Google’s in-house incubator Area 120 wants to make it easier for people to stay connected inside buildings where cell service might be iffy, for instance, inside NBA stadiums. To do that, Area 120 just launched Orion WiFi, a platform that links carriers to public WiFi providers. When customers of participating carriers walk into a building or space with public WiFi, Orion will automatically and securely connect their devices to the WiFi.

Through the Orion platform, public WiFi providers will sell their capacity to carriers. In theory, better connectivity will make customers happier, which could benefit both carriers and venues alike. Plus, customers won’t have to go through an irritating sign-on process. The WiFi connection will happen seamlessly.

Cell tower attacks aren’t just a UK phenomenon. De Telegraaf reports (via Reuters) that attackers committed arson or sabotage against several cell towers in the Netherlands, four of them just in the past week. The incidents were likely fuelled by anti-5G panic, with at least one perpetrator spraying a slogan opposing the new wireless tech. The full scale isn’t clear, although the country’s National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism (NCTV) said there had been “various incidents.”

There had been anti-5G protests in the Netherlands since plans to deploy the format had been announced in 2019, but there had “never before” been violent acts, according to NCTV. Officials at the coordinator repeated warnings that this could disrupt communications, including for emergency services, and that they were in “close contact” with police and providers.

The array would be relatively inexpensive at just a few cents per antenna, and it would consume little power compared to a conventional system. You wouldn’t need amplifiers or other hardware that typically drains batteries, after all.

Tere’s no mention of how soon you could expect RFocus in use. The team would not only have to refine the design, but find a way to produce it at scale. The uses are already clear, at least. At a minimum, this could provide stronger, longer-ranged connections for everything from WiFi to notoriously finicky high-band 5G. However, this may be most useful for Internet of Things devices that are either too small to have a wireless link or need some additional bulk to maintain reliable signals. You could see wireless data in more devices, or more elegant versions of the gadgets you already have.

The GPS model is currently listed at $330; that’s $100 less than its original price. The more expensive GPS + cellular Watch is on sale for $370, meaning you’ll save $160 off the original list price of $530. We’ve never seen Series 4 prices this low.

Apple has moved on to the Watch Series 5, but the Series 4 is still a great watch. The new Series 5 features are pretty subtle, and they’re things most people will be able to live without — like an always-on display and a Compass app. The Series 5 basic, no-cellular, GPS-only aluminum version starts at $399, and if you add cellular, that will bump the price to $499. So, if you’re looking for a solid watch but don’t want to pay full-price for a Series 5, these Amazon deals might be the way to go.

Buy Apple Watch Series 4 GPS – $330

Buy Apple Watch Series 4 Cellular – $370

Vodafone has so far only deployed OpenRAN in Turkey, where it provides 2G and 4G service. This represents a significant expansion, and the company isn’t moving slowly. It plans to roll out the open radio tech in 120 rural UK areas on October 7th. It’s also expanding to more countries with trials in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mozambique.

Whether or not carriers use this to lower prices isn’t guaranteed. It’s entirely feasible that networks will either roll any savings into upgrades or simply pad their profit margins. This at least raises the possibility of lower prices, though, and might help coverage for carriers with tight budgets.

OpenRAN could help with perceived security issues, too. Whether or not there’s any legitimacy to claims that companies like Huawei could use equipment to surveil communications, carriers would have an easier time sidestepping the issue — they’d have more alternatives to consider.

This is the first time we’ve heard of the technology, which went by Project OGRS at Apple. It reportedly used the 900 megahertz radio spectrum, often used by the utility, oil and gas industries. Sources told The Information that it was designed to use Intel cellular modems. It’s unclear why Apple shelved the project, but it could have something to do with Apple exec Rubén Caballero leaving the company earlier this year. Sources told The Information that Caballero was in charge of the project and considered it “his baby.” It could also have something to do with Apple’s plans to switch to Qualcomm modems.

Hopefully, this isn’t the last we see of the walkie talkie feature. Apple already has a Walkie Talkie Watch app. And a similar iPhone feature would likely be a popular addition.

You can get the equipment the next day for free, but Three will bring it to you the same day for £20 ($24).

This isn’t the mobile 5G service you might have hoped for, although Three recently said it would deploy the next-gen wireless service in 25 UK cities by the end of 2019. It also stressed that mobile users wouldn’t pay extra for 5G, as with rivals like Vodafone. Really, Three’s advantages are its low cost and its large 100MHz chunk of 5G spectrum. It’s hoping that you’ll not only be tempted away from wired broadband, but that its network will have enough real-world capacity to live up to 5G’s potential.

The situation “remains fluid” and leaves a chance that the license will be allowed to expire, according to the tipsters. The Commerce Department declined to comment.

It wouldn’t be a shocking move. The US has used the ban and the initial reprieve as leverage in its trade dispute with China, and granting an extension could be part of that strategy. If China wants to keep that license going or permanently lift some of the restrictions, it might have to make key concessions. Don’t assume that any Huawei devices you have will keep receiving software upgrades throughout its lifespan, then, as the US could just as easily yank support.

The arrangement still gives Intel the ability to develop modems for computers, Internet of Things devices and self-driving cars. It’s not completely out of the cellular chipset business, then, it’s just scaling back. This will let the chip designer focus on 5G in spaces where it “most closely aligns” with what its customers want. Its phone modems weren’t that popular beyond Apple, to put it another way, and this gives it a chance to refocus.

Apple wasn’t shy about its plans for the acquisition. The move would fuel its “growing cellular technologies group” and help “expedite” the creation of future products that stand out from the pack. The tech giant has repeatedly hinted at designing its own cellular hardware to obtain more control over its fate, and it has been aggressively recruiting staff to make that happen.

Intel might not have had much choice but to sell. When Apple and Qualcomm settled their patent dispute and signed a multi-year chipset deal, that effectively negated the need for Intel modems in Apple devices. It’s no coincidence that Intel cancelled plans for 5G phone modems within hours of the patent truce becoming public. The company either had to persuade Android device makers to embrace its modems (a difficult prospect given Qualcomm’s dominance) or halt much of its work.

This doesn’t mean that you’ll see a legion of iPhones and iPads with Apple-badged Intel modems. This is more about acquiring talent and ideas. Think of it as you might Apple’s purchase of PA Semiconductor — it’s a long-term bet that the newly-acquired knowhow will translate to not just higher performance, but greater independence.

We’ve asked both Apple and Intel for comment.

There have been not-so-subtle hints this might happen. Apple poached Intel’s 5G leader weeks before the Qualcomm deal, for one thing. It has also signaled more than once that it wants to develop its own cellular chipsets between job listings and a decision to add jobs in Qualcomm’s backyard. The company wants all the wireless resources it can get, and it’s willing to go to great lengths to get them.

An Intel acquisition wouldn’t necessarily herald the return of Intel-style modems to Apple devices. Like with the acquisition of PA Semiconductor, this would be more about snapping up talent than anything. Any wireless chipsets coming out of an acquisition could take years to complete. Whatever complaints you have about signal quality on iPhones with Intel modems aren’t likely to apply here.