Is This the New iPhone?
by Paul Miller, posted May 2nd 2008 at 9:44AM
[Thanks, Janvier]
Posts with tag 3g
[Thanks, Janvier]
3G iPhone Expected On June 9?
We've been awaiting the announcement of the 3G iPhone since, well, the announcement of the first-gen iPhone ages ago. Many were disappointed at that first announcement that Apple's first phone wouldn't take advantage of the fastest wireless network features of the day and felt sure that the company would rectify it later with an updated phone. Now, analysts believe, we're not far from the release of the newer, faster iPhones, and they also believe we'll see some other, cheaper iPhone models as well.
A few weeks ago AT&T's Mobility CEO indicated that the 3G iPhone was coming within three months, and this latest report backs that up. Then there's the rumored "2.5G" iPhone, which will feature the same basic features as the original iPhone in a slightly redesigned package, also at a lower price: between $299 and $349. It's expected that these phones will be announced on June 9, during a Worldwide Developers Conference keynote that Steve Jobs will give, and, in typical Apple style, will find its way to retailers not long after.
So, again, while we'd hate to hinder Apple's plans to sell 10-million iPhones this year, we also say that right now seems like a really bad time to upgrade if you were thinking of investing in one of Apple's wunder-phones. Wait a couple of months -- you'll thank us later. [Source: PC World]
New Nike+ iPod Going Wi-Fi and 3G
by Thomas Ricker, posted Apr 11th 2008 at 9:10AM
This, of course, leads to all kinds of speculation with regard to Apple's "lifestyle companion" patent we showed you last month. 3G support would presumably allow for real-time coaching and uploads of your training activity through the Nike Plus website.
So let's see... cellphone (check), iPod (check), Internet device (check), handheld gaming (almost), and now a Nike lifestyle companion (could be).
Evidence of 3G iPhone in Software Update?
S-GOLD3 is a 3G cell phone chip capable of downloading data at 7.2 megabits per second, about three dozen times faster than the current EDGE network the iPhone is saddled with. Currently AT&T's network is only capable of 3.6 megabits down, but that is plenty fast for a truly rich internet browsing experience.
The chip also adds support for higher resolution cameras (5 megapixels instead of 2) and an SD/MMC slot. This just adds to the mounting evidence that an iPhone with a blazing fast 3G data connection is right around the corner.
From Engadget
What's 4G and Should You Even Care?
by Will Safer, posted Apr 9th 2008 at 5:23PM
When people talk about the future of wireless communication, they sometimes speak of 4G, which is short for Fourth Generation Communications System. This is a still pretty much undefined area of wireless communications, but simply put, it means fast data, voice, and streaming content everywhere you go at any time. And so its also the topic of much interest for wireless companies, such as AT&T and Verizon, which just announced some of their goals for the bigger, better, faster wireless Internet. The FCC is starting to let these companies talk about their plans for the standard, which they say will allow better applications to be developed for wireless gaming, smartphone functionality and remote control of digital video recorders, among other tasks.
While 4G functionality and devices are still a ways off from being available (and 3G is still really in the implementation stage, as well), the fact that the wireless spectrum is being made available for use and development is a big step that could lead to powerful applications being created for personal and business use -- and, of course, to new revenue streams for the service providers (and we all know that's one of the biggest motivating factors for these companies).
The 4G standard will be able to provide speeds from 100 megabits per second to 1 gigabit per second both indoors and outdoors, with the promise of greater quality and security (and we all know that's something personal and business users want).
What could this mean for you, dear reader? Well, right now, not a whole lot. But soon you'll start to see devices and products, both wireless and plugged in at home, that are more completely integrated.
From BetaNews.
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Faster 3G iPhone Coming Within Three Months
When it comes to gadgets, it seems there always has to be a fly in the ointment. For the iPhone, it's slow network speed. Yes, the device is a lovely piece of kit, with a smooth, functional UI (user interface) and a nice form-factor, but -- due to the slower AT&T EDGE network -- it doesn't deliver the speeds for Web surfing or e-mail downloading that competing 3G phones offer.
As a result, even since the iPhone's launch, there's been talk of a 3G version of the phone, which would offer considerably faster downloads. It's been mostly rumors, but now we have a pretty clear indication that the 3G iPhone will be out by this summer. That's because earlier this week, AT&T's Mobility CEO spilled the beans at a press event and told reporters that all of AT&T's smart devices would be offered in 3G flavors within the next three months, including the iPhone.
So, faster iPhones are good news, right? Yes, but there's still a catch: You won't be able to upgrade your current phones. If you took the plunge as an early adopter, or even if you waited a good six months before buying in, you're still going to be stuck with slower speeds than those who waited until this summer. Alas, those are the breaks.
But this is great news for anyone who held off on buying an iPhone, which is still most people. To those people, we would say wait until this summer before you plunk down any cash for an iPhone.
From TUAW
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Faster iPhones Expected Before Summer
The other shoe may be about to drop for those who have been holding off on buying an iPhone: According to analysts at Bank of America, Apple is expected to launch a high-speed (read: 3G) version of the device in the second quarter of 2008.
"Our latest channel checks point to a significant production build of a 3G iPhone beginning in the month of June after an initial small build in May," Bank of America analyst Scott Craig told Reuters. This falls in line with the thoughts of many other analysts, who have said they expect Apple to launch an advanced iPhone around that time -- right around Apple's World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC).
AT&T said last year it expects to be able to sell a 3G version of iPhone in 2008, but it declined to comment on specific launch dates last week.
From Reuters
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Chrysler to Offer Wireless Internet Access In Its Cars
Chrysler is looking to pick up its sagging sales by being the first to offer in-car Internet access in the U.S. Later this year, an unspecified mobile broadband (read: cellular data) radio will be offered as an option on Chrysler vehicles, with the goal of making it standard on all of the company's cars down the road. Inside the new cars, a Wi-Fi router will be installed to allow any Wi-Fi-enabled device to take advantage of the connection. That means no wasting your cell phone battery or messing with add-on cards to get your laptop online from the road. You'd simply connect to the car's Wi-Fi as you would to your home network.
At least initially, charges for a cellular data plan will apply.
From Engadget
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Verizon Reveals More Open Access Details
As promised Verizon offered up some more details about its open access plans, though some questions were still left unanswered, such as the specific requirements for certification and the price of getting devices certified.
By the second half of the year, the program should be in full swing. All retailers and handset makers will have to do is get their devices certified by Verizon, which claims the requirements are only slightly stronger than industry standards. There will be no limitations on the phones or software that can be run, which means by the end of the year we're sure to see Android and other platforms working on Verizon's high-speed EV-DO cellular data system.
There were two very exciting revelations about Verizon's plans. One, that the open access system will be extended to the company's 4G LTE ultra-high-speed data network, which should enter testing phases by the end of the decade. And two, that Verizon is considering a multi-device flat-rate subscription, which would allow you to use multiple devices on the network for the price of one.
From Engadget and Reuters
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OQO's Tiny PC Is First Computer On Sprint's New Wi-Max Network
You may not be familiar with the OQO 02 but the company is making some big announcements today regarding its pre-UMPC UMPC (Ultra-Mobile PC). This tiny little device is a getting trio of upgrades that make the miniature Via-powered Windows computer even more lust worthy.
First up is a 64-gigabyte SSD (Solid State Drive). The 64-gig of Flash won't hold your massive collection of illegally downloaded movies, but it will make loading the bloated Vista and other applications dramatically faster. Then the company has fit the diminutive device with a sunlight readable screen, so when it warms up and gets sunny you can take this bad boy to the park and check your e-mail while everyone else does the things you're supposed to do in a park.
Lastly, and certainly not least, the OQO 02 now has Wi-Max, a 4G wireless technology that is just now beginning to see the light of day in the U.S. OQO has partnered with Sprint to make the OQO 02 the first device capable of running on Sprint's Xohm Wi-Max network. Xohm should average download speeds between 2 and 4 megabits per second, more than 2 to 4 times the speed of Sprint's current EVDO network. At speeds like that, streaming high-quality video over the air shouldn't be a problem, and, at last, thank goodness, the difference between access on your home PC and your mobile phone or mobile-broadband-capable computer won't be all that discernable.
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AT&T CEO Says High-Speed 3G iPhone Coming Next Year
>AT&T CEO, Randall Stephenson, told Bloomberg that the 3G iPhone that we had all hoped for is coming next year. Most of us expected the addition of near-broadband data capability to the iPhone, but confirmation such as this lets us rest easy since the device's current slower EDGE network (for surfing the Web and getting e-mail) is so five years ago! No date or any specifics are known beyond that, but presumably the phone will run on the same HSDPA network that the new BlackJack II uses.
Stephenson cited battery life as the reason the first generation was saddled with the pokey EDGE data network, saying that 3G chipsets are "real power hogs." Stephenson says the faster download speeds of AT&T's HSDPA network will come as battery technology improves, and hopes to get the talk time back up in the five-hours-plus range.
What does this mean for you? Well, if you haven't bought an iPhone already and can wait up to a year for the latest and greatest, you should definitely hold off! This is a real boon to anybody who's got a year left on their Sprint, T-Mobile or Verizon Wireless accounts.
From Bloomberg (via Engadget)
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T-Mobile Finally Getting High-Speed 3G?
According the Inquirer, there will be a major announcement regarding the oft-rumored and much-needed 3G upgrade for T-Mobile in the United States. The announcement is supposedly set for December 6th, just over a week away. This would mean that T-Mobile users might one day finally be able to get the near-broadband speeds for Web surfing and music and video downloading on their phones that people with Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T accounts have had for months and even years.
T-Mobile has been sitting on 3G capable spectrum since 2006, and even launched its first 3G capable phone, the Samsung T639, back in October, but still no mention of a network has been forthcoming.
Don't get too excited, though. Even if T-Mobile does unveil its new high -peed data network next Thursday, it is likely going to be a long time before there is widespread availability. Networks take a while to build out and it is unlikely that a company as high profile as T-Mobile could build it up in complete secrecy.
From The Inquirer
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T-Mobile Launches First 3G Phone
The U.S. arm of T-Mobile is joining the rest of America's cell-phone carriers in the 21st-century by preparing to deploy its high-speed 3G wireless data network... or so we assume/hope.
The carrier began selling the Samsung T639 handset, the first T-Mobile device to be capable of running on a 3G network. The new phone carries a radio that allows it to work on a WCDMA network at 1700 Mhz, the same band of wireless real estate that T-Mobile licensed in 2006, presumably to build out its 3G network.
T-Mobile is quite behind in the wireless data speed race though. Sprint and Verizon have had high-speed EV-DO networks since 2005, and Cingular joined the party with its HSDPA network in 2006, which means that subscribers to any of those carriers have been able to surf the Web or download songs and videos on their phones at near-broadband speeds anywhere there's a cell phone signal. All three networks have pretty good coverage and Sprint and Verizon are already talking up their 4G networks intended to make EV-DO look quaint.
We're psyched about this news because T-Mobile has some pretty cool phones (first out of the gate with the BlackBerry Pearl, new Sidekicks) and fun, money-saving features (like MyFavs).
From BetaNews
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AT&T Boosts Data Speeds for iPhone?
One of the iPhone's major shortfalls is the fact that it runs on AT&T's aging EDGE network, which, in terms of download speeds, pales in comparison to true 3G networks such as Verizon's EVDO. You ever notice how the ads showing the iPhone's Web capabilities never show the actual loading of an Internet page? That's because it would be embarrassing! EDGE is capped at 100 kilobits per second, which is about twice the speed of the fastest dial-up connection, though real-life performance is often only about half of that. EVDO, on the other hand, can hit 1.4 megabits per second (with real life-speeds between 500 to 600 kilobits per second), while AT&T's own HSDPA network has a max of 1.8 megabits per second (real life at about 700 to 900 kilobytes per second).
But, it appears AT&T has given EDGE a modest speed boost just in time for iPhone. Our own tests of the network are averaging 170 kilobits per second, while other users are reporting speeds even higher than that. All of this is probably thanks to a rumored project called 'Fine Edge' that was meant to boost EDGE throughput ahead of the iPhone launch. It's almost as if AT&T simply threw a switch and everything got faster, which makes you wonder: What took so long?
From Engadget
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Fast and Slim New Phones for AT&T
The newly re-branded AT&T (formerly Cingular) is certainly coming out swinging, first locking down exclusivity on the iPhone for a whopping five years, and now scoring exclusivity on Samsung's latest two models. The svelte SGH-a717 and SGH-a727 models look sophisticated with their matte black skins, and both feature similar specs. The a717 flip-phone offers high-speed 3G data connectivity, compatibility with AT&T's music and video streaming services, and a two-megapixel camera that does stills and video. The phone is also compatible with Video Share, AT&T's new feature that lets one person share live video with another person in the middle of a phone call. (The service hasn't launched yet, but we're guessing it'll be out before summer's end.)
The a727 (pictured, right) offers the same features as the a717, but in a super-slim candybar-style phone, though it gets stuck with a 1.3 megapixel camera. (Basically it's as slim as our favorite flat phone, the Slice from T-Mobile, but with 3G , Video Share, and Cingular Music capability.)
If you're looking for a super slim phone that won't bulge in your pocket, the a727 is now the one to beat, in our view.
Gallery: Samsung and AT&T Phones
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