Some of the fees were for things like accidentally hitting a hot button on the phone that launched the browser and getting charged for a full minute when you killed the connection right away. The wireless giant had already agreed to refund the customers it charged that type of fee to, and expects that the refunds will total about $52.8 million.

That is a big chunk of green, but the FCC has decided that the overcharges went on so long and the complaints were so rampant that it has hit Verizon with a monster fine of $25 million. The settlement is the largest in the history of the FCC.

[via Reuters]

Typically those early looks are nothing more than a single photo taken in poor light that is blurry. The FCC has done something a bit different with the iPod touch that was unveiled yesterday.

The governmental agency has a full teardown of the device complete with photos for you to peruse if you are into that sort of lewd gadget nudity. I bet the gang at iFixit is crying on their workbench right now.

[via Engadget]

In addition to the exterior pics, here are some additional photos of the innards of the controller splayed out for all to see…

It looks like the main turntable part will be the same for each console, while the wireless and controller pod will be different per each system.  The ones pictured here appear to be from the PS2/PS3 version. And the detachable controller pod is also designed so lefties can flip it around and play too. There’s also a preliminary user manual which spells out all the details of how to use the controller. I can tell already what part of the controller will fail with some frequency:

You can check out all of the gory details over at the FCC website. And if you’re ready to pre-order DJ Hero, head on over to Amazon now and plunk down your credit card. I can’t wait to scratch that itch this October.

Especially telling are the North American (US/FR/ES) user manuals on the site.

The new PS3 model features a glossy white shell that’ll put your Xbox 360 and Wii to shame. It comes with a 40GB hard drive and a matching white SIXAXIS controller (not sure if it’s the DualShock). If I had to guess, it’ll be priced at $399 when it hits the states.

[via QJ.NET]

The diagram I was able to dig up shows the label placement on both 4GB and 8GB flash-based player models aimed squarely at the iPod Nano. This drawing all but confirms the leaked photo that Engadget managed to get their hands on yesterday.

For those of you who care, there’s also a drawing of a matching Zune FM transmitter module/dock for use in your car.

Pricing and a release date aren’t confirmed yet, but many rumors are pointing to today or tomorrow. Keep your eye out on the Zune website for an announcement any day now.

A recent filing by Microsoft reveals a new model number “WRW02″ for the racing controller (the original version was model number “WRW01.”) The latest controller has it’s been listed with the FCC as “New Equipment,” which is a designation usually reserved for entirely new products, not just minor revisions to current ones. For comparison, here’s the original FCC submission from 2006.

The strange thing is that the photos taken for the FCC testing of the new version (right image) looks virtually identical to the current wheel (left image.) Can you see any difference? I sure can’t.

It’s possible that the revision is just “under the hood,” and could be anything from improvements in the force feedback motors, to the wireless connectivity, to some other circuit changes.

If you do find yourself in the market for one of these wheels, you might want to wait a few weeks, and see if the new version starts showing up on store shelves.

According to the user manual, the new remote, called the TSU9400, features a huge 640×480 full color TFT display. It can control any infrared device, and can provide non-line-of-sight control via Wi-fi. There’s also a docking station, which charges the remote’s built in Li-ion battery.

The guys over at Remote Central are reporting a pricey $900 retail price for the remote, but if you’re thinking about a serious home theater control, you might want to wait for this one.

Funny thing is… I’m pretty sure I’ve been a customer of all of these companies at one point or another.

[via Digg]

The device has been registered with the FCC as the Toshiba 1089. It’s been confirmed that the player features a 30GB hard drive, a 3″ LCD, USB 2.0 and 802.11 b/g connectivity. Also, we can confirm that what was once thought to be a scroll-wheel (a la iPod) is simply a clickable joypad.

The more and more I read about the Zune, the less I understand about how it’s really different from any other media player out there. I have to keep in mind that Microsoft is still a software company at heart, and maybe the beauty of this device will be the operating interface.

Reportedly, the Toshiba is only the first model to be released, and Microsoft outsourced this manufacturing in order to meet the impending holiday 2006 season. There are plans to release other models, quite possibly manufactured by others including Microsoft, in the future.

A preliminary user manual reveals some functionality planned for the device, including the previously reported ability to share and stream music and photos to other connected Zune users.