T-Mobile is gearing up to flip the switch on their LTE network. Today they began pushing out software updates for Android version 4.1.2/ Software T889UVBMB4 for the Samsung Galaxy Note II. The new update introduces LTE support along with other improvements for the device.
Joining the Galaxy Note II on T-Mobile’s 4G / LTE will be the BlackBerry Z10. In testing the LTE network Laptop Magazine is showing download speeds of 58.8 Mbps and uploads at 25.5 Mbps. Keep in mind those numbers are from a tower not under any type of load so probably wont be real world numbers when LTE goes live.
The software update will take place OTA (Over The Air) and if you want to read more about the update you can follow this link.
LTE will go live first in Las Vegas, NV and Kansas City. The plan is to cover 100 million people by mid 2013 and 200 million by years end.
In the wireless industry, when you hear fragmentation the first thought is usually Android. In reality fragmentation exists in just about every form. Take for example LTE. LTE is marketed to us all as a high speed form of data communication and one day will also carry our voice calls.
LTE technology is very fragmented. What we mean by this is that world-wide there are 40 different frequencies used to transmit data over LTE. Anyone familiar with the latest Nexus 4 device knows it is missing LTE and this fragmentation is one of the reasons. We are a global society these days and a device needs to work world-wide in addition to being able to be sold around the globe. A close look at Apple’s iPhone 5 demonstrates this issue. There are three version of the iPhone5 to support the various LTE bands. To keep costs low Apple would like to just produce one device that works across the board with carriers world wide. This was the case with the iPhone 4S.
Qualcomm is set to bring LTE euphoria to device manufactures by releasing a chipset that supports all 40 bands. This will allow less expense for over all production. Instead of a manufacturer having to create 7 models for various carriers they can create one and just set the device to the proper frequencies. These chips will be available to manufactures in the second half of 2013.
For more information on the chipset you can visit Qualcomm via this link.
The moment HTC fans have been waiting for has finally arrived, as the company has officially announced the HTC One.
The HTC One is wrapped in a zero-gap aluminum body, has a 4.7″ LCD display at 1920 x 1080 pixels, 1.7 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor, 2 GB of RAM, 4 megapixel (UltraPixels) rear camera, 2.1 megapixel front-facing camera, 2,300 mAh battery, LTE support, Sense 5 and runs Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean).
The UltraPixel camera is definitely a different take on cameras as most manufactures are upping the pixels. HTC has another take on giving their users a great experience.
In regards to the camera HTC stated:
“For years, people have been misled about what is important in a camera, what matters is not pixel count, but pixel size. Bigger pixels let in more light, it’s simple physics… We’re trying to balance out what a lens can support and what a sensor can support. We’re talking about real image quality, not just megapixels for the sake of megapixels. The era of the megapixel is over.”
Below are specifications on the UltraPixel camera:
BSI sensor, Pixel size 2.0, Sensor size 1/3′
Dedicated HTC ImageChip 2
F2.0 aperture and 28mm lens
Optical Image Stabilization (OIS)
Smart Flash: Five levels of flash automatically set by distance to subject
Front Camera: 88 wide angle lens with HDR capability
1080p Full HD video recording for both front and back camera
HDR Video
Continuous shooting and VideoPic
Slow motion video recording with variable speed playback
HTC Zoe with highlights and HTC Share
Retouch with Object Removal, Always Smile, and Sequence Shot
The HTC One also introduces HTC BlinkFeed, HTC Zoe and HTC BoomSound. These key new features innovate the mobile experience and will set a new standard for smartphones.
HTC BlinkFeed: is a bold new experience that transforms the home screen into a single live stream of personally relevant information such as social updates, entertainment and lifestyle updates, news and photos with immersive images so that people no longer need to go to separate applications to find out what’s happening.
HTC Zoe: gives people the ability to shoot high-res photos that come to life in three-second snippets. These Zoes, photos and videos are then displayed in a unique way that brings the gallery to life and transforms the traditional photo gallery of still images into a motion gallery of memories. It also automatically creates integrated highlight films from each event comprised of Zoes, photos and videos set to music with professionally designed cuts, transitions and effects.
HTC BoomSound: introduces for the first time on a phone, front-facing stereo speakers with a dedicated amplifier and an amazing full HD display that immerses people in music, videos, games and the YouTube clips they love. Beats Audio integration is enabled across the entire experience for rich, authentic sound whether you’re listening to your favorite music, watching a YouTube video or playing a game.
Three of four major carriers in the U.S. will be offering the HTC One AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile. There is no release date or price, but rumors are hinting at March. Below is a video on the HTC One.
The only mobile technology news to come out of Samsung today and the much anticipated press conference was confirmation of what we all already knew. This month Verizon will be offering the Galaxy Note 10.1 with 4G / LTE.
The Note 10.1 is equipped with S Pen and a suite of apps designed for stylus-based input. You also get true multi-tasking and the ability to display multiple apps side by side. The processor is a 1.4 GHz quad-core, ships with 2GB’s RAM and Jelly Bean, Android 4.1.
AT&T has expanded their 4G LTE market in four new metro areas bringing their total to 113 markets, covering 160 million people. AT&T’s goal is to reach 300 million on their 4G LTE network by the end of 2014 and the company is already more than half way there.
Sprint has announced another expansion of their 4G/ LTE network to 11 new markets. This brings Sprint’s total 4G/ LTE markets to 43.
“We are pleased to deliver our new 4G LTE network to more Sprint customers,” said Bob Azzi, senior vice president-Network, Sprint. “Whether someone uses 4G LTE for personal or professional needs, they will find that Sprint’s new 4G LTE network is performing extremely well. Customers should find it consistent, reliable and fast.”
The new areas:
Anderson, Indiana
Clarke County, Virginia/ Jefferson Country, West Virginia
Verizon Wireless is expanding its LTE network once again keeping it at the head of the pack of other 4G LTE wireless providers.Verizon is currently avaliable to more than 250 million people throughout the United States.
Verizon is expanding their network in order to better serve their customers in the Southern California area. The expansion will cover customers in the cities of Ventura, Ojai, Santa Paula, Fillmore, and the Oak View area. Also the neighborhoods of Stevenson Ranch, Saugus, Newhall, Valencia, Canyon Country, Victorville, Hesperia, Adelanto, and the town of Apple Valley.
Verizon’s 4G LTE network will be avaliable in these areas Thursday November 15th.
Today in San Jose, Apple held an event where they announced the new MacBook Pro 13″ Retina, the next generation iPad (4th Generation) and the long rumored iPad Mini.
The iPad Mini will be available November 2nd in Apple Stores in white or Black. Pre-orders will start in three days on October 26th with prices at $329 (16GB), $429 (32 GB) and $529 (64 GB).
The cellular versions of the iPad Mini will be priced at $459 (16 GB), $559 (32 GB) and $659 (64 GB).
Features for the iPad Mini:
7.9 inch display
Apple A5 chip
iOS 6
5 megapixel iSight camera
1080p video recording
Front-facing HD camera (720p video recording)
10-hour battery life
Lighting Connector
iPad (4th Generation) will start at $499 (16 GB) Wi-Fi version and $529 (16 GB) for the Wi-Fi/ LTE version. The tablet will also be available November 2nd, with pre-orders starting the 26th of October.
Tomorrow Verizon Wireless will launch their 400th 4G / LTE market in Marquette, Michigan. Excited about the 400th market the company will be hosting a series of celebrations for customers across the country.
Customers who show up for the celebration in Marquette will have a chance to win a 4G/ LTE enabled device by participating in a scavenger hunt. Customers’ will also be join by Verizon Wireless representatives and community leaders to turn on the 4G / LTE switch.
Other cities taking place in this celebration for Verizon Wireless are listened below.
Gadsden, Alabama
Albany, Georgia
Vidalia, Georgia
Vincennes, Indiana
Owensboro, Kentucky
Monroe, Michigan
Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Columbia, Missouri
North Platte, Nebraska
Jamestown, New York
Walla Walla, Washington
Jackson, Michigan
Norfolk, Nebraska
Follow this link for exact addresses and times for these celebrations.
Sprint has announced four new devices that will be joining their 4G LTE line-up. Those devices are the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (10.1), LG Optimus G, the LG Mach and the Sprint Plug-in-Connect Tri-Mode USB. Below are pictures and specifications of the new devices making their way to Sprint. We are waiting on pricing and availability.
2,100 mAh Lithium-Ion battery (up to 13 hours talk time)
LG Mach:
4 inch WVGA display
Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
1.2 GHz dual-core processor
5 megapixel rear camera with flash
0.3 megapixel front-facing camera
1 GB RAM
8 GB of ROM
1700 mAh Lithium-Ion battery (up to 9 hours 30 minutes talk time)
Sprint Plug-in-Connect Tri-Mode USB:
Easily supports transition between Sprint 3G CDMA plus 4G LTE and WiMAX networks
Backwards compatible to the EVDO Rev. A & 0 and 1xRTT Networks
Fold-away USB Connector
LED Service Status Indicator
Connection Manager application stored directly on the USB eliminating the need to have Connection Manager software on all computers/devices that will be using the device
Supports Hands-Free Activation via OMA-DM
Auto-Connect capable / Auto NDIS
Supports datalink via over the air OMA configuration (LTE dependent on network development)
We just had the pleasure of meeting Nicola Palmer, Chief Technology Officer for Verizon Wireless. The press conference we attended was about the the current state and future plans for Verizon’s 4G LTE network.
I will break down some points and post the video later today when Verizon makes it available.
Verizon made the push for LTE 2 years ago with a goal of having the network active in 400 markets by the end of 2012. Right now Verizon LTE covers over 75% of the population. Verizon is going to exceed their original goal on October 18th when a total of 410 markets will be live on LTE, two and a half months prior to their self imposed December 31, 2012 deadline.
In addition to having 410 LTE markets live on October 18th, Verizon stated they are committed to entirely covering their existing 3G footprint with LTE by the end of 2013. While this sounds like a long time Verizon has been aggressively rolling out the network at a rate faster than any other carrier.
At the end of September 2012, 35% of all data traffic handled by Verizon Wireless was on its LTE network. They expect 50% of network traffic to be carried on the LTE network in just a few more months. This goes a long way in showing Verizon’s dedication to LTE and the 37 current devices they offer that support LTE. It took 8 years for Verizon to get 3G to the 50% adoption rate, LTE only took 2 years.
Like every mobile network you can’t rest when a technology is “fully” deployed. Verizon has already begun testing voice over LTE which will provide a high definition voice experience. In addition deployment and testing of LTE Advanced has begun and should start rolling out to towers in the 700 MHz spectrum mid to late 2013.
What does all this mean to a Verizon Wireless customer or potential customer? It means Verizon has a solid foundation for their network and is already getting a jump on competition by deploying the best as fast as possible. Data speeds and communication reliability have always been the focus of Verizon and they have proven they can deliver with the LTE network. The 6 billion dollars spent on Verizon’s network infrastructure annually, is money well invested.
Not only can Verizon claim to have the nations largest 4G LTE network, they can also easily claim the worlds largest 4G LTE network. We will have more info on the network and their 400th market celebration leading up to October 18.
Are you a Verizon LTE customer? What do you think of the network?
Starting September 16th Sprint will have the affordable Samsung Galaxy Victory 4G LTE. The Android powered device comes equipped with some high-end specifications all for $100.
The Galaxy Victory comes with a 4-inch display, 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), 5 megapixel rear camera with LED flash, video capture, 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera, Google wallet, and Sprint ID.
The Galaxy Victory will cost $99.99 after a $50 mail-in-rebate and a new two-year agreement with Sprint. Follow this link to be taken to Sprint’s website to learn more.
