Internet video streaming services like Netflix and Hulu were once heralded for their forward-thinking, allowing consumers the option to migrate away from expensive cable, satellite, or fiber paid TV services in favor of cheaper monthly subscription costs. However, that may change as Hulu, which is owned by a Provident Equity and a consortium of TV [...]
A few years ago, Microsoft had laid out preliminary details of what a connected home and home automation would look like, and now the company has released a new white paper stating that it has already begun trialing its new proprietary HomeOS in a dozen homes. HomeOS was created initially out of a vision made [...]
There are reports that Microsoft may try to spinoff and offload its Bing search engine service as pressures mount from inside and outside Microsoft. The idea is said to be opposed by current CEO Steve Ballmer, who says that Bing is a core strategic asset for the company as it tries to integrate Bing into [...]
It was as predictable as a Swiss watch. Yesterday Google formally announced its Google Drive product, that allows users to store files, documents, etc… on Google’s servers and access those files as if they were stored on a local hard drive. As we’ve seen time and time again these kind of services raise privacy issues. [...]
While modern cellular phones and smartphones have essentially replaced the need for pay phones, New York City isn’t entirely giving up on the concept of a communal communications terminal. Manhattan will be replacing its old pay phone booths with new booths that feature Internet connectivity and smart screens that will give visitors and locals access [...]
Apple made a big deal about the iPad in education when they kicked off the year with iTunes U and a major eTextbook initiative. The push, is to get iPads into classrooms and take a cut of textbook sales, but it looks like Apple may have to settle for the hardware cut — at least [...]
AT&T has expressed its intent on moving to shared data plans in the future, but unlike rival Verizon Wireless which gave a broad timeline on when that may happen, AT&T Mobility has not given specifics about its plans. Shared data plans, also referred to as family data plans or shared family data, would allow users [...]
After AT&T had abandoned its unlimited data offering just before the launch of the iPhone 4, the carrier allowed customers already on the unlimited offering to retain their plans while offering new tiered plans to new subscribers. At the time, AT&T just cautioned that it would begin to throttle users who were in the top [...]
According to a leaked screenshot to Engadget, Verizon Wireless may be getting ready to deploy its family shared data plans soon. The carrier had promised the feature would be coming this year, and now it looks like employees are seeing the feature in their online training material. It appears that sharing data would cost $9.99 [...]
At CES, we caught up to the Nokia folks at breakfast, who confirmed that the Nokia Lumia 900 will debut on AT&T’s network with tethering, or Internet sharing, straight out of the box. The feature was notably absent on Nokia’s Lumia 800, but thanks to the additional time between the launch of the 800 and [...]
In addition to introducing the LTE editions of the Galaxy Nexus and the LG Viper for its network, Sprint also showed off a mobile hotspot for its LTE network that it is building out. The Sierra Wireless Tri-Network Hotspot will be compatible with Sprint’s 3G CDMA Network, the legacy 4G WiMax network, the 4G LTE [...]
When Verizon Wireless had launched 4G LTE devices around a year ago, those devices commanded premium price points, launching at around $250-$300. Thanks to the maturing 4G LTE technology, more carriers into the LTE space, and competition, we’re beginning to see prices for devices softening, which will hopefully lead to more adoption of LTE devices [...]
Sprint announced three new 4G LTE devices as CES kicks off. The carrier, which has in the past operated on rival 4G WiMax technology, is now beginning its transition to LTE technology as part of its Network Vision strategy to offer customers more robust and faster mobile broadband speeds, which will allow faster downloads and [...]
There were rampant reports that Sprint, despite its commercials and prior statements, would begin throttling customers on its network. Dow Jones reported that Sprint CEO Dan Hesse says that customers who are in the top 1% of data hogs will be throttled, or capped on their download and upload speeds. Hesse and Sprint’s PR team [...]
With each successive generation of iPhone hardware and iOS software, Apple mobile users are finding it increasingly easier to consume more data. Thanks in part not just to the availability of digital content ranging from apps, ebooks, digital magazines and newspapers, audiobooks, podcasts, videos, TV shows, movies, and more, the upgrades that carriers like AT&T [...]
Set back by a number of recent 4G LTE outages that is marring Verizon Wireless’ reputation as ‘America’s Most Reliable Network’–per the company’s previous marketing campaigns surrounding its 3G network–the carrier has finally gone on record to explain what is happening, what it is doing to prevent the problems in the future, and what it’s [...]
Confirming our earlier San Francisco, California speed tests for Verizon’s launched 4G LTE network against AT&T’s un-announced soft-launched LTE network in the city’s downtown shopping center, it appears that AT&T’s LTE speeds are edging out Verizon’s speeds. The result, even in its early stages, is quite impressive as we–and perhaps the rest of the geek [...]
Verizon’s 4G LTE network is awesome when it works, yielding fast uploads and even faster download speeds. However, since the network launched, there have been periods of small intermittent outages at night and a few instances of longer outages that last for hours. Whatever the cause(s) of these outages, Verizon Wireless has in the past [...]
In the past, GSM owners of the iPhone could either choose to stick with AT&T for 3G HSPA coverage, or opt to unlock their devices through whatever means and use it on T-Mobile’s more economical plans in the U.S. on 2G EDGE service. Now, the nation’s fourth largest carrier is making the choice a little [...]
U.S. wireless carrier Sprint is updating its latest BlackBerry Bold 9930 and BlackBerry Torch 9850 smartphones to BlackBerry OS 7.1, which brings mobile hotspot capabilities to these new BlackBerry devices on Sprint’s 3G Now Network. Mobile hotspot capabilities would allow these BlackBerry phones to share their 3G mobile broadband connections over WiFi to other WiFi-capable [...]
Those on Windows Phone now have another app to look forward to. While Pandora itself isn’t officially available on Microsoft’s growing platform, a third-party developer had stepped in to fill the void for those who want free streaming radio with personalized listening in the form of MetroRadio, which taps Pandora’s streaming service. According to Marketplace [...]
Though Verizon Wireless executives have hinted about family data plans, or shared data plans, in the past, CEO Lowell McAdam has finally gone on record to give the initiative a launch timeline sometime in 2012. Under family data plans, users with multiple data-hungry devices–including tablets, embedded computers and notebooks, netbooks, USB modems, MiFi and mobile [...]
Since netting the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S on its network, Sprint customers have complained that the iPhone runs slower on the Now Network than Verizon’s, which operates a similar CDMA/EV-DO 3G network, and AT&T’s, which runs a GSM/HSPA+ 3G/4G network. The good news is that Sprint is listening to vocal customers and the carrier [...]
While Sprint is still pushing on for unlimited data plans on phones and smartphones, the Now Network has unveiled lower pricing and more tiers to bring mobile broadband data within the reach of consumers who are eyeing tablets, netbooks, notebooks, and mobile hotspot routers with embedded 3G/4G chips on the carrier’s network. Sprint claims that [...]
One of the lesser talked about features that Apple included in its iOS 5 update for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch was the ability to turn on private browsing in the Safari browser. And because it hasn’t been talked about extensively, it’s possible that many of you either haven’t heard of it or have [...]
Today begins day three without my once trusty and dependable Charter Internet connection. When online, it’s fast, considering we live in a rural setting. Monday the sync light starting blinking at me, taunting me. A blinking sync light means your modem can’t get a connection to the service provider. What To Do If Internet Goes [...]
One of the features that enterprise-class and consumer users were asking for when Microsoft had debuted Windows Phone nearly a year ago was the ability to tether or share the phone’s Internet connection with a laptop through a feature called mobile hotspot, and now it looks like the Redmond, Washington maker of Windows Phone will [...]
Satellite TV provider Dish Network wants to build a mobile broadband 4G LTE network with its existing spectrum, which when it had acquired was earmarked for satellite services. Dish Network wants to better compete with phone and cable companies that are now offering high speed Internet, paid TV offerings, and phone into a package. The [...]
Think you can escape the tiered, metered data plans from big carriers AT&T and Verizon Wireless? Think again as T-Mobile USA, the nation’s number four wireless carrier, will switch its lowest data offering from a tiered, but throttled unlimited offering, to a tiered and metered data plan with overages. The new plan pricing would go [...]
After AT&T had announced that it would be sending out notices to iPhone owners and taking action against those who are now illegally tethering without an approved plan–in the interest of fairness, as the carrier claims–it appears that long-time rival carrier Verizon Wireless will also be doing the same and joining AT&T on its quest [...]
The ‘cloud’ is becoming a big feature of our digital lives today–anywhere from the most recently launched Spotify for cloud-based streaming music to cloud-streamed videos like those on Netflix and Hulu. All of this is driven by the increasing access and availability to the Internet and broadband, either through mobile like on 3G and 4G [...]
Apps. They’re beautifully created, thoughtfully purposed programs that help us extend the value of our smartphones by tapping into a whole universe beyond the basic silicon, glass, plastics, and other materials that are part of the physical phones. And Apple’s clever marketing campaign has led us to believe that there should be an app for [...]
In the board rooms and staff offices of many a publishing concern there is an ongoing debate here in the Age of the Tablet. Should we create an App, or can we just rely on the web to disseminate, and hopefully monetize content? It is a worthwhile debate to have because, as we all know, [...]
After having created one of the most sought after tablets in terms of features, functionality, and price, ASUS will be giving its Eee Pad Transformer Android Honeycomb slate a minor refresh come this August when it launches in the UK with a 3G modem. Current Eee Pad Transformer slates are going on sale with various [...]
Though both the HTC Thunderbolt and the Samsung Droid Charge both utilize the same network, a new downlink and uplink speed benchmark released by Root Metrics show that not all devices are created equally. Testing both device’s download and upload speeds in Seattle, Washington, Root Metrics finds that on Verizon’s 4G LTE mobile broadband network, [...]
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Sprint HTC EVO 4G LTE Review: A Worthy Successor to the Original (Video)
When Sprint had debuted the original WiMax-capable HTC EVO 4G nearly two years ago, it was an instant hit on the Now network. Not only was the HTC EVO 4G the first 4G smartphone in the world taking advantage of Sprint’s then speedy WiMax network, but it brought some new features and pizzazz to the [...]
Last year Toshiba waded into the Android tablet market with the Thrive, a 10.1-inch slate that served as the company’s response to what they deemed missing in the then current crop. Thus, it had several full-size ports, a rugged-ish exterior, and a thick chassis to accommodate both. Though a decent tablet, the Thrive didn’t generate [...]
Samsung Shows That It Is a Software Company
As exciting as it has been to talk, postulate, and speculate about the Galaxy S III’s hardware and specs before the third-generation Galaxy flagship smartphone was announced on May 3rd in London, once the device was announced one thing became apparent: Samsung is now a software company. That doesn’t mean that Samsung is shying away [...]
Autumn Dynasty Review: A Great RTS for the iPad
With its large touchscreen, the iPad seems like the perfect platform for Real Time Strategy games, and Autumn Dynasty proves it, mostly. Autumn Dynasty is an RTS iPad game with art that looks like tradition Chinese painting. The story involves quelling a rebellion while solving a mystery of shady noblemen. The story though, just serves [...]
Griffin GuitarConnect Pro Review: Record Your Jams with Ease
The Griffin GuitarConnect Pro interfaces with your Guitar and your iPad or iPhone so you can record your music easily using apps like Apple’s GarageBand. My son Daniel, who’s learning to play guitar, helped me test it out and he loved it. When he gets as good as Jimi Hendrix, I’m sure he’ll steal my [...]
Google Search App iPhone and iPad Update Looks Beautiful (Video)
Google just delivered a beautiful update to the company’s Google Search app for the iPhone and iPad The Google Search app for iPhone and iPad replaced Safari as my browser of choice, earning a spot in the iPhone and iPad dock. It’s faster and offers a beautiful new full screen image search which looks awesome on the [...]
