Samsung this week finally unleashed apps that will allow users to pair the company’s Gear smartwatches up with iOS devices. The company released two apps for its different devices on January 7, the Gear S app (for the Gear S2 and S3) and the Gear Fit app (for the Gear Fit2). Samsung noted, however, that features and functions will vary by device.
“We’re constantly looking for ways to enhance our offerings and we do this in part by listening to what our customers want – and that includes greater access to our cutting-edge wearable technologies with iOS support,” Samsung Electronics’ Executive Vice President of Global Marketing, Mobile Communications Younghee Lee said. “By offering Android and iOS compatibility with our latest Gear devices, we’re giving users more ways to optimize their wearable experiences and connect to Samsung’s Galaxy of possibilities.”
Qorvo, a provider of innovative RF solutions, has introduced a new family of 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi Front-End Modules (FEMs) it says paves the way for smaller, more energy-efficient wireless routers, gateways, and other networked devices in the home. The new Qorvo FEMs support the latest generation of 802.11ac and Wave 2 1024QAM home Wi-Fi products, and consume 2 watts less power than similar products available today.
The 5 GHz FEMs offer 1.2 Gbps throughput per stream, and are available now for sampling; the 2.4 GHz models will be available in first quarter 2017, the company said.
The Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) announced it is working with Canadian communication companies to enhance collaboration and share knowledge on unlawful caller ID spoofing and robocalling. While ATIS said it has been working on mitigation techniques for some time, the group indicated the need for a unified, cross-border effort was highlighted by the recent FCC agreement with the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) that commits the two agencies to cooperation to combat unlawful robocalling.
The battle against robocalling north of the border mirrors a similar effort underway in the United States via the Robocall Strike Force.
With the opening of a location in Portland, Maine, AT&T prepaid brand Cricket said it has expanded its physical retail presence to all 50 U.S. states as well as the District of Columbia. The carrier said it added more than 800 new branded locations in 2016.
Centina Systems, a provider of service assurance and analytics solutions, announced the Dakota Carrier Network (DCN) has deployed its NetOmnia solution to assure Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with Tier-1 mobile operators for mobile backhaul services. The solution also offers added reporting value for existing DCN customers within the government, financial, higher education, and medical industries.
“NetOmnia empowers our customers by granting them visibility into their own services, enabling them to self-diagnose issues,” DCN’s Director of Operations Jesse Heck said. “Since deploying NetOmnia, it has allowed us to not only meet our mobile operator customers’ SLA obligations, but also grow our mobile backhaul business and reduce operations costs.”
