Hasta La Gadget!

Watch out, Google Maps for Android, it looks like Apple’s iOS Maps may soon be entering the building — when it comes to indoor GPS tracking anyway. The Wall Street Journal’s Digits blog is reporting that Apple has confirmed it purchased WiFiSlam, a startup that specializes in WiFi-assisted indoor-GPS functionality for phone apps. Interestingly, Digits notes that the company was founded by a few ex-Googlers a couple of years back and that one of its investors has included a Google employee. Further, a quick Google search confirms that any WiFiSlam-related apps that may have been on Google Play are all but dead links now.

The word on the street is that Apple handed over $20 million to claim the company, although it wouldn’t confirm any numbers — or a specific reason for the purchase — with the blog. While there’s no actual telling whether this means we’ll see indoor mapping on iOS maps at any point, it’s hard not to imagine it now that Apple’s made the purchase. We’re seeking comment from Apple on our end, and will be sure to let you know what we hear back. For now, check out an old demo of WiFiSlam in action after the break.

Filed under: Cellphones, GPS, Wireless, Mobile, Apple, Google

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Source: Wall Street Journal (Digits blog)

HTC’s next “Facebook Phone” has been in the rumor mill for much too long, but this morning’s approval by the FCC may speed along its journey to a launch date. The PM33100, which has been long associated with the Myst (or Opera, going even further back in time), just received the go-ahead by the Feds — and it’s carrying the same four LTE frequencies that we normally see accompanying AT&T smartphones. Naturally, HTC is keeping as much to itself as it possibly can, as we were able to glean few other details from the documents, but we know it has dual-band WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0. However, if the leaked specs provided by @evleaks are correct, we should also expect to see it come with a 4.3-inch 720p display, a 1.5GHz dual-core MSM8960, a 5MP rear camera and Android 4.1.2.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, HTC, AT&T

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Source: FCC

“Nothing says fun like a speech demo.” Those are the words of Microsoft’s CTSO Eric Rudder, not ours — although we do have to agree. As you’ll see for yourself in the video after the break, Microsoft held a private event for its employees a few weeks ago showcasing some of the advancements it’s achieved with Bing’s voice search for Windows Phone. Thanks to the work of MS’ Research arm and the folks at Advanced Technology Group, voice recognition accuracy on a prototype build has now been improved by up to 15-percent on the back end and should even see a further 10- to 15-percent performance boost. In addition to this decreased error rate, the team’s also greatly enhanced the speed at which the app delivers relevant results. So when can you expect this new and improved Bing app for WP? That part’s unclear, but it appears Microsoft’s already implementing changes on the back end to bolster current use.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Software, Mobile, Microsoft

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Via: The Verge

Source: MSFT Kitchen

All signs point toward the T-Mobile / MetroPCS merger becoming a formal thing pretty soon, but the Wireless for All carrier isn’t wasting any time and is now welcoming yet another budget smartphone with LTE to its hefty mobile arsenal. And while the newly announced Huawei Premia 4G might not be amongst MetroPCS’ better-specced handsets, its 4-inch (800 x 480) display, 1.5GHz dual-core CPU, 1GB RAM and 5-megapixel rear shooter will certainly make this Ice Cream Sandwich slab a relatively solid option at $149. So, those looking for some LTE love without having to break the bank, someone’s calling your name — and, starting today, you can snag one of these Huawei Premia 4Gs in-store or via the MetroPCS site linked below.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

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Source: MetroPCS

JetBlue first announced that it would be bringing in-flight WiFi to its fleet of aircrafts back in 2011, but we have yet to see anything from the airline at this point, although they announced back in September that free in-flight WiFi would be available soon. The project is still making progress, though, as the company has announced the name of their WiFi service, as well as a few other details.

During an analyst event, JetBlue announced that they will be calling their in-flight WiFi service “Fly-Fi,” a clever play on words with “Fly” and “WiFi.” The service will be powered by Exede Internet, which is owned by ViaSat. JetBlue hasn’t given a launch date yet, but they hope to have their first WiFi-enabled flight take off sometime later this year.

JetBlue also teased the new service, by releasing a video that demonstrates the speed of their new WiFi service compared to other top WiFi providers like Gogo, Row 44, and Panasonic’s own service. Of course, JetBlue boasts that their Fly-Fi option surfs the web at a much quicker rate than the other three providers.

The airline says that there’s still a lot of testing to be done, and the FAA still needs to come in and do a series of certification tests before the service can be put to public use. Currently, a large number of airlines have WiFi available, but you usually have to pay a small fee in order to get it. JetBlue will be one of the few airlines to offer free WiFi on board.

JetBlue names its WiFi service “Fly-Fi”, coming later this year is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
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