T-Mobile's Space-Based Coverage Tested Successfully
SpaceX has successfully used an off-the-shelf cell phone to text message via its Starlink satellite network. The new-generation Starlink satellites that enable the service just started launching last week. The system uses T-Mobile-exclusive spectrum in the US, and T-Mobile plans to launch the service nationwide — covering dead zones — later this year. Any recent T-Mobile-compatible phone (supporting 4G LTE in band 25) should be able to use the service. Only texting will be allowed initially, with voice and data to follow in 2025.
Boost Updates its Celero Phones for 2024
Boost has launched new 2024 versions of its own-brand Celero5G and Celero5G+ affordable 5G phones. The phones have updated designs that are more stylish than most such white-label phones. Both models are powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 1050 chipset. The more affordable Celero5G has a 6.5-inch HD+ display with 90 Hz refresh, 50 megapixel main camera, 5,000 mAh battery, 20W fast charging, Wi-Fi 6E, NFC, and a fingerprint reader. It has 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of built-in storage (expandable by another 1 TB). The new Celero5G+ steps that up with a huge 7-inch FHD+ display with 120 Hz refresh, 108 megapixel main camera, 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of built-in storage. It has all of the features of its little sibling plus 15W wireless charging, and an IP68 water rating. The "plus" model also comes in a choice of Twilight Blue or Sunrise Orange, with a premium glass back. While the original Celero phones were manufactured by Wingtech, the new models are made by Tinno. Tinno has long made white-label phones for Cricket, such as the Magic 5G, Debut S2, and Outlast. The phones are available immediately for both prepaid Boost Mobile and postpaid Boost Infinite customers. The Boost Celero5G has a list price of $160 while the Boost Celero5G+ runs $240; new customers can get the Celero5G for as little as $10.
JBL Brings Smart Charging Case to More Earbud Styles
JBL this week introduced a new lineup of earbuds that have similar advanced features and specs, in three different styles. The JBL Live 3 Earbuds series all come with a "Smart Charging Case" that includes a 1.45-inch touch display for controlling settings, music, calls, and more. All of the Live 3 models come in at $200, making them more affordable than the JBL Tour Pro 2 which first debuted the Smart Charging Case. Other features of the new series include True Adaptive Noise Cancelling, wireless Hi-Res audio (LDAC), JBL Spatial Sound, 6 mics, wireless charging, and IP55 or IP54 water resistance. JBL also promises a software update that will add Bluetooth 5.3 with LE Audio.
- The JBL Live Buds 3 are standard "bud-style" and offer 10 hours of battery life (plus another 30 from the case).
- The JBL Live Beam 3 are "closed type stick" style (like Apple AirPods Pro) and offer 12 hours of battery life (plus another 36 from the case).
- The JBL Live Flex 3 are "open type stick" style (like standard Apple AirPods) and offer 10 hours of battery life (plus another 40 from the case). They also sport larger 12mm drivers (the other models are 10mm).
Nearby Share Becomes Quick Share
Google and Samsung have collaborated to merge their similar Nearby Share and Quick Share features into a single new standard called Quick Share. "Quick Share will start rolling out to current Nearby Share enabled devices next month."
Android Auto Will Know Your EV's Battery Level
Google today announced a major new feature of Android Auto: the ability for electric vehicles to share real-time battery information with Google Maps running on your phone. With this update, Google Maps will be able to "provide your estimated battery level upon arrival at your destination, suggest charging stops along the way and even estimate how long charging will take based on your vehicle." Many EV owners previously had to use the built-in navigation system instead of Android Auto to access such features. EVs must be specifically designed to support the feature. The first vehicles to support it will be the Ford Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning "in the coming months, with others to follow."
Mophie Brings Back Juice Pack Battery Cases for iPhone
Zagg brand Mophie has re-introduced its Juice Pack line of iPhone cases with integrated batteries. The new models target the iPhone 15 series with pass-through USB-C charging. They add 50% more battery life with 2,400–2,800 mAh supplemental batteries. They also sport an LED battery meter and charging indicator. They are available for the iPhone 15, 15 Pro, and 15 Pro Max (but not the 15 Plus). All three models sell for $100 and pre-orders begin in February.
Wi-Fi 7 Officially Arrives
The Wi-Fi Alliance has begin approving end-user devices such as smartphones as part of its Wi-Fi Certified 7 program. This means devices that were previously advertised as "Wi-Fi 7 ready" will now be able to officially support the new standard. This includes Qualcomm's newest chip for flagship phones, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, thanks to its FastConnect 7800 subsystem. Wi-Fi 7 brings up to 2x higher throughput, increased efficiency, greater reliability, and enhanced spectral efficiency.
TCL Previews 2024 Phones, Including Two with Matte Displays
TCL today announced its 50 series of devices, including five new phones for the US. The TCL 50 XE 5G and TCL 50 XL 5G are mid-range 5G phones with 6.6- and 6.8-inch displays, respectively. Both have a 5,010 mAh battery, 50 megapixel triple-camera system, and dual speakers. They come with 128 GB storage and 4–8 GB of RAM. Both are available with either a standard LCD display or TCL's NXTPAPER display technology with a matte finish and a number of other eye-comfort features. Those variants are dubbed the TCL 50 XE NXTPAPER 5G and TCL 50 XL NXTPAPER 5G. Finally, the TCL 50 LE is a more affordable 4G phone destined for prepaid carriers in the US. It has a 6.6-inch display, 4,000 mAh battery, 13 megapixel camera, and dual speakers. It comes with 64 GB of storage and 4–8 GB RAM. TCL is previewing the phones at CES this week, but will reveal more details at the MWC trade show in a few weeks.
New Case Adds Keyboard to iPhone Pro
Clicks is a new case accessory for recent iPhone Pro models that adds a full physical QWERTY keyboard to the bottom of the phone. By disabling the software keyboard when in use, it frees up the lower half of the display for content while typing. It also provides faster access to shortcuts, including Home and Search. The keyboard is backlit and the device provides pass-through Lightning or USB-C connections for easy phone charging. The wired connection also offers a reliable link between the keyboard and the phone, and doesn't require a separate battery for the keyboard. Clicks is a creation of Michael Fisher (known as MrMobile), and Kevin Michaluk (known as CrackBerry Kevin), "together with a team with mobile experience from companies including Apple, BlackBerry, and Google." Clicks is available for order starting today two colors: yellow and gray. Three models are available: Clicks for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro sell for $139 and ship on Feb. 1 and mid-March, respectively. A model for the larger iPhone 15 Pro Max ships in early spring for $159.
T-Mobile Achieves World-First 6-Carrier Aggregation
T-Mobile has achieved the world's first six-carrier aggregation connection using sub-6 GHz spectrum on its live production 5G network. This allowed the mobile device to access 245 MHz of total bandwidth and reach download speeds over 3.6 Gbps. Carrier aggregation lets mobile devices cobble together multiple simultaneous connections to the network at different frequencies, for more total bandwidth, enabling faster data rates. While two- and three-carrier aggregation is now common with sub-6 5G networks, six is a first. T-Mobile's test used two channels in band 41 (2,500 MHz), two channels in band 2/25 (1,900 MHz) and two channels in band 4/66 (1,700 MHz). All of these bands offer relatively broad coverage (compared to mmWave, which is short-range).
SpaceX Launches First Batch of Starlink Satellites with "Direct to Cell" for T-Mobile Service
T-Mobile is one step closer to offering 100% nationwide coverage — even in the most remote areas — using SpaceX's Starlink satellite network. Last night, SpaceX successfully launched its first batch of Starlink satellites upgraded with Direct to Cell capabilities. This will enable existing 4G LTE cell phones to connect directly to Starlink and receive service. T-Mobile plans to begin field testing the service "soon". Following successful testing, the service will launch "with text messaging, with voice and data coverage to follow in the coming years" as SpaceX launches more satellites with this capability. Other providers around the world have also signed up with SpaceX to use Starlink to expand coverage, "including Rogers (Canada), Optus (Australia), One NZ (New Zealand), KDDI (Japan), and others, with more to come." SpaceX and T-Mobile announced plans for this technology in 2022.
T-Mobile Adds Hulu to Top-End Plan
Starting January 24th, T-Mobile's "Go5G Next" plan will include a Hulu subscription at no additional charge, in addition to Netflix, Apple TV+, and MLB.tv. Go5G Next costs $100/month for one line, with significant discounts for multiple lines.
Samsung Teases AI Zoom Feature of Galaxy S24 Series
Samsung has scheduled its next Unpacked product-launch event for January 17th at 10am PT (1pm ET). The event will take place in San Jose, CA and the main subject is expected to be the Galaxy S24 series of flagship phones. In promotional materials, Samsung teases a new feature called "Zoom with Galaxy AI", which could be a digital zoom feature that employs generative AI to add missing details. This would be like in TV and film where a computer magically "enhances" an image. As it does every year, Samsung is offering a $50 credit to anyone that places a "reservation" to pre-order a phone. The reservation carries no commitment to buy; only a name and email address are required. The credit can only be used against an additional purchase (like an accessory) at the time the phone order is placed. Samsung will also offer additional credits and storage upgrades to anyone who pre-orders, "while supplies last".
Beeper Mini's Newest (Cumbersome) Workaround Will be its Last
Beeper Mini has a new solution for using iMessage on an Android phone, but it requires a jailbroken iPhone left plugged in and turned on, as well as a Mac or Linux computer. Apple has found ways to shut down previous versions of Beeper Mini that did not require this extra hardware. Beeper says of its new solution: "we believe we’ve created something that Apple can tolerate existing." However, if Apple does shut down the new version of the service, Beeper says it will abandon the project.
Google Will Relax App Billing Rules, Pay $700 Million in Antitrust Settlement
Google has reached a settlement with 36 states and the District of Columbia in case alleging that Google operated its Play app store as an illegal monopoly. Google has agreed to let developers use alternative billing systems in the US, and "[simplify] the sideloading process". In addition, the company will pay $630 million into "a settlement fund to be distributed for the benefit of consumers", plus $70 million to the states that filed the suit. The case was led by the Utah Attorney General. The case was filed in 2021 and the settlement agreed to in September, but details were announced just this week. This case is separate from a private antitrust case filed by Epic Games, where a jury recently ruled against Google.
Apple to Allow Discounts for Competing Subscriptions
Apple has announced to developers a new feature of its App Store that will enable companies to "give customers a discounted subscription price as long as they're actively subscribed to a different subscription". The feature is being rolled out slowly to select developers.
Apple to Pause Apple Watch Sales
Apple will pause sales of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 starting December 21st, in order to preemptively comply with an order from US International Trade Commission. The issue stems from a finding that the blood oxygen sensor in those watches infringes on a patent held by medical tech company Masimo. The US President has an option to veto the order, and there are multiple paths to appealing or resolving the issue. Apple will pause online sales on the 21st, and in-store sales on the 24th. Other retailers may continue seling the watches, and Apple will continue to sell the Apple Watch SE, which lacks that specific sensor. Apple promises more information after a Presidential Review Period expires on December 25.
Court Affirms Right to Not Unlock Phone for Police
The Utah State Supreme Court has ruled that "criminal suspects can refuse to provide phone passcodes to police under the US Constitution's Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination". The case may be appealed to the US Supreme Court.
