It’s coming. And soon. Of course, you know darn well we’re referring to the day where no human in any nation can text and drive legally, and we’re seeing the US Department of Transportation get us one step closer with its latest mandate. Effective immediately, bus drivers and interstate commercial truckers are disallowed from texting while operating a motor vehicle, and should they choose to send that one last SMS anyway, they’ll be hit with “civil or criminal fines of up to $2,750.” Needless to say, the Advocates for Highway Safety are pretty stoked about the notion, but they confess that this isn’t taking things far enough. And for anyone who has been sideswiped by someone special telling someone more special “I LUVRZ U XOXO LOL” while doing 80 on the I-15, well, they’d probably concur.
DOT bars bus drivers and commercial truckers from texting while driving originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Look, if there was one thing that the all black, tiny little Hello Kitty PMP was missing, it was some bling. Fear not, enticed consumers: she gets what she wants. iRiver’s just unleashed a few updated versions — basically identical to the last ones, but HK’s now sporting a little more glitter. The Hello Kitty Music Player Premium DX has two versions — one where Miss K’s got a bow in her hair, and another where she’s donned a flower. The 4GB PMP runs ¥9,980 (around $111) and is available in Japan now. Meow.
[Thanks, Brad]
Goth Hello Kitty PMP gets a splash of Swarovski, says she hasn’t sold out originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Hey, if you’re a New Jersey AT&T subscriber and you paid a flat-rate ETF between January 1, 1998 and November 4, 2009, you’ve got a tiny bit of $18 million coming your way. That’s the settlement amount AT&T’s agreed to in this latest ETF class action — as usual in these cases, it’s far cheaper for AT&T to just throw out some cash than it is to fully litigate this thing, especially with the FCC breathing down its neck. Expect individual settlements to be relatively minor, while all the lawyers receive platinum underpants trimmed with only the finest jewels.
Update: It’s for all AT&T subs, not just the kids from the Shore.
Update 2: AT&T just sent us a statement about the settlement — the carrier wants to highlight that it’s the old ETFs that are involved here, and not the new pro-rated ones that we hate just as much. Check it:
We strongly deny any wrongdoing, and no court has found AT&T Mobility committed any wrongdoing regarding these fees. However, we have agreed to settle to avoid the burden and cost of further litigation.
It’s important to note that the litigation involves old early termination fee policies of the old AT&T Wireless and Cingular. In 2008 we introduced a new, more flexible early termination fee policy, in which we pro-rate the ETF if you are a new or renewing wireless customer who enters a one- or two-year service agreement.
Cool — now let’s talk about how customers who pay full price for handsets should pay a lower monthly fee that doesn’t include an equipment subsidy. That’s a policy we could totally get behind.
[Thanks, David]
Continue reading AT&T settles ETF case for $18m
AT&T settles ETF case for $18m originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Mustek isn’t in the business of making out-there products, but maybe it’s changing its tune by slapping the
Twilight cover on its MER-6T e-reader. Just another 6-inch, e-ink reader sans a content ecosystem or wireless connectivity, we can only imagine that they
want you to stab the MER-6T right in the SD card slot in a fit of vampire e-reader-hating rage. Ah, but then when the blood is slowly dripping off its .4-inch thick body and into its 3.5mm headphone jack, you to realize that it’s got a touchscreen, built-in music player, and that it comes with a luring wrist strap all which make you want to ravish the device forever into the night. You sick bastards, Mustek. There’s no pricing on the MER-6T, but the experience seems pretty priceless.
Filed under: Handhelds
Mustek MER-6T is another Twilight-loving touchscreen e-reader originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Verizon might be getting picked on for introducing its whopper $350 “advanced device” ETF, but the FCC has decided that it wants answers from everyone on concerns that “there is no standard framework for structuring and applying ETFs throughout the wireless industry.” The commission has sent letters (via fancy certified mail, in case you’re wondering) to all of the other biggies — AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile — along with Google, asking a series of questions probing how each carrier’s ETFs are determined and applied. Google gets roped in for its nasty equipment recovery fee, but all of the recipients share a common dubious distinction: the frickin’ FCC — a bureaucracy filled to the brim with lawyers and… well, bureaucrats — can’t figure out terms that everyday customers are expected to understand. Of course, most customers don’t have the distinction of being able to send a certified letter to their carrier probing fees and require a prompt and complete response, so we’re happy to see the feds get to the bottom of this. Sure, ETFs may ultimately prove to be completely justified in their current form considering the expense that carriers put up to subsidize hot hardware, it’s true — but regardless, it’s in everyone’s best interest to make sure they’re spelled out in ways even FCC commissioners (and Engadget editors) can appreciate.
FCC expands ETF inquiry, fires off letters to AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Google originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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