AT&T and Google Invest in Space-Based Cell Service

AST SpaceMobile — the company currently testing space-based cellular service for AT&T — has secured a vote of confidence in the form of $206.5 million in new financing from AT&T, Google, and Vodafone. AT&T and Google are new investors. As part of the deal, AT&T has agreed to purchase network equipment from AST to support planned commercial service, and made a $20 million revenue commitment. Google has "agreed to collaborate on product development, testing and implementation plans for SpaceMobile network connectivity on Android and related devices". AST's technology works with existing, off-the-shelf 4G and 5G phones. In that sense, it's similar to the service that SpaceX and T-Mobile are currently testing. Both systems rely on new satellites being launched into earth orbit with massive antennas that can mimic land-based cellular base stations. These services are intended only to provide coverage in "dead zones" not covered by land-based networks.

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Apple Resumes Watch Sales with Blood Oxygen Features Disabled

Apple is once again selling its Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 in the US, but with the blood-oxygen monitoring features disabled. Apple is in the middle of a legal battle with Masimo over a patent on blood-oxygen monitoring technology. The most recent ruling was against Apple, but the company is appealing. A separate ruling affirmed that Apple could sell the watches with the disputed features removed or disabled. Apple was forced to pause sales of these models for a period that included some of the holiday shopping season. The feature is only disabled in new watches; existing watches are unaffected by this import and sales ban.

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Samsung Launching Two New Affordable 5G Phones Today, Too

While Samsung's big news today is the new S24 series of flagship phones, the company is also quietly launching two new affordable 5G phones today: the Galaxy A15 5G and Galaxy A25 5G. The Galaxy A15 5G updates last year's A14 5G with a 6.5-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with 90 Hz refresh, a major upgrade for a phone that sells for $200. It also has double the built-in storage (128 instead of 64 GB), faster fast charging (25W instead of 15), and replaces the depth camera with a 5 megapixel wide-angle camera. Other specs carry over from the A14 5G, including a 5,000 mAh battery, 50 megapixel main camera, NFC, fingerprint reader, expandable storage, and a headset jack. It's powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ chipset. Verizon, T-Mobile, Boost, and US Cellular started selling the phone today, and samsung.com indicates that AT&T may offer it as well. The Galaxy A25 5G doesn't seem to be nearly as popular with US carriers, as there are no indications that any of the big three national carriers plan to offer it. It's quite similar to the A15 5G, with the upgrades being OIS on the main camera, an 8 megapixel wide-angle camera, 4K video capture, and 120 Hz display refresh. It's powered by a Samsung Exynos 1280 chipset. For these upgrades, US Cellular shows a list price of $300. Boost and TracFone may offer it, as well.

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Samsung S24 Series Adds More AI, Updates the Hardware

Samsung has unveiled its lineup of flagship phones for 2024, the Galaxy S24 series. The phones sport multiple upgrades in both hardware and software compared to last year's models. Larger displays, larger batteries, and more RAM are among the hardware improvements. New "Galaxy AI" on-device AI leverages Qualcomm and Google technology to power a long list of unique new features. These include live two-way language translation for voice calls and messaging (even in third-party apps), one-tap removal of reflections in photos, and auto-summarization in Notes. A new "Circle to Search" feature lets you highlight anything in any app (including text and photos) to Google that. There is a new setting to explicitly turn off any cloud-based AI processing to protect privacy and enterprise security. Samsung is also committing to a full seven years of OS upgrades and security updates for these phones. The Galaxy S24 and S24+ are similar in size to last year's models, but a thinner bezel means slightly larger (by 0.1") displays. The batteries are also slightly larger (by up to 6.6%). The larger "plus" model also gets a boost to a QHD+ resolution display and 12 GB of RAM standard. All models now incorporate gyroscope data to improve noise reduction in photos. Other camera specs and most other features remain largely the same compared to least year. The top-end Galaxy S24 Ultra retains a built-in stylus but switches to a flat (instead of curved-edge) display and titanium frame. This permits a body that's slightly thinner overall. It also now comes with 12 GB of RAM standard. The camera system has improved (wider-angle) optical stabilization and larger pixels on the main sensor to take in more light. The Ultra still offers 10x zoom, but now accomplishes this with a 50 megapixel sensor behind a 5x lens, (instead of a 10 megapixel sensor behind a 10x lens.) All three models — at least in the US — are powered by a Qualcomm's "Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Mobile Platform for Galaxy" (a version of the 8 Gen 3 with slightly faster peak CPU speeds of up to 3.4 GHz.) This also enables Wi-Fi 7 on the Ultra model, and Qualcomm's unique ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor. Storage options are: 128 or 256 GB for the standard model, 256 or 512 GB for the plus model, and 256 GB, 512 GB, or 1 TB for the Ultra. The standard and plus models still start at $800 and $1,000, respectively, while the Ultra now starts at $1,300. This year's color options for all models are violet, yellow, gray, and black. The Samsung Galaxy S24 series is available for pre-order and ships January 31st. Pre-orders come with a free upgrade to the next storage option, including up to 1 TB on the Ultra.

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Apple vs. Epic Battle Over App Store Comes to an End

The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to take up the case of Epic Games vs. Apple, leaving in place the most recent rulings of lower courts and effectively ending the years-long legal battle over Apple's App Store rules in the U.S. The end result is that Apple will not be forced to open iPhones to competing app stores and payment systems within iOS. However Apple is being forced to allow app developers to direct their customers to alternative subscription and payment options outside its ecosystem, such as on the web. Central to the issue is the 30% commission that Apple collects on in-app purchases in iOS apps.

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Google Pares Back Assistant

Google is trimming back both the availability and functionality of Google Assistant. In both the Google app and the home-screen search bar on Pixel phones, the microphone icon will now perform a voice web search only, instead of allowing Assistant features as before. Google says web search is already the most popular use case with this icon. Assistant will still be available by long-pressing the lock/power button or by saying "Hey Google". Google is also removing a long list of "underutilized features" from Assistant. These include rescheduling an event in Google Calendar, sending an email or audio message, checking travel itineraries, making reservations, sending payments, posting to social media, and accessing or managing your cookbook.

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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.

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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, 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, NFC, 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.

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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 and offer 12 hours of battery life (plus another 36 from the case).
• The JBL Live Flex 3 are "open type stick" style and offer 10 hours of battery life (plus another 40 from the case). They also sport larger 12mm drivers (the other models are 10mm).

The JBL Live 3 Earbuds series will be available on JBL.com starting Summer 2024. All are available in either black or silver.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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).

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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".

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Court Affirms Right to Not Unlock Phone for Police

Teh 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.

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Apple and Google Launch Phone Diagnostic Tools

Within days of each other, Apple and Google have both announced new diagnostic software that allow users to troubleshoot common issues with their own iPhones or Pixel phones. The new Apple Diagnostics for Self Service Repair tool starts with a web site where users enter their device's serial number. On Google Pixel phones, a Pixel Diagnostic App can be accessed by entering a special code (*#*#7287#*#*) in the Phone app. The tool is already available on all Pixel phones, but Google now seems to be supporting consumer use of a tool previously intended only for qualified technicians. Both Apple and Google have relatively new programs that enable technical-minded consumers to order parts and tools, and repair their own phones. These new software tools should help users diagnose issues, identify the correct parts to order, and verify repairs.

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