FCC decides to delay decision on rules for 600 MHz auction

The FCC commissioners met today with a goal of establishing rules for an auction of 600 MHz spectrum scheduled to take place in 2016. The auction is shaping up to be one of the more complex actions undertaken by the FCC as they try to move spectrum from use by television broadcasters to use by mobile carriers. This change is compounded by the FCC’s desire to not see the large wireless carriers like Verizon and AT&T use their deep war chests of funds to buy up the available spectrum. Today the FCC announced they have delayed a decision on the final rules until at least their next meeting on August 6th.

FCC chairman Tom Wheeler issued the following statement regarding the delay,

“In the spirit of cooperation that has marked our work together on the incentive auctions, I am today postponing Commission consideration of this order and the related reconsideration of the mobile spectrum holdings order until the Commission’s next regularly scheduled meeting on August 6. I believe that even with this delay we will be able to stay on course for the first quarter of 2016.”

Sources believe part of the reason for the delay is some new data produced by the Incentive Auction Task Force made available after their latest round of computer simulations predicting the results of the auction. The National Association of Broadcasters issued a response to the simulations expressing concern as to whether it was done properly. Earlier this week T-Mobile lobbyist and former representative Henry Waxman had proposed some compromise rules for consideration. Waxman was one of the architects of the legislation authorizing the auction when he was a member of Congress.

source: Android Headlines

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Xiaomi launches the 4k Mi TV 2S with impressive hardware and an aggressive price tag

Xiaomi has launched a new TV in the Mi TV lineup, and it looks like a seriously impressive piece of hardware. The Mi TV 2S has a 48-inch 4k resolution display and an aluminum frame that comes in at only 9.9 mm thick. It’s running the latest version of MIUI, which is based on Android 5.0.

The processing power in this thing doesn’t slack off either, with a quad-core 1.4 GHz CPU and a Mali T760MP4 GPU. The Mi TV 2S is capable of decoding 4k resolution at 60 FPS and has a slew of ports you’d expect from a high-end TV, including HDMI and USB ports, and even Bluetooth connectivity.

Pricing is arguably the best part of this TV; Xiaomi is launching the Mi TV 2S at 2,999 Yuan, which is about $485. A 48-inch 4k TV for under $500 is insane.

You probably won’t see this globally anytime soon, but we can still dream.

source: MIUI

via: Android Central

Come comment on this article: Xiaomi launches the 4k Mi TV 2S with impressive hardware and an aggressive price tag

Commodore is back in the form of a cheap Chinese smartphone

Commodore was once a brand that manufactured electronics and home computers. They were one of the original big computer brands that lasted from 1954-1994 when it finally claimed bankruptcy. With that long lifespan many people grew up with Commodore and still hold them true to their hearts. It looks like fans may or may not be excited to see them make a comeback in the form on an Android phone.

When Commodore filed for bankruptcy back in 1994 an unknown company purchased all the rights to the brand. We heard nothing for years, but only two years ago, a federal court ruled that the trademark belonged to Commodore Holdings B.V., a Dutch company that has been silent ever since. Now two Italian entrepreneurs Carlo Scattolini and Massimo Canigiani have registered the name Commodore Business Machines Limited in the United Kingdom and say they own all the rights to the brand and trademark in the mobile industry in 38 countries, including the US.

The “Commodore PET”, was once a desktop computer launched in 1977. While the computer has long been gone it is now making a comeback in the form of an Android phone with the same name.

Commodore PET smartphone specifications

• 5.5-inch IPS 1920×1080 pixel screen, coated with Gorilla Glass 3

• 1.7 GHz Mediatek 64-bit octa-core processor

• ARM Mali T760 GPU

• Main camera has a 13MP Sony sensor with a bright f/2.0 aperture, dedicated shutter button

• 8MP selfie camera with 80 degree wide angle lens

• Dual-SIM 4G connectivity

• Aluminium frame construction with interchangeable polycarbonate covers in white, biscuit-beige, green, blue and other colours

• 3000mAh battery

• Android 5.0 Lollipop

There is said to be two models made with the above specs, but with different amounts of memory. The cheaper $300 Light model comes in 16GB with 2GB of RAM and a $365 model with 32GB of storage and 3GB of RAM. Both ship with a 32GB micro SD card with a maximum 64GB card support. It all looks good on paper, but that’s when things start to get fishy.

Earlier reports were going around that Commodore was back with a new smartphone, but after some research from Android Police it appears that may or may not be true, but leaning more towards not true. The phone in question appears to be a “Orgtec Wa Phone” with a Commodore logo slapped on the back. This Chinese phone sells for only $145 for the 64GB model. That is a $220 markup just for the Commodore logo on the back. The two phones appear to literally be identical with just different printed logos.

Not only that, but the phone itself may be illegally using the logo. A company named Asiarim Corp got the trademark back in 2011, but lost control to creditors shortly after. The Commodore brand seems to be in a weird situation where not one company can just use the trademark. We are not sure at this time if a Commodore phone will be coming soon or if it’s basically a knock off.

Source: Wired
Via: Hexus, Android Police, Android Community

Come comment on this article: Commodore is back in the form of a cheap Chinese smartphone

European Commission opens up two antitrust investigations on Qualcomm

Qualcomm really isn’t having a great year. Not only has there been tons and tons of controversy over their 2015 flagship CPU, the Snapdragon 810, but now the European Commission has opened two antitrust investigations into the company. Ouch.

The first investigation relates to whether or not Qualcomm offered financial incentives for their customers to purchase exclusively Qualcomm products. The second investigation will look into pricing and whether or not Qualcomm engaged in “predatory pricing” where they aggressively priced down their product with the sole purpose of forcing other competition out of the market. No company ever wants to be accused of either of those things.

These investigations are new, so there’s no evidence one way or the other just yet. But we’ve seen how quickly the European Commission moves when it’s dealing with other tech giants like Google and Amazon, so expect to hear more on this as it unfolds.

source: Reuters

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Rovio announces Angry Birds 2, set to launch on “app stores worldwide” on July 30

Rovio took to its blog to announce that Angry Birds 2 is in the works, the first sequel we’ve seen since the Finnish company originally launched Angry Birds in 2009. Angry Birds 2 is coming very soon, with a set July 30 launch date.

Angry Birds 2 certainly wasn’t expected to be in the works, considering Rovio has launched many spin-offs–Angry Birds Space, Angry Birds Star Wars, Angry Birds Transformers, and many more. However, the idea behind Angry Birds 2 is to put out an updated version of the original that will follow more closely to the Angry Birds movie, set for a theatrical release next year.

#AngryBirds2 – Coming July 30! Read more: http://t.co/CS7KCrUygD pic.twitter.com/3jSLTQcVMI

— Rovio (@Rovio) July 16, 2015

Details are scarce, but Rovio says to keep an eye on its social media pages, as they’ll be posting updates up to its July 30 launch date. Additionally, the game should be available on launch day for iOS, Android, Amazon’s AppStore, as Rovio says the game will be coming to “app stores” worldwide.

Anyone looking forward to another Angry Birds instalment?

source: Rovio

Come comment on this article: Rovio announces Angry Birds 2, set to launch on “app stores worldwide” on July 30

Clinton, Uber and the political impact of the ‘gig economy’

On Monday afternoon, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton gave a speech laying out her economic vision. In it, she states that “many Americans are making extra money renting out a small room, designing websites, selling products they design themselves at home or even driving their own car.” And even though she praises this so-called gig economy for “unleashing innovation,” she’s also concerned about the lack of work-place protections that these jobs entail. She didn’t mention Uber by name, but it certainly fits the description of exactly the kind of companies she’s calling out.

The “gig economy” here refers to a situation where people are working as independent contractors (workers who’d get a 1099 form when it’s tax time) instead of holding down jobs as full-time staff (who would receive a W2 instead). As independent contractors, 1099 workers don’t get the same sort of benefits as regular employees — no health benefits, no overtime, no sick leave pay — whereas W2 employees do.

“Many Americans are making extra money renting out a small room, designing websites, selling products they design themselves at home or even driving their own car. This on-demand, or so-called gig economy is creating exciting economies and unleashing innovation. But it is also raising hard questions about work-place protections and what a good job will look like in the future.” — Hillary Clinton

Of course, independent contractors have been around for much longer than Airbnb and Uber, but the uptick in this particular style of business is a relatively recent phenomenon that impacts an unusually large number of Silicon Valley startups. Postmates, for example, relies on independent contractors for its delivery personnel. Washio is a service that relies on contractors to pick up, wash and deliver its customers’ laundry. TaskRabbit connects you to a variety of paid services ranging from handymen to people willing to wait in line for you. Homejoy is a cleaning service where the maids are, you guessed it, independent contractors. And this is just a small sampling of Silicon Valley businesses that rely on 1099 workers for their bread and butter.

It’s easy to see why: 1099 workers cost a lot less to hire, which lets cash-strapped startups funnel funds into things like app and site development rather than employee benefits. And being an independent contractor can offer up certain perks — you can work part-time while holding down other jobs, or simply to get extra spending money if you’re a student or a stay-at-home mom. For some, it offers the flexibility to set your own hours and work remotely.

Still, this “gig economy” doesn’t sit well with everyone. If you’re a full-time 1099 worker, that leaves you without a safety net that all W2 employees have. Recently, a few workers have filed lawsuits against some of the aforementioned startups (Uber, Washio and Postmates are among them), alleging that they should be classified as employees rather than contractors.

Shannon Liss-Riordan, the Boston attorney who’s the lead on several of these cases, told the San Francisco Chronicle: “These companies thought that if they call themselves technology companies because they provide services by using a smartphone app, that somehow makes them different. […] They think they can get away with transferring the costs of doing business to their workers and depriving employees of the benefits they’re entitled to.” Which is exactly what Clinton was referring to in her speech when she said: “I will crack down on bosses who exploit employees by mis-classifying them as contractors.”

On the other side of the coin, Uber would prefer to characterize independent contractors less as employees, and more like small-business owners. When asked to back up the claims that hiring contractors is a good way of doing business, Uber offered a few interesting stats. According to an internal survey, 73 percent of its drivers “would rather have a job where you choose your own schedule and are your own boss” and 63 percent say they “use Uber to have more flexibility so they can balance work and family.” About 52 percent of its drivers are part-timers — either students or those with other jobs — and a vast majority of its drivers don’t use Uber as a primary source of income.

In a statement during one of the contractor lawsuits brought against the company (O’Connor et al. v. Uber Technologies, Inc et al), an Uber spokesperson said: “Eighty seven percent of drivers say the main reason to use Uber is because they love being their own boss.” Uber also offered a series of quotes from drivers. Jon Shehab, an UberX driver from San Diego said that “Uber is not my employer. … I don’t have a supervisor; I don’t have a manager; and I don’t even have a telephone number for Uber,” and he likes that he’s free to work for other on-demand ridesharing competitors like Lyft if he wants to. Christopher Martinez, an UberX and UberPlus driver from Los Angeles, said, “I wouldn’t even want to be an Uber employee. I would quit if they tried to make me an employee, because I value my freedom as an independent contractor too much.”

Not all Silicon Valley startups follow the contractor model. Shyp, a company that picks up, packs and delivers packages for you, has recently reclassified its couriers from 1099 contractors to W2 employees. The move, according to Shyp’s CEO Kevin Gibbon, is “an investment in a longer-term relationship with our couriers, which we believe will ultimately create the best experience for our customers.” Shyp is now able to offer “additional supervision, coaching, branded assets and training,” which can only be done with employees.

Yet, Shyp is an anomaly in a sea of startups that depend on independent contractors as its primary way of doing business. Clinton might have been the one to bring the issue to light, but she likely won’t be the only presidential candidate to address it. Rivals like Jeb Bush and Rand Paul have already come out in favor of Uber and its ilk (with Bush even pledging to ride an Uber or two while he’s out in San Francisco this week) to paint themselves as supporters of the new sharing economy. While Carly Fiorina hasn’t said much about it yet, it seems likely she’ll do the same given her Silicon Valley background. Like it or not, the “gig economy” — and by extension, Silicon Valley — is now an issue in the election of our next president.

[Images credit: The Associated Press, Getty Images]

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