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Faster mobile data likely as 5GHz LTE found to play nicely with WiFi, FCC approves LTE-U

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More areas of the country are likely to see gigabit LTE, say carriers, as the FCC has approved the use of the 5GHz spectrum for mobile data.

The 5GHz band is currently used for WiFi, and there had been concerns that there would be conflicts between the two, but the FCC accepted that equipment manufacturers had demonstrated that LTE and WiFi could co-exist in the same spectrum …


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Troubled LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE makes a comeback at AT&T

The LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE — yeah, that’s a mouthful of a name isn’t it? — is back. The Android Wear smartwatch that was supposed to debut a quality issue with a display component, but it was unclear what the device’s future would be.

Now, it seems that the Korean company has relaunched the LTE-enabled smartwatch…
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A Verizon-compatible HTC One A9 won’t happen, says the Taiwanese company

In the somewhat heavily iPhone-inspired design but a nonetheless solid build and decent specs, the Taiwanese company seemed to be onto something. There was even a promise of out of the box compatibility with AT&T and T-Mobile as well as Sprint.

Verizon, too, with a future software update. Unfortunately, as the company announced today, plans to make the device compatible with the Big Red’s network have been abandoned after a long period of testing…


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Sony acquires Israeli chip maker Altair Semiconductor for its LTE chip tech

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Sony will be acquiring an Israeli chip maker called Altair Semiconductor for $212 million, the handset maker announced in an official press release this week. Altair Semiconductor is known for its advancements with LTE (Long Term Evolution) modems. They’ve been working on making LTE chips that are faster, with lower power consumption, all while at a lower cost. This possibly means that Sony can deploy LTE technology to markets that may not have it as of yet. The acquisition is slated to be all wrapped up early by February 2016, just a few weeks away.


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Google, Microsoft & Comcast fight Verizon/Qualcomm’s LTE-U plans, saying WiFi will be disrupted

With ever more devices trying to squeeze growing volumes of mobile data through a limited number of LTE frequencies, Verizon is leading the push for use of unlicensed frequencies – known as LTE-Unlicensed, or LTE-U. As well as increasing capacity, LTE-U would potentially offer faster speeds.

The problem? These are the same frequencies used by WiFi, Bloomberg reporting that Google, Microsoft, Comcast and other oppose rapid adoption for this reason.

The three companies have been among a group lobbying the Federal Communications Commission to delay LTE-U’s adoption pending further tests [claiming that it] “would substantially degrade consumer Wi-Fi service across the country.”

The companies argue that while both existing LTE frequencies and WiFi play nicely when it comes to competing demand for use of the same airwaves, LTE-U doesn’t … 
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Expect next year’s flagships to offer 600Mbps LTE and faster, smarter charging with Snapdragon 820 chip

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Qualcomm charging.

The Snapdragon 820 will increase maximum LTE download speeds by a third, from 450Mbps to 600Mbps. Maximum upload speeds will double to 150Mbps – currently viewed as an impressive download speed. And speeds could be even higher thanks to support for the as yet unofficial LTE-U standard … 
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T-Mobile to clamp down on network abusers, booting them down to lowest Simple Choice plan

T-Mobile has announced that it’s going to seriously clamp down on any users using unauthorized methods to get around its tethering cap. Those caught using more data than they should be on the highest tier, unlimited Simple Choice plan will be warned to stop, before being moved down to the entry-level plan. This move is aimed specifically at smartphone users who deliberately break T-Mo’s terms and conditions using workarounds to conceal their tethering usage.

The magenta carrier published an updated tethering limit on the highest Simple Choice plan. Some using as much as 2TB (2000GB) of data on their mobile plan. Its biggest concern is the experience created for others. With people using the network so heavily, it can ruin the network performance for everyone else. The carrier has developed a software to detect those using workarounds and will initially warn users. If they carry on abusing the network, then they get moved on to a plan with just 1GB data (including tethering).

We’re first warning these customers that they’re illegally using more data than they bought. We hope folks will stop on their own so they can keep their current plan. These customers are on an unlimited 4G LTE smartphone plan that includes a set amount of Smartphone Mobile HotSpot data, but they’re using workarounds to make their tethering look like smartphone usage which helps them use significantly more 4G LTE tethering than their plan includes.

Once they’re on a plan with a set amount of 4G LTE data, it won’t matter what method they use for Smartphone Mobile HotSpot. Once they use their 4G LTE data bucket, they’ll continue to be able to use data at reduced speeds and still never worry about overages.

T-Mobile will start communicating these changes with its customers from today and notes that only a very small percentage of its customers have been discovered to be concealing their tethering. Despite it being a very small fraction of the customer base, it has a “disproportionately negative impact” on the experience for everyone else.

AT&T enhances GoPhone plans to support 4GB data in Canada & Mexico

National carriers across the US have been adding features that make it easier to use their service in Mexico and Canada as a growing trend, and today AT&T has  $60 pre-paid plan without making any changes.

In addition to 4GB of data for use across North America, the GoPhone plans include unlimited talk and text in the US, Canada, and Mexico as well. AT&T’s $60 GoPhone plan is reduced to $55/month for customers using the carrier’s Auto Refill automatic payment feature. Important to note, though, is that AT&T’s GoPhone plans specifically mean data speeds up to 3G, not faster 4G LTE speeds, when mentioning high speed data.

For post-paid subscribers, AT&T supports international calling and texting to Mexico, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands on its  4G LTE data use in addition to text and calls in Canada and Mexico without international roaming fees.

Sri Lanka might become the first country in the world to have its Internet covered by Project Loon

Google’s between the government of Sri Lanka and Project Loon will see the nation become the world’s first to be fully covered by Loon’s floating towers.

Sri Lanka’s IT minister, in a statement to Lanka Business Online said: “As a result of this agreement, the entire Sri Lankan island – every village from Dondra to Point Pedro – will be covered with affordable high speed internet using Google Loon’s balloon technology.”

This news comes shortly after the hot-air balloon Internet tech was upgraded to act more like a mesh to provide faster, more consistent Internet coverage. They’ll launch 13 balloons over the next few months, and see the network size grow over time afterwards.

It’s a pretty exciting time for the small nation which typically has little rural coverage. Google’s balloons represent a saving in transmission costs, and will bring LTE network coverage to those who previously had nothing.

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Verizon Moto E receiving its update to Android 5.1 Lollipop

The unlocked 2nd-generation Moto E might have already began receiving Android 5.1 Lollipop straight from Motorola in early May, but Verizon customers rejoice: your over-the-air update is dropping now.

This update brings all the changes we’ve come to expect from the 5.0.2 to 5.1.1 bump as well as a slightly tweaked “Interruptions” control menu and Device Protection, which ensures that a lost or stolen device will remain locked (aka can’t be factory reset) until the original owner signs into it with his or her Google account. Verizon has a handy PDF that covers most of the changes coming with this update.

To check if your Moto E has pulled down the update yet, head into the Settings app and select About Phone > System updates.

9to5Toys Last Call: Galaxy Note 4 (unlocked) $480, Nexus 7 (2013) $135, Nexus 6 (32GB) $480+, more

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by FacebookSafari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 32GB (unlocked): $479.99 shipped (Reg. $700)

ASUS Google Nexus 7 (2013) 16GB 7-inch tablet: $135 shipped w/ code (Reg. $200)

Nexus 6, Midnight Blue 32GB (used) from Amazon Warehouse: $480+ shipped (Reg. $649)

ASUS 13.3″ Google Chromebook with 4GB RAM: $180 shipped w/ code (Reg. $329)

Drawing Pad (Reg. $2)

$119 shipped (Reg. $170)

LG G3 w/ free $100 Amazon gift card for $0.01 w/ 2-yr contract or $479 w/o

$299 giveaway

More new gear from today:

$500 shipped (Reg. $800)

More deals still alive:

$34 Prime shipped (Reg. up to $85)

New products & more:

REAXX table saw uses advanced sensors to protect your hands

LG Watch Urbane vs G Watch R vs Watch Urbane LTE – hands-on comparison (Video)

LG has been around the Android Wear scene since the beginning. First we saw the original G Watch, then came the G Watch R, but this year LG is raising the bar in a big way. For 2015, LG has two new offerings. One of which is a stylistic upgrade over the G Watch R and another that takes its wearable mission outside of the Android Wear space altogether. Today we’re taking a quick look at LG’s Watch Urbane and Urbane LTE. How do these watches compare to previous releases from LG? Well, let’s go ahead and find out…


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Google finally posts Android Lollipop factory images for cellular Nexus 7 models

It’s been a long time coming, but Google has finally decided to post the Lollipop factory images for the LTE Nexus 7 (2013) and the ‘Mobile’ Nexus 7 (2012). The image, specifically, is a build of Android 5.0.2. As per usual, the OTA update should start hitting these devices soon, and we’ll let you know when these OTA downloads are available.

You can download the factory images over at our comprehensive guide.

Asus begins selling its first LTE Chromebook for $200 on a two-year Verizon contract

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It’s not the first LTE Chromebook, but it’s the first from Asus to offer cellular connectivity with sales of the device quietly kicking off at Best Buy and other retailers late last week. Asus doesn’t appear to have made an official announcement, but an LTE version of the C300 Chromebook variant is now selling through Best Buy according to an announcement sent over from Altair Semiconductor, the company providing the LTE chip for the Chromebook:
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