Last year, Elon Musk and T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert announced Coverage Above and Beyond, a joint initiative to bring Starlink satellite coverage to compatible T-Mobile phones and other devices. Less than a year later, during a panel at the Satellite Conference and Exhibition 2023, SpaceX Vice President Jonathan Hofeller said the company would “start testing” its satellite-to-cellular service this year.
Hofeller wouldn’t elaborate on which phone carriers SpaceX was working with, but the timeline certainly matches Musk’s original vision for the T-Mobile partnership. In August, Musk said that Starlink V2 would be released in 2023 and would “stream directly to mobile phones, eliminating dead zones around the world.” T-Mobile said the eventual service would give the carrier “almost complete coverage” of most of the US, including national parks and mountain ranges. And maybe that airport terminal where I never have a signal. We can dream.
–Matt Smith
The Morning After is not just a Newsletter – is also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, for subscribing here.
The most important stories you might have missed
The ending of ‘The Last of Us’ encapsulates everything the show’s first season got right
Lexus offers a glimpse into its future EV with the RZ 450e
Rivian’s electric delivery vans could soon be available to companies other than Amazon
Anker Soundcore speakers are up to 30 percent off in the Amazon sale
Beats Fit Pro ANC headphones drop back to an all-time low of $145
From inexpensive to iconic, we have selections for every price range.
Engadget
Unlike the iOS ecosystem, where Apple is the only game in town, one of the best things about the Android phone market is all the choice. That said, when it’s time to upgrade, that plethora of options can make it hard to pick the right phone for you. If you’re looking for a new phone and don’t know where to start, we’ve got you covered with a selection of the best Android phones for every budget. Spoiler alert: the Pixel 6a is cheap and great.
Keep reading.
But will it be two or three seasons?
hbo
HBO’s first season The last of us ended on Sunday night (read our thoughts on the ending here), and the show’s creators are already eyeing the challenge of adapting the second game. HBO quickly greenlit a second season after the show became an immediate hit, but that won’t be enough to contain the events of The Last of Us Part IIas Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann confirmed to G.Q.. In the interview, Druckmann added: “It’s more than one season.”
Keep reading.
The viewfinder projects images directly onto a person’s retina.
sony
The Sony DSC-HX99 RNV is a camera kit designed for people with low vision. The system consists of a 2018 Sony point-and-shoot camera and viewfinder with a laser retina projection system. The camera is a Cybershot DSC-HX99 with an 18-megapixel sensor and image stabilization. The HX99RNV kit will be $600 this summer, so it won’t cost more than the DSC-HX99 camera alone. In a show of support for the low vision community, Sony says it will bear “the lion’s share” of the cost of producing the device.
Keep reading.
Google is also bringing Magic Eraser and other features to the older Pixels.
Night Sight, Google’s low-light photography feature, is now faster for Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro users. The company attributes the speed increase to “new and improved algorithms” for the Tensor chip inside the phones . Also, the company says that Magic Eraser is now available on all Pixel phones. The highly marketed feature removes unwanted people or objects from photos, filling in the backgrounds behind them (usually) seamlessly. It was previously a Pixel 6 exclusive.
Keep reading.
