wireless connection and 3D sound compliant blu-ray disk player “NB4530A” and a compact model “BP125″ soon.

NB4530A
NB4530A can connect to an accompanying woofer or LG TV wirelessly. It’s only 35mm thin and you can hang it on a wall as well. Built-in 3D sound processor gives you a rich and realistic sound experience when you watch a 3D movie.

Expected price: ¥45,000
Release date: mid-May
Size: main unit 1038 × 35.4 × 75mm, woofer 221 × 351.5 × 281mm
Weight: main unit 2.4kg, woofer 7.3kg

BP630
3D sound compliant Blu-Ray player, BP630′s “Private Sound Mode” is a useful function especially when you cannot play loud sounds, such as late night. Equipped with Miracast – download a dedicated application to your smart phone, and then you can listen to the sounds that BP630 is producing with your smart phone. Equipped with an HDMI terminal.

Expected price: ¥13,000
Release date: mid-May
Size: 430 × 43.5 × 208.5mm
Weight: 1.5kg

BP125
BP125 is only 270cm across so you can place it at a narrow place. Equipped with an HDMI terminal.

Expected price: ¥10,000
Release date: mid-April
Size: 270 × 39 × 198mm
Weight: 1.1kg