charge

A new charging technology could completely fill a phone battery in under 10 minutes. Or at least that's what its developers say. Chinese company Oppo claims that not only can it achieve the super-speed charge, but it does so without damaging the ... battery or shortening its lifespan. The company demonstrated the technology at Mobile World Congress, an annual showcase for the cellphone industry in Barcelona. While not a household name, Oppo is actually the world's fourth biggest company when it comes to sales, behind only Samsung, Apple and Huawei. The basics of what it calls SuperVooc charging ... (view more)

A new online chat service costs one cent for every character in a message. It appears to be both a business idea and a social experiment. The site has the straightforward name called "Expensive Chat," and has the equally to-the-point description of ... "Spend money to chat with strangers who spend money to chat with strangers." Users can register to pay with their bank card or through third-party payment site "Stripe." Once they are setup, every time they write a message, they'll see a reminder of the price based on its length. They'll have to confirm the message and their willingness ... (view more)

Officials in Europe want all phone companies to use the same technology for charging mobile devices. If the rules go ahead, it could mean Apple has to ditch its custom 'Lightning' port, and Qualcomm's 'Quick Charge' (used by Android devices). The ... European Union is running an "impact assessment study" to decide whether to push the policy and if so, whether to seek a voluntary agreement or impose rules. If it opts for the latter, manufacturers might decide it is easier to use the relevant charging port format worldwide rather than make specific handsets for Europe. (Source: independent.co.uk ) ... (view more)

Mobile users on "unlimited" data plans got a double dose of bad news this week. Verizon will be kicking the heaviest data users off the plan, while AT&T's remaining unlimited users face a price hike. Cellphone service providers have largely ... moved away from offering truly unlimited data plans over the past few years. That's partly because of a big increase in how much data mobile customers use, particularly as faster speeds made streaming video more practical. While new unlimited deals are almost non-existent, most providers have continued to allow people to keep existing ... (view more)

To some, Apple's new high-tech watch could be the device that helps bring electronic wireless charging technology to the masses. But to others, Apple's latest offering may not be enough of a breakthrough to overcome years of stalemate between rival ... technologies. As expected, Apple unveiled a smartwatch this week. As with several similar devices, the watch connects wirelessly to a nearby smartphone (in this case, an iPhone). The smartwatch then allows users to quickly check phone alerts and details, including text messages and emails without the need to pull the phone from their ... (view more)

Comcast has been embarrassed yet again by a recording of a call to its customer service team. This time, a representative was caught trying to charge a Comcast customer for repairs , despite the company already promising the work would be done free ... of charge. Last month, Comcast came under fire when another customer repeatedly tried to cancel his Comcast service over the telephone. During the recording, which reportedly lasted eighteen minutes, the customer service representative repeatedly badgered the customer and demanded to know why he wanted to cancel his service. The audio recording was ... (view more)