Posted 11/03/09 at 07:33:11 PM by Ryan Whitwam

Verizon thought they were so clever. Big Red’s recent “There’s a map for that” adverts seem to have ruffled some feathers over at AT&T. Now AT&T has filed a federal lawsuit against Verizon for false advertising. The issue comes down to the maps shown in the commercial.

The ad compares 3G coverage areas for the two wireless providers side by side. The red Verizon map, of course, looks much more filled in. AT&T’s map looks sparse by comparison. What many less savvy consumers might not follow is that this is only showing AT&T’s 3G, not EDGE. While Verizon’s entire network is 3G, AT&T still has significant areas covered only by slower EDGE service. AT&T claims that the ad leads people to believe that AT&T does not have coverage at all in the un-highlighted areas.

Indeed, the original version of the ad said that AT&T users outside the highlighted area were “out of touch”. Verizon removed that line and noted that non-3G voice and data were available, but AT&T still wasn’t happy. It’s not really an enviable position for AT&T to be in. They have to argue that Verizon should be making it clear that the AT&T network is available in more places – it’s just very, very slow. Everyone settle in, this might be entertaining.

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Posted 10/22/09 at 10:38:48 AM by Pulkit Chandna

The Wall Street Journal reported in June that Dell was developing an Android-powered mobile internet device (MID) or mini-tablet. A Vietnamese site, Tinhte.com, has leaked a video of what it claims is an engineering sample of the rumored mini-tablet.

The MID, which reportedly runs Android 2.0 and features a 5-inch touchscreen, likes to be addressed as the Dell Streak. All that is known at this moment is that the Streak features a 5MP camera with dual LED flash, WiFi/Bluetooth/3G connectivity, a microSD slot, and a 1,300mAh battery.

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Posted 10/20/09 at 05:54:12 PM by Bart Salisbury

It’s obvious that a gallon of milk won’t fit into a half gallon container. Same thing appears to be true for the short-term future of mobile communications: we are ‘pouring’ way too much of ourselves into a mobile communication system that isn’t capable of handling the flow. 3G mobile systems, it would appear, are in for some trying times.

The problem facing mobile phone carriers is pretty simple: smartphones are giving existing bandwidth a beating, especially by iPhone users; broadband pricing has been dropping as the market becomes more competitive, which encourages more use (especially with flat-rate plans); and 2G users are slowly, but surely, migrating into the 3G system. The outcome, according to a report by Unwired Insight, titled Will 3G Networks Cope?, there’ll be a 20-fold increase in demand over the next five years.

The solution Unwired Insight argues for is an accelerated implementation of the Long Term Evolution (LTE), or 4G network. LTE networks, which take advantage of scalable carrier bandwidths, have peak downlinks of 100 Mbps; uplinks of 50 Mbps, compared to 3G’s 14 Mbps downlink and 5.8 Mbps uplink maximums. (An upgraded version of 3G will boost downlinks to 42 Mbps, but that would only paper over a fairly severe gap.) Greater throughput will help to ease the load of all those smartphone users that have taken to browsing the web and viewing streaming media. Besides high throughput, LTE offers low latency, plug and play, and is compatible with existing GSM and CDMA architectures.

Problem is, mobile carriers are just beginning to put LTE to the test. Verizon appears to be ahead in the game, with testing taking place in Seattle and Boston. Deployment in 25-30 markets is expected in 2010.

If there is a bright side to all this LTE capable phones aren’t yet available. Kevin Fitchard, of TelephonyOnline, doesn’t expect to see these until 2010 at the earliest, despite iPhone rumors to the contrary.

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Posted 10/12/09 at 08:01:57 PM by Ryan Whitwam

Amazon has finally obliged globetrotting fans of its Kindle ebook reader by releasing an international GSM version. The new international edition is tied to AT&T 3G service in the US and will cost you $280, that’s $20 more than the standard Sprint Whispernet equipped Kindle. One thing that Amazon didn’t mention though, is that when used overseas, some wireless features will be blocked.

While Europe, for example, has solid GSM coverage, the international Kindle won’t allow access to blogs or the experimental web browser. This is almost certainly being done to protect Amazon from huge roaming data charges. No word yet on if Amazon will attempt to work out arrangements with foreign cell carriers in the future.

While using the e-ink display for actual web browsing may be rare, checking blogs on the device is more common. Users should still be able to access the ebook store, which is, admittedly, the main reason for having the device. So, is this a deal breaker for anyone? Do you really need full web access on the Kindle while overseas?

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Posted 10/07/09 at 04:23:05 PM by Jason Barry

AT&T announced today that they’ll be enabling the use of VOIP on their 3G network specifically for the iPhone. Skype was extremely excited to hear the news given that 10% of all iPhone and iPod touch users have downloaded the Skype application.

The announcement was initially released by AT&T in an FCC filing, soon to be published, explaining that they will open their 3G network to internet calling applications, including Skype.

It should be interesting to see where this leaves the much debated Google Voice application, rejected from the Apple App store earlier this year. While AT&T’s decision isn’t as sustainable as a government policy, it should put significant pressure on other carriers to allow similar network access.

You can find a PDF of the filing here, as well as a link to the AT&T press release.

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Posted 09/10/09 at 08:21:52 AM by Paul Lilly

iPhone owners and anyone else using AT&T's cellular network can look forward to faster WiFi, as the telco on Wednesday announced plans to rollout High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) 7.2 technology to boost its 3G network.

"Our deployment of HSPA 7.2 and supporting backhaul connectivity will enable our customers to continue to ride the leading edge of emerging devices and thousands of mobile applications," said John Stankey, president and CEO, AT&T Operations.

AT&T says it will begin deployment of HSPA 7.2 in six major cities, including Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, and Miami, all of which should see upgraded service by the end of the year. By the end of 2010, AT&T expects that list to include 25 of the nation's 30 largest markets (sorry Booger Hollow, Arkansas).

Coinciding with the rollout of HSPA 7.2 will be multiple compatible handsets and devices, including at least six new smartphones and two new LaptopConnect cards.

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Posted 09/09/09 at 04:03:02 PM by Jason Barry

AT&T announced today that six cities will receive an infrastructural upgrade to the HSPA 7.2 (7.2 megabits per second) service by the end of this year. The cities fortunate enough are: Charlotte, North Carolina; Chicago, Illinois; Dallas and Houston, Texas; Los Angeles, California; and Miami, Florida.

AT&T hopes to extend this same service to 90% of its current 3G area by the end of 2011 stepping into 25 other major cities by the close of 2010. Further, they claim that the infrastructure upgrade should also be robust enough to handle the throughput of next-generation 4G service, expected to be suitable for deployment in 2011.

The company has been in the crosshairs lately as their current 3G network is being saturated with the exclusive use of 9 million iPhone users in addition to the 20 million other smartphone users on the grid. Still iPhone users await features such as internet tethering and multimedia messaging while AT&T continues to fortify the network for the intense throughput they require.

Image credit: AT&T logo, USB 3.0 logo

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Posted 08/25/09 at 07:53:39 PM by Pulkit Chandna

Sony today further bolstered its lineup of e-readers by announcing the Sony Reader Daily Edition - first in its stable to feature wireless connectivity (Wi-Fi and 3G). The Reader Daily Edition also features a 7-inch touch screen. In fact, wireless connectivity and a larger screen are the only notable features that separate it from the Reader Touch Edition.

Sony had announced the $299 Reader Touch Edition and $199 Pocket Edition earlier this month. The Daily Edition, which was announced at a launch event at the New York Public Library, will retail for $399 and debut in December.

Steve Haber, president of the Digital Reading Business Division at Sony, also announced that users will be able to borrow ebooks from the local library, with the borrowed books having an expiration period of 21 days. The new version of Sony’s online book store will let users search for libraries that loan electronic versions of their books.

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