CTIA Wireless 2012: news, photos, videos, and more
CTIA's annual Wireless show is taking place in beautiful New Orleans this year, and we're expecting a variety of announcements — new phones, apps, and services are all on tap. The action kicks off in earnest on the afternoon of Monday, May 7th with events from AT&T, Verizon, and Mastercard, but you can expect news throughout the week.
On Tuesday, look for liveblogs of a keynote session by FCC chairman Julius Genachowski and a roundtable featuring AT&T's Ralph de la Vega, Sprint's Dan Hesse, T-Mobile's Philipp Humm, and Verizon's Dan Mead!
Mobile
Is video the future of voice?
Telephone voice quality has remained essentially unchanged for a century, seemingly immune to the advances in technology that have relentlessly occurred (and continue to occur) around it. Of course, there's more to the story than that — telephone lines have moved from analog to digital and audio codecs have become more efficient over time — but the goal has always been to reduce the amount of bandwidth required to transmit voice at roughly the same quality, not to improve it.
"There's not...
Mobile
ZTE Nova V8000 coming to Cricket this summer with Android 4.0 (hands-on photos)
Amidst a relative dearth of newly announced handsets here at CTIA wireless 2012, ZTE is showing off a low-end Android 4.0 handset that the company says is headed to Cricket. ZTE calls it the "Nova 4.0 V8000," but we would expect that when it launches Cricket will have some input on the final name. In any case, it has a 4-inch WVGA screen, 8-megapixel camera around back, 1GB of RAM and 4GB of ROM, and runs on a single-core Qualcomm S2 processor clocked at 1.4GHz. It's a relatively small...
Mobile
HTC Car StereoClip Bluetooth dongle (hands-on)
With new phones always come new accessories, and HTC's One series is no different. Today we got a chance to see one of the company's more interesting offerings, the Car StereoClip. The accessory is a USB flash drive-sized Bluetooth dongle that will receive wireless audio from your phone and pass it off to a speaker with its male 3.5mm headphone jack. What's different about the StereoClip is that it supports Bluetooth 4.0 and aptX, which means the audio quality from phones that support both...
Mobile
AT&T's Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket HD will not be released
In a conversation with Samsung's Ryan Bidan today, we learned that the company's Galaxy S II Skyrocket HD, announced at CES earlier this year, has been shelved. He explains that it simply didn't make sense in light of the Galaxy S III announcement, leaving the product "orphaned" in AT&T's lineup — it's hard to justify an updated 720p version of the existing Skyrocket with the S III on the horizon.
Is that an admission that the S III is on tap for AT&T, though? Bidan couldn't confirm what...
iCache Geode hands-on: an iPhone case to replace your wallet
If you're unimpressed by NFC payment systems like Google Wallet but want to use your phone to carry your credit cards, you should take a long, hard look at the iCache Geode. It's an iPhone case with Kickstarter origins that equips your phone with all of your credit and loyalty cards. You've likely seen loyalty card apps for iOS and Android before, but what's different about the Geode is that it has a small E Ink display on the back of the case that any barcode reader can pick up....
Mobile
Sprint Direct Connect Now confirmed: Android app brings push-to-talk to regular smartphones
At an event in New Orleans today touting its so-called Network Vision infrastructure plan, Sprint spent time talking about its previously leaked Direct Connect Now product, an Android app that will bring push-to-talk interoperability to smartphones in the carrier's lineup. Though Sprint has (and will continue to have) hardware-enabled Direct Connect phones in its portfolio, the benefits of a pure software solution are obvious: users who need PTT functionality can select from a larger variety...
Mobile
AT&T to start testing small, short-range cell sites this year to boost network coverage
AT&T is going to start testing small cells "later this year and into next year" to improve its network coverage and capacity, the company reiterated at CTIA. The miniature, short-range cell sites can be deployed at a fraction of the cost of a traditional tower. AT&T announced it was planning tests this year, and Cisco announced it was working with AT&T on developing small cells, at MWC in February. However, AT&T hasn't made clear the particular type of hardware (3G, 4G, etc.) it's planning to...
Cadillac to include iPad-based CUE training manuals with new XTS sedans
We've spent some time with Cadillac's CUE infotainment system before, and while we didn't find it terribly hard to use, GM has decided that it needs a more aggressive strategy to train its customers on the system's features once it launches this spring. The company's taking a few different approches to this — the first being that it's going to include an iPad with future purchases of the brand-new XTS full size sedan, which is launching in May. We don't think a free iPad will push the...
Mobile
Hillcrest Labs brings a better motion engine to phones (hands-on)
Hillcrest Labs is all about motion control — the company's technology powers the PlayStation Move, the Angry Birds-playing Roku remote, and a handful of other devices that use your movements to control your gadgets. Now Hillcrest is bringing the same technology and expertise to smartphones and tablets, promising a vastly improved motion and gesture experience. The company's Freespace Mobile Engine takes data from a device's accelerometer, compass, gyroscope, and other sensors, synthesizes...
Mobile
Hands-on with the Clarity Pal, a 25db feature phone
Clarity is a division of Plantronics whose tagline is "Smart for seniors," and its latest product falls directly into that niche. Dubbed the Clarity Pal, its main feature is an audio "boost mode" that cranks up the volume to 25 decibels so that the hard of hearing can still use a phone. We gave it a shot here at CTIA on our (relatively well-functioning) ear drums and found it to be painfully loud — which means it was performing exactly to spec, we suppose. Clarity also has added in extra...
Unnecto Quattro hands-on: an unlocked dual-SIM Android phone for under $200 (video)
We stopped by Unnecto's booth today at CTIA 2012 to see its newest Android smartphone, the Quattro. You may not have heard of Unnecto, but the company specializes in inexpensive dual-SIM feature phones that are sold off contract. That's where the Quattro gets interesting: we're told that the phone will cost under $200 unlocked. At that price point we suspect this is the kind of hardware we'll see in future Android smartphones that are free on contract. Of course, some corners need to be cut...
BlackBerry
RIM could keynote CTIA show in October, good timing for BlackBerry 10 launch
In a conversation with CTIA's Rob Mesirow earlier today, we've learned that RIM will factor prominently into the trade organization's Enterprise & Applications show this year, scheduled for October 9th through the 11th in San Diego. Rob notes that RIM is moving toward its enterprise roots, and he believes that makes the show a good fit for a big BlackBerry presence. It's not just about an impressive booth on the exhibit floor, though — Mesirow says that the CTIA is "hopeful" that they'll...
Web & Social
Can Carrier IQ's new Chief Privacy Officer build a 'culture of privacy'?
Carrier IQ is no stranger to privacy issues after last November's discovery that its software was being improperly logged by HTC — the company quickly became a flashpoint for controversy, even though it worked with nearly every company in mobile from Apple to Sprint to Samsung. Today, the company is taking steps to rebuild its reputation, starting with the announced that it's hired a new Chief Privacy Officer and General Counsel named Magnolia Mobley. We sat down with Mobley and Carrier...
Nano-SIM update: Apple design modified to fix concerns, standard will be decided this month
We just spoke with SIM card maker (and pioneer) Giesecke & Devrient here at CTIA about progress on the creation of the 4FF standard — the so-called nano-SIM — over which Apple and Nokia have been warring in recent months. The company is showcasing Apple's design here at the show, an evolution of the 3FF micro-SIM that iPhone and iPad users have become well acquainted with over the years, though there aren't any prototypes of Nokia's competing design at the booth. When asked if that meant...
Wilson Electronics Sleek 4G-A wireless signal booster hands-on
Wilson Electronics is showing off its newly upgraded Sleek wireless signal booster at CTIA, the Sleek 4G-A, and we just got a chance to check it out in person. The device is intended to boost wireless signal strength for phones and mobile hotspots, and is designed to work with AT&T 700MHz LTE — but Wilson says it's capable of boosting the signal of all 2G and 3G networks except for Nextel and iDEN. To demonstrate the booster Wilson used a Faraday cage with the antenna leading out of the...
HTC Evo V 4G and Evo Design 4G hands-on photos
Neither the just-announced HTC Evo V 4G on Virgin nor the HTC Design 4G on Boost Mobile are new. Both are Sprint devices that are being brought down to the pre-paid MVNO in a move that Sprint says is a part of a new trend where it will move top-tier devices into the low-range on pre-paid once they've spent some time in the market. Both phones are identical to what we remember and frankly, they seem like they should have a pretty good shot as they were devices that perhaps flew under the radar...
Android
Kyocera Rise and Hydro hands-on: Android 4.0 smartphones for the budget crowd
Kyocera's presence in the US smartphone market tripled in size this morning, as the company launched the new Hydro and Rise phones. The two are virtually identical internally: 1GHz Snapdragon processors, 3.5-inch, 480 x 320 IPS displays, 3.2-megapixel rear cameras, and CDMA connectivity (no LTE). Both run near-stock Android 4.0, too, along with four capacitive buttons below the display. Each phone has but one unique feature: the Hydro is waterproof, able to withstand blasting water or...
Mobile
Droid Incredible 4G LTE hands-on photos and video
After months of rumors, we've finally gotten our hands on the Droid Incredible 4G LTE. While not technically a "One" device from HTC, it nevertheless has respectable specs for a 2012 phone: 960 x 540 Super LCD, 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4, and Android 4.0 with HTC's latest iteration of Sense. The classic Incredible styling is here, and it works well — it's definitely a mild evolution of the Rezound released late last year. (Then again, if you prefer the design language introduced by the...
Apple
Clarion Next Gate hands-on: car-friendly entertainment, courtesy of your iPhone
Clarion announced the Next Gate infotainment system this morning, and here at CTIA in New Orleans we got a good look at the new system. The device is basically a dormant unit, a lifeless peripheral until you plug in your iPhone 4 or 4S. Once a phone is connected, the Next Gate uses iOS apps and services to power an in-car infotainment system — a long-press on one button launches Siri through the built-in microphone, another lets you make calls using the Next Gate display. The Next Gate does...
MasterCard introduces PayPass Wallet, a single login for buying things everywhere
At a press conference at CTIA in New Orleans, MasterCard introduced PayPass Online, a version of its PayPass service that lets you buy things using your smartphone, or with a single click on the web. The system sounds like Amazon's "One-Click Buy" extended to other sites, or like PayPal — you have a single, secure login in MasterCard's system, and can use it to shop on any site. Companies can use PayPass APIs to integrate the system into their own, or use a MasterCard-built white label...
Samsung Focus 2 hands-on video and photos
We just got a few minutes with Samsung's Focus 2, the third LTE-enabled Windows Phone to hit AT&T's lineup (after the recent HTC Titan II and Nokia Lumia 900). Though it's technically thick at nearly 11 millimeters, it actually doesn't feel that bad in the hand — the curving of the edges actually gives it a slimmer profile that the numbers would have you believe. It's actually thinner than the Lumia 900 by the narrowest of margins, but with the Nokia's larger display, it looks a bit less...
CTIA Wireless 2012: an inside look at the US mobile industry's biggest week
It doesn't have the glitz, glamor, and... well, the general "Vegas-ness" of CES, but CTIA's annual Wireless show is a pretty big deal for the US cellular industry — and it's nearly upon us. It kicks off next Tuesday, May 8th, though we'll start seeing a handful of media events on the 7th. This year, CTIA has tweaked the timing of the event, the location, and the focus, so what exactly can you expect to see?
CTIA's two annual shows have historically been oddly-timed "tweeners"
To answer...
