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Think before you switch carriers
With a new iPhone or two on the near horizon and plenty of people ready to buy one, there are probably a few million people who are also thinking about switching mobile carriers. Last year, when the iPhone 5 was the newest kid on the block, I decided that I was through with AT&T and I switched to Verizon. Let's just say that I'm now wishing that I had stuck it out with Big Blue instead of jumping to Big Red. Here's my tale of woe, and I hope that it keeps you from making a similar mistake in the next few weeks. My primary reason for switching last year was the incredibly slow and essentially unusable service that I received on AT&T's network when attending Colorado Rockies baseball games at Coors Field in downtown Denver. On certain occasions, it was apparent that AT&T was bringing in COWs (cells on wheels) to provide extra bandwidth for the crowds of 50,000 attending opening day or a special event. But for the most part, trying to use MLB At Bat in the ballpark was a futile effort as AT&T's network just didn't have the capacity. So, I complained. For about two full baseball seasons, one of the first things I'd do at a game was to pull out my iPhone and use AT&T's app to send a network complaint. This seemed to be a fruitless effort, as by the end of the 2012 season, I had seen no improvements in service. That's when I decided to bail on AT&T. I was out of the country when the iPhone 5 first hit, but when I got back, I checked the Early Termination Fee for saying "au revoir" to AT&T and balked at the US$120 or so I still owed on the contract. My initial iPhone 5 order was for the AT&T model... but then I went to my last baseball game of the season and got hit with incredibly slow service again. I canceled my order, and decided to take the hit and move over to Verizon. When I got my Verizon iPhone 5, the first thing I noticed was that the service at my home was as crappy as it had been with AT&T -- I just live in a shadowed area with lousy service, I guess. But I stuck with it, having heard from others that Verizon's service in the Denver area was awesome. Yeah, right. Apparently AT&T had acted on my complaints over the winter of 2012-2013, since when we went to the first Rockies game of the season, my wife -- who had stayed with AT&T -- was amazed with the speed of the service at the ballpark. I figured it was just another COW helping things out and that she'd be griping about the service at the next game. Nope, the service was speedy and reliable for the entire season. Apparently AT&T's nationwide investment in 4G LTE had finally reached downtown Denver and really made a difference. How was my VZW service at the ballpark? Horrible. Oh, on occasion when the Rox weren't pulling in a crowd and the ballpark was relatively uncrowded, I'd be able to get highlights from another game on MLB At Bat, but for the most part, the 4G service was incredibly slow. Regardless of where I seemed to be with the Verizon iPhone 5 over the past year, my wife almost always had better service on AT&T. The kicker was a trip around Colorado we took over the Labor Day weekend. I'd be looking at one bar and "1x" on my Verizon iPhone, while my spouse was happily pulling down maps and information with four to five bars of signal strength on 4G on AT&T. This happened all over the state, from the beautiful Mesa Verde National Park to the high-country town of Ouray. The moral of the story? If you're unhappy with the service and coverage you're getting from your current mobile carrier, think long and hard before switching, as you may be going from bad to worse. Of course, you might not have the same experience I did, and you might have much better Verizon coverage in your part of the world than AT&T does. I don't want to pay another Early Termination Fee to Verizon to switch back to AT&T; perhaps some kindly AT&T rep will read my story and offer to refund last year's ETF if I return to the fold. Please?
Nikkei: KDDI plans 220 Mbps cellular network upgrade for summer 2014
Think 150Mbps LTE-Advanced data is quick? KDDI could offer far more bandwidth next year. Nikkei claims that the Japanese carrier plans to upgrade its cellular network to 220 Mbps data as soon as summer 2014. Service would reportedly launch with an Android smartphone, and rely on new wireless technology; it's not clear whether this entails a faster LTE-A variant or something new. KDDI hasn't confirmed the rumor, so we wouldn't consider moving to Japan just yet. If there's any truth to the claims, however, even NTT DoCoMo's upgraded LTE could soon feel downright pokey. [Image credit: TAKA@P.P.R.S, Flickr]
Three rolling out its 4G network in the UK this December
Yesterday, both Vodafone and O2 in the UK switched on their 4G networks in select cities throughout the country -- a full 10 months after the UK's first 4G provider, EE, did. And while the wait has been long for some 4G competition, it's now nice to have some options here. However, perhaps a little disappointingly, there's not a lot of difference between pricing plans on the three networks for iPhone 5 owners who want 4G service on their phones. Thankfully in December that will change, because yesterday UK carrier Three announced that is when their 4G service is going live. The best thing about Three's 4G plans is that it will be up to 50 percent cheaper in some cases than competing plans on the other networks and, if you're a 4G customer on Three right now, you'll get 4G automatically at no extra cost. London, Birmingham and Manchester will be the first with 4G service from Three this December, followed by another 50 cities in the UK in 2014 and 98 percent of the population covered by 2015.
Three launching 4G in London, Birmingham and Manchester in December
Since today's the day that Vodafone and O2 launch their 4G networks, Three has piped up to remind you that its own LTE rollout isn't too far behind. Customers in London, Birmingham and Manchester will be getting an early Christmas present when the service goes live at some point in December. As promised back in February, existing customers with LTE-ready devices won't pay extra, nor will they lose their unlimited data allowance. The network is promising to be in 50 cities by the end of 2014 and cover 98 percent of the population by the end of 2015. After all, Dave Dyson's a mobile executive who likes to take things slow.
Audi's LTE S3 Sportback at European dealers now, 4G A3 hits US next spring
We knew Audi's 4G-enabled rides were coming, but not exactly when. That changes now, as the company has announced that the S3 Sportback is hitting dealer lots in Europe starting today. Us Yanks will have to wait until next spring to use long term evolution speeds with the Audi Connect infotainment system, and even then it'll be in the A3 sedan, not its sportier cousin. According to GigaOM, Europeans can access LTE from any carrier they choose, whereas domestic options remain ambiguous. The German automaker said that stateside, 4G connectivity will most likely be tied to a specific operator, similar to how smartphones are optimized for each carrier. Negotiations as to which "carrier or carriers" will supply mobile broadband are still up in the air too, with an announcement promised for a later date. We'd like to have pricing info then, too.
gdgt's best deals for August 14: Samsung Galaxy S 4 and iPhone 5
Ready to save some cash on your tech buys? Then you've come to the right place. Our sister site gdgt tracks price drops on thousands of products every day, and twice a week they feature some of the best deals they've found right here. But act fast! Many of these are limited-time offers, and won't last long. Today's hottest deals include a pair of prime smartphones for sale at Target, with the Samsung Galaxy S 4 and the soon-to-be-supplanted iPhone 5 available with hefty price cuts on contract. Join gdgt and add the gadgets you're shopping for to your "Want" list. Every time there's a price cut, you'll get an email alert!
O2, Vodafone launching 4G in the UK on August 29
Up until now, those with an iPhone 5 or compatible iPad who wanted 4G service in the UK could only get it from one provider: EE. But thankfully that will change at the end of the month, as O2 and Vodafone have announced they will be offering 4G service in the UK come August 29. On O2, 4G will at first only be available in London, Leeds and Bradford, though the company plans additional city rollouts by the end of the year. O2 hasn't announced all of its pricing plans yet, but 4G plans are rumored to start around £26 a month. O2's 4G network actually won't work with the current iPhone 5 as it runs on the 800 MHz spectrum, which Apple's handset does not support, but the CEO of O2's parent company told the BBC that he would be shocked if Apple's next iPhone does not support this spectrum. As for Vodafone, its 4G service will run on all iPhone 5's and 4G-compatible iPads. For £26 a month, users who already own a 4G device will get unlimited voice and text with 2 GB of data. It will cost users £36 a month to get a device with their 4G plan. That plan would offer unlimited voice and text with 500 MB of data. Once the 4G rollout of O2 and Vodafone are complete, the next major UK carrier to offer 4G service will be Three, which it says it will rollout by the end of the year.
Vodafone UK confirms 4G network to launch August 29th, plans start at £26 a month
Vodafone UK has just announced its 4G network rollout will begin on August 29th, with London to be the first city to go live. Twelve more locations will get switched on before the end of the year, including Birmingham, Edinburgh, Leeds and Sheffield (full list after the break). Price plans will begin at £26 a month (SIM only, for 2GB of data) and the operator already has a choice of compatible hardware to choose from -- such as the Nokia 925, Galaxy S4 or BlackBerry Z10. Although the official turn-on won't be until the end of the month, those eager to get the service will be able to sign-up from the 12th in store or online. Existing customers with an LTE handset can upgrade their plan for an extra £5 a month. As a sweetener, Vodafone is throwing in unlimited data for the first three months, along with a choice of Spotify premium or Premiership football content bundles. While the UK has had LTE services for a while now, until recently, choice was very limited. Now, with O2 coming soon, and EE already up and running, the UK market is set to enjoy the benefits of proper competition.
iPhone owners in the UK get more 4G coverage through EE
The UK is trailing behind other countries when it comes to 4G availability. Right now there's only one mobile operator -- EE -- offering 4G. That's set to change by the end of the year when virtually every carrier in the UK will offer the super-fast mobile internet service. But if you're already on EE, you'll be happy to know that the company has expanded its 4G service to another 10 UK cities this week. As of today, EE customers in Altrincham, Bedford, Camberley, Crawley, Farnborough, Farnham, Maidstone, Rochdale, Tonbridge and Welwyn Garden City will be able to get 4G service to their compatible iPhones and iPads. The addition of the new cities mean EE's 4G covers 60 percent of the UK now. However, even if you're in one of the 10 new cities, you may want to wait a bit more before you sign up for a 4G EE contract. When the other mobile operators start offering 4G later this year, plan prices are sure to drop as more competition floods the UK market.
EE expands UK 4G coverage to 11 new markets
Sadly for iPhone 5 and fourth-generation iPad owners, 4G coverage has been slow to roll out in the UK. Currently if you want 4G, there is only one player in the whole country -- EE. Even EE's 4G service isn't available in many parts of the UK. But thankfully as of last week, the telecoms company expanded 4G coverage to 11 new UK markets. As noted in a press release, iPhone 5 (and other 4G-capable smartphone) owners in Aldershot, Basildon, Basingstoke, Bracknell, Hitchin, Horsham, Leatherhead, Letchworth, Stevenage, Warrington and Weston-super-Mare will now have access to the super-fast mobile internet. The 11 new markets push 4G availability in the UK to over 50 percent of the population. When Vodafone rolls out 4G this summer and Three follows in the winter, 4G availability will reach 98 percent of the UK population by late 2014.
AT&T rolls out 4G to 35 new US markets
This week AT&T announced that it has rolled out its 4G network to 35 new US markets. The rollout will of course be a huge benefit to anyone in those markets who owns an iPhone 5 or the latest iPad equipped with 4G LTE. AT&T says it plans to expand 4G to another 45 markets this summer. For now here's a list of the latest markets included in the latest rollout: St. Thomas, Virgin Islands Victoria, Texas Palatka, Fla. Grand Junction, Colo. Morgan City, La. Valdosta, Ga. Pine Bluff, Ark. Yakima, Wash. Bremerton, Wash. Moses Lake, Wash. Silverthorne, Colo. Homosassa Springs, Fla. Chico, Calif. Cape Girardeau, Mo. Sherman-Denison, Texas Corinth, Miss. Grenada, Miss. Batavia, N.Y. Milledgeville , Ga. New Ulm, Minn. Beckley, W.V. Oak Hill, W.V. Midland, Texas Odessa, Texas Lawton, Okla. Cape Cod, Mass. Searcy, Ark. Dunn, N.C. Dillon, S.C. St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands Lafayette, La. Atlantic City, N.J. Meridian, Miss. Greenwood, Miss. New Iberia, La.
EE details shared and PAYG data plans, NFC payment service, new router
There was only one form of bacon present at EE's breakfast event today, but plenty more to chew on, as the UK 4G provider shed light on its new shared plans and PAYG data-only offerings. The sharing scheme, launching on July 17th, will put up to five devices on one bill and allow them to feed from the same data allowance. Starting with any regular contract, you can add other phones or devices at any time. Snagging another phone SIM for one year costs £12 per month, or £17 if you only need it for 30 days -- you can also get handsets to go with those SIMs for additional dinero. Every phone plan you tack on includes unlimited calls and texts, but if you only need a SIM for data, it'll cost £5 each month on a two-year contract, £8 for a 30-day commitment, and more if you want a USB dongle, MiFi hotspot or tablet on top. EE had plenty more to tell us, so head below the fold if you're up for the full rundown.
EE doubling 4G spectrum allocation in 12 cities tomorrow to boost speed
EE invited us to a breakfast get-together this morning, and spectrum was on the menu. Back in April, EE reported that it would be doubling the LTE spectrum allocation in ten cities, promising twice the speeds, at some point during the summer. We now know the switch is being flipped tomorrow, and in addition to the ten already announced, Derby and Nottingham are also getting double bandwidth to play with.
MediaTek to launch true 8-core, 2GHz MT6592 chipset in November?
Samsung may already have its 8-core Exynos 5 Octa offering, but the original "big.LITTLE" implementation means only up to four cores work together at any time -- either the Cortex-A15 quartet or its lesser Cortex-A7 counterpart. In other words, we'd rather rename the chipset range to something like "Exynos 5 Quad Dual." But according to recent intel coming from Taipei and Shenzhen, it looks like Taiwan's MediaTek is well on its way to ship a true 8-core mobile chipset in Q4 this year.
Vodafone launches a 4G mobile hotspot, suffers from premature dispensation
Camping outside a store for weeks on end has been done to death now, so what can you do to score some early adopter cred? How about buying a device to use on a service that doesn't exist... yet? That's Vodafone's thinking behind launching its first 4G wireless hotspot, two months before its LTE service begins rolling out. The Vodafone R212 will connect up to 10 devices simultaneously, comes with a 32GB SD card reader, a 2,800mAh battery and will, thankfully, connect to the company's 3G network as well. It'll set you back £39 up-front if you sign up for a plan offering you 1GB of monthly data for £10 a month.
T-Mobile to acquire 10MHz of LTE spectrum from US Cellular in $308 million deal
LTE spectrum is a hot commodity, and if you're hurting for cash, it might not be a bad time to let some go. US Cellular just inked a deal to unload 10MHz of Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) spectrum, padding its pocketbook with a whopping $308 million in cash. Pending FCC approval, that wireless load will be making its way over to T-Mobile, which would then own the vast majority of AWS. It's good news for T-Mobile customers, no doubt, especially those in the Southeast -- according to a press release, the spectrum T-Mob just snatched up covers 32 million people in cities like St. Louis, Memphis, Little Rock and New Orleans.
US military will spend $23 billion on cyber defense, create its own secure 4G network
The US Department of Defense told a Washington thinktank yesterday that it would spend $23 billion in the next four years to kick its cyber defenses up a gear. That'll include building out a "secure 4G wireless network that will get iPads, iPhones and Android devices online by mid-2014," according to Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Martin Dempsey. The DoD recently approved Blackberry 10, iOS and Samsung Galaxy devices with Knox, and General Dempsey himself was packing a smartphone he said would "make Batman and James Bond jealous." While there were no details about how such a mobile network would be locked down, he did say that all 15,000 of the Department's computer networks would be consolidated into an enterprise cloud system to increase security. All that is to combat a "17-fold" cyber warfare increase in just over two years -- no doubt including recent Chinese hacking that the White House took the rare step of recently highlighting.
Samsung Galaxy NX mirrorless camera strikes a pose for the FCC
It's by no means a phone, so adjust your expectations accordingly. Samsung's Android-infused Galaxy NX camera, revealed last week at the company's London bonanza, has just reared its LTE-capable body at the FCC. Sporting model number EK-GN120, the portable mirrorless camera offers up no real surprises -- it has all the internal trimmings Samsung already officially announced, like WiFi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 and radios for WCDMA (850/1900MHz) and LTE (Band 5). Nothing in the filing pegs this as a US release, so the usual "(insert carrier)-friendly bands" won't apply here. In fact, its mix of radios clearly mark this Galaxy NX for a South Korean debut. Just when that'll be, we still don't know. It's currently slated for a vague summer release in the UK. On the plus side, this means you still have plenty of time to save up for what should be a hefty price tag.
Samsung Galaxy NX mirrorless camera official: Interchangeable lenses, Android Jelly Bean and 4G LTE
True to JK Shin's promise, Samsung is indeed introducing a new Android-powered mirrorless camera: the Galaxy NX. Although it runs Google's mobile OS (version 4.2.2 Jelly Bean) and bears LTE radios, the NX is not quite a direct sequel to the Galaxy Camera, the company's glorified point-and-shoot for all comers. Rather, the Galaxy NX is what Samsung calls an interchangeable-lens CSC (or Compact System Camera), featuring a 20.3-megapixel APS-C sensor, as well as 3G / 4G LTE, WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity -- making it worthy of that Galaxy moniker. As you can tell from the above image, the Galaxy NX also packs a large 4.8-inch HD LCD display on its rear and is powered by a 1.6GHz Pega-Q quad-core setup and separate DRIMe IV Signal processor for imaging. The UI should look pretty familiar to anyone who's used an Android device before, with the common apps and widgets submenus, as well as the wheel interface for its 30 Smart Modes -- employed when selecting imaging settings. And if you happen to own any of the company's other NX cameras, you'll be able to swap out lenses (13 in all) as the Galaxy NX is fully compatible with that range. It also incorporates a hybrid AF, culled from the best of DSLRs and compacts, with a shutter speed of 1/6,000th of a second and 8.6fps shooting. Samsung's been pretty forthcoming about all the tech and software it's put into the Galaxy NX, but there are two key bits it's still withholding: pricing and availability. For now, it appears UK residents will have first crack at the Galaxy NX, as PR pegs its release for that territory as sometime this summer. The same, however, can't be said for a US launch. Regardless, as the Galaxy NX is more a proper camera for experienced photogs and less Android phone like the Galaxy Camera and S4 Zoom, you can bet on its price tag being relatively high when it launches. In the meantime, check out our Galaxy NX hands-on for more detailed impressions. %Gallery-191947% %Gallery-191950%
Sprint's updated contract lays out your choices when WiMAX ends
More than a year after Sprint stopped launching WiMAX phones, it added a new paragraph to its terms and conditions that indicate its impending breakup with the wireless standard. According to PCWorld, the change (originally noticed by an S4Guru forum user) was implemented on May 22nd. You can read it in its entirety after the break, but to summarize: if you have a WiMAX device, you'll eventually have to decide whether you want to keep using your phone without it, deactivate your contract or transition to the carrier's LTE network. You won't have to pay an early-termination fee if you choose deactivation, while you'll get a "standard" LTE device (Sprint didn't specify which) if you opt for transition. The Now Network didn't say how long it will continue supporting the flagging wireless standard, but it's clear as day it's focusing its efforts on widening its LTE coverage. [Image credit: William Ross]