Wireless

Review
April 24, 2013
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Review
Samsung Galaxy S4 review

Samsung Galaxy S4 review

By on April 24, 2013 at 12:01 AM.

Samsung Galaxy S4 review

What company is rolling out an iterative update to its best-selling smartphone in the world? One that builds upon the success of the previous model, yet for the most part retains the same shape, design, and form of last year’s phone? If you guessed Apple, you’d be wrong. The brand new Samsung Galaxy S4 improves upon the Galaxy S III in almost every way, but with HTC’s One already winning on materials and even user interface design, can Samsung build on its current momentum without reinventing the home button? More →

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Legal
April 22, 2013
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HTC can't catch a break: Now faces European injunction for HTC One

HTC can’t catch a break, now faces European injunction for HTC One

By on April 22, 2013 at 4:45 PM.

HTC can’t catch a break, now faces European injunction for HTC One

HTC may have made the world’s best Android phone with the HTC One, but the company has had trouble getting the device to potential customers in a timely manner. In addition to the HTC One’s delayed release date, the device is now facing an injunction granted by a Dutch court to rival manufacturer Nokia, which is alleging that key microphone components used for the HTC One violate an exclusivity deal between Nokia and ST Microelectronics. An unnamed source tells Engadget that “the issue is likely to be a breach of an NDA between Nokia and ST Electronics as the phone maker asserts that the ‘microphone components [were] invented by and manufactured exclusively for Nokia.’” While this sort of case may be irritating for European consumers who are hoping to get their hands on the HTC One, Engadget helpfully notes that at least it isn’t yet another patent dispute.

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Business
May 8, 2012
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Wireless carriers continue to battle phone subsidies

By on May 8, 2012 at 7:45 AM.

Wireless carriers continue to battle phone subsidies

Wireless carriers continue to battle phone subsidies

Wireless carriers have traditionally made money off lengthy two-year service agreements, rather than physical device sales. In the age of smartphones, however, carriers are footing the bill for expensive handsets that result in smaller margins, while phone makers such as Apple reap the benefits. To combat traditional phone subsidies, carriers in the U.S. have continued to raise monthly rates and employ new and higher fees. In Europe, service providers are taking more aggressive measures, with some carriers refusing to subsidize devices for new customers. The carriers’ latest cries of resistance are drawing applause from investors and analysts alike, who say carriers could benefit more from the smartphone boom if they raise contract prices and slow the rate at which customers buy new phones. More →

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mobile
March 28, 2012
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NTIA to make 95Mhz of ‘prime spectrum’ available to wireless carriers

By on March 28, 2012 at 8:30 PM.

NTIA to make 95Mhz of ‘prime spectrum’ available to wireless carriers

The United States Department of Commerce and National Telecommunications and Information Administration on Tuesday announced that the federal government has repurposed 95MHz of “prime spectrum” within the 1755-1850MHz band. As per President Obama’s request, the NTIA has been collaborating with the FCC in an effort to make 500MHz of spectrum available for commercial use over the next 10 years, nearly doubling the amount currently available. “Today’s report sets a path for putting prime spectrum into commercial wireless broadband use, in support of the Obama Administration’s goal to encourage investment and innovation while enhancing America’s economic competitiveness,” said NTIA Administrator Lawrence E. Strickling. The NTIA has previously recommended the reallocation of 115 MHz of spectrum, and with today’s announcement, federal agencies have contributed 40% of spectrum to the President’s goal. “Spectrum is a finite resource in growing demand, and we need to focus on new ways to maximize its use,” said Strickling. “By working with the FCC, other federal agencies, and the industry, we can make more spectrum available to fuel innovation and preserve America’s technological leadership while protecting vital government missions.” Read on for the NTIA’s press release. More →

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mobile
January 23, 2012
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Apple reportedly looking to adopt 802.11ac 5G Gigabit Wi-Fi this year

By on January 23, 2012 at 9:15 PM.

Apple reportedly looking to adopt 802.11ac 5G Gigabit Wi-Fi this year

Apple may be looking to incorporate support for 802.11ac Wi-Fi specification into the company’s products this year, according to a report from AppleInsider. The new standard offers three times the speed of the 802.11n standard, capable of achieving speeds of over 1 Gigabit per second. The Cupertino-based company is expected to “rapidly deploy support” of the new standard into AirPort base stations, Time Capsules, the Apple TV, notebooks and possibly mobile devices, according to the report. Even though the official standard has yet to be finalized, multiple suppliers have already announced chipsets supporting it — one of those is key Apple component maker Broadcom, which announced chips supporting the standard earlier this month at the Consumer Electronics Show. In addition to faster speeds, 802.11ac promises better networking range, improved reliability and more power efficient chips due to advances in reducing chip size and enhanced power management. More →

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Business
January 18, 2012
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LightSquared and former FCC chief engineer say GPS tests were rigged

By on January 18, 2012 at 11:15 AM.

LightSquared and former FCC chief engineer say GPS tests were rigged

LightSquared and former FCC chief engineer Edmond Thomas on Wednesday said the GPS test devices that were used by the National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation and Timing Executive Committee (PNT EXCOM) to test its new network were rigged by “manufacturers of GPS receivers and government end users to produce bogus results.” The company said that devices from GPS manufacturers, which have claimed LightSquared’s network interferes with GPS communications, were “cherry picked” in secret and that independent authorities were not allowed to partake or oversee the tests or test results. In addition, LightSquared said the tests focused on obsolete technology that is only used in “niche market devices” and that are “least able to withstand potential interference” from wireless networks. Read on for more. More →

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mobile
January 7, 2012
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More than 50% of mobile phones sold this year will be 3G or 4G capable

By on January 7, 2012 at 12:01 AM.

More than 50% of mobile phones sold this year will be 3G or 4G capable

More than 50% of all phones sold this year will be capable of running on 4G or 3G data networks, according to a new report from ABI Research. “As the festive cheer of the holiday season dies away, the mood among handset vendors remains quietly confident regarding 2012,” Jake Saunders, vice president of forecasting for ABI Research said. “The outlook will yield growth in the order of 8%, netting 1.67 billion handsets shipped worldwide by the end of 2012. Particularly notable is for the first time, 3G and 4G handset shipments will capture more than 50% of total handsets shipped.” Read on for more. More →

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Business
January 5, 2012
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Global telecommunications industry revenue to reach $2.1 trillion in 2012

By on January 5, 2012 at 7:30 AM.

Global telecommunications industry revenue to reach $2.1 trillion in 2012

Worldwide telecommunications industry revenue is set to reach $2.1 trillion this year according to market research firm Insight Research Corp. Despite the rocky global economy, industry revenue will grow further at an average annual rate of 5.3% to $2.7 trillion in 2017. The Asian region is seen as a key market and wireless revenue there is expected to grow 64%. Mobile broadband services and the transition from 3G to 4G will also be key growth drivers. “Despite global economic uncertainty, the telecommunications industry is showing strong revenue growth, which is being driven by consumer Internet usage and business mobility solutions. These are enabling new applications,” Insight Research analyst Fran Caulfield said in a statement. “Even amidst so much economic uncertainty, the fact remains that telecommunications is a key factor in economic growth. Telecommunications facilitates socio-economic advancement and is a critical utility for economic development, much like water and energy.” The firm’s full press release follows below. More →

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mobile
December 28, 2011
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Airtight brings Apple AirPlay to Google TV

By on December 28, 2011 at 5:40 PM.

Airtight brings Apple AirPlay to Google TV

Apple iOS users have long been able to take advantage of the company’s wireless streaming feature, AirPlay, that is built into all iPads, iPhones, and iPod touch devices. Airtight is a new app that just arrived in the Android Market, and it gives Android users the same wireless streaming capacity. The app is available for Google TV boxes running at least Android 3.0, and will allow users to stream content from their iOS devices right to their televisions using AirPlay. While Airtight will allow users to stream photos and videos, full mirroring of a device and DRM-protected media is unsupported in the current version. Airtight’s developers plan to further expand the capabilities of the app and are looking to include music as well as the rest of AirPlay’s functionality in the future. Airtight is available immediately for $0.99 in the Android Market. More →

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Featured
December 26, 2011
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Looking back at 2011: 4G LTE takes off

By on December 26, 2011 at 2:20 PM.

Looking back at 2011: 4G LTE takes off

LTE quickly became one of the most talked about wireless topics this year, but before 2011 it was a term most consumers probably had never heard of. A standard developed by the Third-Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), long-term evolution (LTE) is a progression of UMTS/HSPA and GSM/EDGE networks. Just a year ago, 4G LTE wasn’t available to the general U.S. public and now, as we begin to enter 2012, a massive chunk of the U.S. population has access to it. 4G spread like a wildfire during 2011, so let’s take a look at some of this year’s LTE highlights. More →

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mobile
December 23, 2011
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SIMPLE Mobile introduces $10 international calling plans

By on December 23, 2011 at 5:30 PM.

SIMPLE Mobile introduces $10 international calling plans

SIMPLE Mobile recently introduced two new international calling plans. Customers can now opt to sign up for a $10 unlimited international long distance plan or a $10 pay-as-you-go option. The $10 monthly unlimited plan allows customers to place calls to more than 50 countries including to Canada, the Dominican Republic and Mexico. The $10 pay-as-you-go option can be used to place calls to any country in the world at low per-minute rates, and the full list is available on SIMPLE Mobile’s website. The carrier also noted that international text messaging is included. “We continue to offer free international text messaging with all our current plans and our totally new international calling plans are the perfect compliment to that feature,” SIMPLE Mobile senior vice president of marketing Tim Garrett said. “The majority of SIMPLE Mobile customers have friends and family outside of the US, so these upgrades will definitely appeal to them.” Simple Mobile’s full press release follows after the break. More →

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mobile
November 15, 2011
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Steve Jobs wanted to circumvent carriers, create Apple wireless network

By on November 15, 2011 at 6:45 PM.

Steve Jobs wanted to circumvent carriers, create Apple wireless network

During the Law Seminars International event in Seattle on Tuesday, Trilogy Partners chairman John Stanton said he spoke frequently with Steve Jobs about Jobs’s dream to create a wireless network owned and operated by Apple. “He wanted to replace carriers,” Stanton explained. “He and I spent a lot of time talking about whether synthetically you could create a carrier using Wi-Fi spectrum. That was part of his vision,” Stanton added, noting that he worked with Steve Jobs from 2005 through 2007. Jobs originally wanted to take advantage of unlicensed spectrum that Wi-Fi networks use, although it is unclear how advanced his plans or intentions for such a project were. Jobs reportedly nixed the idea in 2007 and, four years later, the iPhone is now available on three major U.S. wireless carriers and one regional carrier. IDG, which first reported the story, said Stanton was the former head of Voicestream before it became T-Mobile, and he also worked for McCaw Cellular, which later became AT&T. More →

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mobile
October 11, 2011
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There are now more wireless subscriber connections in the U.S. than people

By on October 11, 2011 at 2:30 PM.

There are now more wireless subscriber connections in the U.S. than people

For the first time, the number of wireless devices connecting to cellular networks in the United States and its territories over the past six months has surpassed the country’s total population. A semi-annual survey conducted by the CTIA found that wireless subscriber connections now total 327.6 million while the population of the U.S. and its territories is now 315.5 million people. This means the wireless penetration rate in the U.S. in now 103.9% according to the CTIA, marking the first time that wireless penetration has surpassed 100% in the U.S. The CTIA also noted that wireless data connections increased 111% compared to its previous semi-annual survey, and wireless service revenue in the U.S. totaled $164.6 billion during the 12-month period ending June 2011, up 6% from the same period in 2010. The association’s full press release follows below. More →

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