One of the most common questions we get asked regarding the third-generation iPad is, "which carrier should I go with?" Here in the US, the tablet is available on both AT&T and Verizon networks.
Depending on you're location, we generally recommend the Verizon model. The carrier has had its LTE network up and running for nearly two years. And it's now available in more than 300 markets...
Do you own an iPhone 4S? If so, you and tens of millions of others like yourself in the United States and abroad won't qualify for a fully subsidized upgrade this fall. Blame it on the disparity between yearly iPhone cycles and carriers' policy of locking smartphone buyers with two-year contracts.
Apple's phone is enjoying stellar sales, moving 37.1 million units last holiday and 35.1 million last quarter, thanks partially to last summer's pent up demand.
The question is, will iPhone 4S owners - now locked into wireless service contracts and not eligible for fully subsidized upgrades - be willing to pay extra to obtain an early iPhone 5 upgrade this fall?
It's pretty obvious that we love our iPhones here at iDB. But we understand the handset can be a bit pricey. So we do our best to try and pass along any deals we find regarding the device.
The latest sale we've come across belongs to Best Buy. The international retail chain is currently offering the iPhone 4, on AT&T, Verizon and Sprint, for just $49.99 with a contract...
As Sprint, the nation's third-largest carrier, begins its long-overdue nationwide 4G LTE rollout, those keeping their fingers crossed for some crazy fast download speeds on a next-generation 4G LTE iPhone will be in for an unpleasant surprise.
While the carrier will keep unlimited data, whether or not the next iPhone has LTE (and we know the Now Network will be eligible for a 4G LTE iPhone), the handset will theoretically achieve much greater downloads speeds on rival AT&T's and Verizon's networks.
Here's why...
According to a new report, AT&T, the nation's second-largest carrier, could in fact be close to launching its shared data plans, as rumored. The semi-official hint was dropped in a comment made by AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega who described himself as being "very comfortable" about his company offering shared plans in the near future.
The remark came in an interview on the sidelines of the CTIA Wireless trade show. It's a 180-degree turn for the executive, who just a few months ago was unsure about shared family and data plans, citing complicated IT and billing issues...
Last night, AT&T unveiled a new home automation and security service called Digital Life. The carrier describes the service as one that will give users "unparalleled control and security of their home using any web-enabled device."
The Digital Life system is integrated into the home via Z-Wave, a popular wireless protocol, and can control a number of connected utilities including cameras, door locks, thermostats, window sensors, and appliances...
The New York Times points to some interesting comments, regarding Apple, made by AT&T's chief executive Randall Stephenson at the Milken Institute's Global Conference earlier this week.
During an on-stage interview, the CEO discussed a wide range of topics including his regret for initially allowing iPhone users to have unlimited data, and how it affected AT&T's bottom line...
Carrier AT&T announced quarterly earnings this morning, revealing they activated 4.3 million iPhones during the first quarter of this year, with 21 percent new to AT&T. The figure represents a substantial decrease over the 7.6 million iPhones the company activated during the holiday quarter of last year, when the iPhone 4S launched in the U.S.
On a more realistic annual basis, it's a healthy 19 percent growth. And with three out of four smartphones sold in the quarter being iPhones, the nation's second-largest wireless operator definitely remains the iPhone network no matter how you look at it.
Also notable, AT&T's quarterly iPhone activations easily beat the 3.2 million iPhones Verizon activated during the first quarter of 2012. Apple is scheduled to report its quarterly earnings today after the markets close, at 5pm Eastern / 2pm Pacific. The company will webcast the earnings call and we will be at hand to relay important tidbits as they happen...
So it took a while, but I can confirm that my iPhone 4 has been officially unlocked by the fine folks at AT&T. It looks like my online chat with the AT&T representative paid off after all.
All I had to do was pop in my T-Mobile SIM and load up iTunes. I was then presented with a beautiful message that stated: Congratulations, your iPhone has been unlocked.
Oddly enough, this unlock has nothing to do with the SAM unlock method that was revealed earlier this morning. This is a follow up to AT&T's promise to unlock out of contract iPhones...
Unlocking the iPhone 4S, and the iPhone 4 just got a whole lot easier thanks to the SAM package unlock revealed earlier this morning.
After alerting you guys to the news, we went into out labs and started testing this for ourselves. After a few failures, we were finally able to come up with a reliable method for making this work every time.
The good news is that this will likely become even easier as time goes on, and needless steps are eliminated. We're already to the point where we can switch back and forth between our AT&T SIM card and our T-Mobile SIM card without having to reconfigure anything. It's pretty awesome.
Check inside for our full tutorial that shows how to unlock any iPhone on iOS 5 or higher (running any baseband) using the SAM jailbreak package...
The good news came out a week ago that AT&T would finally allow its customers with an off contract iPhone to officially unlock their device for free. In essence, the steps required to get the ball rolling are pretty simple. You just need to place a call to AT&T or hop on a chat with them online.
After collecting some basic information from you, AT&T will take its sweet time (72 hours to 2 weeks) to verify you are indeed illegible for unlocking your iPhone. Upon approval, you will then receive an email with instructions to complete the unlock.
But the caveat is that, if like many people out there you care about your jailbreak, you might not be able to update without losing your untethered jailbreak. This was one of my main concerns at first. I requested the unlock authorization from AT&T for my iPhone 4 running iOS 5.0.1, and even though it is not my primary device, I didn't want to lose my untether jailbreak.
But unlike the email AT&T sends you upon approval of your iPhone unlock suggests, you do not have to completely restore your iPhone to complete the unlock...
As noted by Cult of Mac, AT&T has announced that it has added two more major markets to its high-speed LTE network. The carrier flipped the switch this morning for its next-generation network in both St. Louis and Staten Island, NY.
The news comes just a week after AT&T activated LTE in Indiana and Bryan-College Station, Texas, reiterating its commitment to rolling out its long term evolution network to 12 new markets before the summer...