Facebook added a mobile marketplace for users to buy and sell with other people in their local community, the social network said in a Monday news release: The new feature lists items sold nearby and lets users search by location, category and price. A buyer can contact a seller through direct message to work out details of the transaction; Facebook doesn’t manage payment or delivery, it said. Marketplace rolls out first to the Facebook mobile app for iPhone and Android in the U.S., U.K., Australia and New Zealand; it will come later to other countries and the desktop version of Facebook, the company said.

The FCC released a set of recommendations by its Disability Advisory Committee on amplified phones used by many who are deaf or hard of hearing. The group approved the document at its meeting last week. It recommended the FCC “investigate the complaints regarding amplified phone and phone network compatibility” and that the commission "consider efforts to educate staff and raise awareness about wireline telephone performance standards,” the document said. The FCC also posted DAC recommendations on IP-captioned telephone service, urging the agency to establish rules and standards for IP CTS quality of service through a rulemaking. The FCC should also consider adding a metric and measurement for verbatim/accuracy for IP CTS, the group said. “As the number of consumers using IP CTS continues to grow, the need for additional minimum quality standards or at least best practices continues to grow.” The agency also released DAC recommendations on the handling and processing of 911 calls by video relay service communications assistants.

The World Customs Organization (WCO) and the GSM Association agreed to work together to prevent illegal trade in counterfeit mobile devices, the WCO said in a Wednesday news release. "The partnership will focus on the integration of the GSMA’s mobile device database with the WCO’s [Interface Public-Members] mobile platform that will give Customs officers global, real-time product information on devices enabling them to assess the authenticity of device shipments as they cross borders." The GSMA administers the "the world’s authoritative database of registered devices," and the WCO's platform allows customs officers "to verify authenticity of products online," it said.

T-Mobile is extending and expanding its “summer travel bonus” program giving customers unlimited high-speed data throughout South America and in 19 European countries until 2017, it said Wednesday. The program starts Saturday, it said in a Wednesday news release.

Passengers or crew who want to bring recalled Samsung Galaxy Note7s aboard commercial aircraft need to power down the devices and disconnect them from “any charging equipment,” the Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) said in a “safety advisory” notice published in Thursday’s Federal Register. Users also need to “disable all applications that could inadvertently activate the phone,” protect the Note7's power switch against “unintentional activation” and avoid packing the phone in checked baggage, said the notice, which PHMSA said it issued “in conjunction with” the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Sept. 15 recall (see 1609150069). Cargo shipments of recalled Note7s require a PHSMA permit, the notice said. PHSMA's safety advisory mirrored a "safety alert for operators" directive that the Federal Aviation Administration released the day after CPSC's recall notice.

The FCC should launch a rulemaking on creating a Class C4 FM allocation, Commissioner Ajit Pai said Thursday in a speech at the 2016 Radio Show, prepared remarks show. “Class C4 FM stations would have more power than Class A FM stations but less power than Class C3 FM stations.” A C4 allocation would allow hundreds of Class A FM stations to upgrade to Class C4 FM stations, Pai said. “They could broadcast with increased power and provide service to more Americans so long as they didn’t impact the existing service contours of other stations.” The FCC received positive feedback on the idea and the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council supports it, Pai said. “An NPRM would allow us to ask the right questions, explore the advantages and disadvantages of the proposal, and receive the views of all stakeholders.” Pai also urged the wireless industry to expand the activation of FM chips in smartphones. The Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council recommended activated FM chips as a way to further disseminate emergency alert system messages, Pai noted. “I wholeheartedly support CSRIC’s recommendation and will continue to urge the wireless industry to activate FM chips in smartphones.” Pai also praised FCC efforts to open windows for FM translators, saying it received 671 applications and granted 624 during the first window. In the ongoing second window, the commission received 268 applications and granted 200 of them, Pai said. Pai also said he would push for the FCC to take up more aspects of the AM revitalization proposal in 2017.

The FCC Disability Advisory Committee (DAC) approved a recommendation Thursday saying all information and communications technology (ICT) stakeholders should stay informed about the needs of people with cognitive disabilities as communications technologies evolve. “Where appropriate, ICT stakeholders” should follow and participate in research, “learning about emerging standards and guidance from knowledgeable organizations,” the resolution said. ICT companies also should attend cognitive disability conferences and follow the discussions in online communities of people with disabilities and their caregivers, the resolution said. The FCC held a summit last October on communications difficulties faced by people with cognitive disabilities (see 1510280037). The DAC also got a report on potential problems with Apple’s new operating system, IOS 10.0.1, which offers text telephone (TTY) capabilities used by some with hearing disabilities. Toni Dunne, external affairs manager at Intrado, said 911 calls made using the service come through as “silent calls” at call centers. “IOS TTY does not send TTY tones to activate the TTY equipment at the 911 center,” she said. Christian Vogler, DAC member from Gallaudet University, confirmed the report. “Apple does know there are issues with the iOS; however, I don't know what their plan is at this time and I don’t know what your expectations are, but there are issues,” Vogler said. Apple didn’t comment. "With iOS 10 and a cellular connection on your iPhone, you can make TTY calls without any extra hardware," said an Apple support webpage. "You can also find transcripts of your previous TTY calls.”

The $224.80 cost to build the iPhone 7 ($649) is $36.89 higher than IHS' analysis of the iPhone 6s performed in December, said the analytics company in a report. The bill of materials cost for the iPhone 7 is in line with IHS teardowns of recent high-end Samsung smartphones, said analyst Andrew Rassweiler. Compared with the iPhone 6s, the iPhone 7 has wider color gamut, including DCI-P3 and sRGB, said to improve rendering of photos and videos. The device’s haptic engine got a refresh for longer-duty cycles and better dynamic response, said IHS, and the home button is now static and mimics the MacBook’s solid-state button design. In place of the 3.5mm jack, Apple inserted a symmetrical grill for the waterproof microphone, “leaving more room for the larger battery and Taptic Engine,” said Rassweiler. The expansion to 32 GB base storage density, from 16 GB, is only the second time Apple has stepped up base storage in the iPhone, which is also available in 128 GB and 256 GB versions, he said. Overall memory cost “puts pressure on the bill of materials costs -- and therefore margins,” Rassweiler said. Apple eliminated segmented antenna bands, which means the company is pushing all radio-frequency paths to the ends of the phone, due to the aluminum unibody construction and design, said analyst Wayne Lam. “This design limitation may force Apple to go back to an all-glass design again so that they can fit in 4x4MIMO LTE antennas and more features like wireless charging in the next iPhone iteration.” The official water resistant designation is an evolution from the iPhone 6s, which has additional gaskets around critical connectors, Lam said. The jet black polish available on the 128 GB and 256 GB models is a “lower yielding, time-intensive manufacturing step” that adds cost and retail value, he said. The battery has been increased to 1960 mAh capacity from 1715 mAh in the iPhone 6s, “consistent with Apple’s claims of improved battery life,” said Lam. An analysis isn't yet available for the iPhone 7 Plus.

Consumers Union is satisfied that replacement Samsung Galaxy Note7s are safer than their originals, spokesman David Butler emailed us. CU’s affiliated Consumer Reports issued a public appeal Sept. 2 for an official Note7 recall, but Samsung Electronics America only publicly confirmed its “engagement” with the Consumer Product Safety Commission on a recall effort a week later (see 1609150069). CPSC released its recall notice five days after that, saying the action affected about a million Note7s sold in the U.S. from the early August launch through Sept. 15. About 500,000 Note7 replacements arrived in the U.S. for distribution to consumers starting Wednesday, Samsung said Tuesday (see 1609200067). “Part of why it is so important to involve the Consumer Product Safety Commission in a recall is because the agency must review and approve the remedy and fix,” Butler told us. “This is an important protection for consumers, and it provides them with confidence that their product will work as it should moving forward. We believe this is one process that serves consumers well.” Consumer Reports “immediately urged Samsung to initiate an official recall” through CPSC when “news broke that the phone was catching fire” because companies that work with the agency “and follow its process are doing the right thing for consumers,” Butler said. “While certainly there are aspects of the CPSC's statute that could be strengthened” to prod companies to immediately work through the commission process, “this current situation reinforces why companies should go through the CPSC in the first place,” he said. Samsung representatives didn’t comment Wednesday.

Samsung Electronics America estimates about 500,000 units of replacement Galaxy Note7s have arrived in the U.S. and will be ready for distribution starting Wednesday to consumers who want to trade in their originals under the voluntary recall program worked out with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (see 1609150069), the company said in a Tuesday statement. A refund option also is available under the recall for Note7 owners who don't want a replacement. A CPSC notice Thursday said about a million Note7 devices sold in the U.S. would be affected by the recall, which the agency said was precipitated by 92 reports of the device overheating or catching fire. Samsung also announced the rollout of a software update for new Note7 devices. The software updates will display a green battery icon on the status bar on the top right hand of the screen, Samsung said. The green icon indicates consumers have a new Galaxy Note7 with an unaffected battery, it said. "For those not heeding" the recall notice, a separate software update also "will be pushed to all recalled devices," it said. "Once installed, users will be prompted with a safety notice that urges owners to power down and exchange their recalled device. The notice will appear every time a user powers up or charges their device."