I bet if you just hang out at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) all day long, you’ll discover who the latest to get a patent is. In most recent stories, Google is the latest to ask the FCC for permission. However, they have not disclosed what this mysterious ‘entertainment device’ is. All we know is that they got permission to use it in the four major US cities over the next 6 months. This got everyone pretty excited! The device was described as equipped with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. According to GigaOm (who discovered the FCC application), Google submitted the request back in December.

As of the moment, there are unclear details about the device. This is why people have their own assumptions on whether it could be an Android or a Google TV device. But after reading the description of the device, it looks like this mysterious device will take video content straight from the internet and will distribute it across several connected devices. As experts have assumed, this would lessen strain on current broadband internet connections.

Because it is such a mystery, we couldn’t help but snoop around as to what this device may be. As such, a number of theories have been generated—including an extension of Android @ Home, which was unveiled at Google IO 2011.

Another theory is that it is the Project Tungsten, which was only demonstrated as a central, connected device running on Android OS. At the time of its demonstration, Project Tungsten was merely a prototype. So maybe this is the real thing?

All we know, at this moment, is that Google is currently testing over 250 of these entertainment devices in various locations such as New York City, Massachusetts, and Los Angeles. At this point, all we can do is wait.

What do you think it could be? Let me know in the comments section below!

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Earlier this month at CES AT&T announced six new LTE devices they would be launching on their network soon, including the first LTE Windows phone. But there was a device that was a bit more interesting to us, Android fan boys, the Samsung Galaxy Note which has been widely popular overseas. It is finally going to land in North America pretty soon. A Canadian carrier also announced they would be offering the LTE version of the device sometime in the near future as well, of course no specific launch dates have been given for either device.

The handset gained approval for its GSM/EDGE 850/1900 support in addition to WCDMA bands II and IV from the FCC. Aside from LTE connectivity, the Note is most known for its 5.3-inch 1280×800 display that blurs the line between tablet and smartphone. Inside waits a 1.4GHz dual-core CPU and 16GB of storage. This announcement was one of the biggest Android announcements at CES this year, and one of the most rumored ones. It was right up there with the Droid 4, that had been rumored for quite a few months.

Is a 5.3-inch device to big for you? Would you rather something smaller like a 4.3-inch or 4-inch? When do you think AT&T will officially release the device? Head down to the comments and let us know your thoughts.

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Here is somewhat shocking news to come from Verizon today, recently we reported to you about the new $2 convenience fee Verizon was going to start charging their customers for paying their bill online or by phone, they have now decided to cancel that altogether.I’m sure that makes a lot of you Verizon customers very happy. Here is the full statement from Verizon below:

Verizon Wireless Will Not Institute Single Payment Fee

December 30, 2011

Verizon Wireless has decided it will not institute the fee for online or telephone single payments that was announced earlier this week.

The company made the decision in response to customer feedback about the plan, which was designed to improve the efficiency of those transactions. The company continues to encourage customers to take advantage of the numerous simple and convenient payment methods it provides.

“At Verizon, we take great care to listen to our customers.  Based on their input, we believe the best path forward is to encourage customers to take advantage of the best and most efficient options, eliminating the need to institute the fee at this time,” said Dan Mead, president and chief executive officer of Verizon Wireless.

Looks like Verizon actually listened to their customers this time. But I think most of this is to do with the FCC looking into this “convenience” fee.

Are you happy Verizon is cancelling this “convenience” fee? Let us know in the comments.

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We knew that the Motorola DROID RAZR won’t be the world’s thinnest smartphone forever.  We just didn’t expect its title to be challenged so soon.  And, the challenger?  The Fujitsu ARROWS F-07D, which recently made the rounds for approval at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Filings at the FCC showed that the device is merely 6.7 millimeters thin.  In comparison, the DROID RAZR is 0.4 mm thicker at 7.1 mm, whereas the difference is even more noticeable if you compare the ARROWS F-07D with the 9.3-mm Apple iPhone 4S.

The Fujitsu device also remains slim almost throughout its body, with no large hump at one end, like the ones you’d see on the DROID RAZR and the Samsung Galaxy S II.  The thinnest to the thickest point of F-07D only spans less than 2 mm.

Besides its thin form factor, the ARROWS F-07D also has other noteworthy features. According to reports on Ktai Watch, a 1.4-GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor powers the device with Android 2.3 Gingerbread onboard. It also has 512 MB of RAM, 1 GB internal storage, a 5-MP camera, Micro USB and Micro HDMI ports, and a 4-inch OLED display with 480×854 resolution. The phone is also waterproof and protected by Gorilla Glass.

NTT DoCoMo will handle ARROWS F-07D’s launch in 2012, although price and availability to other markets are unclear for now.

Who’s wishing for this slim Android phone to arrive stateside?

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For just about a month now, Samsung and Google (as well as almost every wireless carrier), has kept us all on the edge of our seats about the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. After Google and Samsung released the final specifications of the device, they even threw in a rather vague release date. November they said, and now half the month has come and gone without a single “official” word. Although speculators have said that November 17th and December 2nd are the “key” dates, neither company has given any information about the device’s availability in stores and online.

Despite the information above, Engadget reports that the Galaxy Nexus has shown up in the FCC’s pages with Verizon LTE. The picture shows that the Galaxy Nexus will pack a LTE Band 13 (Same as the Droid RAZR), EVDO, CDMA, WiFi, and no NFC?

Although it is not pictured above, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus has already been confirmed with NFC capabilities via Google and Samsung

“With Galaxy Nexus you can now easily share contacts, websites, apps, maps, directions and YouTube videos to other people close by. Simply hold two NFC-enabled Android phones close to each other and touch to beam and share”

Although information is still scarce, we will be all over the official Galaxy Nexus release when it happens. Samsung, Verizon, and Google are supposedly cooking up some great commercials that will really get people excited about the first Android 4.0 device.

Source: Engadget

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Although wild sightings of the phone have been reported since July, the new LG Prada K2 was never confirmed to be real, until now.  Filings for the device at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) have been discovered recently, and they confirm, among other things, that the upcoming LG Prada K2 has Near Field Communication (NFC).

The third iteration of the LG Prada series, the K2, will come with GSM/EDGE 850 and 1900, WCDMA 1900, dual-band Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. The phone will also be the first in the series to run Android as well as support NFC, a new feature in Google’s operating system that lets two devices in close proximity exchange contacts, files, and other data.

First unveiled on December 12, 2006, the original LG Prada phone, KE850, won various design awards for its candybar form factor.  The next Prada, KF900, was released two years later.

To keep up with the competition, the LG Prada K2 is rumored to pack a 4.3-inch (1280×720 HD display), a dual-core processor, and front and rear cameras with 1.3 MP and 8 MP resolutions, respectively. It is also reportedly only 8.8 mm thin, beating the Samsung Galaxy S II and iPhone 4S for thinness.

Pricing and release date for the Prada K2 are yet to be officially announced. Even a U.S. release is vague at this point. Stay tuned to us as we find more updates.

Do you think the LG Prada K2 will gain wide adoption just like the Samsung Galaxy S II did?

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Incredibly thin and powerful, the Motorola DROID RAZR was spotted making the rounds at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for its regulatory tests and certification.  The device, however, appears to be the non-LTE variant, as it happens to sport radios for GSM and WCDMA bands commonly associated with AT&T’s network.

The device has been given FCC ID IHDP56ME2, although that does not say much about whether the device, in fact, is the Motorola DROID RAZR.  The telling clue is revealed in one line that speaks of the tested device’s battery part number: SNN5899A, which is the same part number for the Motorola DROID RAZR’s non-removable, 1800-mAh battery.

Source: FCC

Considering it’s a true GSM version of the DROID RAZR itself, the phone will likely be thinner. Devices that don’t include an LTE radio are much smaller, sleeker, and lighter compared to devices that support that feature. Measuring 7.1 mm in depth at its thinnest point, this could be Motorola’s sleek way of introducing its next generation devices.

Based on the info from FCC documents, it seems that the Motorola DROID RAZR won’t be exclusively released on Verizon, since a GSM version also appears heading to AT&T.  No official word yet on whether AT&T will rebrand the device, but the most likely possibility is that it will drop the DROID brand from the name and call the device simply the Motorola RAZR.  “DROID” is a brand exclusively used by Verizon.

With Verizon and AT&T having their own share of the powerful Motorola RAZR, there’s no reason to switch to another network, as both phones are identically the same and packed with identical the features–except for the LTE and GSM variation. The Motorola DROID RAZR is slated for release in early November, but preorders have already started today.

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Said to be the HTC Vigor, the device with HTC model number PH98100 (FCC ID NM8PH98100), recently received clearance from the FCC for its CDMA/EVDO and 4G LTE radios. As is usually the case, approval from the FCC usually suggests the device’s launch or release date just around the corner.

HTC has been mum on the details about the HTC Vigor. Although, leaked photos that appeared late last month suggest similarity in looks to the HTC DROID Incredible, an observation that made several people speculate that the HTC Vigor will be released under Verizon’s DROID series (perhaps as the HTC DROID Incredible HD).

Other people are guessing that the HTC Vigor’s rebranded name on Verizon could be the HTC Thunderbolt 2, since a leaked schedule of Verizon device launch dates showed the HTC Vigor as a replacement for the HTC Thunderbolt. The schedule points to October 5 as the HTC Vigor’s launch date.

Current rumors place the HTC Vigor’s specs as follows:

• 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor (dual-core)
• 4.3-inch HD (1280×720) touchscreen
• 1 GB RAM
• 16 GB internal storage
• 8 MP primary camera
• Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread
• Beats by Dr. Dre Technology
• HTC Sense 3.5

If those rumored specs hold water, the HTC Vigor will be a worthy contender–although arguably not the only one rumored–to the Samsung Galaxy S II and the Motorola DROID Bionic.  Could this be the device that HTC will be launching this September 20 in New York City?  We’re not sure, but if it is, we definitely won’t be complaining.

Have you been holding off for upcoming superphones such as the rumored HTC Vigor? What Android device are you waiting for?

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One of the hallmarks  of Android is that it is used in many cheap tablets and phones. Admittedly this is mostly because of Android’s semi-open nature. However, this has greatly helped in the operating system’s market penetration. Well, if there’s anyone who knows about being cheap and affordable, it’s Vizio. The US-based manufacturer of cheap electronics has made a name for itself with its line of cheap yet nice quality LCD TVs. Now it’s trying to branch out.

Vizio announced earlier this year that they would be working on an Android phone and tablet. Well, the Android phone was spotted last month at the FCC for approval. Now, the company’s tablet has made its FCC debut as well. Vizio’s product, using the model number VTAB1008, has recently won FCC approval for the use of its WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities.

We already saw an early prototype of it at this year’s CES and after half a year  - which is pretty fast all things considered – it is already prepped to be launched into the market place. Estimated to be an8-inch Android tablet with  a 1GHz CPU and 4GB of internal memory, the FCC approval confirms that the VTAB will have HDMI and USB ports, along with a microSD slot.

Vizio is known for its cheap TVs, so expect the VTAB to be priced reasonably, within reach of a lot of consumers. Walmart has already priced it at $349, a very  attractive price point for many a consumer, mostly because of the under $400 price tag.

Source: Wireless Goodness

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Lately, there were reports that Vizio won the approval of the FCC. Truly, Vizio is now back in business, and hopes to win the hearts of Android smartphone lovers worldwide. Their smartphone is codenamed the VPHN1044G. The smartphone is speculated to be equipped with a 4-inch 854×480 LCD screen, a front facing camera, 1GHz Snapdragon processor (which could be the next generation Snapdragons), a 4GB of internal memory and support for expandable memory. When it comes to its software, it will run either Android 2.2 or Android 2.3 together with Vizio’s very own Honeycomb-like UI. The FCC filing is also demonstrating support for GSM 850 and 1900 bands and WCDMA bands II and V. Meaning to say, this device will most probably released by AT&T.

This Vizio smartphone will include most likely the latest features like any of the other new smartphones being released these days. One of the most unique and useful features of the phone is that it comes with an IR receiver enabling it to be utilized as a completely functional universal remote on Vizio’s full line of televisions and others.

Sounding good? What do you guys think? Let us know your thoughts.

Source: Wireless Goodness

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