Network -- Engadget

AT&T responds to Verizon's 3G ad campaign -- by bragging about EDGE

by Nilay Patel posted Nov 12th 2009 at 7:17PM

My iPhone 3GS, in downtown Chicago, as I wrote this post.

Verizon certainly seems to be getting under AT&T's skin with its ads focused on comparing 3G coverage -- not only is Ma Bell suing over 'em, it's now issuing PR to clarify what it sees as the inaccuracies of the entire campaign. If you'll recall, AT&T thinks Verizon's 1:1 comparison of 3G coverage maps makes it look like AT&T doesn't have any coverage at all across most of the country -- which means that our nation's largest wireless carrier is now in the sad position of pimping its gigantic EDGE network in response. Let's all gloss over the absolutely huge difference in 3G versus EDGE together, shall we?

With both 3G and EDGE coverage, customers can access the Internet, send e-mail, surf the Web, stream music, download videos, send photos, text, talk and more. The only difference – with some data applications, 3G is faster than EDGE.

Right, right -- the only difference. That must be why Apple named it the iPhone EDGE Slightly Faster.

Now, AT&T has a valid point when it says that its 3G map covers 75 percent of the nation's population, and that Verizon's conflation of total 3G coverage with actual network quality is slightly misleading. But you know what? We watch our iPhones drop from 3G to EDGE and even to GPRS all day long in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco, and that has nothing to do with the damn map, and everything to do with AT&T's actual network quality. Let's put it this way: Verizon's ad campaign would be totally ineffective if it didn't ring so true, and the best way for AT&T to counter these ads is to build a rock-solid network, not filing lawsuits and issuing press releases bragging about freaking EDGE. We all clear on this? Good.

Verizon removes gloves, begins 'There's a map for that' anti-AT&T ad campaign (video)

by Joshua Topolsky posted Oct 5th 2009 at 11:06PM

Ouch. If you've been waiting for another flare up in the old carrier wars, here you have it. Turning Apple's "there's an app for that" slogan on its ear, Verizon has introduced a campaign touting its network coverage. The ads -- which highlight the company's new tongue-in-cheek "there's a map for that" catchphrase against tuneful, chirpy music -- also boast that Verizon's 3G blanket is a whopping five times the size of AT&T's. Does this do anything to dispel the idea that Verizon and Apple may be getting together for that phantom tablet? Who knows, but it's fun to watch the fireworks. Check out the full commercial after the break.

[Via All Things Digital]

Continue reading Verizon removes gloves, begins 'There's a map for that' anti-AT&T ad campaign (video)

AT&T slinging HSPA 7.2 to six cities this year, adding backhaul capacity too

by Darren Murph posted Sep 9th 2009 at 8:44AM

If there's one thing AT&T's network could use, it's more network. Particularly in major cities (we're looking at you and your dastardly street parking situation, San Francisco), AT&T's 3G network is perpetually overwhelmed, oftentimes forcing users to switch to EDGE just to tweet about how awful the coverage is. Thankfully, the operator is making good on its earlier promise to roll out HSPA 7.2Mbps to select cities, with Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and Miami now destined to get lit this year. Potentially more interesting, however, is the deployment of "additional backhaul capacity to cell sites," which will also support LTE when the time comes. All told, around 2,000 new cell sites should be added before the year's end, and at least a half dozen 7.2Mbps-capable smartphones should be in AT&T's portfolio by the same deadline. Feel free to express your joy in comments below -- that is, if you can get comments to load on your existing 3G connection.

Captain Obvious reports: AT&T sees surge in WiFi use post-iPhone OS 3.0

by Darren Murph posted Jul 31st 2009 at 5:04AM

You know, there's something to be said about making something easy: people usually take advantage. So seems to be the case with AT&T's WiFi connections after the release of iPhone OS 3.0, which finally became useful when users could seamlessly connect to one of the thousands of AT&T hotspots around the nation rather than having to stumble through a painfully long process on iPhone OS 2.x. According to an AT&T spokesperson speaking with AppleInsider, the amount of iPhone users linking up with AT&T's WiFi network tripled in June, and overall, it saw a 41 percent increase in connections compared to the prior quarter. It comes as no surprise to hear that AT&T is working feverishly to expand said network in order to relieve strain from its house of cards-styled 3G network, and while we'd definitely prefer a bit more reliability with the latter, we'll happily accept more WiFi in the meanwhile.

iPhone 3GS data isn't really faster than the 3G's in Chicago

by Chris Ziegler posted Jun 20th 2009 at 10:19AM

There's been talk the last couple days about the fact that there really isn't anywhere in the States to take advantage of the blazing 7.2Mbps downlink connection supported by the iPhone 3GS -- except for one great hope, one diamond in the rough that could become a shining destination for 3GS owners the world over. That destination would be Chicago, where AT&T fired up 7.2Mbps trials late last year, and the hope was that they might be letting lay folk (like us) in on the action in time for the 3GS release. Well, we've been running side-by-side tests today, and the short answer is that we're clearly not accessing 7.2 -- granted, the 3GS is getting marginally faster speeds both up and down, but we figure this can easily be attributed to the new model's faster processor because a doubling of the downlink pipe simply doesn't account for a 100kbps bump in speed (latency was all over the map on both phones, for the record). If you're holding out on upgrading from a 3G to a 3GS, go ahead and crack a smile -- because for now, anyway, this is one spec bump that means precisely zilch in the real world.

Cablevision on track to deliver Network DVR this Summer

by Ben Drawbaugh posted May 20th 2009 at 2:21PM

We all want the same thing right? The ability to watch any show we want, whenever we want, and wherever we want. Sounds easy, but even in this day and age to achieve this easily isn't possible. Currently there are a few ways this might happen down the road, and one that looks to be coming our way sooner rather than later is Cablevision's Network DVR. While a traditional DVR has a hard drive in it to store your shows, the Network DVR wouldn't. Instead it would stream the content from a centralized data store, like VOD. You'd still have to pre-schedule your recordings and presumably you'd still have a set limit, but ordering DVR service wouldn't require a new box and best of all, you should have access to all the same content in any room of the house. This has been in the making for a long time now -- three years actually -- but Hollywood has been tying it up in court. Luckily the courts have been on Cablevision's side, but it does appear that the consumer may still get the shaft. That's because it seems there's a chance that the Network DVR won't let you fast forward through commercials, which would obviously make it a show stopper for most.

Cox Communications set to launch a cellular network

by Laura June posted Apr 8th 2009 at 3:13PM

Well, it's been a long time coming, and it probably shouldn't come as a surprise at this point, but Atlanta-based Cox Communications, the third largest cable provider in the United States, has announced plans to launch its own cellular network. We heard essentially the same news back in October of last yea r, but the company's reaffirming its commitment to do so by the end of 2009, almost certainly using its portion of the winnings from the 700MHz auction (estimated to be worth around $304 million dollars). Details such as pricing are still a mystery, but Cox's VP of its wireless division, Stephen Bye, said that the network will allow them to offer a bundled television, broadband and wireless service, that it hopes to focus on the burgeoning mobile video market, and that it may launch an app store in order to compete with "what's already out there." We wish them luck.

[Via Phone Scoop]

Sprint looking to wholesale bandwidth to connected gadget makers

by Darren Murph posted Mar 24th 2009 at 4:57PM

So, what's a flagging cellular operator to do once it has succumbed to the grim realization that no one wants to sign up for your service and you've already collected the dough from selling off nearly all of your towers? Go wholesale, of course! Unbeknownst to most, all of the Kindle downloads on Amazon's white-hot e-reader go through Sprint's network, and given just how successful that little venture has been, the carrier is hoping to expand its revenues from wholesaling bandwidth (which currently sits at just 3 percent of its total) by inking similar deals with connected gadget makers. From internet-connected vehicles to GPS systems to cameras, the options are darn near limitless, and with so much free capacity on Sprint's network, it might as well find companies to use it. 'Course, it's not like Sprint's the only one out there trying to carve these kinds of deals into stone, but it's definitely the one that needs to do it most immediately.

Bigfoot Networks returns with Killer Xeno network card

by Darren Murph posted Mar 23rd 2009 at 8:51AM

Our hearts are aflutter this morning, as the long forgotten Bigfoot Networks has returned with a vengeance in order to fulfill desires of steroid-infused network interface cards. Nearly 2.5 years after the introduction of the original Killer comes the Killer Xeno, a next-gen NIC with more memory, an upgraded network processing unit (NPU) and integrated audio for hardware-accelerated voice-chat. Basically, this card promises that hardcore gamers / yappers will enjoy a "hiccup-free" voice experience while fragging, and if you reckoned you'd have to look far and wide to find one, you'd be mistaken. Today at the Game Developers Conference, Bigfoot has also announced a deal with Alienware, which will soon become the first exclusive PC OEM to ship the Killer Xeno Pro; beyond that, EVGA has become the firm's first exclusive third party AIB partner to license Killer Xeno. The Killer Xeno will arrive shortly in two flavors: the 256MB "Ultra" and 128MB "Pro," which will sell for $179.99 and $129.99, respectively.

Gallery: Bigfoot Networks returns with Killer Xeno network card

Sprint won't let Nextel iDEN network chirp its last chirp, plans rejuvenation effort

by Darren Murph posted Oct 31st 2008 at 8:25AM

We've seen some pretty wild on-again / off-again relationships in the scandalous world of gadget affairs, but this one has been swinging from one extreme to the other at breakneck pace. Let's recap: after proclaiming that it was absolutely committed to iDEN in February of 2008, rumors then started flying that Sprint was looking to offload the whole thing and move on with life. A month later, the carrier's CEO practically confirmed that an iDEN network sale was still an option. Now, the seemingly bipolar company has issued a press release reaffirming its adoration for the chirping-est network this side of Oz, stating that "after careful review of the iDEN business, Sprint intends to retain and rejuvenate this important asset." Which could be PR speak for "nobody wanted this thing, so what other option did we really have?" Regardless of the truth, it seems the push-to-talk network that just won't die will live to see another day, but as history has shown, all that could change in a split second (or at Sprint Speed, whichever you prefer).

[Via phonescoop]

Google patent keeps airwaves competitive by selecting the cheapest

by Chris Ziegler posted Sep 27th 2008 at 1:09PM

Google's persistent interest in ensuring that the US' 700MHz spectrum would give rise to a network open to any and all devices reinforced its belief that carriers can and should be nothing more than the proverbial "dumb pipes" -- leave the content and hardware to the people who know how to do it and don't necessarily have a vested interest in the carriers' bottom line. That attitude foretold that it had some interesting ideas up its sleeves (this is Google, after all), and while it's never been entirely clear what those ideas are, Android's "please use it, it's free" attitude certainly plays a role. Here's another piece of the puzzle: rather than be tied down to any one carrier, why not keep changing carriers in real time based on whomever's going to give you the best deal? A new patent filed by Mountain View's finest proposes exactly that, bringing together heterogeneous technologies -- "community-wide" networks like WiFi and WiMAX along with GSM, CDMA, and so on -- and an "auction system" that would let the user select (or allow the phone to automatically select) the best deal at the moment depending on their needs (available features or minimum speeds, time limits, and so on). It's an amazing idea that totally turns the contract concept on its head, and it's an idea that carriers would fight to the death. We're not seeing it happening, but hey, Google, we like the cut of your jib.

[Via textually.org and New Scientist]

Poll: How's your iPhone 3G reception?

by Joshua Topolsky posted Jul 17th 2008 at 2:02PM

We've been getting scattered reports that Apple's shiny new toy might not be snagging as many bars as it should for a lot of users. In our own tests, we've noticed the iPhone 3G fairing poorly in spots where other 3G devices exhibit strong signals, and the Apple support forums are alive with displeasure over what might be a widespread issue. We're curious to know what you -- the reader -- are experiencing. How's your mileage with the new phone? Let us know in the poll below.

Time Warner Cable looks to bring internet content to TVs

by Darren Murph posted May 30th 2008 at 3:59PM

Shortly after hearing TiVo's top dog speak of a "whole home model" to reduce the amount of STBs required for entertaining individuals in various rooms, along comes Time Warner Cable's chief executive talking up some innovation of its own. We'll be frank -- we're not entirely sure what Glenn Britt is getting at here, but through a broken series of quotes, we're led to believe that the carrier is prepping some "equipment" that will easily bring internet content to TVs. Not like there isn't a perfect solution for this quandary already, but we digress. Specifically, he mentions a " new wireless cable modem that will allow you to network everything in your house," which is about as broad / vague as you can get. Nevertheless, it's enough to keep us watchin', though we can't say our expectations are extraordinarily high. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family]

[Via eHomeUpgrade]

BMW tests IP networked iDrive car

by Conrad Quilty-Harper posted Dec 3rd 2007 at 1:02AM

BMW has started testing an IP solution for its cars that uses standard ethernet to connect car components to the central computer. The testbed could potentially lower costs: if not due to the physical component cost, then as a result of the IPv6 protocol's future-proof design. BMW even feels satisfied that the IP network can cope with safety features, which may be undermined somewhat by the inevitable attempts at high-speed LAN parties in the back seat.

[Via Autoblog]

DARPA eying adaptable, scalable networks to help soldiers communicate

by Darren Murph posted Nov 4th 2007 at 1:50AM

DARPA's latest initiative is far from revolutionary -- we've seen a number of installations aimed at improving communication in times of war -- but the Wireless Adaptive Network Development (WAND) project looks to "exploit commercial radio components, rather than custom ones," to "keep soldiers linked with each other on the battlefield." Essentially, soldiers would be equipped with $500 handheld radios that would form far-reaching ad hoc networks that could "shift frequencies and sidestep interference" to make communications more pervasive and more reliable. Interestingly, WAND is reportedly set to be demonstrated as early as January of next year, but there's no telling how long it'll take for the project to become fully operational.

[Via Slashdot, image courtesy of SOCOM]