Apple devices top Android on 3G networks

By Ed Sutherland on Jun 12, 2013

We’ve always contended that while Android has a numerical advantage over Apple’s iOS, the iPhone and iPad see much greater usage.

More evidence of that belief: more than half of all 3G cellular traffic comes from Apple devices.

When combined, the iPhone 4, 4S and 5 account for about 53 percent of all 3G cellular traffic. Adding the iPad boosts the number to nearly 60 percent, according to a firm that analyzes cell network traffic. Where is Android? Samsung’s Galaxy S, S2 and S3 combined make up a bit over eighteen percent of 3G traffic… Read More

 

Apple prevails in UK’s Samsung 3G suit

By Ed Sutherland on Mar 7, 2013

Apple scored another legal victory against rival Samsung. In a UK court, a judge Wednesday ruled that the iPhone maker does not infringe patents held by the South Korean-based Android smartphone manufacturer. The court’s decision marks more than two-dozen failed attempts by Samsung to claim it is owed royalties on standard-essential patents.

The company had alleged Apple did not pay royalties to use its 3G wireless technology patents in the iPhone… Read More

 

Apple posts iOS 6.1.1 firmware fixing iPhone 4S reliability, 3G issues

By Christian Zibreg on Feb 11, 2013

Right on cue, Apple has rushed out the new iOS 6.1.1 firmware update to the iPhone 4S owners to fix 3G connectivity issues, enterprise problems and quite possibly squash a few reliability related bugs. iPhone 4S owners can apply an over-the-air update by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Of course, if you’re already jailbroken, do not update to iOS 6.1.1 until it becomes clear whether or not it breaks the jailbreak… Read More

 

Poll: 3G, battery and overheating issues on iOS 6.1?

By Christian Zibreg on Feb 10, 2013

Like any software release, the January 28 iOS 6.1 firmware update did fix some known bugs, but also has introduced a new set of issues. Specifically, the update is said to contain a bug that affects your iPhone’s battery life and 3G performance.

The battery inefficiencies could be related to an Exchange bug, clever people at AOL have learnt). Quick searches on the Apple Support Communities forum for iOS 6.1 battery and iOS 6.1 3G clearly prove these issues are more widespread than originally thought. While some people are seeing their iPhone 5 battery life dropping after updating to iOS 6.1, others are bitching about overheating issues.

To make matters worse, Vodafone advised its UK customers against upgrading to iOS 6.1 until Apple fixes 3G hiccups, which include the occasional difficulty in connecting to the network to make or receive calls or texts or connecting to the mobile Internet.

What are you seeing? Read More

 

Verizon unveils 3G-only prepaid plans for ‘budget-minded consumers’

By Christian Zibreg on Feb 1, 2013

The nation’s top carrier, Verizon Wireless, on Friday launched new wireless plans that are only aimed at owners of 3G-enabled smartphones and tablets. New prepaid plans expand options for “budget-minded consumers”, Verizon said.

There are two plans to choose from: one costing $60 a month and the other a $70 value, tailored to your monthly data needs… Read More

 

German court finds Apple to infringe Samsung’s 3G patent

By Christian Zibreg on Jan 25, 2013

A court in Germany has ruled that Apple’s iPhone infringes upon Samsung’s patents related to 3G wireless technology and has issued an order to stay a German Samsung v. Apple lawsuit. Patent blogger Florian Müeller who follows tech litigation explains that the case will be adjudicated only after the validity of this patent. Apple, of course, is challenging the validity of Samsung’s patent, but that will likely take years to resolve… Read More

 

Smartphones top tablets as hungriest data gadgets

By Ed Sutherland on Jan 15, 2013

For carriers, the name of the game is data consumption. The more data consumed, the more revenue. For observers, data consumption also provides a clue to how new devices are used.

For the first time, smartphones are outpacing tablets as the “hungriest” mobile devices.

In 2011, tablets comprised two out of three of the devices consuming the most data. By 2012, all of the top three mobile devices were smartphones, led by the iPhone 5.

According to Arieso, a European company helping optimize networks to meet changing demand, iPhone 5 users consume four times as much data as the iPhone 3G users, and 50 percent more than the iPhone 4S owners. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S III and the HTC Sensation XL rounded out the most voracious devices in Europe… Read More

 

Study: Americans pay too much for their LTE plans

By Ed Sutherland on Oct 15, 2012

American smartphone owners are taking a bath on LTE and 3G pricing compared to European mobile consumers, a new study indicates. Verizon Wireless subscribers pay $7.50 per gigabyte on that carrier’s LTE network versus an average of $2.50 in Europe, for example. Even more shocking: Sweden’s LTE users pay as low as 63 cents.

According to the London-based GSM Association, despite the U.S. being the largest LTE market in the world, Americans pay much more for the superfast wireless technology than anyone else. The reason boils down to fewer choices… Read More

 

iPhone 5 LTE Speedtest

By Jeff Benjamin on Sep 21, 2012

Is LTE really all it’s cracked up to be on the iPhone 5? Take a look at our speed test, as we test Verizon’s LTE, and compare it to Verizon’s own 3G offering. I think the results speak for themselves, don’t you?

 

T-Mobile launches the ambitious Bring Your Own iPhone campaign

By Christian Zibreg on Sep 10, 2012

Ahead of the iPhone 5 launch this Wednesday, T-Mobile, the nation’s fourth-largest carrier and the only major U.S. carrier without the iPhone, today kicked off its new initiative meant to lure existing iPhone owners and unlockers to its stores, where they can get support on running their iPhones on T-Mobile’s iPhone-friendly HSPA+ network.

Additionally, the Deutsche Telekom-owned telco committed to developing iOS versions of its popular mobile apps like T-Mobile myAccount, T-Mobile Visual Voicemail and T-Mobile TV. If only they landed the next iPhone… Read More

 

Google readying 3G Nexus 7 as mini iPad slowly crawls into view

By Christian Zibreg on Sep 3, 2012

Google on June 27 entered the tablet race with a seven-inch slate named Nexus 7, but only the WiFi model was initially made available. The decision to pass on cellular connectivity was met with criticism by some reviewers who pointed out that WiFi-only capability severely cripples the tablet’s usability, even if one can just as easily use their mobile phone’s cellular data as a wireless hot spot for the device.

Google was likely governed by cost considerations (it sells the Nexus 7 below cost and makes up with content purchases on its Google Play digital store). Just as we expected, the Internet giant appears to be ready to offer a 3G variant of its slate. The 3G Nexus 7 is said to arrive in mid-October, just in time for the holidays and to conveniently counter Apple’s rumored October unveiling of the iPad mini… Read More

 

Here’s why we think AT&T might begin charging for FaceTime over cellular [Video]

By Jeff Benjamin on Jul 16, 2012

This video showcases the new pop-up dialogue box that interrupts you when trying to enable FaceTime over cellular in iOS 6 beta 3.

Apparently, AT&T has a scheme in the works to pry more dollars from their iPhone customers. As Cody noted via Twitter, perhaps they’re thinking about rebounding after taking a hit on text messaging fees due to iMessage.

Take a look inside as we demonstrate the differences between an AT&T iPhone 4S, and a Verizon iPad 3, when attempting to enable FaceTime over cellular… Read More

 

T-Mobile confirms network upgrade won’t affect legacy data plans

By Cody Lee on Jun 28, 2012

Over the past few months, T-Mobile has been touting its plans to upgrade its wireless network to be more friendly with Apple’s smartphone. Despite not being an official partner, the carrier sees a lot of business from unlocked iPhone users.

The upgrade, which allows iPhone users to enjoy 3G data speeds, has already started rolling out to a handful of areas. So that has some T-Mobile subscribers wondering, will they get to keep their old data plans on the new, faster network? Read More

 

Apple could face U.S. ban on products over 3G patent

By Cody Lee on Jun 25, 2012

The U.S.-based court battle between Motorola and Apple may have been dismissed, but Apple’s problems are far from over. As far as the ITC is concerned, the company is still facing a possible product import ban.

A new report is out this afternoon, claiming that the International Trade Commission is reviewing a previous ruling that says Apple is in violation of one of Motorola’s patents. And the outcome, could be devastating… Read More

 

iOS 6 beta 2 brings back ‘Enable 3G’ toggle

By Cody Lee on Jun 25, 2012

Apple rolled out iOS 6 beta 2 to developers this morning, exactly two weeks after releasing the original. We’ve installed the new firmware, and have been looking everywhere for any significant changes.

While we haven’t found any major new features yet, we have noticed a few subtle differences. We’ve already mentioned the animated install icon, but there’s one more addition that folks might find useful… Read More

 

Samsung seeking “adequate damages” from Apple following 3G patent win

By Christian Zibreg on Jun 20, 2012

Thanks to a report by Dutch website All About Phones, translated by The Verge, we now know that Samsung will seek “adequate damages” from Apple following a favorable ruling in the 3G patent lawsuit in The Netherlands. Luckily, the ruling excludes a sales ban option because the infringed patent is classified as FRAND… Read More

 

T-Mobile confirms it will be offering iPhone-friendly 4G service at WWDC

By Cody Lee on Jun 7, 2012

So this is pretty interesting: earlier today we passed along a report that [unlocked] iPhone users have recently started seeing 3G data on T-Mobile’s network around the Moscone Center in San Francisco. This is where Apple will host WWDC next week.

This isn’t typical for T-Mobile iPhone users, as technology conflicts between the carrier and the handest usually force them to 2G data (which is why T-Mobile still isn’t an official iPhone partner). So we figured something must be up… Read More

 

Unlocked iPhone users on T-Mobile again reporting 3G data speeds

By Cody Lee on Jun 7, 2012

T-Mobile and the iPhone have a love-hate relationship. While the carrier often bashes the handset in its print ads and TV commercials, it obviously benefits from the 1 million+ unlocked iPhones on its network, and would love an official partnership.

Why else do you think the carrier continues to speak publicly about its plans to launch a new 4G network — one that would finally allow iPhones to get 3G data speeds? Because it’s dying to show iPhone owners (and Apple) that it’s willing to play ball… Read More

 

Regulatory approval hints at iPad 3 launch in China

By Christian Zibreg on May 30, 2012

Looks like Apple could finally launch its iPad 3 in the huge market of China as their regulatory agency just approved a mysterious 3G device. Though the filing doesn’t name it, it’s clear from a model number that a network certificate has been issued for the new iPad… Read More

 

Apple again seen testing FaceTime over 3G

By Cody Lee on May 18, 2012

While folks in the jailbreak community have been able to make FaceTime calls on cellular networks for quite some time now, others haven’t been so lucky. Since it debuted in 2010, the video calling feature has remained Wi-Fi-only.

Today, however, evidence has surfaced that suggests Apple is testing a FaceTime over 3G option. The folks over at iDevice posted the above screenshot, which was taken from an error message pulled out of iOS 5.1.1… Read More

 
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