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Apple discussed Verizon switch 'at least half a dozen times,' and other stories about its AT&T relationship
"An iPhone, an iPhone, my carrier's reputation for an iPhone." Grab a cup of coffee and get yourself comfortable, fans of behind-the-scenes industry drama. Wired has published an exhaustive and fascinating expose on the "loveless celebrity marriage" that is Apple and AT&T -- all from sources familiar with the matters but who cannot (or will not) be named, of course. In other words, don't take this as gospel, but frankly, none of this sounds too crazy or outside the realm of what we've already surmised ourselves. In brief, the two companies have been contentious towards one another since just after the iPhone was unveiled. For AT&T's part, the carrier was reportedly taken aback when its requests (delivered by Senior VP Kris Rinne) to restrict YouTube's bandwidth usage (or make it WiFi-only) while the network infrastructure was built up fell on deaf ears in Cupertino. Word has it Apple also refused to allow its devices to be used in campaigns to combat Verizon's Map for That ads: "It was [effective] because of AT&T's network. We would have been letting them use the iPhone to put lipstick on a pig," remarked one anonymous Apple exec. What's most interesting to us here is the ongoing reported discussion to drop AT&T in favor for Verizon. That chapter apparently begins just months after the original's launch, with an investigative team (including Scott Forstall) ultimately concluding that Qualcomm's CDMA (or CDMA / GSM hybrid) chips would require a complete redesign of the device, not to mention a nasty lawsuit with AT&T over its exclusive contract (perhaps a minor issue, knowing Apple). Back then, Verizon wasn't seen as a guaranteed improvement, and according to one executive privy to such meetings, the carrier switch has been discussed at least a half dozen times, with the general consensus always being that it would "cause as many problems as it solved." We can't imagine this is gonna help stem the perpetual VZW iPhone rumor mill. Hit up the source link for the full tale, which does hit on a fundamental issue of the mobile industry going forward: as smartphone makers continue to push their devices' capabilities, bandwidth concerns will continue to grow and carriers are likely to take the majority of the blame. If you ask us, David Fincher has just found his ideal follow-up to The Social Network -- we'd especially love to see someone film the part where AT&T asks Steve Jobs to ditch the turtleneck and wear a suit when meeting with its board of directors.
AT&T uplink performance issues tied to Alcatel-Lucent equipment
Spokespersons for AT&T have responded to our queries in regard to decreased uplink performance that we posted about earlier this week. According to AT&T, this is due to a software defect in Alcatel-Lucent equipment, affecting only some portions of their customer base. The full statement from AT&T follows. AT&T and Alcatel-Lucent jointly identified a software defect -- triggered under certain conditions - that impacted uplink performance for Laptop Connect and smartphone customers using 3G HSUPA-capable wireless devices in markets with Alcatel-Lucent equipment. This impacts less than two percent of our wireless customer base. While Alcatel-Lucent develops the appropriate software fix, we are providing normal 3G uplink speeds and consistent performance for affected customers with HSUPA-capable devices.
Is AT&T capping iPhone upload speeds? Inquiring minds want to know
The MacRumors forums are abuzz with users comparing their recent upload speeds. TUAW reader Becca Holmes tipped us that iPhone users are experiencing uploads that appear to be capped at 100 kbps rather than the 1.6mbps that was a previous norm. Users have been comparing rates captured with tools like Speedtest.net's Speed Test to put concrete numbers on perceived performance drops -- and it looks like that drop is huge, compared to the way things were just a week or two ago. According to the thread, affected cities include: NYC, Central Jersey, Boston, Orlando, Seattle, South Jersey/Philly, Columbus, Cleveland, West Houston, Phoenix, Northern Colorado, St. Paul/Minnesota, Suffolk County/Long Island, Quad Cities, South Jersey, Denver, Detroit Metro, and Cincinnati.
Net neutrality moving forward behind closed doors?
It sounds fairly boring compared to slaughtering orcs in your game of choice, but net neutrality is a big deal. It's about the very nature of the Internet and how we interact with it, and supporters of neutrality would argue that it's the only thing standing between MMO players and uncomfortable restrictions on their ability to play. Unfortunately, the cause was dealt a major blow back in April, which looked like it might be the death knell of the cause. The Federal Communications Commission hasn't wholly dropped the issue, it seems, but their pursuit of it is somewhat more dodgy. It has come to light that the FCC has carried on a series of secret meetings with lobbyists from top telecommunication companies and large Internet companies to discuss the future of this proposal. Consumer group Free Speech has spoken out loudly in protest, referring to the meetings as "...what appears to be secret negotiations to sell out the future of the Internet." The future of neutrality remains very much in doubt, and it's well worth following along if you care about your online connection (which covers pretty much every MMO player).
What really happened with Wi-Fi on the iPhone 4
WWDC is wrapping up here in San Francisco today, and after a week of having most of the best Apple developers in the world all in one place, we're hearing some speculation and solutions for what happened to Steve Jobs on stage Monday. He had Wi-Fi issues while accessing the New York Times website during a demo with iPhone 4, and of course it led to the awkward pause where he asked the over 500 Wi-Fi users in the room to please unplug their computers and stop liveblogging (of course, not everybody complied). But were those users the problem? NPR cornered Glenn Fleishman for an explanation, and he says while that many Wi-Fi users might not have caused problems, many of the people in the room were using MiFis, the personal wireless network devices that aren't necessarily designed to be used so closely together. It wasn't a bandwidth problem then, Fleishman suggests, but an interference problem, with local Wi-Fi likely giving way to the vast noise from other devices. Fleishman also says over at Ars Technica that there might have been another issue: the iPhone 4's pre-release network drivers. If you look at how the iPhone actually behaved, it's apparent that the software might not have been ready to deal with everything happening during the keynote. Of course, that doesn't mean that iPhone 4 will have issues at release -- Apple tests these devices thoroughly, and we couldn't imagine Steve releasing subpar drivers on the iPhone. Even if the drivers were the issue, obviously we'd never heard that from Apple. But Steve's irritation at Monday's keynote may have been slightly misplaced -- there were probably a few different factors going into the reason he couldn't load a page in Mobile Safari.
FCC expects 700MHz 'D Block' to see auction in 2011
Birds fly, grass grows, and the FCC auctions off wireless spectrum. It's just one of those inevitable facts of life. In 2008, the Commission sure sold plenty of the stuff, with both AT&T and Verizon trading billions of dollars for enough building-penetrating 700MHz bandwidth to start LTE networks (that's 4G, vaquero!) as early as next year. One huge chunk of spectrum didn't sell, however: the infamous Block 'D,' subject to a unique FCC mandate that required it to be shared with first responders and government agencies for public safety. Last we heard, 'D' was in limbo awaiting a new auction, but Reuters reports that said wait may be nearly over. According to Jamie Barnett, the FCC's Chief of Public Safety, the entity could test the waters as early as this summer, and start Auction 76 in earnest by Q1 or Q2 of 2011. Who might bid at that late date is still uncertain -- would-be 4G competitors will be way behind Verizon and AT&T by that time -- but it seems a mighty fine idea for paramedic phones to work while buried under rubble, regardless.
FCC wants to know your mobile broadband speed
You may remember that Verizon started running ads a while ago showing AT&T's anemic 3G coverage map. AT&T responded by saying "Our coverage includes 97% of the country!" In the small print on Verizon's ads they make it clear that AT&T does have coverage outside of 3G. In the small print on AT&T's ads they make it clear 3G isn't available everywhere. What kind of difference does 3G really make? For American wireless users, the FCC is interested in knowing how fast your mobile broadband really is. The agency has released a free iPhone app, made by Ookla, who also made the free Speedtest.net Speed Test app for iPhone (there is also an Android version). In case you're concerned about your personal information ending up in the servers of the Feds, note the app disclaimer: "Results may be pooled to analyze the quality and coverage of mobile broadband connections across the United States as part of a larger effort by the FCC to identify areas with insufficient or nonexistent access to broadband." More details can be found on the FCC's page here. I downloaded the app and ran three sets of tests: on Wi-Fi (connected to DSL), on 3G, and on Edge. I ran each set three time: i.e. 3 times on Wi-Fi, 3 times on 3G, and 3 times on Edge, and then averaged the results to try to offset any temporary network glitches that would throw off the results. I also made sure I was using the same server for each test. (You can either let it select the best server based on your location or choose one manually from a list.) Read on for the results...
RIM CEO claims we are staring 'down the barrel of a capacity crunch,' should all get BlackBerrys to prevent it
Capacity crunch, isn't that a breakfast cereal? RIM's Mike Lazaridis seems to have been a real grouch at MWC this week as apparently he hasn't stopped talking about the doom and gloom awaiting mobile carriers over the next few years. Focusing on the bandwidth-hungry North American market, Lazaridis has criticized the apparently irresponsible network saturation growth, which he sees as being primarily driven by app-centric operating systems. If you're wondering who he could possibly be referring to, let Mike clarify it -- according to him, you could carry five BlackBerry devices for each iPhone on a network. As evidence of his firm's focus on efficiency, he points us to that freshly demoed WebKit browser, which he claims uses a third of the bandwidth required by the competition from Apple and Google. If only he wasn't implying that owning a BlackBerry would save the internet, Mike's sales pitch would be rather compelling -- those are mighty impressive numbers he is citing.
Germanium lasers offer ray of hope for optical computing
Bandwidth scarcity, is there any more pressing global issue that we're faced with today? We think not. Given the exponential growth in both computing power and software's exploitation and expectation of greater resources, it's no surprise that at some point we'll have to look beyond simple electrical currents as the transporters of our data. One bold step taken in that direction has been the demonstration of an operational germanium-on-silicon laser by researchers at MIT. By tweaking the electron count in germanium atoms with the help of some added phosphorous, they've been able to coax them into a photon-emitting state of being -- something nobody thought possible with indirect bandgap semiconductors. Perhaps the best part of this is that germanium can be integrated relatively easily into current manufacturing processes, meaning that light-based internal communication within our computers is now at least a tiny bit closer to becoming a reality.
Game developers speak with FCC about bandwidth concerns
Last month, a group of online game developers (from companies like Turbine and Vivox, and even a board candidate for the Independent Game Developers Association) met with the FCC to argue for Internet neutrality, and against Internet Service Providers offering premium access and bandwidth to paying game publishers (here's the PDF of the meeting notes). The argument here, brought up again by a think tank called Digital Society, is about differentiating certain network connections from others -- if you allow ISPs to charge for accounts with better quality of service (QoS), then it's possible, argue these game developers, that companies or customers who don't pay will end up suffering from lag and other game-breaking problems. It's a tough issue. As the game devs told the FCC, bandwidth is already tough to program around (especially in games like FPSes where nanoseconds count), and with the advent of bandwidth-intensive services like OnLive and "peering" rather than dedicated servers, these developers argue that ISPs charging companies for QoS would edge out entrepreneurs and actually discourage innovation in gaming. ISPs answer that a premium service doesn't mean the non-premium service is bad, just that they want to offer premium products to customers (and of course rake in the ensuing fees). Unfortunately, it's going to take more than just an FCC workshop to solve this ongoing concern.
Sling offers app update for Windows phones that includes 3G streaming on AT&T
Well, thanks AT&T. In the past I've vented my frustration that the much awaited SlingPlayer Mobile app for the iPhone was crippled by a new AT&T rule that didn't allow place shifting of TV signals on their network. The rule appeared to be specifically written to ban the SlingPlayer. As a result, the best Sling could offer to iPhone users was a version that only worked on Wi-Fi so the fragile AT&T network didn't get dinged. Now, Sling has announced a new version of the SlingPlayer Mobile version 2 for Windows phones that supports both Wi-Fi and the AT&T 3G network, and runs on the HTC Pure, Tilt II, as well as on some HTC phones on T-Mobile and Sprint. Now this is not something the folks at Sling did, but AT&T is mighty selective about which phones can stream over its 3G network. Mind you, AT&T has no problem allowing multi-hour baseball games to be streamed using the MLB app, and Orb also allows streaming on the iPhone, even from a remote TV Tuner. Even Ustream and Qik got into the streaming video act. If Apple ever dumps AT&T (and rumors say that at least AT&T will have competition soon) it won't be soon enough for me. For many customers, they've made a mess of the iPhone experience. I talked to a representative from Sling and he expressed frustration at the situation and added "we're working on it."
Kindle's active content given 100KB free monthly bandwidth allowance
We were wondering how Kindle's impending active content (read: apps) would be harnessing that free Whispernet bandwidth. As it turns out, there's just a smidgen allowed for gratis. According to the terms laid out by Amazon, there's a 70 / 30 revenue split, with that smaller percentage going to Bezos and co. "net of delivery fees of $0.15 / MB." The price tiers is a little simpler: apps can be free if their download over 3G is less than 1MB and they use less than 100KB per month, per user. Apps between 1MB and 10MB require a one-time purchase fee that offsets the bandwidth usage, and likewise a subscription fee is needed for those that plan on allowing over 100KB of a monthly data streaming. (To put that in perspective, this post -- just the copy -- is 4KB. That image above is 120KB.) Anything over 10MB requires a download over WiFi, and the maximum file size is 100MB... and if anyone manages to justify a 100MB app that runs on a greyscale E Ink display, color us impressed.
Experiencing the iChat woes? Try the Connection Doctor
Now in its fifth iteration, iChat has gained a host of features as it has matured. However, the addition of new features has brought on new complexities and requirements, including both hardware and bandwidth issues. For instance, at the time of its release, iChat 3 users needed a minimum of a Dual 1 GHz G4 and a 384 Kbps Internet connection to initiate a four-way video conference on iChat 3. Photobooth and Backdrop effects, which came along in iChat 4, call for a minimum an Intel Core Duo processor. And then, of course, one must climb the proverbial firewall. Fortunately, there's iChat's Connection Doctor. Besides telling you what your system is capable of (for example, screen sharing, multiperson video conferences and video recording) and the audio and video quality of your video chat (resolution and frame rate), the Connection Doctor can also tell you if networking issues (i.e., a firewall or port issue) are the source of your video conferencing maladies. To launch iChat's Connection Doctor, click on "Video" on iChat's menu and then select "Connection Doctor." It's just what the doctor ordered.
Operation Cuckoo to oppose Operation Chokehold
In what sounds like the title of the worst Bruce Willis movie ever, a group of pro-AT&T Facebook users are up in arms about Operation Chokehold. Let's start from the beginning. Earlier this week, AT&T's chief executive of Mobility, Ralph de la Vega stated that he wants iPhone users to limit their data usage. Customers became literally furious with rage and, encouraged by Fake Steve Jobs, vowed to do the polar opposite: simultaneously run the most data-hungry apps on Friday, December 18th. Thus, Operation Chokehold was born. There's even a Facebook event for it. Now, some other Facebook users with Stockholm Syndrome have formed a counter-group called Operation Cuckoo. From their manifesto: "... you don't urge AT&T to improve its network and terms by attempting to bring it down or violating your contract with the entity. Much the same as you don't put out a fire with a gasoline shower." Yes, Fake Steve's little stunt is childish and in all likelihood not to be taken seriously (though AT&T is not amused). But if my own iPhone is rendered AT&T-free on Friday because of this bit of nonsense, I'll be pissed. [Via iPhone Savior]
Will AT&T introduce usage-based pricing?
Ralph de la Vega, AT&T head of consumer services, has hinted at usage-based pricing strategies in response to increased consumer data consumption, according to stories on the Huffington Post and Reuters newsfeed. De la Vega spoke at a recent USB investor conference, saying that AT&T was working on improving service to the strained New York and San Francisco services. AT&T may soon introduce pricing tiers that would penalize high-bandwidth users. Although none of these write-ups mentioned the iPhone, it has facilitated greater and greater network demands with its easy-to-use App Store software and fully-rendered Internet access. That access, using Mobile Safari's browser in particular, was a big selling point in early Apple iPhone commercials. Although App Store has historically limited high-bandwidth applications to Wi-Fi-only usage, AT&T has recently given the go-ahead to allow Voice-over-IP apps like Skype to use their 3G network. A tiered pricing system for greater usage might help offset increased demand but would need to be backed by an enhanced network infrastructure, which AT&T appears to be building. The 2-year contracts for the new 3GS iPhones introduced this summer will begin to expire in the 2nd quarter of 2011. TUAW has contacted AT&T's PR department to request a statement about possible pricing tiers and usage choking but did not hear back by the time this post went live.
Buffalo outs USB 3.0 ExpressCard adapter, we see a trend coming
After our adventure in figuring out the particular ExpressCard version of the StarTech USB 3.0 adapter, here's Buffalo joining the fray and, naturally, there's zero indication about whether this is an ExpressCard 1.0 or 2.0 device. The difference is that with the latter you can get all the way up to 5Gbps theoretical throughput, which is just above the USB 3.0 max rating of 4.8Gbps (typically advertised as 5Gbps), whereas the former hardware will get you only up to 2.5Gbps. Considering there's a pair of USB SuperSpeed ports on there, you'll want to make doubly sure you're getting what you think you are. Or, given that early bird UK e-tailers are listing it for £35 ($57; no stock yet), you could just order one up and pray to Cthulhu that you get the maximally awesome stuff.
Love opens up logins for alpha testers
A while back, we mentioned that the Love alpha client was available for download, so you can run the engine on your system and help the one-man-developer, Eskil Steenberg, with gathering data for his server. Eskil has gotten done that portion, however, and has now opened the anticipated game for alpha testing audiences.Eskil has stressed on his website that much of what Love is now may not be what the game is in a few months or years, and that alpha will be chock full 'o bugs. Things may have been going really well for him, but he is giving no one any assurances on how well the alpha will function.For those interested in Eskil's project, the open alpha will cost you 3 Euros (about $4.50) so Eskil can pay for the servers and bandwidth. Eskil has also posted the full information on what the account creation page does, which can be found in the middle of his information on Love's alpha test.
New 'flow router' may save the Internet from collapsing under the weight of all your v-blog posts
The prospects of a Future Inevitable Internet Collapse™ has some of our readers seriously freaked out. You know the type -- they live in places like Idaho and Montana, in fortified mountaintop retreats, where they hoard digital media like it was canned food in December 1999. And concerns over bandwidth aren't limited to a lunatic fringe -- no less august a publication than IEEE Spectrum has recently posted an article by Lawrence G. Roberts (who pretty much helped invent the modern router) in which he discusses the state of the Internet. According to Roberts, our current routers are still designed to handle much smaller amounts of data than they are currently pushing. Streaming data only works at all, he says, due to extreme over-provisioning -- "Network operators," he says, are throwing "bandwidth at a problem that really requires a computing solution." One possible solution is something called "flow management." Instead of routing each packet individually, a flow router attaches an ID to each packet in a specific stream ("flow"). After the first packet is routed, each subsequent packet with the same ID is sent along the same route -- cutting down on time and on the amount of lost packets. Roberts' company, Anagran, has one such device on the market now -- the FR-1000, which he says consumes one fifth the power of a comparable (traditional) router, one tenth the space, and should reduce operating costs in GB/s by a factor of ten. And this, dear readers, may be the key to the survival of the Internet -- that is, until the robots get us.
Blizzard renews TeliaSonera agreement
Blizzard has renewed their agreement with a company called TeliaSonera to provide bandwidth for them in Europe. They just made a very similar deal with AT&T for the US -- it's the bandwidth that connects their servers to the millions of connections that lead back to your computer as you play World of Warcraft. Paul Sams, Blizzard COO, says they've been pleased with the service, and that the contract renewal was for two years.It's interesting that we've seen Blizzard keep both of these agreements intact, but we already know that they'll cancel relationships they don't see as working (with the notable example of Netease's takeover in China). Of course, there are tons of factors that go into players' connections (including this server connection as well as your own ISP, your router and computer, and a number of other facilities and stops in between), but it would seem that Blizzard is happy with the way things are going in both the EU and the US with these providers. Of course everyone's personal experiences are different, and we've certainly seen our share of connection issues, but in general, the infrastructure on the networks is in a pretty good place.[via WorldofWar]
Doomsday alert: internet to become an "unreliable toy" in 2012
Okay, so first things first -- we all know the world's on track to end in 2012, so it's not like this really matters. But if, just if it manages to survive (à la Y2K), you can pretty much bank on a mass reversal of culture as we all push aside our netbooks and return to the playground. According to some "research" slated to be fully published "later this year," PCs and laptops are apt to "operate at a much reduced speed, rendering the internet an unreliable toy" from 2012 onward. The reason? Massive growth in internet demand, which is undoubtedly on pace to crush existing infrastructure that can't ever be improved upon by anyone, regardless of their market capitalization or determination to expand. It's noted that the internet itself will somehow survive, but that users will begin to see "brownouts," which are described as "a combination of temporary freezing and computers being reduced to a slow speed." Thank heavens for FinallyFast, right? Psst... the solution to all of this is just past the break.[Thanks, Colin]
