The Verge - CTIA Wireless 2012: news, photos, videos, and morehttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52801/VER_Logomark_32x32..png2012-05-14T11:46:03-04:00http://www.theverge.com/rss/stream/27700062012-05-14T11:46:03-04:002012-05-14T11:46:03-04:00Is video the future of voice?
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<img alt="HTC Evo 4G LTE HD voice test" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/AbngEyh4YdiesiXAgwND4TFjUbY=/1x0:558x371/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/assets/1043495/DSC_1976-hero.jpg" />
<figcaption>HTC Evo 4G LTE HD voice test</figcaption>
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<p>Telephone voice quality has <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2012/2/9/2782401/phoning-it-in-dirty-secret-ip-calling-phone-industry">remained essentially unchanged for a century</a>, 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.</p>
<p><q class="right">"There's not a great deal of objective data out there that indicates that people will pay more for that voice quality."</q></p>
<p>VoIP services — most famously Skype — would seem to have advanced the conversation by putting the concept of lifelike voice quality front and...</p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2012/5/14/3009637/video-voice-volte">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/2012/5/14/3009637/video-voice-volteChris Ziegler2012-05-10T15:03:16-04:002012-05-10T15:03:16-04:00ZTE Nova V8000 coming to Cricket this summer with Android 4.0 (hands-on photos)
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<img alt="Gallery Photo: ZTE Nova V8000 hands-on photos" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/nPXco94C_XRLe_Uwb-ZgtV1JIZI=/3x0:1097x729/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/assets/1111856/zte-nova-v80001-verge-1200.jpg" />
<figcaption>Gallery Photo: ZTE Nova V8000 hands-on photos</figcaption>
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<p>Amidst a relative dearth of newly announced handsets here at <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2012/5/7/3005965/ctia-wireless-2012-news-photos-videos-and-more">CTIA wireless 2012</a>, <span class="sbn-auto-link">ZTE</span> 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 handset overall, but the hefty 1900mAh battery puts it on the thick side — however you can probably assume that the combination of the processor, small screen, and 3G radio will make for some pretty impressive battery life.</p>
<p>The spec card with the phone...</p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2012/5/10/3012271/zte-nova-v8000-cricket-android-4">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/2012/5/10/3012271/zte-nova-v8000-cricket-android-4Dieter Bohn2012-05-09T18:29:55-04:002012-05-09T18:29:55-04:00HTC Car StereoClip Bluetooth dongle (hands-on)
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<figcaption>Gallery Photo: </figcaption>
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<p>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 those standards should be significantly better than what you might be used to on typical A2DP Bluetooth devices.</p>
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<p>The StereoClip itself is an incredibly simple affair hardware-wise — it's essentially a handsome USB flash drive with a 3.5mm jack...</p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2012/5/9/3010379/htc-car-stereoclip-aux-bluetooth-dongle-hands-on">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/2012/5/9/3010379/htc-car-stereoclip-aux-bluetooth-dongle-hands-onDante D'Orazio2012-05-09T14:33:16-04:002012-05-09T14:33:16-04:00AT&T's Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket HD will not be released
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<img alt="Samsung Skyrocket HD" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/PJ5f2VlwSx8VkHq1roSYLZODlxQ=/0x111:866x688/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/assets/860478/Samsung-Galaxy-S-II-Skyrocket-HD-front-back.jpg" />
<figcaption>Samsung Skyrocket HD</figcaption>
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<p>In a conversation with Samsung's Ryan Bidan today, we learned that the company's <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.theverge.com/products/galaxy-s-ii-skyrocket-hd/4792">Galaxy S II Skyrocket HD</a>, announced at CES earlier this year, has been shelved. He explains that it simply didn't make sense in light of the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.theverge.com/products/galaxy-s-iii/5588">Galaxy S III</a> 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.</p>
<p>Is that an admission that the S III is on tap for AT&T, though? Bidan couldn't confirm what American carriers will be getting the phone, but he mentioned that it'll be coming to "the fastest HSPA+ and LTE networks" in the country — seemingly a reference to T-Mobile and either Verizon or AT&T. And in all likelihood, AT&T doesn't want to leave a...</p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2012/5/9/3009945/att-samsung-galaxy-s-ii-skyrocket-hd-canceled">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/2012/5/9/3009945/att-samsung-galaxy-s-ii-skyrocket-hd-canceledChris Ziegler2012-05-09T12:42:22-04:002012-05-09T12:42:22-04:00iCache Geode hands-on: an iPhone case to replace your wallet
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<figcaption>Gallery Photo: </figcaption>
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<p>If you're unimpressed by NFC payment systems like <a href="http://www.theverge.com/tag/google-wallet">Google Wallet</a> but want to use your phone to carry your credit cards, you should take a long, hard look at the <a href="http://www.icache.com/product.php">iCache Geode</a>. It's an iPhone case with <a href="http://www.theverge.com/tag/kickstarter">Kickstarter</a> 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. Additionally, the case has comes with a "GeoCard" that is a universal credit card — all you do is choose your credit card and loyalty card from the app and it'll refresh the E Ink display and activate the GeoCard with the particular card you want to use. Then...</p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2012/5/9/3009558/icache-geode-hands-on-iphone-case-wallet">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/2012/5/9/3009558/icache-geode-hands-on-iphone-case-walletDante D'Orazio2012-05-09T10:53:09-04:002012-05-09T10:53:09-04:00Sprint Direct Connect Now confirmed: Android app brings push-to-talk to regular smartphones
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<img alt="Sprint Direct Connect Now" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/DqN_2Pvn8FRlA9bbcmVdDrU_gAg=/0x33:1020x713/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/assets/1109162/sprint-direct-connect-now.jpg" />
<figcaption>Sprint Direct Connect Now</figcaption>
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<p>At an event in New Orleans today touting its so-called Network Vision infrastructure plan, Sprint spent time talking about its <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2012/3/20/2886788/sprint-android-direct-connect-now-push-to-talk">previously leaked</a> 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 of devices and be assured of interoperability with coworkers who are using true PTT handsets. There's no word on a release date yet, but Sprint will be making the app available in Google Play.</p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2012/5/9/3009480/sprint-direct-connect-now">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/2012/5/9/3009480/sprint-direct-connect-nowChris Ziegler2012-05-09T07:04:01-04:002012-05-09T07:04:01-04:00AT&T to start testing small, short-range cell sites this year to boost network coverage
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<p>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 <a href="http://www.fiercebroadbandwireless.com/story/att-test-small-cells-counts-several-hundred-thousand-femtocells/2012-02-28" target="_blank">planning tests this year</a>, and Cisco announced it was<a href="http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=218092" target="_blank"> working with AT&T</a> 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 test. Small cells can be deployed in a wide variety of settings, like the sides of lamp posts, allowing telecoms to increase network coverage by filling in holes between their bigger, "macro" cell towers.</p>
<p>On the topic of small cells, FCC Chairman...</p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2012/5/9/3009002/att-small-cell-test-2012-announcement">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/2012/5/9/3009002/att-small-cell-test-2012-announcementJeff Blagdon2012-05-09T00:01:01-04:002012-05-09T00:01:01-04:00Cadillac to include iPad-based CUE training manuals with new XTS sedans
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<img alt="Cadillac CUE" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/D7EK-Dps_SDTNEgxZLXSul-aAsY=/79x0:771x461/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/assets/1108479/cadillac-cue.png" />
<figcaption>Cadillac CUE</figcaption>
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<p>We've <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2011/10/12/2484615/cadillacs-cue-in-car-connected-driving-system-photos-video-and-hands">spent some time with</a> Cadillac's CUE infotainment system <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2012/1/10/2698097/cadillac-cue-hands-on-pictures-impressions">before</a>, 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 scales when it comes to purchasing a car that starts at $44,995, but the idea is that it'll help customers become familiar with the CUE system. The iPad will come pre-loaded with the Cadillac CUE app, which is available now, as well as the OnStar RemoteLink...</p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2012/5/9/3008643/cadillac-cue-ipad-training-manual-xts">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/2012/5/9/3008643/cadillac-cue-ipad-training-manual-xtsDante D'Orazio