As if we needed even more indirect evidence that something big is brewing in Samsung's Note line battery department (and we don't mean self-combusting), a leak out of the FCC outed one yet-to-be-released wireless charger from Samsung with a raw output to match the eventual 4000mAh battery of the Galaxy Note 9.

The charger, codenamed EP-N6100, pulsates with the whopping 2.1A at 12V, compared to 1.67A at 9V for the current Fast Charge Stand (2018) that Samsung debuted together with the Galaxy S9 and S9+, and carries the model number EP-N5100. Needless to say, this would mean faster charging speeds for an eventual Note 9 or whatever Samsung introduces next on the high-end.

Alternatively, Samsung might just be taking advantage of the newly-widened FCC regulations for wireless charging. About a month ago, the FCC raised the 5W coil restriction to the whopping 15W, and the radio frequency exposure distance has also been increased drastically. Those new boundaries are now reflected in the FCC documentation for Samsung's upcoming EP-N6100 charger, so brace yourselves for some mighty fast wireless charging later this year.

 https://www.phonearena.co .. ttery_id105738

AT&T has just increased its standing as a media giant after U.S. District Judge Richard Leon's ruling today that paves the way for the company to complete its purchase of Time Warner for $85 billion. The transaction will close on June 20th and makes AT&T the new owner of CNN, HBO, TNT and TBS. It also gives the company ownership of the iconic Time Warner movie studio and a large inventory of film titles including the Batman and Harry Potter series.

Quote:

UPDATE: The DOJ has decided not to appeal the approval of the AT&T-Time Warner merger and will no longer challenge the transaction.

The deal was first announced in October 2016, and immediately then candidate Donald Trump said that if he won the election, he would block the deal. At the time, Trump said that the transaction would result in "too much concentration of power in the hands of too few." The Justice Department filed suit in November of last year.

Judge Leon's decision is sure to open the doors to more mergers involving media companies as content continues to drive the ISP and the wireless industries. Comcast is expected to bid for some of Twenty-First Century Fox Inc. assets as soon as tomorrow. Considering that Disney has already bid for the same assets, a bidding war is is at hand. Other deals between carriers and content providers seem likely to be announced now that the court has rubbed the genie's lamp.

The Judge's ruling included a message to the government. Stating that the Justice Department failed to meet its burden of proof, he denied any attempt by the DOJ to stay his opinion during appeal, saying that it would be "unjust." He also warned that the government might try to find a way around the courts to block the deal. The government tried to prove that allowing the transaction would result in less competition for streaming services and would block other companies from having access to HBO. AT&T argued that it needed to complete the merger to compete against media behemoths like Netflix and Amazon.

Notably, the ruling does not require AT&T to divest any assets of Time Warner to complete the transaction.

source: CNN, Reuters

 https://www.phonearena.co .. arner_id105717

Verizon today announced the launch of a third "Unlimited" data plan option, which provides users with 75GB of LTE data, 20GB of LTE hotspot access, 720p video streaming, 5 TravelPass sessions per month, and 500GB of Verizon Cloud storage.

The new "Above Unlimited" plan joins Verizon's two other "Unlimited" plans, Go Unlimited and Beyond Unlimited. While Verizon calls these plans unlimited, all three have data caps on the amount of LTE data that users can access per month before having their speeds downgraded or limitations on video quality.


The existing Go Unlimited plan, Verizon's cheapest option, provides users with unlimited LTE data, but it restricts streaming video to 480p and limits mobile hotspot speeds to 600Kb/s.

The current Beyond Unlimited plan provides users with 22GB of LTE data per month, with access to 720p video streaming and 15GB of hotspot data.

Neither of the two current plans include TravelPass access or extra cloud storage. Verizon's TravelPass is designed to let customers use their domestic talk, next, and data allowances while traveling outside of the United States for $5 to $10 per day, with Above Unlimited offering five free days.

Verizon's new Above Unlimited plan is priced at $95 for one line, compared to $85 for Beyond Unlimited and $75 for Go Unlimited. For a family of four, pricing for Above Unlimited is at $60 per line. The new plan option will be available for Verizon customers and those new to Verizon starting on June 18.



Unlimited data plans from carriers like AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon have become increasingly complicated in the year and a half since carriers readopted unlimited data options. All three carriers now offer different unlimited tiers with various add-ons and restrictions, making unlimited cellular data plans as difficult to decipher as prior non-unlimited plans.

In the United States, carriers began seriously embracing affordable "unlimited" data plans starting in 2015, when T-Mobile introduced its simple T-Mobile ONE plan with unlimited talk, text, and 4G data for $70 per month. Verizon followed in February of 2017 with its first unlimited plan, as did AT&T.

Prior to 2015 and T-Mobile's intervention, carriers primarily relied on limited data plans that provided 2-10GB of data to customers after largely eliminating unlimited data plans in the years following the launch LTE networks.

 https://www.macrumors.com .. 5gb-data-plan/

verdict: samsung pay because of MST

Verizon Wireless was awarded the title of the fastest nationwide mobile network in PCMag's annual mobile network comparison, the results of which were released this morning.

For its test, PCMag analysts drove within and between 30 cities in the United States to test mobile network speeds using four Samsung Galaxy S9 phones. More than a dozen locations in each city were tested, with the site gathering more than 124,000 data points to reach its conclusion. Scores were calculated taking into account metrics like download speed, upload speed, latency, reliability, and consistency.

 https://www.macrumors.com .. -network-2018/

10)Vicis Zero1-Specialized Football Helmet(Vicis Pro) 0:23
9)The 3rd thumb 1:19
8)Nike HyperAdapt 1.0 (Nike) 2:19
7)Solar roofing tiles(Tesla) 3:11
6)VR AR anatomy in a shirt(Virtualitee)4:09
5)The smart mug 2.0(Ember) 5:00
4)Real life Star Trek Turbolifts(Thyssenkrupp) 5:50
3)The calorie scanning machine(Panasonic Calorieco) 7:03
2)The personal air tank(Scorkel) 7:58
1)The automatic toothbrush(Amabrush) 8:50

 https://www.theverge.com/ .. -computex-2018

The single-seater craft is still restricted to flying over water.

While the Larry Page-backed Kitty Hawk didn't make its goal to sell a flying car by the end of 2017, its newest model is more polished than the octocopter ATV prototype it debuted last April. While the Flyer, as it's still called, remains a single-seater, its latest iteration looks more like a giant drone with the pilot nestled in a formula 1 car cockpit.

Learn more about Flyer at  http://www.flyer.aero
CNN got an exclusive ride in the new Flyer, which upped the propeller count to ten rotors. The outlet's reporter got to fly the 250-pound craft after a 90-minute training course, though her speed was capped at six miles per hour for the demo (experienced pilots will reportedly be able to fly up to 20 mph).

Kitty Hawk is already taking preorders for the new Flyer, though it hasn't revealed prices yet, according to CNN. The company will sell first to partners interested in fleets of the craft, like amusement parks. Don't expect the current model to do more than fly over water -- its designers want to do a lot more testing and build a parachute into the vehicle first, but they believe it could reach speeds up to 100 mph.


 Engadget

ThatÂ’s real dope. you could be in a foreign country and walking through their city and pointing your camera towards their signs... it translates the signs as youÂ’re walking..

According to a report published earlier today, Apple has cut orders to its suppliers by 20% for parts needed to build the upcoming crop of 2018 iPhone models to be unveiled later this year. Citing four sources, the reputable Nikkei Asian Review says that it appears that Apple will reduce its production capacity by 20% for the three rumored new models. Last year, Apple informed suppliers that it needed parts to build 100 million iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X units. With the rumored 20% cut in supply chain orders, it would appear that Apple is targeting production of 80 million phones for its three new models.

While Apple did tell suppliers to ship parts related to OLED screens to its assemblers early, it might have nothing to do with the actual release of the 2018 lineup. Previous reports suggested that this request by Apple could lead it to release the OLED sporting 5.8-inch iPhone Xs and 6.5-inch iPhone Xs Plus in September prior to the release of the iPhone 9. The latter is rumored to carry a 6.1 LCD display. However, the Nikkei Asian Review said even though the two OLED models will be ready in August, all three phones won't ship until September. Apple reportedly asked the supply chain to ship parts related to the OLED screens earlier to avoid the delay that forced Apple to release the iPhone X in November last year, two months after the launch of the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.

Yuanta Securities Investment Consulting says that Foxconn will assemble 100% of the 5.8-inch model, 80% to 90% of the 6.5-inch "Plus" version, and 30% of the 6.1-inch LCD model. Contract manufacturer Pegatron will assemble 60% of the LCD units and 10% to 15% of the 6.5-inch "Plus" model. The remaining iPhone units will be built by Wistron.

Multiple sources told the Nikkei Asian Review that Apple is running into problems trying to get the 3D scanning system used for Face ID to work on an LCD panel. All three 2018 iPhone models are expected to feature Apple's facial recognition system. Apple is sourcing the OLED panels from Samsung while the LCD screens are coming from LG Display and Japan Display.

source: NikkeiAsianReview

 https://www.phonearena.co .. by-20_id105619

(WXYZ) - A Detroit woman is blaming her cell phone for a fire she says destroyed her car and almost took her life.

“I was driving down Evergreen. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a spark” says the woman who’s asked us to conceal her identity.

She says on the morning of May 21st, she had two cell phones sitting in a cupholder when one of them caught fire.

“Samsung Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S8. I thought I was going to die when I saw the sparks and the fire,” she says.

She quickly pulled over and got out as flames engulfed her Nissan Maxima.

“It happened quickly. It just went up in flames. People were telling me to get away from the car. What if I was on the highway stuck in traffic and couldn’t get out?” she says.

We verified her claims with reports from the Detroit Fire Department.

Attorney Gerald Thurswell says his client still suffers emotional scars and trouble sleeping after the scare.

While searching online, we found similar complaints about Samsung phones, some that were even banned from airplanes. But, Thurswell says neither of the phones are on a recall list.

“We’ve contacted Samsung. They’ve been very responsible and sent a crew to examine the car and portions of the phone. Once it’s determined which of the phones and that one is recalled, we’ll probably save lives,” says Thurswell.

In a short statement to us, a Samsung spokesperson says:

We stand behind the quality and safety of the millions of Samsung phones in the U.S. We are eager to conduct a full investigation of this matter and until we are able to examine all of the evidence, it is impossible to determine the true cause of any incident.

 https://www.wxyz.com/news .. roying-her-car

But third parties that charge you will no longer have to constantly ask for permission


 The FCC has approved new rules expressly banning unauthorized charges on phone bills, a practice that was already illegal under federal law but never formally codified within the agency. ItÂ’s the first time the commission is adopting an explicit rule.

The new rules ban unexpected phone bill charges, also known as “cramming” many services that a customer didn’t ask for onto a bill. The rules also ban the practice of tricking a customer into switching phone carriers. From now on, if a company is found to have used deception to obtain your consent to switch carriers, your consent will be deemed invalid.

Changes are also being made to how third-party verification services, which are supposed to validate a sale or carrier switch, confirm that a customer really intended to take action.

The third-party verification process will no longer need user approval for every service purchased, in order to save customers time and streamline the process. ItÂ’s a change thatÂ’s supposed to be helpful, but it sounds like it could lead to unexpected charges when you arenÂ’t paying attention.

Finally, carriers that abuse third-party verification, such as by editing out parts of a customerÂ’s phone call with a third party to make it sound like an approval to switch carriers, will be suspended from using them for several years.

In the past, the FCC fined violators and worked to eliminate practices like unauthorized phone bill charges and misleading customers during sales calls, but it was working off of broader protections in the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and the “truth-in-billing” rules the commission adopted in 1999. By codifying its prohibitions into formal rules, the commission is hoping it will have firmer ground to tackle these issues.

 TheVerge

Where are all the iStanleys that were cheerleading the iPhone because it outsold the S9 when the S9 had only been out for a week?

 Galaxy S9+ tops the global bestsellers list in April - SamMobile

DESIGN
Dimensions:
5.96 x 2.83 x 0.33 inches (151.4 x 71.8 x 8.5 mm)

Weight:
5.34 oz (151 g)

Materials:
Accents: Aluminum

Biometrics:
Fingerprint (touch)

Features:
Full keyboard, Touch sensitive control keys

Colors:
Black, Gray

OS:
Android (8.1)


DISPLAY
Physical size:
4.5 inches

Resolution:
1080 x 1620 pixels

Pixel density:
433 ppi

Technology:
IPS LCD

Screen-to-body ratio:
55.41 %

Features:
Scratch-resistant glass (Corning Gorilla Glass 3), Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor




 https://www.phonearena.co .. y-KEY2_id10881

A tiny cyborg model at the moment, this contraption marks the beginning of robots taking over humanity.


Whether itÂ’s whipping up a frothy matcha or mimicking swimming carp, robots enrich our lives in seemingly mysterious ways.

In the endless quest to improve robotics, and our lifestyles by extension, a Tokyo University research team led by Professor Shoji Takeuchi has successfully developed a robot that utilizes real muscles. By attaching laboratory-cultured muscle cells to bones made of plastic, the team ran precise electric currents through the setup to induce contractions.

What resulted was a tiny version of a human arm with antagonistic and agonistic muscles — opposing pairs of muscles that relax or contract — that were able to maintain sufficiently rigid postures and thus lift objects, the first hybrid robot of its kind.

“It’s still in the very early stages, but I think it’s a big first step,” said Shoji. Already setting their sights beyond the horizon, the research team hopes to push its development even further into the production of prosthetic hands. Having durable yet flexible artificial limbs might be great and all, but having natural-looking ones made of real muscle is just as highly desirable.

However, the team must tackle several challenges if they are to have any hope of reaching that goal, such as replicating the extremely intricate muscle composition of human hands, developing a reliable power source to generate electric currents, or dealing with muscle degradation caused by wear and tear.

It would take many years before the team produces a replica of a fully functional human hand, perhaps hundreds more before androids at technology expos become more human than machine. But that day will come, and when it does, remember that it all started from this tiny arm here.

 https://soranews24.com/20 .. rking-muscles/