The Federal Aviation Administration has lifted a ban on most electronic gadgets on flights, even during parts of takeoff and landing. But passengers will still be banned from making voice calls on their cellphones. Although the new rules are in effect, it may be a few months before fliers notice the difference. Individual airlines must […]
Yesterday we reported on a man with an idea to make modular mobile phones where replaceable and upgradeable components snapped together like Lego. It turns out Motorola has been working on just such a concept itself. Dave Hakkens, a Dutch designer, came up with the Phonebloks idea. He suggested a baseboard with an electrical circuit […]
T-Mobile is offering some customers “free” data use when travelling abroad. The catch is that you’ll have to pay extra to get a decent speed. The deal starts automatically on October 31 for anyone on a “Simple Choice” plan, which already offers unlimited texting, voice calls and data use in the US. It only applies […]
Facebook has made a deal with Cisco to roll out a program that gives store, hotel and restaurant customers free Wi-Fi access in return for “checking in” on Facebook. The idea has already been tested in a small number of locations and will now be made available to all businesses. Facebook itself won’t be putting […]
Verizon has announced that it will live up to an agreement with eagle-eyed customers who took advantage of a loophole. A software bug on its website let people get a new phone while keeping an unlimited data plan. Last year Verizon decided to scrap unlimited data deals not just for new customers, but for new […]
The government has formally asked the Federal Communications Commission to force cellphone carriers to make it physically possible to unlock phones. It follows an appeal for Congress to make the practice legally OK. Back in January, a change in the law meant that phone unlocking technically became a breach of the law. That’s because the […]
The Formula E racing championship, planned to launch next year, won’t just be a demonstration that zero-emissions racing can still be exciting. It’s now looking as if it will be a testing ground for elecricity-based tech. Qualcomm, best known for making smartphone chips, has signed on as a sponsor. Bur rather than just handing over […]
The majority of mobile phone applications have never been updated and have received very little interest according to a new study. The figures also suggest that if an app doesn’t make it big within a few weeks of release, it’s effectively doomed. The figures come from StarDust, a company that tests mobile apps to make […]
Android devices may soon offer users far more control over what access apps have to their data and hardware. The latest release has a hidden feature that removes the all-or-nothing approach to access. A key part of the Android security system is the “permissions” system which controls dozens of settings that say whether or not […]
You might describe your smartphone as a lifesaver, but now you can let it help in the fight against AIDS. Alternatively, you can turn it into a tool to help study global warming or discover pulsars. It’s thanks to the Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing (BOINC), which already offered a similar tool for computers. […]