News
US, China Agree on Deal for US Version of TikTok
President Trump says that Chinese leader Xi Jinping has given the green light on a deal to create a new, US-controlled version of TikTok for US users. The new company will license the TikTok algorithm from ByteDance, but will retrain the service using US-only data, kept in the US. This should address national security concerns over US personal data flowing to China via TikTok, and China potentially influencing the US public via the TikTok algorithm. The new company will be around 80% US-owned, with a board consisting mostly of US investors. The new company's "owners include many whose business or political interests are tied to Trump, including Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and Rupert Murdoch, raising questions about whether political influence will be exerted into the platform." A law was passed last year to force the sale of TikTok in the US or face a ban. Tht law was to go into effect in January, but Trump repeatedly used executive orders to delay enforcement of the law.
Nothing Spins Off CMF
Phone maker Nothing is spinning off its CMF sub-brand into an independent subsidiary company. Like Nothing, CMF makes phones and accessories with striking designs, but at more affordable price points. CMF phones sell well in India, and the new CMF will be based in India. (Nothing is based in London.) CMF will partner with Indian ODM (original design manufacturer) Optiemus for manufacturing.
Qualcomm Intros Newest Flagship Chip for Phones
Qualcomm has announced the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen. 5, its newest chip for top-end phones. Qualcomm promises performance and efficiency gains across the board. Compared to last year's chip, (the "Snapdragon 8 Elite",) the new 3rd-generation Oryon CPU design delivers 20% faster CPU performance with a single core and 17% better multi-core performance, with up to 35% power savings. For graphics, the newest Adreno GPU offers 23% better performance and 20% better power efficiency. The new Spectra ISP for camera processing is the first to support 20-bit processing for 4x more dynamic range. It also supports the new APV codec for professional-grade video. Finally, the new Hexagon NPU for AI tasks offers 37% better performance and 16% better power efficiency. The NPU and ISP are also designed to work together to deliver on-device AI processing of images, such as removing reflections when taking photos through windows.
Google Brings Conversational AI Photo Editing to More Phones
Google is rolling out its new AI-powered "conversational editing" feature in Google Photos to more phones, (beyond the Pixel 10 series). When editing a photo, a new "Help me edit" text box at the bottom lets you simply tell it what you want to do, which can be traditional edits, full generative AI, or anything in-between. Google's examples include: "remove the reflections and fix the washed out colors", "restore this old photo", "remove the cars in the background", "make it look like he's in Waikiki and add a tropical drink to the right", or even just "make it better". It can take multiple requests at once, or in series. Google says the new feature is "starting to roll out" to all "eligible" Android users in the US.
Google Revamps Gaming Platform with new Sidekick and Profiles
Google has announced a series of updates to Google Play that focus mainly on gaming. The biggest new feature might be the Play Games Sidekick, an in-game overlay that includes a variety of relevant info, tools, and shortcuts. This includes quick shortcuts for screenshots, screen recording, Do Not Disturb, and going Live on YouTube. It also includes your profile and points, game tips, achievements, streaks, quests, and coupons. For "select" games, a Gemini Live AI assistant can interactively offer verbal game advice, based on what it sees on your screen in real time. Google is also revamping its platform-wide player profiles and points system. Finally, Google is officially launching Google Play Games on PC, expanding its game-platform ambition beyond Android after a beta period.
Verizon Establishes Lab and Group to Work on 6G
Verizon has announced new partnerships and facilities to ramp up work on 6G mobile technology. The new "Verizon 6G Innovation Forum" brings together network vendors Ericsson, Samsung, and Nokia; as well as Meta and Qualcomm. Verizon plans multiple labs for research, prototyping, anf real-world testing of potential 6G technologies, starting with one in Los Angeles. Verizon highlighted some its intended priorities in this effort, including testing new radio spectrum bands and bandwidths. Another stated priority will be working with global standards bodies like the 3GPP to ensure that 6G is a globally-harmonized, interoperable standard.
T-Mobile Gets a New CEO
T-Mobile has announced a change in leadership, with its current COO Srini Gopalan replacing Mike Sievert as CEO this November. Sievert has led the company for five years, and will stay on in a newly-created "Vice Chairman" position to ensure a smooth transition. Gopalan has previously worked at Deutsche Telekom Germany, Vodafone, and Bharti Airtel.
iOS 26 Now Available, with Visual Intelligence
Apple has released the final, public version of iOS 26. It should be available to download now on most recent iPhones. New features include Live Translation of languages, available for in-person conversations as well as in Messages and FaceTime. The feature currently works with English (U.S., UK), French (France), German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish (Spain), and Chinese (simplified). By the end of the year, it will also support Italian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese (Mandarin, simplified), and Chinese (Mandarin, traditional). Also new in iOS 26 is Visual Intelligence, which applies AI to tell you more about anything on your screen at the moment (by taking a screenshot), or anything in front of you in the real world, using the phone's camera. The update also brings new, more granular parental control features, and Apple's new Liquid Glass design language.
Apple's iPhone 17 Series is Nearly Hack-Proof
Apple has revealed that the new A19 chips in the iPhone 17 series (including iPhone Air) are its first chips to support a new security feature in iOS called Memory Integrity Enforcement (MIE). This new technology is a big leap in addressing memory safety vulnerabilities, an industry-wide problem and the main attack vector used by mercenary spyware that state-backed hackers use to spy on high-profile targets (among other advanced attacks). One key part of MIE is EMTE (Enhanced Memory Tagging Extension), a memory-safety technology that Apple co-developed with Arm, based on Arm's MTE technology. EMTE assigns a type of security key to each set of data in memory, so applications can't access memory not allocated to them. However, checking those keys can hurt performance, and the timing of the checking process can reveal signals that compromise the keys. Therefore, Apple designed its new A19 chips with separate key-checking hardware that accelerates the process and keeps it secure, enabling real-time EMTE for all critical processes. Apple's research indicates that this technology could all but eliminate the problem of memory safety vulnerabilities. iOS on the iPhone 17 series implements MIE in "the kernel and over 70 userland processes", but Apple is also making this technology available to third-party developers via new Enhanced Security settings in Xcode.
Apple Intros Compact new Fast Charger for iPhone 17 Series
Apple has introduced a new compact fast charger that can charge at up to 60 watts. It employs "Dynamic Power" to charge at 40 watts normally, but up to 60 watts for a limited time, at specific points in the charging cycle. This enables the benefits of faster charging in a smaller form factor than other 60W chargers. Because of this, Apple calls it the "40W Dynamic Power Adapter with 60W Max". Unlike other 60W chargers, it's optimized for charging phones, not tablets or laptops. Only the new iPhone 17 series (including the iPhone Air) is compatible with Dynamic Power for the fastest charging speeds. Fold-up plug prongs further contribute to its portability. It's available now from Apple for $39.
Samsung Begins Rollout of Android 16 to Rest of Lineup
Samsung is rolling out its One UI 8 software update — based on Android 16 — to its flagship Galaxy S25 series this week. The company recently launched its new foldables (the Flip7 and Fold7) with the new software. One key new feature is the Now Bar, which shows "real-time app activity and media player progress directly on the front screen". Next to receive the update (in October) will be the Galaxy S24 series, Galaxy Z Fold6, Galaxy Z Flip6, and Galaxy S24 FE. By the end of the year, the company will also provide the update for the Galaxy S23 series, Galaxy Z Fold5, Galaxy Z Flip5, Galaxy S23 FE, Galaxy S22 series, Galaxy Z Fold4, Galaxy Z Flip4, Galaxy S21 FE, Galaxy A56 5G, Galaxy A36 5G, Galaxy A26 5G, Galaxy A17 5G, Galaxy A17, Galaxy A07, Galaxy A06 5G, Galaxy A55 5G, Galaxy A35 5G, Galaxy A25 5G, Galaxy A16 5G, Galaxy A16, Galaxy A15 5G, Galaxy A06, Galaxy A54 5G, Galaxy A34 5G, Galaxy A73 5G, Galaxy A53 5G, and Galaxy A33 5G.
Arm's New Designs Optimize for AI Running on CPU Cores
Arm has introduced its Arm v9.3 compute architecture, including new "C1" CPU core designs and "G1" GPU (graphics) core designs. In high-end configurations, Arm calls the new platform Lumex, which focuses on new ways to accelerate AI. The key new feature is SME2 (Scalable Matrix Extensions), which accelerates AI workloads when run on the CPU cores by up to 4.7x. AI historically runs best on GPU cores or AI-optimized NPU cores, but it's generally easier for developers to write code for CPU cores. With the new Lumex platform, AI tasks (classic and generative) run up to 5x faster on CPU cores, and up to 3x more efficiently. Once major AI frameworks are updated to support SME2, other software developers should not need to do anything for their AI apps to take advantage of this technology. The Lumex platform includes the C1-Ultra CPU core design for flagship chips and C1-Premium for sub-flagship devices. The Arm, v9.3 family also includes the new C1-Pro and C1-Nano CPU cores, which are lower-end and can be used as "efficiency" cores in a complete chip design. The Lumex platform also includes the new Mali G1-Ultra GPU core design, which has 20% better overall performance than the Immortalis-G925 it replaces, and 2x performance for ray-tracing. Similarly, the C1-Ultra has 25% better performance than the Cortex-X925 it replaces, and the C1-Pro has 12% better sustained power efficiency compared to the Cortex-A725 it replaces. A typical flagship chip using this new platform might have two C1-Ultra performance cores, six C1-Pro efficiency cores, and 14 Mali G1-Ultra cores. Arm has reference designs that are nearly production-ready. The new platform is optimized for the cutting-edge 3nm manufacturing processes of multiple chip manufacturers.
iPhone Air Chases Title of Thinnest Phone
Apple has followed Samsung in creating a super-thin flagship-class phone this year with the new iPhone Air. Like the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, the iPhone Air uses a titanium body to achieve sub-6mm thickness. While the S25 Edge measures 5.8mm, the iPhone Air beats it slightly at just 5.6mm thick. The iPhone Air replaces the iPhone Plus in this year's iPhone lineup. Besides its thin profile, the Air also brings new blend of specs and features that sits between the standard and Pro models. It has nearly all of the features of a standard iPhone, including new features in the iPhone 17 such as the Center Stage front camera, ProMotion display, and Ceramic Shield 2 display glass. It lacks the wide-angle camera but does have the same 48-megapixel "Fusion" main camera that can double as a 2x tele camera (at 12 megapixels). It does have a faster A19 Pro chip like the Pro models, although with five GPU cores instead of six. One change to get the phone this thin is that all versions worldwide will be eSIM-only. All of the radio modems in the iPhone Air are Apple-designed chips. Following Apple's first 5G modem (the C1) in the iPhone 16e, the Air has a new "C1X" chip that's twice as a fast and 30% more power-efficient. An Apple "N1" radio chip supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. The iPhone Air ships Sept. 19 starting at $999.
iPhone 17 Series Shakes up Formula
Apple has announced this year's iPhone lineup, the iPhone 17 series. Instead of a "Plus" model, Apple has introduced a new iPhone Air (covered in a separate article) that's extra-thin and more premium than a Plus model. New in the standard and Pro models are: a new 18-megapixel Center Stage front camera with a larger, square sensor that can capture portrait or landscape orientation without turning the phone, and has automatic framing (cropping). Also new is that all rear cameras are 48-megapixel "Fusion" cameras that perform different functions in 12-megapixel (pixel binning) or 48-megapixel mode (which defaults to 24 megapixel output). In the standard iPhone 17, this means a main camera that can double as a (12MP) 2x telephoto camera, plus a wide-angle camera that can double as a (12MP) macro camera. The Pro models add a 4x telephoto camera that can double as a (12MP) 8x telephoto camera. Apple has also introduced Ceramic Shield 2 display glass across the lineup, which it claims offers 3x better scratch resistance. The iPhone 17 gains a new display that's larger (6.3 inches vs. 6.1), has ProMotion dynamic refresh (1–120 Hz), and has an always-on feature. It also gains faster wired charging. A new A19 chip in the iPhone 17 offers 20% faster graphics performance and puts neural accelerators in the GPU cores for the first time. The Pro models come with an even-more-powerful A19 Pro chip assisted by a new vapor-chamber thermal management system. The Pro models come with the largest battery ever in an iPhone, which is even slightly larger in regional versions without a physical SIM card slot. The Pro models also gain ProRes RAW video capture and Genlock (with optional hardware accessory.) The Pro models have an all-new look with an aluminum (instead of titanium) unibody design and larger "plateau" camera hump. All models now come with a minimum 256 GB of storage. In the standard iPhone 17, this means double the memory for the same $799 starting price. However the iPhone 17 Pro sees the starting price hike from $999 to $1099. The iPhone 17 Pro Max (with its larger 6.9-inch display) starts as $1199, just like last year's model. Pre-orders start today, with all models shipping Sept. 19.
Apple Brings 5G to its Smartwatches
Apple has introduced a complete new lineup of Apple Watches, from an affordable new Apple Watch SE 3, to the main Apple Watch Series 11, to the top-end Apple Watch Ultra 3. All of the new models now include 5G cellular connectivity. The Apple Watch Ultra 3 also adds satellite connectivity for the first time in an Apple Watch. This enables Emergency SOS features like on the iPhone (free for two years) as well as Find My location sharing and messaging via satellite. The Ultra 3 also has a new display that's larger, brighter, and can refresh once a second in always-on mode (compared to once a minute previously). Battery life is also improved, lasting up to 42 hours. The Apple Watch Ultra 3 starts at $799. The new Apple Watch Series 11 has new Ion-X glass face that's 2x more scratch-resistant. It also has improved battery life at 24 hours, making sleep-tracking features more practical. Those have also been updated with a new "sleep score" feature. Another new health feature is Hypertension Notifications, where the watch analyzes 30 days of heart data to detect potential high blood pressure, providing a screening service that may alert users to undiagnosed hypertension. Apple expects FDA approval of that feature soon. Apple Watch Series 11 starts at $399. Finally, the new Apple Watch SE 3 starts at just $249, but also includes the new sleep score feature and more-durable Ion-X cover glass. This new model brings a long list of Apple Watch features to the SE series for the first time, including always-on display, fast charging, temperature sensor, double tap and wrist flick gestures, and on-device Siri. All three models go on sale Sept. 19.
Apple Updates its Pro Earbuds
Apple has introduced the AirPods Pro 3, its newest top-end Bluetooth earbuds. One headline feature is a new heart rate sensor, which allows fitness tracking features (in both Apple and third-party apps) that would have previously required an Apple Watch. It also supports live language translation, via an AI language model running on a paired iPhone. Foreign language audio is automatically made quieter as you listen to the translation. When you speak, a translation is displayed on your iPhone's display, with an option to speak the translation aloud. Apple has also improved the durability with an IP57 rating for dust and water (up from IP54). ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) has been improved to be twice as effective as the previous generation (4x better than the original AirPods Pro). Finally, earbud battery life has been improved to eight hours, (with ANC on, compared to six hours before,) although total battery life with the charging case has been reduced from 30 hours to 24. The price remains at $249 and they ship Sept. 19.
SpaceX Buys Its Own Spectrum for Starlink Direct-To-Cell Service
SpaceX has reached an agreement with EchoStar to buy 50 MHz of radio spectrum licenses for approximately $17 billion. These licenses will enable SpaceX to operate its Starlink Direct-To-Cell service using its own spectrum in the US. The deal also includes some global satellite spectrum licenses. Currently, SpaceX operates its Direct-to-Cell service in partnership with wireless carriers like T-Mobile, using radio licenses owned by those carrier partners. Starlink Direct-To-Cell provides basic cellular service to ordinary cell phones via satellite, in what would otherwise be cellular "dead zones". The current Starlink service with T-Mobile uses the "G block" of the PCS band (1910–1915 and 1990–1995 MHz, part of band 25). One of the bands SpaceX is buying is the "H block", which is just above T-Mobile's G block, at 1915–1920 and 1995–2000 MHz. SpaceX is also purchasing AWS-4 licenses, including the frequencies just above that at 2000–2020 MHz, and 2180–2200 MHz, which is part of band 66. EchoStar and SpaceX have also agreed to offer Starlink Direct-To-Cell service to Boost Mobile customers.
Bittium Teams up with HMD for its Newest Secure Phone for Government
Bittium, the Finnish company specializing in ultra-secure phones for western government users, has announced its newest phone: the Bittium Tough Mobile 3. This model will be a significant upgrade over the current model, offering 5G, a 50 megapixel camera, 12 GB of RAM, and a 4,500 mAh battery. Bittium has teamed up with HMD to manufacture the hardware. Among the many hardware and software security features, the phone comes with a dual-boot system featuring Android 15 for personal use and Bittium Secure OS for "Confidential" level use. It has a secure element, full disk encryption, and is tamper-proof. It's also rugged, with Gorilla Glass Victus, an IP68 rating for dust and water, and a military rating for shock and drop. It's powered by a Qualcomm Dragonwing Q-6690 FP4 chip, a chip not commonly used in phones. The phone will not be available until 2026.
Google Introduces Continuous On-Screen Language Translation
Google has announced an update to its "Circle to Search" feature on Android that enables continuous language translation of everything on the screen, even as you scroll and change apps. To access the feature, long-press the home button or navigation bar to start Circle to Search, tap the Translate icon, and tap "scroll and translate". The feature will come first to select Samsung Galaxy devices starting this week.
Google Brings AI Text Tools to its Keyboard
Google has announced an update to Gboard — its default keyboard software for Android — that introduces system-wide AI writing tools. This includes spelling and grammar fixes, proofreading, and rewriting in a different "tone", such as "formal, expressive or concise". This AI runs on-device (not in the cloud), ensuring privacy.
Google Brings Bluetooth Auracast to Pixel Phones
An update will enable Auracast on Google Pixel 8 series and newer phones. Auracast lets many phones tune in to a single broadcast Bluetooth audio source, and that source can be a phone, or a stationary device associated with a venue such as a gym, airport, or theater.
Samsung Debuts Galaxy S25 FE
Samsung has launched this year's Galaxy S "FE", the company's "affordable flagship" model that has a more approachable price than the premium Galaxy S models, while offering more than the company's Galaxy A models. The Galaxy S25 FE offers several key upgrades over last year's S24 FE, including a larger battery (4,900 mAh vs. 4,700 mAh), faster charging (45W vs. 25W), and a "new enhanced Armor Aluminum frame" for improved durability. The front camera has also been upgraded from 10 megapixel to 12, and naturally there are more AI features: Generative Edit not only lets users remove things from the background of photos, but automatically detects and suggests passersby to remove. Audio Eraser lets users choose specific elements to remove from the audio of their videos. Other specs of the phone are similar to last year's model, including IP68 dust and water rating, 8 GB RAM, Samsung Exynos 2400 processor, 50 megapixel main camera, 12 megapixel wide camera, 8 megapixel tele camera, and wireless charging. Samsung promises seven years of OS upgrades and security updates. The Galaxy S25 FE with 128 GB storage is available starting today for $650 from most major US carriers. T-Mobile is offering it in all four colors: white, navy, Icyblue, and Jetblack. Verizon currently has navy and Icyblue in stock. AT&T is only offering it in Jetblack. Samsung.com is also offering the phone unlocked, in all four colors, with a free storage upgrade to 256 GB for a limited time.
Anker Debuts New Line of Premium Chargers
Anker has announced three new fast chargers in its flagship Prime lineup: a portable triple charger, a large power bank, and a desktop triple wireless charger. All three integrate an interactive display, and have extra settings available via companion app. The new Anker Prime Charger delivers up to 160W of total power while being 43% smaller than Apple's 140W charger. It has three downward-facing USB-C ports, each capable of delivering up to 140W of power. It can fast-charge a phone, tablet, and laptop all at the same time. It will sell for $149. The new Anker Prime Power Bank is about the largest capacity allowed on planes in carry-luggage (26,250 mAh). Yet it is 17% smaller and 10% lighter than other power banks with the same capacity, according to Anker. It can deliver up to 140W per port, up to 300W total simultaneously. It has two USB-C ports and one USB-A port (up to 22.5W). The power bank can also be recharged quickly, at up to 250W using both USB-C ports, or at up to 150W using the inbuilt POGO pins and an optional dock. It will sell for $229. Finally, the Anker Prime Wireless Charging Station has three charging pads: one Qi 2.2 25W fast-charging pad for an iPhone, and two 5W chargers for wearables (one on an arm and one in the base). The phone charger has integrated cooling, for extended battery life. However, the cooling fan can be turned off in a special silent mode for undisturbed sleep. The wireless charging station will also sell for $229. All three chargers will go on sale September 25.
Google Barred from Requiring Its Apps on Phones with Play Store
A judge today issued remedies in the government's antitrust case against Google. Google won't be forced to divest its Android operating system, nor its Chrome web browser, as the Department of Justice had requested. Google will also be allowed to continue paying partners (including Apple) to pre-load Search and other Google products. However, Google will be barred from exclusive deals around the distribution of search, Google Assistant, Gemini, or Chrome. Google must also end its requirement that device makers pre-load Google apps in order to access the Play Store. It's unclear if Google will appeal.
Cricket Brings 5G to its Entry-Level Icon Phones
Cricket has started selling the Cricket Icon Plus, its first Icon-series phone with 5G. It also has a larger display than previous Icon phones at 6.9 inches. The Icon Plus replaces the Icon 6, and most other features and specs are similar, including a 50 megapixel main camera, 64 GB of storage (expandable), 4 GB RAM, MediaTek processor, and NFC for tap payments. Cricket is charging $100 for the Icon Plus. The phone comes in "twilight purple" with a distinctive design. Like the Icon 5 and 6, the Icon Plus is manufactured for Cricket by Coosea. For the first time, Cricket is adding a model year to one of its own-brand phone names, calling this the "Icon Plus - 2026" instead of, say, the Icon 7. Motorola and Boost use a similar naming scheme.
Tracfone Launches Its First Unlimited Data Plan
Tracfone has added a new service plan to its offerings: Tracfone Freedom. This is Tracfone's first plan to include unlimited data (a standard offering from most other carriers). Tracfone's existing plans range from 0.5 – 20 GB of data, and topped out at $40/month. The new Freedom plan is $50/month, or $45 with auto-refill (or as low as $40/month when purchasing a full year in advance). While Tracfone's other plans deduct hotspot usage from the main data allotment, Freedom has a separate bucket of 15 GB for mobile hotspot. Freedom also includes exclusive perks like international talk, text, and roaming in Canada and Mexico, and identity protection by Experian.
Boost Mobile Gives up on Building Its Own Network
As part of its recent transaction with AT&T, EchoStar has announced that "elements of Boost Mobile's radio access network (RAN) will be decommissioned over time." Boost spent the past several years building its own nationwide 5G network largely from scratch, an enormous undertaking. Going forward, Boost will operate as what it calls a "hybrid MNO", with "Boost Mobile's cloud-native 5G core connected to AT&T's leading nationwide network" (with secondary coverage still provided by T-Mobile). So while Boost will maintain some of its own central mobile network infrastructure, that will not necessarily include its own towers. The sale of Boost to Dish/EchoStar — to create a fourth full national mobile network — was originally a condition for US Department of Justice approval of T-Mobile's merger with Sprint.
AT&T Buys $23 Billion Worth of Spectrum from EchoStar
AT&T and EchoStar (parent company of Boost Mobile) have reached a deal for AT&T to acquire 50 MHz of nationwide radio spectrum licenses from EchoStar for approximately $23 billion. 30 MHz of that bandwidth is in the 3.45 GHz band, prime mid-band spectrum that AT&T already uses for 5G (part of band 77). "AT&T intends to begin deploying these mid-band licenses, which are compatible with its 5G network, as soon as possible." The other 20 MHz is in the 600 MHz band (band 71). AT&T does not currently operate in that band (T-Mobile does) so it will take longer to deploy that spectrum. The licenses cover "virtually every market across the U.S.". The transaction is expected to close in mid-2026, but EchoStar has agreed to a leasing option that should allow AT&T to begin using the spectrum sooner.
Android Will Only Allow Side-Loaded Apps from Verified Developers
Google is introducing a new requirement in Android for side-loaded apps (those installed from sources other than the Google Play store.) In the future, Android will only run side-loaded apps that are confirmed to come from developers that have registered with Google and confirmed their identity. This feature alone won't prevent malware in side-loaded apps; but it does introduce a level of accountability when malware is found in a side-loaded app, making it more difficult for bad actors to be anonymous or hide behind multiple, fake identities. The feature will be enabled first in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand in September 2026, then globally in "2027 and beyond".
FCC Steps Up Enforcement of Anti-Robocall Measures
The FCC today implemented one of its largest anti-robocall enforcement actions to date, effectively banning over 1,200 non-compliant voice service providers from US voice networks. This action marks the final step in a major anti-robocall effort that started with the passage of the TRACED act in late 2019. That law empowered the FCC to go after robocallers and the voice providers that enable them. It also enabled the FCC to require all voice providers to implement new anti-robocall technologies. Since then, the FCC has required voice providers to implement STIR/SHAKEN, which authenticates caller-ID data and prevents spoofing that masks a caller's identity. The FCC also set up the Robocall Mitigation Database, where all voice providers must register and certify compliance with the new rules. Compliant providers must block traffic from unlisted or non-compliant providers, and participate in tracing investigations. The FCC sent out warnings to over 2,400 non-compliant providers in December. About half of those are still non-compliant and will now be blocked from US voice networks.
Google Pixel 10 Series Puts Big Upgrades In a Familiar Skin
Google has announced its latest lineup of Pixel phones. The four Pixel 10 models have the same naming scheme and basic outer designs as last year's Pixel 9 series, but manage to make important upgrades to the batteries, cameras, processor, and durability. They also include Qi2 magnetic wireless charging. The base Pixel 10 model now has a dedicated 5x optical zoom camera for the first time. New AI features include "Pro Res Zoom" on the Pro models, which uses generative AI to deliver zoom up to 100x. There's also "Magic Cue", which uses on-device AI "to proactively offer the right information at the right time" in apps like Messages and Phone. "For instance, when you're calling an airline, it can automatically find your flight details from your email and display it during your phone call." For the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, Google developed a new gearless hinge that helps enable the first IP68 dust- and water-resistance rating in a foldable phone. The Fold also has larger displays and what Google claims is the largest battery of any foldable. All four are powered by a new Google Tensor G5 chip bringing better performance (34% faster CPU and 60% more powerful on AI tasks). Google promises seven years of full software updates. The Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, and Pixel 10 Pro XL ship August 28 for $799, $999, and $1199, respectively. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold starts at $1799 and ships October 9.
Simple and Total Add International Service
Verizon is adding a variety of international service features to plans on two of its prepaid brands: Simple Mobile and Total Wireless. Most Simple Mobile plans now include unlimited global texting. Plans also include unlimited international calling, with the list of countries included ranging from "100+" to "200+" depending on plan price. Only the top-end "Unlimited World+" plan (for $60/month) includes international roaming in 140+ countries. Total Wireless is also adding unlimited global texting (to 200+ countries) to its plans. Unlimited international calling is also available on most plans, with the number of countries included ranging from "85+" to 180, depending on plan price. Similarly, international roaming is now included, ranging from just Canada and Mexico to "30+" countries. These new plans will be available starting August 28.
Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 Brings a Modest Speed Boost
Qualcomm has unveiled the fourth generation of its Snapdragon 7s chip to power upper-mid-range phones. It offers a 7% boost in CPU and GPU (graphics) performance, while keeping most of the same specs and features as the previous Gen 3 chip. The 7s sits between the 6 and 7 in the Snapdragon chip lineup. The 8 series powers flagship models, while the 7 series is for "affordable flagships". Like the 7s Gen3, the new chip supports on-device generative AI, multi-language translation and transcription, and AI-based noise cancellation and reduction. It also includes a triple ISP that can process data from up to three active cameras at once.
Google Messages Rolls Out Nudity Blurring
Google is rolling out a feature that can automatically detect and blur images containing nudity. The feature is enabled by default for minors and disabled by default for adults. When using Android's parental control features, only a parent can disable the feature on a child's phone. Google calls the feature Sensitive Content Warnings and first announced it last October. It works completely on-device, so nudes are never sent to Google servers. It doesn't completely block nudes from being viewed or shared, but does add extra steps to view or share nudes, including "help-finding resources and options". Apple announced a similar feature for iOS in 2023.
T-Mobile Taps New Manufacturer for REVVL 8 Series, Including Unannounced Pro Model
Regulatory filings reveal that the new T-Mobile REVVL 8 phone is manufactured by Luxshare, a new entrant in the white-label phone space in the US. Most carrier-branded phones in the US have been made by Coosea, Tinno, or Wingtech in recent years. Regulatory filings also reveal the existence of a premium REVVL 8 Pro model, also made by Luxshare. The lower-end REVVL 8 went on sale today after being announced two days ago. While the REVVL 7 and REVVL 7 Pro were announced at the same time, the REVVL 8 Pro has yet to be announced. Unfortunately, the filings offer few clues as to how this Pro model will differ from the standard model. Luxshare is known for working with Apple, including assembling iPhones, AirPods, and the Vision Pro.
Arm Plans to Put AI in its GPUs
Arm has announced plans to embed neural accelerators directly in its graphics cores in future chip architectures. This will enable game developers to boost graphics performance and/or efficiency using new generative AI techniques. These include Neural Super Sampling (NSS) — a kind of resolution upscaling — and later on, neural frame doubling and de-noising. This technology is still a way off, as Arm won't even announce specific architectures with this technology until next year. But Arm is revealing it now to give game developers time to plan and prepare.
T-Mobile Launches Its Own REVVL 8 Phone
T-Mobile has launched its eighth generation of own-brand smartphones, which this year consists of just one model. The new T-Mobile REVVL 8 combines the smaller size of last year's REVVL 7 with some of the more premium features of last year's REVVL 7 Pro, such as OIS (optical image stabilization) for the camera, 25-watt fast charging, and a higher-res front camera. The processor is also updated from Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 to Gen 3. The REVVL 8 is priced at $200 (before trade-in and new-line deals), the same as the REVVL 7. Other features are similar to the REVVL 7, including a 6.58-inch FHD+ display, 6 GB RAM, 126 GB storage (expandable), 50 megapixel camera, 5,000 mAh battery, and NFC. The REVVL 8 goes on sale this Thursday, Aug. 14.
Motorola Intros Swarovski Device Bundle
Motorola has introduced a unique new bundle offering that includes both a razr phone and moto "buds loop" Bluetooth earbuds, in an exclusive matching color and designs accented with Swarovski crystals. Motorola calls this The Brilliant Collection, and says this is the first in a series of Motorola Collections, "curated sets of devices tied together by a unifying theme". The devices come in the Pantone color "Ice Melt". The razr phone has a unique "leather-inspired finish in a 3D quilted pattern" accented with 35 small Swarovski crystals plus one large crystal on the hinge. This color and designs are exclusively available in this bundle and not sold separately. It will be available unlocked online starting August 7 for $1,000, and from Cricket starting August 15.
UScellular is Now Part of T-Mobile
T-Mobile has now formally acquired "substantially all" of UScellular's wireless operations, including customers and stores, as well as "certain specified spectrum assets". This completes a transaction first announced in May. Current UScellular customers can keep their existing plans "for now", but will soon have the option to switch to a T-Mobile plan. UScellular customers are expected to experience enhanced coverage on the T-Mobile network (now with more spectrum) and should not need new devices. The portion of UScellular that T-Mobile is not buying will live on as "Array Digital Infrastructure Inc.", which will "retain ownership of a significant portion of the company's spectrum and towers, continuing operations as a separate infrastructure-focused entity." In its process of exiting the consumer wireless business, UScellular has also made a spectrum deal with AT&T and held talks with Verizon.
Apple Responds to US Antitrust Lawsuit
Apple has submitted its initial legal response to the US Department of Justice's antitrust lawsuit accusing it of a "smartphone monopoly". The government's lawsuit focuses on Apple's restrictions on third parties in five specific areas: "Super apps", Cloud-streaming games, Messaging apps, Smartwatches, and Digital wallets. Apple contends that it allows third parties to offer all five on its platforms. Apple also calls out what it says are unfair or arbitrary metrics used to support the claim of a monopoly: measuring market share of "performance smartphones", and measuring by revenue instead of units sold.
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