News

FCC Targets Summer to Begin D-Block Auction Process

Friday, 6:07 PM   by Eric M. Zeman

Today the Federal Communications Commission indicated that it will begin the process to auction off the 10MHz band of D-Block 700MHz spectrum that failed to sell in 2008. At least a portion of the D-Block was originally intended to serve public agencies, such as police, fire and other first responders. The FCC still wants at least some of the spectrum to serve that purpose, and intends to create the Emergency Response Interoperability Center, which will rely on that spectrum. The FCC, however, has yet to make any final decisions on exactly what terms and conditions will apply to the sale of this particular block of airwaves. The D-Block failed to sell in 2008 in part due to the conditions placed on the sale. The FCC will issue a notice of inquiry by early summer, looking for opinions on what should be done. The FCC doesn't expect the auction to take place until the first or second quarter of 2011.

Sprint Android Phones Will Get 2.1 Upgrade This Spring

Friday, 2:42 PM   by Philip Berne

Sprint representatives have confirmed to PhoneScoop that the carrier's current crop of Android smartphones, the Samsung Moment and HTC Hero, will be updated directly from Android 1.5 to Android 2.1. As Sprint Communications Manager Caroline Semerdjian told us, Sprint expects to upgrade in early 2nd quarter of 2010.

AT&T Offering Cheaper Texting Option for Globetrotters

Friday, 11:34 AM   by Philip Berne

AT&T today announced a new package deal that will give customers traveling abroad 50 messages to send for a flat rate of $10 per month. Users can send SMS text or MMS messages with pictures and video. That flat rate translates to $0.20 per message if a user takes advantage and sends a full 50 messages per month, compared to the normal $0.50 per message charge on an international roaming, pay-per-use plan. If customers exceed 50 messages, they will pay $0.40 per message over the limit. The new flat rate doesn't cover received messages, which are still charged at the normal rate. It only covers outgoing messages. AT&T subscribers can add the Global Messaging 50 Package to their current calling plan starting tomorrow, March 20.

Verizon Clarifies Android 2.1 Update for Droid

Thursday, 4:27 PM   by Eric M. Zeman

In response to reports that Verizon Wireless had suddenly delayed its planned roll-out of the Android 2.1 update for the Motorola Droid, Verizon reached out to Phone Scoop. Spokesperson Thomas Pica said in an email, "The Android 2.1 upgrade for the Droid by Motorola was deployed to a small number of Verizon Wireless test users as scheduled. It is expected the broader phased rollout to all Droid by Motorola users will take place, but not just yet. No date scheduled yet." This message is essentially the same as the one provided yesterday by Verizon Wireless. Users should not expect their devices to update today or at any time during the next several days.

Google Now Offering Buzz Widget for Android

Thursday, 2:51 PM   by Eric M. Zeman

Today Google announced that it has created a widget for its Buzz service. The widget, which is available in the Android Market for devices running Android 1.6 and up, can be placed on an Android device's home screen for quicker access to Buzz. Users can post text and photos from the widget, which can access the camera controls and camera gallery. It can also be used to open the web application in the Android browser. Google says that posts will be uploaded in the background to save time. Right now, the widget only supports English. It is a free download.

T-Mobile USA Considering Deal with Clearwire

Thursday, 11:07 AM   by Eric M. Zeman

According to Reuters, T-Mobile USA is looking at different ways to boost its spectrum capacity. As part of that goal, the company is considering forming a joint venture with one or more other companies. "We continue to look at JV opportunities for additional spectrum... there are a number of different options we look at, (we) have been talking with cable companies, with Clearwire," Robert Dotson, chief executive of T-Mobile USA. The company does not believe the national broadband plan, recently forwarded to congress by the FCC, will be of help in its goal. Notably, Dotson responded to a question about a merger with Sprint, "What you never want to do is take one company that is going through challenges and take another company going through challenges" and put them together. T-Mobile didn't detail how a joint venture with Clearwire would work. Clearwire is Sprint's partner in building out a national WiMax network. T-Mobile has committed to bringing Long Term Evolution (technology that competes with WiMax) to market as its next-generation technology. Both T-Mobile and Sprint lag market leaders Verizon and AT&T by a growing margin.

MobiTV Gets Secure with the Multi-Screen Future

Thursday, 8:24 AM   by Philip Berne

MobiTV, the streaming video service that recently popped up on the HTC HD2, has announced a new digital rights management (DRM) solution that will help the company offer content to a user across multiple devices. Without offering a specific app or plan, MobiTV says the new DRM will work for a number of business models including subscriptions, rentals and even sharing content between devices. The new security feature will eventually allow customers to store programs and watch them offline, instead of relying on a wireless connection to stream multimedia content.

HTC Defends Itself, Says Apple Is Mistaken

Thursday, 7:27 AM   by Eric M. Zeman

Today HTC issued a statement in response to the lawsuit recently filed against it by Apple over alleged patent violations. In a prepared statement, Peter Chou, chief executive officer, HTC Corporation said, "HTC disagrees with Apple’s actions and will fully defend itself. HTC strongly advocates intellectual property protection and will continue to respect other innovators and their technologies as we have always done, but we will continue to embrace competition through our own innovation as a healthy way for consumers to get the best mobile experience possible. From day one, HTC has focused on creating cutting-edge innovations that deliver unique value for people looking for a smartphone." In the press release, HTC outlined some of its innovations and a roadmap of its smartphones, including the T-Mobile Pocket PC Phone Edition, which was the first 3.5-inch color touch screen smartphone in the United States in 2002. The lawsuit has not been given a trial date yet, but Apple claims HTC is infringing on 20 Apple patents related to the iPhone's user interface, underlying architecture and hardware.

Pocket Communications Launches BREW-Based Apps Store

Thursday, 7:20 AM   by Eric M. Zeman

Today Pocket Communications, a regional provider in southern Texas, launched a new application storefront for its customers. Pocket's subscribers will be able to shop for and download mobile applications and services from their phone, including ringtones, wallpapers, and 3D games. The store is based on Qualcomm's BREW platform, which is used by other carriers such as Verizon Wireless to deliver content to end users.

Google Maps for Android Switches Accounts, Tracks Friends

Wednesday, 7:24 PM   by Philip Berne

Google today updated its Google Maps app for the Android platform, at least for phones running Android 1.6 or higher. The new Google Maps 4.1 comes with a few minor interface improvements, including a more unified search results page. More interesting features include a homescreen widget that automatically finds Google Latitude friends nearby, and a Live Wallpaper that displays an active map with your position on a satellite, terrain or normal mapping view. The Live Wallpaper only works on Android 2.1 phones, like the Nexus One and the soon-to-be-updated Motorola Droid. Google Maps now also supports multiple Google accounts, so users can switch from, say, personal to professional accounts to report a location on Google Buzz or load a different set of My Maps. The updated Google Maps app is available now from the Android App Market.

Google's Nexus One Also Heading Sprint's Way

Wednesday, 2:12 PM   by Philip Berne   updated Wednesday, 2:15 PM

Sprint today announced upcoming availability of the Google Nexus One phone for Sprint's EV-DO Rev. A network. While Google has been promising a Nexus One for Verizon Wireless since the phone's launch in January, this is the first word of Google supporting Sprint's network as well. The carrier offered no pricing details, but hinted that it would offer "more value than our competitors." An exact release date was also kept mum.

PlatinumTel Expands Service in Florida

Wednesday, 10:56 AM   by Philip Berne

PlatinumTel, the 3G prepaid and pay as you go wireless service provider, is now offering contract-free service in Miami, Jacksonville and Orlando, Florida. The operator is offering an unlimited talk and text plan for $50 per month, and customers can add unlimited Web data for $10 monthly. PlatinumTel also allows customers to buy minutes as needed, after a $5 monthly minimum buy.

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