data Archive

  • AT&T 3G MicroCell now available in all markets

    AT&T 3G MicroCell now available in all markets

    Posted on June 22, 2010 | No Comments
    Completing a phased roll-out that kicked off back in April, AT&T has finally gotten around to launching its 3G MicroCell in all of its markets, giving the entire customer base some flexibility when "more bars in more places" doesn't happen to include your place. Interestingly, the announcement was made in passing during comments by AT&T director Gordon Mansfield at the Femtocells World Summit in London this week, where he spent much of his time trying to quell a minor furor over the carrier's continued application of data caps when using the MicroCell. He makes some pretty strong arguments: even though all MicroCell voice and data traffic starts off traveling over your own internet connection, it ultimately ends up within AT&T's core infrastructure -- and a legal requirement that the carrier be able to intercept traffic for law enforcement use prevents it from diverting that traffic elsewhere. More importantly, though, if you're within range of a MicroCell, odds are very good that you're also within range of a WiFi connection -- and since all of AT&T's data-heavy handsets offer WiFi, the whole complaint is kinda moot. So just get one if you need one and don't worry about it, okay?

    AT&T 3G MicroCell now available in all markets originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Jun 2010 14:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Unlimited data option disappears from iPads, AT&T tells grandfathered customers not to worry

    Unlimited data option disappears from iPads, AT&T tells grandfathered customers not to worry

    Posted on June 21, 2010 | No Comments
    Even though AT&T's $30 unlimited data plan technically went the way of the dodo back on June 7, the company had assured 3G iPad owners that they'd be entitled to one last hurrah -- buy an iPad prior to the 7th and you'd be allowed to grandfather into the old plan, even if you didn't receive your purchase by the deadline. Problem is, the unlimited plan option finally disappeared off AT&T-connected iPads for the first time today, leaving some of these eligible folks who haven't yet signed up for 3G data in the lurch. Not to worry, though: AT&T says that everyone who's eligible "will be able to select the unlimited plan" and that "details will follow." In other words, we don't know how this is going to work yet, but at least the carrier's aware of the issue. Stay tuned.

    Unlimited data option disappears from iPads, AT&T tells grandfathered customers not to worry originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Jun 2010 13:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • How-to: figure out the best value iPhone 4 contracts in the UK

    How-to: figure out the best value iPhone 4 contracts in the UK

    Posted on June 18, 2010 | No Comments
    Choices, choices. Do you get the 16GB or 32GB iPhone 4? The black one now or the white one a little later? We can't tell you which variant of Apple's next phone will hold its value best over the coming months, but we can try to clear up a bit of the fogginess surrounding price plans on offer from UK networks. Orange and O2 are the first to drop handset pricing and full contract details, but they haven't made it easy for the discerning buyer, with each carrier offering more than a dozen options. Vodafone, T-Mobile, Three, and even Tesco Mobile are set to follow suit in the coming days and weeks, but we thought we'd get the ball rolling with the pair we have now.

    P.S. -- And just as we publish this, Voda has gone official with its tariffs. We've now broken them down into a more digestible format as well. Just for you.

    Continue reading How-to: figure out the best value iPhone 4 contracts in the UK

    How-to: figure out the best value iPhone 4 contracts in the UK originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Jun 2010 06:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Sprint fires employee who leaked weak EVO 4G sales numbers

    Sprint fires employee who leaked weak EVO 4G sales numbers

    Posted on June 14, 2010 | No Comments
    You know the backstory by now: Sprint boasted that the EVO 4G was its fastest selling phone ever a couple of days after hitting the American market, before abruptly correcting itself and admitting that the EVO's sales were in fact in line with those achieved by the Pre last summer. What you, and we, didn't know till now, however, is that Sprint's self-correction was sparked off by an employee with a curious mind and posting privileges over on the xda-developers forum. On June 6, according to MobileCrunch, this unnamed hero of truthiness browsed Sprint's internal inventory system and nailed down a figure of 65,500 sold units from Sprint's own stores -- a stat far south from what Sprint would announce a day later. That number ultimately found its way onto the message board, and though it obviously shouldn't be taken as authoritative (or exhaustive), it was enough to get Sprint to hit the auto-correct button and part ways with the activist member of staff. Harsh.

    [Thanks, Carol]

    Sprint fires employee who leaked weak EVO 4G sales numbers originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Jun 2010 19:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Sprint to begin throttling data this summer? (update: not exactly)

    Sprint to begin throttling data this summer? (update: not exactly)

    Posted on June 11, 2010 | No Comments
    You know the fine print of your EVO 4G contract that gives Sprint the right to limit throughput speeds without notice? Skipped past that part? Well, consider this your unofficial notice. If what we're reading above is accurate, then Sprint appears ready to introduce data throttling this summer. Where and how are the big questions. The image above received from a tipster appears to have been grabbed from Sprint's own "The Playbook," though we have no way of confirming that at this time. It certainly make sense though given T-Mobile USA's recent move away from overage charges in favor of throttling.

    Update: We're hearing from a couple sources that the shot here from The Playbook is a little out of context, and actually refers to a new feature for businesses looking to restrict disproportionately high usage by employees with company data cards. That sounds a little less painful, does it not? Thanks, everyone!

    Sprint to begin throttling data this summer? (update: not exactly) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Jun 2010 14:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • UK’s O2 to impose 3G data limits for iPhone 4 users

    UK’s O2 to impose 3G data limits for iPhone 4 users

    Posted on June 10, 2010 | No Comments
    It seems like the entire United Kingdom (at least those who aren't out partying it up with Patsy Kensit at the Met Bar) has emailed us in the last two minutes to clue us in on the fact that O2 has posted its new iPhone 4 pricing. It looks like your beloved "unlimited 3G" plans of are a thing of the past -- instead, you'll be paying for up to 1GB of data of month. As you approach the limit, a text message will notify you and let you purchase an 500MB for £5 or 1GB for £10. How very AT&T of them, eh? But don't worry, kids! Texting is still unlimited.

    [Thanks to everyone who sent this in... and we mean everyone.]

    UK's O2 to impose 3G data limits for iPhone 4 users originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Jun 2010 09:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • ‘iPhone vs Android’ report finds Apple has three times Google’s market share

    ‘iPhone vs Android’ report finds Apple has three times Google’s market share

    Posted on June 5, 2010 | No Comments
    digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gadgets/iPhone_vs_Android_report_finds_Apple_has_three_times_Googl'; It's oftentimes easy for us to get swept up in Android mania and forget that Google's mobile platform is still in its infancy. Then we get cold hard numbers like these -- showing iPhone OS owning 28 percent of the US smartphone market and closing in on RIM's leading 35 percent -- and we face up to the realization that Android handsets still account for less than one in every ten smartphones owned by Americans today. In spite of collecting 28 percent of all consumer smartphone purchases in the first quarter of 2010 (according to NPD), Google's OS was only able to climb up a couple of percentage points in terms of total market share, showing just how long a road lies ahead of its world-conquering plans. Guess that now explains why Apple's response to the earlier numbers was so nonchalant.

    Other intriguing figures include a high rate of loyalty among iPhone OS and Android users, with 80 percent of the former and 70 percent of the latter expressing a preference for the same OS in their next phone -- both rather shaming Microsoft and RIM's numbers, which were a mediocre 34 and 47 percent, respectively. Funnily enough, despite its inflammatory title, this report finds Android and iPhone users are more similar to each other than anyone else -- an uncomfortable fact for both parties to deal with, we're sure. The source link contains some more demographic comparisons, so why not go check them out and drop some sage analysis for us in the comments?

    'iPhone vs Android' report finds Apple has three times Google's market share originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 Jun 2010 15:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Dan Hesse email: ‘no current plans’ to alter data pricing

    Dan Hesse email: ‘no current plans’ to alter data pricing

    Posted on June 3, 2010 | No Comments
    Bypassing a company's power structure altogether and contacting the CEO directly is the vogue thing to do right now -- and in light of the AT&T incident this week, it probably behooves said CEOs (and / or their assistants) to earn some PR brownie points by responding with a positive attitude. Take this response from Sprint boss Dan Hesse, for example, in reply to a request that the company "keep [its] great pricing and customer service, and most importantly -- keep unlimited data." In short, Hesse says "one can never say 'never,' but [the company] has no current plans to change our pricing." That's certainly the "correct" thing to say coming off AT&T's big strategy shift toward killing unlimited and hints from Verizon that it'll do the same, but whether Sprint is able to hold the line when the WiMAX airwaves are flooded with EVO 4Gs and EVO 4G-like devices is another matter altogether. We'll see.

    [Thanks, Matt P.]

    Dan Hesse email: 'no current plans' to alter data pricing originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Thu, 03 Jun 2010 16:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • AT&T users can keep $30 unlimited data when upgrading phones… unless they want tethering

    AT&T users can keep $30 unlimited data when upgrading phones… unless they want tethering

    Posted on June 2, 2010 | No Comments
    digg_url = 'http://digg.com/apple/AT_T_forces_you_to_choose_wisely_young_grasshopper'; There's naturally been a ton of feedback in the past few hours on AT&T's new data pricing strategy, and the company has been responding to comments all morning over on its Facebook page; one of the key tidbits that's come out of the discussion so far is that folks on the current $30 smartphone data plan will be able to keep that plan when upgrading hardware. Translation: yes, you'll be able to get a new iPhone without switching to the $25 / 2GB DataPro plan if you so choose. What you won't be able to do, though, is keep the $30 plan and add on the $20 tethering option -- tethering specifically requires DataPro, so your hopes and dreams of a soft 5GB cap are quashed (unless you want to pay $30 for 3GB of overage, of course).

    On a related note, we've been tipped that some folks' iPad orders from Apple have been pushed back to June 7 -- an interesting coincidence, considering that's when DataPlus and DataPro go live. If true, it's likely so that Apple can pre-install new orders with updated software for managing the new plans, but it's also a preemptive strike against a horde of people trying to grandfather into the $30 plan over the next few days.

    [Thanks, John and Aaron]

    AT&T users can keep $30 unlimited data when upgrading phones... unless they want tethering originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Jun 2010 12:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • AT&T makes sweeping changes to data plans, iPhone tethering coming at OS 4 launch

    AT&T makes sweeping changes to data plans, iPhone tethering coming at OS 4 launch

    Posted on June 2, 2010 | No Comments
    var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/apple/iPhone_tethering_and_new_price_plans_coming_to_AT_T_June_7'; You might think that AT&T would hold off for a national HSPA+ deployment or a full-on LTE launch before tweaking its data pricing strategy, but not so much -- the carrier is coming out swinging today with some significant changes that should benefit the overwhelming majority of its smartphone users (and could stand to harm a select few). Let's break down the major points:

    DataPlus / DataPro
    • The existing $30 fair-use "unlimited" smartphone data plan is being replaced by two new options: $15 per month for 200MB and $25 for 2GB (called "DataPlus" and "DataPro," respectively). Customers currently on the $30 plan are welcome to stay on it, but they can switch at any time without extending their contract.
    • AT&T's new overage system is arguably the game changer: on the $15 plan, you'll pay $15 for each additional 200MB, but on the $25 plan, you'll pay $10 for each additional GB. It's simple and straightforward -- but most importantly, it won't bankrupt you if you go over by a gig or three in a month. This compares to $50 per gigabyte of overage on AT&T's 5GB DataConnect plan for laptops.
    • The carrier's going to be very flexible about changing between the DataPlus and DataPro plans -- if you're on DataPlus, for example, and you discover that you're blowing past your allotment, you can choose either to start DataPro the following billing cycle, pro-rate it, or apply the higher plan retroactively to the beginning of your current billing cycle. That's pretty wild.
    Tethering
    • Tethering will be offered as an add-on to the DataPro plan for an additional $20 per month, which means you'll pay a total of $45 a month for 2GB of data shared between your phone and your tethered devices. If you're light on the usage, it's a sweet deal -- but if you scale it up and you're using the data almost exclusively on your laptop, it compares unfavorably to the traditional DataConnect plan: $60 versus $75 for 5GB (and in the unlikely even you've got a webOS device on Verizon, it compares even less favorably). If you're striking a balance of data use between a smartphone and tethered gear, AT&T's new setup is still pretty solid considering that you would've been paying $60 for the USB stick plus $30 for smartphone data before.
    • Yes, it's finally happening: AT&T's iPhones will get access to the tethering option, too.
    iPad
    • iPad users are also affected by the change. The $30 iPad data plan -- lauded for being labeled by AT&T as truly unlimited -- goes away to be replaced by the same $25 / 2GB plan that smartphone users will see, though current subscribers to the $30 plan can continue unaffected.
    Everything launches on June 7, except for iPhone tethering -- it'll launch when OS 4 does. In the meantime, we're told users can sign up for the $30 plans both on their phones and iPads if they'd like to be grandfathered in. Follow the break for more details along with AT&T's full press release.

    Continue reading AT&T makes sweeping changes to data plans, iPhone tethering coming at OS 4 launch

    AT&T makes sweeping changes to data plans, iPhone tethering coming at OS 4 launch originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Jun 2010 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Verizon looking at non-unlimited plans for 4G data, will use LTE for voice by 2012

    Verizon looking at non-unlimited plans for 4G data, will use LTE for voice by 2012

    Posted on May 27, 2010 | No Comments
    We'd not-so-secretly hoped that carriers would be looking to dispense with those troublesome 5GB caps on so-called "unlimited" 3G data plans, but there's a big problem with that: spectrum is still limited, and even though 4G technologies help use it more efficiently, it's still a constraint that the FCC is going to need many years to solve. We're not sure how much the spectrum crunch really factors in here, but in addition to his comments on Droid Incredible inventory problems, Verizon Wireless boss Lowell McAdam mentioned at a Barclays Capital conference this week that he hopes to move away from unlimited plans altogether for the company's LTE network, instead charging for "buckets" of megabytes, just like in the olden days -- despite the fact that it'll cost it a half to a third of what it costs today to transmit the same amount of data.

    On a happier note, McAdam said that the company expects to be using its LTE network for voice by 2012, which comes just after its first volley of LTE-capable handsets in early 2011. He also mentioned that at least some of those devices will be shown off at CES 2011, and naturally, we'll be there -- not just to check out the phones, but to raise some hell at the notion that unlimited data is a thing of the past. At this rate, how are we ever going to run the Engadget servers on a wireless connection?

    Verizon looking at non-unlimited plans for 4G data, will use LTE for voice by 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 May 2010 12:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Android 2.1 becomes most used version, just in time to be obviated by Froyo

    Android 2.1 becomes most used version, just in time to be obviated by Froyo

    Posted on May 18, 2010 | No Comments
    Rejoice, oh Android lovers. Thy OS of choice has finally graduated to the point where its latest variant is also the most used -- a statistic that is likely to last for only a day given Google's intent to reveal Android 2.2, or Froyo, at its I/O conference tomorrow. For the first time since El Goog's been keeping these platform version stats, 2.1 has risen above 1.5, the previous incumbent, having grown from 32.4 percent on May 3 (chart after the break) to 37.2 percent on May 17. This rapid ascension can only be expected to accelerate with more devices getting their Eclair permissions slips, and let's not forget that Google will be trying its hardest with 2.2 to make upgrades easier for phone makers to implement. Onwards and upwards we go.

    [Thanks, Chris D]

    Continue reading Android 2.1 becomes most used version, just in time to be obviated by Froyo

    Android 2.1 becomes most used version, just in time to be obviated by Froyo originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 May 2010 06:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Cellphones purportedly used more now for data, Gossip Girl blasts than calls

    Cellphones purportedly used more now for data, Gossip Girl blasts than calls

    Posted on May 14, 2010 | No Comments
    Ever notice how easy it is to find mobile plans with unlimited minutes these days? Yeah, it's because they're about as valuable as pea coats in the dead of summer. With more and more consumers disconnecting their landlines in favor of using their cellie for everything, the art of communicating via voice is also becoming lost. According to "government and industry data" cited in a New York Times report, the growth in voice minutes used by consumers has "stagnated," with 2009 being the first year ever in which the "amount of data in text, email messages, streaming video, music and other services on mobile devices [in the US] surpassed the amount of voice data in cellphone calls." Dan Hesse, Sprint's head honcho, even chimed in with this nugget: "Originally, talking was the only cellphone application; now it's less than half of the traffic on mobile networks." We also learned that the average length of a mobile call was just 1.81 minutes in 2009, a drop from the 2.27 minutes per call seen in 2008, with many individuals feeling that other communication methods (email, SMS, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) were far less invasive of someone's time, being that they could respond to those messages at their convenience. Of course, on the Upper East Side (where all the richies use Verizon dumbphones, apparently), we get the impression that yakking away about a cornucopia of drama is still the hotness.

    Cellphones purportedly used more now for data, Gossip Girl blasts than calls originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 May 2010 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Student loan data stolen: 3.3 million ex-college students look forward to giant headache

    Student loan data stolen: 3.3 million ex-college students look forward to giant headache

    Posted on March 29, 2010 | No Comments
    It was only a few days ago that I mentioned that, you know, your data is never secure. So, this story isn't surprising at all. It turns out that the records of more than 3.3 million student loans were stolen a few days ago. Data stolen includes names, Social Security numbers, and credit card numbers. Awesome.

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  • It’s all well and good to demand secure electronic medical records, but when has your data ever been secure in the first place?

    It’s all well and good to demand secure electronic medical records, but when has your data ever been secure in the first place?

    Posted on March 24, 2010 | No Comments
    Pretty much spot-on, this. There's an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal that argues that Americans should badger Congress and the president, asking them to hold off on doling out stimulus dollars to electronic medical record systems that don't have appropriate privacy safeguards in place. As it stands, electronic medial records aren't exactly sealed—insurance companies can peek at them, as can pharmaceutical companies. So, let's instead focus on creating an electronic medical record system that's as foolproof as possible. Slight issue: when is your data, medical or otherwise, ever truly secure?

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