Defense Mobile to offer Sprint-based cellular service to soldiers and veterans

While the US military can devote many resources to putting smartphones on the battlefield, it can't do the same for soldiers' private lives. A new carrier, Defense Mobile, wants to fill that void: it just announced a deal to use Sprint's CDMA and LTE networks for cellular service devoted to active-duty forces, reserves and veterans. The provider will offer plans at enlisted rank budgets, ranging from $20 for the basics to $60 for a family plan. It won't skimp on the handset selection, though -- the company already promises the Galaxy S 4, HTC One and iPhone 5. Defense Mobile hopes to go live in 2014, and it should arrive with both apps and branding tailored to each military branch.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Sprint

Comments

Via: GigaOM

Source: Defense Mobile

via Engadget RSS Feed http://www.engadget.com

Review: Two new color-changing lights want to be friends with Philips Hue

Plus a video peek into one editor's life with the fancy LED bulbs.

via Ars Technica http://arstechnica.com

Nexus 7 factory image and binaries now available from Google

Wanna mod that shiny new Nexus 7? Today's your lucky day. Google just posted the factory image and binaries for its second generation 7-inch tablet -- also known by the product name "razor" and device name "flo". The factory image lets you restore your new Nexus 7 to the exact software it shipped with in case you grow tired of that custom ROM you cooked up using the binaries (natch). Speaking of which, the packages include drivers for audio and sensors from ASUS, NFC from Broadcom plus graphics and everything-but-the-kitchen-sink from Qualcomm. This comes mere hours after some open source drama surrounding the binaries (which now appears to be resolved) and with plenty of time to spare for UK customers. Follow the source links below and have fun hacking this weekend.

Filed under: Tablets, Mobile, ASUS, Google

Comments

Source: Google Developers (factory image), Google Developers (binaries)

via Engadget RSS Feed http://www.engadget.com

President Obama proposes review, new oversight measures in wake of NSA scandal

Revelations of government surveillance programs, including the headline-grabbing PRISM, have been nothing short of a PR nightmare for the White House. President Obama, who ran in part on a platform that included opposition to certain elements of the Patriot Act and President Bush's illegal wiretapping program, has faced tough questions about his roll in the NSA data collection system. Today, he addressed reporters in the White House press room and, as part of his regular briefing, began to layout a path to increased transparency that he hopes will re-earn the trust of the citizens.

After consulting with members of congress and civil liberties organizations, President Obama has come up with four initial steps to improve transparency and confidence, while working to maintain essential security apparatus. First up, is a direct dialog with congress about reforming section 215 of the Patriot Act, which is the part of the legislation regarding the collection of telephone records. Obama also took the opportunity to reiterate that the government does not have the ability to eavesdrop on phone calls without a warrant. The second step also involved congress and working to improve confidence in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC). Most notably, he said the government would pursue reforms that would ensure judges would hear opposing views from independent civil liberties proponents, in addition to government representatives.

Filed under: Misc, Internet

Comments

via Engadget RSS Feed http://www.engadget.com

SATA 3.2 standard finalized, promises faster and smaller storage

There's no doubt that Serial ATA storage is hitting a wall when even mainstream PCs like the MacBook Air and VAIO Pro use the PCI Express interface to get around performance bottlenecks. It's a good thing that SATA-IO just ratified the improved SATA 3.2 specification, then. The new standard centers on SATA Express, which lets SATA storage ride on the PCIe bus and more than doubles the available bandwidth to 16Gbps (2GB/s). Version 3.2 also brings support for the M.2 format, giving Ultrabooks and tablets access to SATA Express in a tiny form factor. We're already getting a peek at what the new spec can do when M.2-based PCIe drives offer comparable performance, but SATA 3.2's ratification should bring that kind of speed to many more PCs in the future.

Filed under: Storage

Comments

Source: SATA-IO

via Engadget RSS Feed http://www.engadget.com

7Gbps transmissions up to a mile will boost wireless Internet coverage

FCC rule change lets industry send higher-power signals on 60GHz band.

via Ars Technica http://arstechnica.com

Review: Android 4.3’s multitude of minor changes future-proofs the platform

New Jelly Bean is faster, more power-efficient, more secure, and still fragmented.

via Ars Technica http://arstechnica.com

Xbox One's Xbox Live Gold benefits, digital games shared with all users on a single console

The Xbox One game console will enable all users of a single console to enjoy the benefits of a single users' Xbox Live Gold account, Microsoft announced this afternoon. This initiative, called "Home Gold," includes online multiplayer, various streaming services (Netflix, Hulu, NFL), Game DVR and the One Guide -- services that are specifically enabled through Xbox Live Gold membership ($60 a year). That also includes digital games that any user of a single Xbox One purchased as well, a variant of functionality that Microsoft previously promised with Xbox One and subsequently rolled back after consumers reacted negatively.

Microsoft's Xbox VP Marc Whitten announced as much on the company's Xbox news site, Xbox Wire, where he wrote:

"It means that your account and your gamertag are truly yours. You don't have to share your gamertag for multiplayer gaming with others in your home, or see recommendations for your kid's cartoons next to the recommended first-person shooter for you. It also means that you can introduce new games and enjoy multiplayer with friends while they are at your house. Last but not least, it also means that when you buy one Xbox Live Gold membership, multiple people can enjoy the best benefits of Xbox Live Gold on your Xbox One at no additional charge."

Apparently the same XBL Gold account can be signed in on both an Xbox One and an Xbox 360; as expected, Xbox 360 Gold accounts carry over to Xbox One, though this is the first we're hearing about peaceful co-existence between the two consoles. We'll surely hear more from Whitten and co. in Cologne, Germany during Gamescom 2013 in just a few weeks.

Filed under: Gaming, Software, HD, Microsoft

Comments

Source: Microsoft

via Engadget RSS Feed http://www.engadget.com

DIY stalker boxes spy on Wi-Fi users cheaply and with maximum creep value

CreepyDOL follows you around town, vacuums up wireless digital crumbs.

via Ars Technica http://arstechnica.com

Hisense cuts the price of its Android tablets: Sero 7 LT drops to $79, Pro to $129

While Hisense's Sero 7 LT and Sero 7 Pro tablets were good deals when they first shipped, the competition hasn't stood still. The company clearly wants to stay ahead of the value curve, as it just knocked $20 off the prices of both Android slates. The basic Sero 7 LT now costs $79 and the Tegra 3-packing Sero 7 Pro has dropped to $129. Both price cuts are already in effect at Walmart, so there's no reason to hesitate if you were looking for a better bargain in Hisense's tablet line.

Filed under: Tablets

Comments

Source: Walmart (Sero 7 LT), (Sero 7 Pro)

via Engadget RSS Feed http://www.engadget.com

Inside the Dover facility where casualties are studied to boost survival rates

Combat medics were perplexed. They'd been applying the standard treatment to U.S. troops in Iraq who'd suffered a collapsed lung - piercing the chest with a special needle-thin catheter to release trapped air and relieve pressure.

via airforcetimes.com http://www.airforcetimes.com

Wirelessly-charged electric buses start public route in South Korea

Wireless charging might seem perfectly suited for smartphones and tablets, but the city of Gumi, South Korea is putting the tech to use with something a little larger: buses. A pair of Online Electric Vehicle (OLEV) motorcoaches, which recharge by driving over specially-equipped asphalt, are now running a public transportation route in the city, and it's said to be the first network of its kind open for regular use. Rather than stopping periodically to jack in, coils on the coaches' underside pick up power through an electromagnetic field created by road-embedded wires. Currently, the vehicles have a roundtrip journey of 24km (roughly 15 miles) when completing their stops.

Since the system operates so long as 5 to 15 percent of the path is electrified, there's no need to rely on a completely rigged-up highway. What's more, the solution is only triggered by passing OLEVs, which means that normal cars can share the same street. If this all sounds familiar, that's because the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology has been hammering away at the technology for several years. Now that it's made it this far, the city has plans to add ten more buses to its fleet by 2015.

Filed under: Transportation

Comments

Via: ExtremeTech

Source: PhysOrg

via Engadget RSS Feed http://www.engadget.com

XBMC for Android adds Airplay and other media features in latest alpha build

One of the key updates to XBMC promised back in March was to fix the open source software's Android capabilities. That's finally arrived in the June and July cycle of the Gotham build, where XBMC for Android now has Zeroconf support. That essentially lets any Android device act as an Airplay receiver without any third-party workarounds. Further, media launched from an Android browser can now be played by default on XBMC, where it couldn't before. Other new features from the release include the immediate addition of ripped CDs to the music library, ripping support for AAC and WMA, new settings descriptions, locked profiles and general performance tweaks. Head on over to the source link for more on what the latest XBMC offers, and feel free to download test versions of the software if you like to live on the bleeding edge.

Filed under: HD

Comments

Source: XBMC

via Engadget RSS Feed http://www.engadget.com

Tonido Home Cloud gets Chromecast support, lets you stream from desktop to TV (video)

As the dust around Chromecast's surprise arrival starts to settle, expect to see a lot more apps and services get on board. Today's adoptee? Tonido's home cloud software (of recent giveaway fame). The company's updated its mobile apps, so that you can now stream (correctly formatted) media from your PC or desktop to the HDMI device wherever you (and it) are. So, in theory, you can store all your content at home, and take your Chromecast (and phone, of course) out with you -- and still be able to access your prized movie collection. Now you just have to wait until they're back in stock...

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

Comments

via Engadget RSS Feed http://www.engadget.com

Mobile startup offers unprecedented plan: 500MB of data, free incoming calls

But you have to buy one of two older Android phones for now.

via Ars Technica http://arstechnica.com

OS X apps run on Linux with Wine-like emulator for Mac software

Oh! "Darling" emulator illustrates complexity of bringing Mac software to Linux.

via Ars Technica http://arstechnica.com