Samsung unveils 5G mmWave tech for ‘tens of gigabits per second’ wireless downloads

By Ed Sutherland on May 13, 2013

When you just can’t wait a minute to download that huge video, Samsung comes to the rescue. Sort of. Eventually. Reports Monday indicate Apple’s rival has found the key to delivering gigabit download speeds through a new fifth-generation cellular radio technology, dubbed 5G mmWave. It’s unclear whether the new tech can gain acceptance to eventually overtake 4G networks still rolling out.

For the iPhone maker, however, Samsung breaking today’s wireless speed barrier may mean more court wrangling as the two companies seek any advantage in the lucrative smartphone market… Read More

 

Refurbs: 3G iPad 2 now $180 cheaper, cellular iPad 3 discounted by $170

By Christian Zibreg on Apr 23, 2013

Apple started offering refurbished iPad 4 and iPad mini back in March, bringing the used 16GB iPad mini down to $299, representing a modest $30 saving. Refurbished products are always good buys as these little-used devices are good as new: Apple tests them for defects, throws in a brand new battery and outer shell and backs them with its standard one-year AppleCare warranty.

After realizing some people were kinda hoping for deeper discounts, Apple just instituted an additional $50 price cut on the second and third-generation cellular iPad refurbs. For example, the entry-level cellular iPad 2 with sixteen gigabytes of storage originally cost $399 refurbished, but customers can now pick it up for $349 for an additional $50 discount, or a nice $180 saving over its usual $529 asking price… Read More

 

Sprint, Verizon and AT&T announce major LTE expansion

By Christian Zibreg on Apr 19, 2013

Sprint and AT&T, respectively the nation’s third and second-largest wireless carriers, announced availability of their fourth-generation Long-Term Evolution (LTE) radio technology in new markets. Sprint confirmed its customers in 21 new markets can take advantage of high-speed cellular downloads, including Los Angeles, Contra Costa County, California, Charlotte, North Carolina, Norfolk, Virginia, and Memphis, Tennessee. AT&T on its part announced it has turned on LTE in Florence, Massachusetts, Cushing, Oklahoma and Cheyenne, Wyoming. Verizon flipped the switch on LTE in two new markets… Read More

 

What you need to know about Apple’s tweaked A1428 iPhone 5

By Christian Zibreg on Mar 26, 2013

Earlier today, the nation’s fourth-largest wireless carrier T-Mobile USA annuounced it will start officially selling Apple’s iPhone on April 12. And in dropping annual contracts in favor of monthly installments, the telco unveiled the new Simple Choice Plan and LTE coverage in seven major U.S. cities.

Additional details trickled in post-announcement and one particular tidbit has immediately captured our attention: Apple has actually troubled to re-tool the AT&T iPhone 5 for the Deutsche Telekom-owned carrier.

The re-jigged hardware now supports T-Mobile’s Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) bandwidths, but the change in turn has affected existing AT&T customers who plan on switching to T-Mobile. Full details are right after the break… Read More

 

T-Mobile unveils new contract-free plans ahead of iPhone launch

By Christian Zibreg on Mar 25, 2013

T-Mobile is holding a press conference tomorrow to discuss a new way of doing business, which means getting rid of long-term contracts in favor of unsubsidized model that promises more affordable monthly installments in exchange for paying for the full price of your device upfront. As expected, the company has launched new off-contract plans as part of the “Uncarrier” initiative.

These new tiers start at $50 a month for half a gigabyte data and top out at $120 a month 12.5GB of cellular data. Go past the fold for the full breakdown… Read More

 

Thuraya’s new sleeve transforms your iPhone into a satellite phone

By Christian Zibreg on Mar 20, 2013

The United Arab Emirates-headquartered Thuraya has been in the mobile satellite services business literally as long as I can recall seeing their ads on MTV as a teenager. Thuraya operates in 140+ countries across Europe, the Middle East, North, Central and East Africa, Asia and Australia, covering two-thirds of the globe. Last summer, the company also started providing roaming services in the United States through its partnership with T-Mobile USA.

Because Thuraya has been selling pricey satellite phones and access to its global communications network for ages, their very first iPhone accessory launch is totally unexpected, but welcomed. The aptly named SatSleeve enables global satellite coverage for your iPhone by tapping an accompanying app to talk to the sleeve and route your text messages and phone calls through Thuraya’s network of satellites. Wait, there’s more to this special case than meets the eye… Read More

 

AT&T launches 30/40/50GB shared data tiers

By Christian Zibreg on Mar 18, 2013

The U.S. wireless carrier AT&T this morning introduced its data-hungry subscribers to some powerful new tiers.

Going beyond AT&T’s existing options topping out at twenty gigs, the new options are now available to add thirty, forty or fifty gigabytes of cellular data to your shared plan of choice. Beware, however – these come at high prices.

The $30GB a month tier will set you back an unsettling $300 a month, with the 40GB and 50GB tiers commanding an alarming $400 a month and a whopping $500 a month, respectively. These prices include unlimited calling and texting. Should you need only data, AT&T will happily sell you data-only tiers for your tablet and laptop, with the top 50GB plan running $335 a month… Read More

 

AT&T’s LTE is the fastest, Verizon rules coverage

By Christian Zibreg on Mar 13, 2013

Aren’t you sick and tired of top U.S. carriers advertising their 4G LTE service as the nation’s fastest and most reliable? This mostly false advertising has been ticking me off for quite some time, especially how T-Mobile promotes its 3G HSPA+ network as 4G. Time for a reality check.

Research firm Rootmetrics yesterday published the results of its survey of U.S. carriers and their fourth-generation Long-Term Evolution (LTE) networks. Surprisingly or not, AT&T’s LTE came on top as the fastest, but rival Verizon grabbed the title of the nation’s best LTE coverage. More tidbits right after the break.. 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

 

Qualcomm’s new wireless chip makes a truly global iPhone possible

By Christian Zibreg on Feb 22, 2013

Doesn’t it bother you that Apple sells its LTE devices like the iPhone 5 and latest iPads in a bunch of variants, depending on your carrier and geographical location? For example, the iPhone comes in two GSM models and one CDMA version. Blame it on the limitations with existing wireless chipsets, not Apple. Long-Term Evolution (LTE) is a fantastic technology, but it’s also highly fragmented.

And with nearly fifty different cellular bands in use globally worldwide, no wonder LTE is a bag of hurt, one that has introduced fragmentation unlike any other cellular radio technology before it.

Fortunately, chip maker Qualcomm has announced a new cellular solution which supports as much as 40 different bands on a single chip. It could finally allow Apple to build a truly global iPhone model that could support all implementations of the major cellular technologies used by carriers the world over… 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

 

Apple confirms 128GB iPad 4, coming February 5

By Christian Zibreg on Jan 29, 2013

Just days after a new ‘Ultimate’ iPad SKU was discovered in iOS code strings, Apple on Tuesday launched the rumored 128GB fourth-generation iPad with Retina display. Corroborating retail sources, Apple said that the new storage option carries a $100 premium over the 64GB full-size iPad, which starts at $699 for the Wi-Fi-only version. In other words, a 128GB Wi-Fi-only iPad 4 will set you back $799, or $929 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model. Both are available in black or white starting Tuesday, February 5, via Apple’s online and brick-and-mortar stores as well as through select Apple Authorized Resellers… Read More

 

Free Press launches AT&T petition site over FaceTime rules

By Cody Lee on Jan 19, 2013

Last week, AT&T announced that it was going to be opening up FaceTime over cellular to all tiered data plans. This is the latest in a string of policy changes made by the carrier to appease the Net Neutrality groups.

But it doesn’t look like the groups were very impressed. In response to AT&T’s decision to continue to exclude the feature from those on grandfathered unlimited data plans, the Free Press has setup a petition site… Read More

 

Cellular iPads hit China: iPad mini already on a 2-week backlog

By Christian Zibreg on Jan 18, 2013

Amid all the negativity surrounding speculation of weaker than expected demand for the iPhone 5 (and now the full-size iPad) comes a glimpse of hope as buyers in China seem to be picking up their cellular iPads at a rapid clip. In fact, iPads are seeing shipping delays on the launch day in this massive market.

As promised, on Friday cellular versions of the full-size 9.7-inch iPad and 7.9-inch iPad mini went on sale in China. Immediately following the launch, however, Apple’s online store in China is quoting a two-week delay for new online orders for both the Wi-Fi-only and cellular versions of the mini tablet… Read More

 

AT&T opens up FaceTime over cellular to all tiered data plans

By Cody Lee on Jan 16, 2013

AT&T has announced this morning that it will be once again be expanding support for iOS 6′s FaceTime over cellular for its subscribers. It appears that all iOS users who are on a tiered data plan, will be able to utilize the feature from any FaceTime compatible device.

The carrier took quite a bit of heat last year when it initially announced that FaceTime over cellular would only be available to iOS users on its shared data plans. It later opened up the feature to legacy data plans, and then to LTE users. And now it’s available for all… 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

 

Cellular version of new iPad and iPad mini to go on sale in China on January 18

By Cody Lee on Jan 14, 2013

Back in December, Apple rolled out the Wi-Fi only versions of both the 4th generation iPad and new iPad mini in China. The Cellular version was missing from the launch, however, and there was no word when it would land.

Then last week, Tim Cook confirmed that carrier-flavored versions of the two tablets would be available in the country in late January. And today, Apple delivers on that promise, announcing an official arrival date of January 18… Read More

 

Cook confirms cellular iPad mini coming to China late January

By Christian Zibreg on Jan 10, 2013

Tim Cook visited China for the second time since taking over as CEO of Apple in August of last year. In an interview with Chinese reporters, Cook officially confirmed that the cellular version of the iPad mini will arrive on the mainland in late January after the device gained a regulatory approval in mid-December 2012.

Both the iPad 4 and the Wi-Fi-only model of the iPad mini made a landfall in the country on December 7, following the iPhone 5′s debut a week earlier which sold two million units during its opening weekend… Read More

 

AT&T’s LTE coverage doubles in 2012

By Christian Zibreg on Nov 16, 2012

Just in time for latest LTE iPads that Friday morning hit online and brick-and-mortar stores of AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and Best Buy, the nation’s #1 carrier AT&T announced its 4G LTE is now available in 24 new markets in the United States. More importantly, the company claims to have doubled its LTE coverage in 2012 versus the end of 2011.

Specifically its LTE now covers more than 150 million people in a total of 103 markets. As part of its ambitious $14 billion LTE network expansion project, AT&T’s LTE will expand to 250 million people by year-end 2013 and to 300 million by year-end 2014… Read More

 
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