Bose Buys Skullcandy
The two popular headphone brands will continue to be offered separately, catering to their unique customer bases.
New Report Details Scope and Benefits of 5G SA Deployments in US
OpenSignal has released a report providing new insights on the deployment of 5G SA (Stand-Alone) technology by major carriers in the US. While all three major US carriers report "nationwide" deployment of 5G SA, the reality is dramatically different from what one might assume. 5G SA means connections that exclusively use 5G technology, as opposed to 5G NSA (Non-Stand-Alone), which relies on a 4G network to help establish 5G connections. 5G SA promises not only a simpler and more modern connection, but performance benefits such as lower latency. Indeed, OpenSignal's report finds that — across all three carriers — latency and download speeds improve significantly with 5G SA connections, reflected in an overall "Consistent Quality" score improving by 8–10% with 5G SA, compared to NSA connections. The difference in specific metrics is even more dramatic. For example, with T-Mobile, 5G SA delivers 84% better download speeds, 47% better upload speeds, and 31% better latency. But despite claims of "nationwide" deployment of 5G SA, the vast majority of AT&T and Verizon customers still get connected via 5G NSA far more often than 5G SA. In fact, AT&T customers with a 5G phone only have access to 5G SA 4.4% of the time, on average, while for Verizon that number is 20.2%, and for T-Mobile, 71.2%. These stark differences reflect T-Mobile's multi-year head-start in deploying and emphasizing 5G SA technology.
Straight Talk Gives its Plans Faster 5G
Straight Talk has changed the terms of its service plans to offer more value for the same prices. All plans now include access to Verizon's 5G "Ultra Wideband" network, which means 5G that's up to 3x faster. Select plans also now offer more mobile hotspot data and expanded international calling, texting, and roaming. All plan prices stay the same. For example, the most affordable plan — Silver Unlimited at $45/month — now offers 15 GB of mobile hotspot data (50% more than before) and gains unlimited international talk and text to Canada, Mexico, India, and China. Straight Talk is a Verizon prepaid brand available exclusively via Walmart, walmart.com, or straighttalk.com.
Apple Accepting Pre-Pre-Orders for iPhone Duo
Apple has launched a service called Get Ready that lets you effectively place a pre-order for the iPhone Duo before the "official" pre-order window opens in two days.
FitBit Edge Creates New Middle Ground Between Fitness Tracker and Smartwatch
Google has introduced the FitBit Edge, a fitness tracker that borrows many advanced features and technologies from the Pixel Watch 5, while selling for less than half the price at just $180. It has a hybrid OLED display that's 46% larger than the last FitBit with a display. It also has battery life of up to one week. The interface is customizable with complications and various faces. Fitness tracking automatically recognizes and categorizes up to 100 workouts. The interactive exercise app can coach you through 50 different exercise modes. It has built-in GPS that's 40% more accurate than the last generation while adding an altimeter for elevation tracking. Its health features include continuous optical heart rate monitoring, blood pressure monitoring, an ECG app, and a new skin temperature sensor. It tracks health patterns, sleep quality, and exercise recovery. The body is water-resistant up to 50 meters yet has a "modular architecture" featuring a replaceable battery. It comes in four colors with a wide variety of band styles and colors available. It's available for pre-order now and ships October 27.
SpaceX Ramps up Mobile Ambitions with Radio Spectrum Purchase
SpaceX has announced a deal to purchase up to 14 megahertz of paired, low-band spectrum that will enable Starlink "to become a major mobile carrier in the US." Because this band is lower-frequency than the bands currently used by Starlink, it can provide indoor service directly to phones. That capability will also be provided via "advanced terrestrial deployment", meaning land-based cell towers. SpaceX says this particular band is already supported by most existing mobile devices. This is at least the third time SpaceX has purchased radio spectrum licenses in bands designated for mobile service in the US. SpaceX's Starlink already supplies satellite coverage for T-Mobile, so this move will put Starlink into competition with its own partner and customer. All three top US mobile carriers recently created a joint venture to collaborate and improve satellite coverage, possibly in anticipation of new competition from SpaceX. 14 MHz is relatively small amount of spectrum, with limited capacity for a lot of customers and/or fast data service. But it can provide reliable coverage for basic connectivity.
Google Ends Certain Safety Services on Older Pixel Watches
Google is shutting down the "Safety Signal" services it previously offered for the LTE versions of the Pixel Watch 2 and Pixel Watch 3. Some owners of those watches could use certain safety features over LTE even without a cellular plan set up for the watch. These features included Emergency SOS and Fall Detection, and this service was provided as a feature of Google Health Premium. After December 12th, these safety features will only work if the watch has an active cellular plan, or if the watch is actively connected to a paired phone via Bluetooth, or if the watch is actively connected to a Wi-Fi network. Google is notifying affected users via email and push notifications.
Samsung Hikes Flagship Phone Prices
Samsung has raised the price of its flagship S26 series phones. Most models are now $100 more expensive, reflecting the increased price of memory chips amid a global shortage thanks to demand from AI data centers. The S26 series was already $100 more expensive than last year's S25 series at launch. The base S26 model with 256 GB of storage is now $1,000, whereas the base-model S25 launched at $800. The new S26 series pricing is now in effect at samsung.com, T-Mobile, and Verizon. (AT&T's web site is still showing original pricing for the moment.) Apple, Motorola, and other phone makers have also hiked prices this year.
Freckle Brings a New Twist to Phones for Kids
A new startup has announced Freckle, a unique take on a phone designed exclusively for kids aged seven and up. Uniquely, it encourages exploration via the Curiosity Camera and Quests. Curiosity Camera works sort of like Google Lens; it lets kids point the camera at anything and ask questions about it. These inquiries are saved as "Artifacts", which parents can review in their app. Parents can also set up "Quests", where kids are given specific exploration tasks, like taking pictures of three different bugs, for example. The phone also supports tap-to-pay, with a Freckle Pay wallet that parents can top up from their app. Story Time, games, camera, music, walkie-talkie, and maps are also included, and access to each feature can be controlled from the parents' app. Freckle also offers the usual features of a kids' phone, such as location tracking, communication limited to specific contacts, lack of social media, and no access to the open web nor an app store. The hardware includes a 3.1-inch touch-screen with 720 x 720 pixel resolution, 2,600 mAh battery, and cameras on both the front and back. Freckle plans to ship the $199 phone starting this December. Service will run $25/month, which includes 2 GB of data.
Bose Brings ANC to Wired Earbuds
Bose has introduced a pair of small wired earbuds with ANC (Active Noise Cancellation). The USB-C connector on the 4.2-foot cable provides both the audio signal and power, so no batteries are required. An in-line remote with physical buttons offers control of volume, playback, calls, and more. It also houses a microphone for calls. Two microphones on each earbud power the ANC, which has several different modes. Using the USB Audio Class 2 (UAC2) protocol, the earbuds can accept source input at any sample and bit rate. The buds are rated IPX4 for basic water resistance. Three colorways are available: black with blue accents, white with green accents, and a limited-edition Dewdrop Mint. "Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds" will be available starting October 15 for $99.
MapQuest Adds Public Transit Directions
MapQuest, an alternative to Google Maps and Apple Maps, has added directions via walking, bus, and train to its iOS and Android apps. The app gained attention this year for refusing rename Lake Ontario to "Lake America".
Qualcomm Intros Pair of Top-End Chips for Flagship Phones
Qualcomm has revealed the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 chip to power flagship phones, alongside an even-more-powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6. Both chips offer 37–40% improved power efficiency (compared to the previous-generation Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5), thanks in part to a new 2nm manufacturing process. (Apple and MediaTek also adopted the 2nm process for their new flagship chips this year.) The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 chip offers 10% improved CPU performance, 35% improved GPU (graphics) performance, 14% improved NPU (AI) performance, and 20% improved AI performance-per-watt. Taking things further, the "Extreme" version offers 13% improved CPU performance, 44% improved GPU (graphics) performance, 35% improved NPU (AI) performance, and 33% improved AI performance-per-watt. New in both chips is the X105 modem, which improves data speeds, coverage, and power efficiency. Support for up to six cellular antennas improves download speeds by 10%, improves cell-edge reception, and reduces dropped connections. The X105 supports 3GPP Release 19 5G Advanced. The new FastConnect 8800 radio system supports 4x4 Wi-Fi 8 for double the peak speeds and up to 3x longer gigabit range. Unique to the Extreme version is support for 8k60 FPS video and 4k240 super slow motion, as well as support for the Advanced Professional Video (APV) codec. The Extreme version also introduces Adreno Neural Fusion, which uses AI to directly enhance graphics for gaming, with better power efficiency than using the GPU alone. A number of brands have announced that they will use the chips in flagship phones later this year, including Motorola.
Motorola Signature 27 is a True Flagship
After years of focusing on more-affordable phones and foldables in the US, Motorola will soon be returning to the traditional flagship phone space with the new "motorola signature 27". Although the company isn't revealing full details of the phone just yet, we do know a few things: It will be powered by the just-announced Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, Qualcomm's newest flagship chip for mobile. This is paired with Motorola's ArcticMesh cooling system for better sustained performance. It will also be the first fruit of Motorola's new partnership with Bang & Olufsen for premium audio. The camera system will include a 50-megapixel Sony LYTIA 910 main sensor and a 200 megapixel telephoto camera with periscope lens. The RF system includes six antennas. It will be available in two color/finish combinations: Pantone Coal Smoke in Tactical Weave, and Pantone Capulet Green in "a brushed textile-inspired finish". Pricing and release date were not revealed, but Motorola promises to bring the phone to North America by the end of this year. Motorola did produce a "signature" flagship model last year, but did not bring it to the US.
Motorola Taps Bang & Olufsen for Audio
Motorola has formed a multi-year global partnership with premium audio brand Bang & Olufsen. "Soon, selected flagship Motorola devices will feature audio tuned by Bang & Olufsen’s acoustic engineers."
Google Brings Android to Laptops
Google is replacing ChromeOS with Android as its default OS for laptop devices. These devices are branded Googlebook instead of Chromebook. One of Google's main selling points for the new OS is how tightly it integrates with Android smartphones. Googlebooks offer multiple ways to work seamlessly between these different Android-based devices. Many apps will let you start on your phone, open your Googlebook and continue right where you left off, with one click. Google has, for years, been pushing Android developers to support larger screens and different form factors, so many popular Android apps will work on a Googlebook from day one. Another feature called Cast My Apps lets you "stream" an app on your phone to a desktop window. Googlebooks also offer seamless access to the files on your phone, including search. Google has carried over the security architecture from ChromeOS, which integrates with Google's Titan hardware security chip. Googlebooks can be powered by either x86 chips from Intel or Arm chips from Qualcomm. The initial lineup includes models from Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, and Lenovo. They start at $899 and ship in the US starting October 4.
Samsung Brings Android 17 to S26 Series
Samsung has started the official rollout of One UI 9 OS updates for existing Samsung phones, starting with the S26 series. This brings Android 17 to those models, and follows a public beta-testing campaign.
MediaTek Moves to 2nm for Newest Flagship Phone Chip
MediaTek has announced the Dimensity 9600 Pro, its newest flagship chip for phones and the company's first to use TSMC's new, cutting-edge 2nm manufacturing process. This follows hot on the heels of Apple's new A20 Pro chip, which also uses the new 2nm process. (Qualcomm is expected to announce its own 2nm-based flagship chip soon.) New, smaller manufacturing process like 2nm bring inherent improvements to performance and efficiency. MediaTek says the Dimensity 9600 Pro should offer up to 17% higher single-core performance and up to 15% higher multi-core performance compared to the previous generation, with a 61% reduction in multi-core power consumption. On the graphics side, the chip offers up to 27% higher peak performance and 24% lower power consumption at peak performance. For AI, the chip delivers 51% higher LLM prefill performance and 55% higher token generation per watt. The chip is also capable of always-on AI with 40% less power consumption. A more-affordable Dimensity 9600M will also be available. MediaTek says devices using the chips should ship later this quarter.
iOS 27 Now Available
Apple has released the final version of iOS 27 for iPhones, alongside new OS versions for all of its platforms. Apple first announced the platform in June and it has been in various stages of testing since then. The headline feature is "Siri AI", a new version of the company's Siri voice assistant that is intended to be much more intelligent and conversational. Siri AI is aware of what's on your screen at the moment, as well as what's in your messages and calendar. Apple still considers Siri AI a beta feature, so it requires manual opt-in for now. Siri also now has a dedicated app with conversation history. iOS 27 also gains more powerful parental controls, and behind-the-scenes performance improvements.
