Tag: GSM

Other than the frenzied anticipation for the coming breed of tablet PCs, the one topic that dominates the mindspace of the technorati these days is the world of e-readers. More specifically, a great debate is brewing; each of the e-readers and their associated online book stores favor differing standards and file formats, and we may have another good ole fashioned format war on our hands. ...

In December, a German security researcher cracked the code used to encrypt older 2G GSM cellular communications. Now, Chris Paget, another researcher, has discovered a way to bypass that encryption and intercept cell phone calls -- with a mere $1,500 worth of off-the-shelf equipment. Paget created a DIY version of an IMSI catcher, a piece of equipment that is used by intelligence and law ...

Picking a cell phone is hard enough if you don't have to take into consideration your travel habits, especially if those habits take you overseas on a regular basis. The fine folks over at Gadling (a fellow AOL blog) have put together a rather helpful guide to picking the right smart phone for your travel needs. Generally you'll want to make sure you get a phone that supports GSM (any phone ...

Part of being a good user and consumer is understanding how technology works, why we use it the way we do, and what that barrage of acronyms and PR jargon means. We're here to help you make sense of it all, and to give you a better appreciation of how those transistors, pixels, and antennae work together to deliver the conveniences of the modern world to your living room or office. What is ...

Highlights from this morning's other big tech headlines.... It appears that Nintendo is finally catching up to the other next-gen console manufacturers, as it will reportedly soon add Netflix-streaming capabilities to the Wii. The service will require the use of a disk, just like the PS3. Since the Wii maxes out at 480p, increased HD resolution and HDMI hook-ups are now officially long ...

Karsten Nohl, a German computer scientist and encryption expert, claims to have cracked the algorithm that protects wireless communications over GSM networks, the chosen route for 80-percent of global cellular traffic. As part of what Nohl told the Chaos Communication Congress is an attempt to "push operators to adopt better security measures for mobile phone calls," he published the 2 terabytes ...

Well, they're a little late to the party, but AT&T is finally warming up to Google's phone OS, Android. T-Mobile and Sprint and members of the Open Handset Alliance, which champions Google's new Linux-based platform, and Verizon has promised to make its network open to any device, a move that likely had Android devices specifically in mind. At the CTIA wireless show in Vegas AT&T Mobility ...

September 7th, 1987 was the day that the mobile phone industry as we know it was born. 20 years ago, 15 companies signed a pact agreeing to build networks based upon a set of standards known as GSM. GSM is the underlying technology for AT&T, T-Mobile, and most overseas operators around the world, including O2, Vodaphone, and Orange. According to the GSM Association, there are over 2.5 billion ...

Our pals over at Engadget got their tech-greedy mitts on T-Mobile's new Hot Spot @ Home service and have some early impressions. Hot Spot @ Home uses a phone with Wi-Fi to switch between the standard cellular GSM network and Wi-Fi connections for unlimited voice over IP minutes. This basically means that you can potentially save mega money and minutes by using WiFi instead of your cell phone ...