Samsung debuts the Galaxy Note's even bigger little brother
If you loved the original Galaxy Note, you're going to love this even more -- Samsung's new Galaxy Note II, which was announced at IFA in Germany today. It is packing even more processing power than the mighty Samsung Galaxy S III and it brings some beans along with it...
The Samsung Galaxy Note II will ship with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and Samsung's TouchWiz UX out of the box. A 5.5-inch 720p Super AMOLED display sporting a 1280x720 resolution dominates the front of the new smartphone. It is packing a 1.6 GHz quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM. It comes with a 1.9 megapixel front-facing camera while on the back there is an 8 megapixel camera with LED flash. Bluetooth 4.0, USB 2.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, MHL and NFC take care of connectivity with A-GPS and Glonass support added as well. The usual array of sensors including an accelerometer and digital compass are included along with a 3,100mAh battery that powers the device. It comes in 16/32/64GB versions while a microSD card slot will accommodate up to 64GB of additional storage.
Competitors call Everything Everywhere 4G LTE license unfair
Everything Everywhere has been granted the right to utilize the 1800MHz spectrum for 4G connectivity by UK communications regulator Ofcom. According to Ofcom, the license was awarded following market demand that, according to a European Commision decision, forces United Kingdom to grant a 4G license for 900MHz and 1800MHz spectrum, the latter being used by Everything Everywhere.
Since Everything Everywhere is the first UK carrier that is allowed by Ofcom to deploy 4G LTE, the communications regulator promptly tried to insure that its decision had solid ground, stating that any delay would be detrimental to consumers and "there is no material risk that those benefits will be outweighed by a distortion of competition". The 2011/251/EU Decision of the European Commision combined with the required market demand created the situation where the UK carrier can deploy 4G LTE starting September 11, 2012.
T-Mobile offers truly unlimited 4G data plans
Great news for those seeking truly unlimited data plans. T-Mobile has announced that starting September 5, it will offer unlimited data plans in the United States. The carrier claims that their unlimited data plans are an industry-first, having no data caps, speed limits or "bill shocks". All sounds like great news, but what's the cost?
New customers can chose to bring their own smartphone or select a new one from T-Mobile's lineup, while existing customers on Classic or Value plans must upgrade to an Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data Plan to benefit from the new unlimited data plans. The Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data Plan costs $30 per month when combined with a Classic voice and text plan and $20 per month along with a Value voice and text plan.
Samsung brings VoLTE to the Galaxy S III, but they’re not the first as they claim
The Galaxy S III is currently Samsung’s flagship smartphone and one of the best Android devices on the market today. To top it off, the Korean manufacturer has announced that the Galaxy S III will get VoLTE (Voice over LTE) starting August 2012 in Korea, which will be followed by "availability in global LTE markets" according to an announcement from the company on Thursday.
If the buyers of the Samsung Galaxy S III LTE model haven’t got the same quad-core processor or video card to play with (unless they’re in Korea), they now have VoLTE to play with which is exclusive to the LTE model.
AT&T lays out plans to switch off 2G networks
National wireless carrier AT&T plans to move completely past 2G wireless connectivity by 2017, a recent 10-Q filing with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission revealed.
Due to the impending 'spectrum crisis' that has been slowly edging toward wireless providers for the last three years, AT&T plans to eventually shutter its 2G network, and redeploy it for use on next-gen mobile broadband networks.
Say goodbye to Verizon tethering fees
Sometimes, even the worst storm cloud has a silver lining.
Today, Verizon Wireless entered into a settlement with the US Federal Communications Commission that lifts the carrier's prohibition on free tethering apps. Verizon had blocked customers from using such apps -- there are plenty on Google Play for Androids -- without paying an extra $20 a month more for the privilege. As such, smartphone users now have a new reason to choose Verizon over AT&T, Sprint or T-Mobile, which aren't subject to the same rules. If you're a Verizon customer or soon to be one, the consent decree is a kind of Christmas in July present. You can tether for free.
Sprint 4G LTE service goes hot in 15 cities in southern United States
Sprint announced today it has flipped the switch on 4G LTE coverage in 15 cities in the Georgia, Kansas, Missouri, and Texas markets.
Running on the 1900 MHz spectrum, Sprint's LTE will not be as fast as competing networks of Verizon running on the 700 MHz Band 13 frequency or AT&T running at 700 MHz band 17 and 2100/1700 MHz band 4 frequencies. Also Sprint's service is limited by the backhauls to its towers, as well as limited to using only two 5 MHz bands for uplink and downlink. This will only allow speeds of 2Mbps to 3 Mbps on Sprint's current LTE network, far less than AT&T or Verizon.
So much for Apple innovation: There will be 100 LTE phones available before the next iPhone
The high speed network technology known as LTE has built up a staggering momentum in the last year, despite Apple's iconic iPhone being late to the party.
There has been a good deal of speculation over whether the next generation of iPhone will include 4G LTE network support. The iPhone originally entered the mobile phone market on a 2G signal when networks were still upgrading and expanding their 3G coverage. The same is happening now with 4G, but it's gotten to the point where LTE has matured and the time seems right for Apple to adopt the technology.
4G LTE: 1 billion served by 2017
Unsurprisingly, 4G LTE is the fastest growing cellular network technology, in part for what it delivers and deployment's timing. Strategy Analytics forecasts that 4G LTE will reach 1 billion connections, or 15 percent of all, by 2017. That compares to 12 years for GSM and about 11 years for WCDMA to reach as many.
But LTE isn't gain without pain. In the United States, Verizon by far and large has the most expansive 4G network, reaching 250 metro areas and 200 million Americans compared to 38 metros and 75 million people for AT&T. Adoption still is fairly low, perhaps because phone subscribers don't understand the value. Meanwhile, Verizon will axe grandfathered unlimited plans when subscribers upgrade to LTE. There's pain for the gain.
2012 is LTE's 'breakout' year
While the buzzword in mobile in 2011 was LTE, consumers by and large did not respond to the hype. Only 6.8 million LTE devices sold worldwide -- a small drop in the bucket of annual phone sales. Strategy Analytics says that's about to change in a big way.
The firm predicts shipments will increase by a factor of ten to 67 million units in 2012. The firm expects markets in the United States, Japan and South Korea to spearhead this growth, with a broader range of devices from manufacturers including Apple, Samsung, HTC, LG, Nokia, Motorola, Pantech and Fujitsu giving consumers more options.
Tyranny of Numbers Two: Why cellular carriers can't meet data capacity
As I passed through the gates of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain last week, it struck me that the protests outside served as a metaphor for a collection of conference keynotes that warned of the impending wireless capacity crunch. Neither had much to do with the sea of booths showcasing creative new data-intensive apps and ever-more capable smartphones and tablets. But sooner or later, both will prove to be disruptive to those who are trying to make a living selling the products on the show floor.
It only took a few days for the demonstrations along the Plaza de Espaňa to chip away at the exhibitors’ bottom line. The protests -- at first by public transport workers and increasingly by students objecting to budget cuts -- swelled from a curiosity into an impediment as they grew larger and more forceful. Traffic sputtered after police blocked the main entrance and forced attendees to exit out the back. Some left early. Others arrived later the following day to avoid the crush.
Who needs iPhone 4S LTE when you've got iOS 5.1?
Wow, it's like magic. Apple frequently uses that word or some extension, right? Calling iPad "magical". Well something magical happened to an iPhone 4S one of my family members owns. Upgrading to iOS 5.1, which Apple released today, changed that cute signal indicator from 3G to 4G. What an upgrade! All for free, too.
But wait! My speed test isn't any faster. It's still slow mo as ever. I conducted three speed tests in a row from my apartment. Ah, cough, cough -- .16Mbps, .94Mbps and .60Mps downstream. Woohoo! Gimme some of that 4G, AT&T!
What if iPad HD isn't LTE?
If iPhone 4S is any measure, perhaps LTE isn't important after all.
I asked the same question right before Apple announced the 4S in early October and honestly expected that 4G LTE would give Android handsets competitive edge. Not the least. According to Gartner, iPhone sales reached 35.46 million during calendar fourth quarter -- all without LTE. iPhone ranked tops in sales for the quarter and the year. The point: Sure, mobile geeks will pine for faster data. But will anyone else? Nah.
Verizon 4G LTE is down again
Verizon Wireless customers coast to coast are taking to social media and the company's support forums to complain about yet another nationwide 4G LTE outage, at least the fourth in the past three months. The issues started sometime early Wednesday morning and continues through press time.
"VZW is investigating customer issues in connecting to the 4GLTE data network. 3G data, voice and text services are operating reliably", the company writes in a tweet mid-morning on Wednesday. Reports are widespread: outages are reported in Detroit, Phoenix, Indianapolis, and Columbus, Ohio among other locations.
iPhone 4S sure is a slowpoke
The question I have: Why doesn't it matter?
Over the weekend, iPhone 4S and I spent some quality time together. My interest: How does the user experience compare to Galaxy Nexus? There certainly are differences, but the most startling, at least in San Diego, Calif., is data speed. Verizon's LTE network kicks ass, while AT&T's HSPA+ -- on iPhone 4S -- does not. Hey, why walk 30 miles to work when you can drive there?
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