Cricket's Newest 5G Phones are Around 50 Bucks
Cricket has launched updated versions of its two most affordable 5G phones. The Cricket Magic 2 5G replaces the Cricket Magic 5G. It has a much larger battery at 5,000 mAh (vs. 4,000 mAh before), a new MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ chipset, and adds a 5 megapixel wide-angle camera. Other features remain similar, including 6.6" HD+ 90 Hz display, 4 GB RAM, 64 GB storage (expandable), 13 megapixel main camera, NFC, fingerprint reader, and a headset jack. Cricket lists the price at $100 but is currently offering it to existing customers for $40, or free to new customers. The new Cricket Outlast 5G is a significant departure from the original Outlast. While the first Outlast was a 4G phone with a huge 6,000 mAh battery, the new Outlast 5G is a 5G phone with a more-common 5,000 mAh battery and slightly better specs than the Magic 2 5G. Those specs include a larger 6.8" display, 6 GB of RAM, 128 GB storage, and a 50 megapixel main camera. Other specs are similar to the Magic 2 5G, including the same MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ chipset. Cricket is currently selling the Outlast 5G for $60, or free for new customers. The original Magic, new Magic 2, and original Outlast were all manufactured for Cricket by Tinno, which also makes the Cricket Debut S3. However the new Outlast 5G is made by Coosea, which also makes the Cricket Icon 6.
T-Mobile Enables Text Via Satellite as Carriers Prepare for Hurricane Milton
T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T have put out detailed information on how they're preparing for Hurricane Milton and responding to Hurricane Helene. For the first time, T-Mobile is activating Starlink Direct-to-Cellular satellite SMS service for its customers, including the ability to text 911. This experimental service is being deployed on a temporary, emergency basis in Florida as well as the areas previously impacted by Hurricane Helene. This service enables any ordinary T-Mobile phone to receive service via satellite (at this time, for texting only) when land-based networks are unavailable. Engadget reports that phones will display a network name of "T-Mobile SpaceX" when connected to the service. SpaceX advises that the service works best outdoors or, if necessary, near a window. Because the Starlink Direct-to-Cellular fleet is only partially deployed, service may be intermittent. Separately, Verizon announced that it's waiving all "domestic call, text, and data usage for postpaid consumer and Verizon Small Business customers most impacted by the storm in parts of Florida from Oct. 9th – Oct. 23rd, 2024."
T-Mobile Testing Satellite Coverage in Hurricane-Affected Areas
T-Mobile and SpaceX have received special permission from the FCC to test their new satellite coverage technology in areas affected by Hurricane Helene. The SpaceX Starlink system used by T-Mobile works with essentially all existing T-Mobile phones, using an existing cellular frequency band (band 25). T-Mobile has already activated the system to send out emergency alerts in North Carolina, which can be received by any compatible phone, not just those of T-Mobile customers. The two companies also said they "may" test "basic texting (SMS) capabilities for most cell phones on the T-Mobile network in North Carolina." Because of the limited number of satellites deployed to date, service is likely to be intermittent for now.
Google Now Lets You Search with Camera + Voice
Google has enhanced its Google Lens feature on mobile to support voice queries while doing a visual search with your phone's camera. On both iOS and Android, you can now ask Google questions like "why did the artist paint this?" or "what kind of clouds are these?", using your voice, while pointing your phone's camera at a painting or the sky, for example. To access the feature, open the Google (search) app, tap the camera (Google Lens) icon, aim, and hold down the shutter button while speaking. The feature can also be accessed from the dedicated Google Lens app, or anywhere else a Google Lens icon appears, such as in camera apps or home screen widgets.
Tracfone Doubles Data on Plans
Tracfone, a Verizon prepaid brand, has revised its plans to add more value. Plans that previously included 2–10 GB of data now include twice as much, up to 20 GB, for the same price. Tracfone is further enhancing these plans by now allowing mobile hotspot at all price points, a feature previously reserved for the most expensive plan. The new 20 GB plan runs $40/month, the new 4 GB plan runs $20/month, and there are $25 and $30 plans as well. The $15/month plan now includes 1 GB of data when it previously included none. Tracfone is also introducing discounts when buying multiple months in advance; 10% off when buying three months, 15% off for six, and 20% off when buying a whole year of service. All of these plans include unlimited voice and texts. Tracfone also still offers plans with fixed buckets of voice minutes and texts.
Consumer Cellular Gets Into Medical Alert Devices
The Iris Ally is a new medical alert device from Consumer Cellular. The device and service includes automatic fall detection, a feature that competitors charge extra for. The Ally is small, weighs 1.5 ounces, and is fully waterproof. It can hang from a lanyard or clipped to a waistband. The device is $89 up front, with service running $25/month. Through the end of the year, existing customers can get the Ally for $44.50. For a limited time, AARP members can get the device 50% off until the end of the year and an ongoing 5% off the monthly service fee.
OpenSignal Rates Carrier's 5G Performance
OpenSignal has released its latest annual ranking of 5G networks worldwide. T-Mobile USA and Puerto Rico came in first in 5G availability among all 5G networks on the planet. In other key categories — like 5G download speed — no US carrier cracks the top-20 list globally. However, AT&T and Verizon did both place in the top 5 worldwide for "most improved" year-over-year in 5G download speed. In a similar report focusing on the US released in July, T-Mobile came in first for "average overall download and upload speeds" as well as "consistent quality". However Verizon came in first for video and gaming "experience" and 5G upload speed. AT&T, meanwhile, came in first for overall "availability" (regardless of technology).
Pebblebee's New Trackers Work with Both Apple and Google Find My Networks
Peeblebee has launched a new lineup of "Universal" Bluetooth item-tracking tags that are the first to be compatible with both Apple Find My and Google's Android Find My Device networks. The $35 tags are rechargeable and come in three form factors: Tag, Card, and Clip. The rectangular Tag is the smallest. The round Clip has a lanyard hole ideal for attaching to keys and bags. The Card is 2.8mm thin to fit into wallets and laptop sleeves. The Clip can charge directly via USB-C, while the Card and Tag come with a magnetic charger. The Tag lasts 8 months on a single charge, while the Clip lasts 12, and the Card, 18. All include a buzzer and lights to aid finding when lost, and are rated IPx6 for water resistance. Both the Apple and Google networks work similarly, by leveraging Bluetooth of smartphones and other connected devices worldwide. Encryption and anonymization ensures privacy and security. Cross-platform anti-stalking features help guard against unwanted tracking.
EchoStar Sells Dish TV to Focus on Boost Mobile
EchoStar has reached an agreement to sell its Dish satellite TV business — including its Sling streaming TV service — to DirecTV. This will help the company "focus more clearly on enhancing and further deploying its nationwide 5G Open RAN wireless network, which will provide more choices and better service to consumers under the Boost Mobile brand". The company will also continue focusing on new direct-to-device (D2D) satellite solutions, such as satellite service for phones. EchoStar is already partnered with Skylo to provide such service.
Verizon Experiencing Outage
Many Verizon customers are reporting an outage in mobile service. Reports started around 9:30 Eastern this morning. DownDetector shows the majority of issues on the east coast. Verizon says it is aware of an issue and is working to resolve it.
Samsung Galaxy S24 FE Boosts Display and Battery Size
Samsung has revealed the Galaxy S24 FE, this year's edition of the company's most affordable model in the flagship S-series. Compared to last year's S23 FE, this model has a larger 6.7-inch display (with 120 HZ refresh), and a larger 4,700 mAh battery. It's powered by a Samsung Exynos 2400 series chipset that supports ray-traced graphics, paired with 8 GB of RAM. It will come with 128 GB of storage; a 256 GB version will be available unlocked and with Verizon. The camera system is similar to last year's, with a 50 megapixel main camera, 12 megapixel wide-angle camera, and 3x, 8-megapixel telephoto camera with OIS. It also supports wired fast charging, as well as fast wireless charging and reverse wireless charging. Naturally, it comes with a full suite of AI features, including Generative Edit, Circle to Search, Live Translate, and Note Assist. It comes in four colors: Blue, Graphite, Gray, and Mint. All three major national carriers will offer the phone. Pricing for the Galaxy S24 FE starts at $650. Pre-orders start today, with full availability on October 3rd.
Iridium on Track to Provide Standards-Based Satellite Service Direct to Phones
The 3GPP (standards body for cellular technology) has agreed to make its NTN satellite service spec compatible with Iridium's satellites in 3GPP Release 19, due by the end of 2025. This will add a major new provider to the standards-based NTN ecosystem. Uniquely, Iridium's constellation provides 100% global service, including over oceans and in polar regions. Existing 3GPP standards include optional NTN satellite service compatible with satellites from Echostar, Viasat, Ligado, Terrestar, and Inmarsat. Skylo partners with all of those companies and facilitates satellite NTN service for Google and Verizon. NTN satellite service requires specific hardware support in a phone to work. The new Google Pixel 9 series includes this hardware, as will forthcoming phones from Samsung. MediaTek makes chipsets that include NTN support, and Qualcomm will offer them soon. Qualcomm and Iridium originally tried to partner on a proprietary solution called Snapdragon Satellite, which was abandoned after the rest of the industry chose to pursue standards-based solutions instead.
Suicide Lifeline Calls Getting Geo-routing, Like 911
The FCC today announced that wireless calls to 988 will be routed to nearby suicide & crisis centers based on the caller's actual location, instead of the previous area-code-based routing. This will make the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline work more like 911, where the cell phone's GPS and nearest-tower information is automatically used to route the call to the most appropriate call center. Two of US's largest wireless carriers — T-Mobile and one other — have already implemented this new "georouting" as of last week. The FCC will soon vote on a new rule requiring all carriers to implement this technology. FCC Chairwoman Rosenworcel says of the new rule: "Georouting means those responding to 988 calls have a lot more knowledge of local resources at their fingertips and are better equipped to get the caller the help they need, where they need it."
iOS 18 Lets you use Matter Smart-home Devices Without a Hub
Apple has quietly slipped a new smart-home feature into the just-released iOS 18. You can now set up and use a Matter-compatible smart-home device with just your phone, instead of requiring a separate Matter hub device. (Matter is the new open industry standard for cross-platform smart-home technology.) This new feature enables only manual, local control; a hub is still required to operate devices in an automated way, or remotely. Apple says this new feature works with plug-in or hard-wired devices today, while battery-powered devices may require a firmware update to work in this hub-less mode. Matter devices can use Wi-Fi and/or Thread for wireless connectivity. iOS 18 lets any iPhone connect to a Wi-Fi-enabled Matter device. Connecting to a Thread-only device requires an iPhone with a Thread radio. Google also recently started putting Thread radios in its phones, starting with the Pixel 9 series. This implies that Google may add a similar feature to Android soon.
T-Mobile Launches New Priority Lane for First Responders
T-Mobile has announced T-Priority, a new offering for first responder agencies that uses network slicing to give participating first responders a promised minimum level of service, a step beyond simple priority access that other networks offer. Thanks to network slicing — a feature of 5G SA networks like T-Mobile's — the portion of the network devoted to first responders can automatically grow to meet demand, such as during major emergencies. The first customer will be the City of New York. New "first responder rate plans launch later this year and are available for state, local and federal agencies. They're also available to businesses, like utility and transportation organizations, that provide critical support during emergencies."
iOS 18 Available to Everyone Today
iPhone users can now update to the final (non-beta) version of iOS 18. This version was originally announced as bringing "Apple Intelligence" AI features, but these have now been postponed until version 18.1 — expected "next month" — or some aspects of it have been pushed back to an even later update. iOS 18.0 still brings many new features, including support for RCS, which will improve conversations with "green bubble" friends using Android. Such conversations will now support high-quality photos and videos, as well as read receipts. iOS 18 also brings new freedom to customize app icons, and a new Control Center with additional Controls and customization. iPhone users can update by going to Settings, then General, then Software Update. iOS 18 is compatible with the iPhone XR / XS, iPhone 11 series and newer, and the iPhone SE 2nd Generation (2020) or newer.
Google, TSA Testing New "ID Pass" in Wallet, Created by Scanning Passport
Google will soon start beta testing a new type of digital ID in Google Wallet. This "ID Pass" serves the same function as a digital driver's license (mID) at TSA airport security checkpoints and potentially other places where you need to verify your identity. In this case, it's created by scanning your passport (the photo page and chip) with your phone, then scanning your face to confirm it's you. This creates an "ID Pass" that will be accepted at TSA checkpoints that already take mID. The TSA has a web site that lets you check which airports accept digital IDs before you travel. Importantly, an ID Pass is not a digital passport, and Google still recommends carrying a physical ID. Google also shared that Iowa, New Mexico, and Ohio will be the next US states to enable mID in Google Wallet.
AST SpaceMobile Successfully Launches First Five Commercial Sats
This morning, a SpaceX rocket successfully took five new satellites into orbit that will eventually provide satellite service (including 5G data) for existing AT&T and Verizon cell phones in places without cellular coverage. The launch of these "BlueBird" satellites operated by AST SpaceMobile follows a successful testing campaign using "BlueWalker" test satellites (already in orbit) to validate the technology. This "Block 1" group of five satellites will be enough to cover the whole United States, but not continuously; service will be available intermittently, as the satellites pass overhead. This will enable a beta testing campaign by AT&T and Verizon. AST is already manufacturing the next 17 "Block 2" satellites. By the time AST has launched around 45–60 BlueBird satellites, they will be able to offer 24/7 continuous service throughout the US, Europe, Japan, and more. SpaceX is currently working on a competing system by upgrading its Starlink network, which will be used by T-Mobile. Both the AST and SpaceX systems rely on massive antenna arrays that are large enough to emulate a cell phone tower from space.
