AllThingsD » 4G http://allthingsd.com Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:50:27 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://allthingsd.com/theme/images/logo-rss.jpg All Things Digital http://allthingsd.com/ 144 22 Talk Is Cheap and Reliable on Nokia's $50 Phone http://allthingsd.com/20120118/talk-is-cheap-and-reliable-on-nokias-50-phone/ http://allthingsd.com/20120118/talk-is-cheap-and-reliable-on-nokias-50-phone/#comments Thu, 19 Jan 2012 02:03:34 +0000 Walter S. Mossberg http://allthingsd.com/?p=165066 The standard price of a smartphone running one of the modern mobile operating systems is typically $200, with a two-year service contract. Recently, there have even been a few, largely unsuccessful, attempts to boost prices to $300.


[ See post to watch video ]

But phone makers and carriers have been eager to push smartphones into lower price bands to expand the market. Older and more basic models have been showing up for less. Multiple Android models sell for around $100, and a few well below that. Even Apple, which established the $200 standard, sells its iPhone 4, which is outwardly identical to the current iPhone 4S, for $99. And its 2009-vintage iPhone 3GS is free with an AT&T contract.

So this week, I tested a new $50 smartphone to see what you get for that kind of money. It’s called the Nokia Lumia 710, and it runs Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system, the much-praised, but late and struggling, competitor to Android and the Apple iOS software that powers the iPhone.

PTECH-JUMP

The Nokia Lumia 710 runs the same Mango version of Windows Phone as costlier models, with its bright tiles that can show live data, like the weather or favorite photos.

After a week of testing the Lumia 710, my verdict is that it’s a good value for the money, and a good choice for people moving up to their first smartphone, or those looking for an alternative to Android and Apple. It has some notable weaknesses and drawbacks, and it doesn’t compare with the iPhone 4S or elite Android models like the Samsung Galaxy S II. But it’s a decent phone that gets the most common smartphone tasks done.

I chose the Lumia 710 because it isn’t an old model or one that runs an outdated version of software. In fact, it’s the first Windows Phone device from Nokia, Microsoft’s principal phone partner, to be offered by an American wireless carrier—in this case, T-Mobile. And it was designed to be a low-cost alternative to most other smartphones, to boost the tepid sales of Windows Phone devices and to launch Nokia’s bid to regain a significant share of the U.S. market.

T-Mobile is promoting the phone heavily in its stores and in national TV ads, and says it will be a major focus for the carrier this winter. Wal-Mart is pushing it for $18.88 in its stores and free online, with a contract, according to T-Mobile and Nokia.

Though it’s the vanguard, the Lumia 710 won’t be the flagship of Nokia’s new Windows Phone line. An entirely different model, the larger but sleeker Lumia 900, is coming from AT&T, probably in March. It will boast a bigger, better screen, more storage and features and a better camera. No price has been announced, but it will certainly cost more than $50.

Another higher-end Nokia model, the Lumia 800, already is available overseas, but hasn’t been picked up yet by U.S. carriers.

The 710 is a somewhat thick, rounded phone that comes in black or white and has a 3.7-inch screen—bigger than the iPhone’s, but much smaller than the huge displays of 4.5 inches or more on some of the newer Android models.

The phone is plastic and fairly light, but doesn’t seem cheap or flimsy. It has a rubbery, curved back and feels good in the hand. And unlike many new smartphones, the back is removable and the battery is replaceable.

This phone runs on T-Mobile’s 4G network, which I have consistently found to be much slower than Verizon’s latest 4G technology, now also being rolled out by AT&T. In my tests, downloads averaged about 2 megabits per second, which isn’t much better than on many 3G phones.

The 710 runs the same Mango version of Windows Phone as costlier models and, in my tests, was generally snappy, though it lagged in a few instances. Like all Windows phones, it has a dedicated button that launches the camera even when the phone is locked. However, Windows Phone has about 10% of the third-party apps as the iPhone.

I was able to use all the main features of Mango, which distinguishes itself from its competitors with a user interface made up of bright tiles that can show live data, like the weather or favorite photos, even before you tap them to open apps. Mango’s “hubs”—features that aggregate information such as your friends’ contact info and social-networking status—also worked fine.

I was able to sync the phone with both a Windows PC and a Mac, using Microsoft software, to add music, photos and videos.

So what corner-cutting was done to get the price down? What are the missing features? One is the absence of a front camera, which means you can’t do video chats on the 710. Also, the phone can’t be used as a Wi-Fi hot spot to connect other devices, like laptops, to the Web. It has only 8 gigabytes of internal storage, which can’t be expanded. The base line for most other new smartphones is 16 gigabytes.

In addition, I found the 5 megapixel rear camera to be no better than adequate, with some pictures I took rapidly coming out fuzzy, though most others were acceptable.

I found the phone’s buttons required more pressure than they should have. The screen, while decent-looking when viewed straight on, was harder to read from an angle than on most competing smartphones.

I didn’t perform a formal battery test, but found the phone’s battery made it through the day in mixed, light-to-moderate use. Sound quality was good and calls didn’t drop.

T-Mobile’s service plans for the Nokia Lumia 710 start at $60 per month for 500 minutes of voice, unlimited texts and a paltry 200 megabytes of data. But the carrier recommends a plan that costs $80 monthly and boosts the data portion to unlimited (T-Mobile slows your connection if you exceed 5 gigabytes of data during the month.)

Bottom line: Nokia will soon have flashier, high-end Windows Phone models in the U.S., but you can get a lot for less in the Lumia 710.

Email Walt at mossberg@wsj.com.

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20120118/talk-is-cheap-and-reliable-on-nokias-50-phone/feed/ 0 FCC Chairman Has New Tablet, but Same Script: More Spectrum! http://allthingsd.com/20120111/fcc-chairman-we-need-that-spectrum-and-we-need-it-now/ http://allthingsd.com/20120111/fcc-chairman-we-need-that-spectrum-and-we-need-it-now/#comments Wed, 11 Jan 2012 23:13:05 +0000 Ina Fried http://allthingsd.com/?p=162943

Julius Genachowski on Wednesday made yet another call for Congress to speedily allow incentive auctions to free up badly needed spectrum for the wireless industry.

But while the content in the FCC chairman’s speech was familiar, his vehicle for delivering it was different. He’s given many speeches reading from a tablet, as he did in Vegas, but this was the first time he had done so on an Android model — a Samsung Galaxy 8.9.

“I’ve only done them on the iPad,” Genachowski said. “On my smartphones I’ve tried to make it a practice to switch them up.”

So how was it?

“It was all good,” Genachowski said, showing off his remarks on the Galaxy tab. His trusty iPad was nearby, which he used to dash off a quick email before our interview. “It was a seamless experience.”

As for the content of his talk, Genachowski focused on several points that are near and dear to his heart — first, that Congress enable the auctions quickly, and second, that it leave the FCC the option of keeping some of the spectrum freed up for unlicensed purposes.

“It would be a very serious mistake to pass incentive legislation and prohibit the FCC from using some spectrum for unlicensed (uses),” he said, echoing comments he made on a Silicon Valley swing late last year.

Such uses, he said, allow innovation that could provide for even more efficient spectrum usage than limiting it only to licensed purposes.

“We may see innovations there that lead to more efficient use,” he said. “To me, it’s a no-brainer.”

Genachowski said that allowing those with unused spectrum to auction it off could allow for the recovery of 100MHz of very high quality spectrum near the 700MHz band used for today’s 4G services.

“The work doesn’t end with incentive auctions, but incentive auctions are a sure way to provide very significant relief to spectrum.”

MORE CES NEWS:

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20120111/fcc-chairman-we-need-that-spectrum-and-we-need-it-now/feed/ 0 Verizon Wireless: We Want to Connect Five Devices for Every Subscriber http://allthingsd.com/20120111/verizon-wireless-we-want-to-connect-five-devices-for-every-subscriber/ http://allthingsd.com/20120111/verizon-wireless-we-want-to-connect-five-devices-for-every-subscriber/#comments Wed, 11 Jan 2012 23:02:50 +0000 Ina Fried http://allthingsd.com/?p=162924 Verizon Wireless isn’t content just having the most wireless subscribers in the U.S. It wants those same subscribers to have multiple different devices on its network.

Over the long-term, the company is aiming for an average of five devices per subscriber.

“We think customers are going to have five devices,” said Colson Hillier, Verizon’s executive director of data applications.

Today, customers often have multiple connected devices, including laptops, televisions and tablets. Even when they are connected, most of those devices are linked to the Internet via Wi-Fi. Over time, though, Hillier said that Verizon sees an opportunity to add 4G.

One of the obvious impediments is today that would require either the use of a hotspot or signing up for multiple rate plans. Verizon, like other U.S. carriers, is looking at offering data plans that allow customers to share a pool of gigabytes among a number of different devices.

“You don’t get there with five plans,” he said.

Verizon’s chief executive said last month that some sort of shared data plan should arrive some time in 2012.

AT&T has also said it wants to offer such plans, but mobility chief Ralph de la Vega said in an interview this week that ironing out the details is taking longer than he had hoped.

Hillier also said that Verizon plans to offer home broadband service using its 4G LTE network in the first half of this year.

“We think it fits very well (for) rural markets and customers that are under-serviced,” Hillier said.

(Image credit: iStockphoto | thesuperph)

MORE CES NEWS:

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20120111/verizon-wireless-we-want-to-connect-five-devices-for-every-subscriber/feed/ 0 Grover Is at CES and I Am Missing It http://allthingsd.com/20120110/grover-is-at-ces-and-i-am-missing-it/ http://allthingsd.com/20120110/grover-is-at-ces-and-i-am-missing-it/#comments Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:30:36 +0000 Ina Fried http://allthingsd.com/?p=162176 As I’ve let slip in more than a few tweets and posts, I am a huge “Sesame Street” fan.

Which is why I can’t believe I am missing lovable, furry Grover. The blue Muppet is making an in-the-fur appearance at CES on Tuesday, in a speech by Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs, and I am already booked.

The chipmaker has worked with Sesame Workshop on an augmented reality application.

Jacobs is also set to show off other tech stuff, including a demo of Windows 8 running on its hardware and working over AT&T’s LTE network and Lenovo’s Android-based television, which is powered by a Qualcomm chip.

But what has me sore is missing the Muppets. If you are still in Vegas, Grover, call me!

MORE CES NEWS:

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20120110/grover-is-at-ces-and-i-am-missing-it/feed/ 0 Nokia Unveils That LTE Windows Phone It's Been Dying to Share http://allthingsd.com/20120109/live-nokia-unveils-that-lte-windows-phone-its-been-dying-to-share/ http://allthingsd.com/20120109/live-nokia-unveils-that-lte-windows-phone-its-been-dying-to-share/#comments Mon, 09 Jan 2012 22:47:02 +0000 Ina Fried http://allthingsd.com/?p=161909 After offering just a tease of its LTE-based Windows Phone this morning, Nokia is set to share a lot more details on Monday afternoon.

The same folks who were on stage at AT&T’s event this morning — Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and AT&T Mobility chief Ralph de la Vega — are all expected here, and one would presume they will have devices in hand.

As a reminder, Nokia has already announced its first Windows Phone for the U.S. — the Lumia 710 for T-Mobile. That phone, due this month, is an entry-level product that will sell for $50 with a new contract.

We’ll have live coverage, wireless permitting, once the event starts around 3 pm PT.

Earlier:

2:53 pm: OK, we’re here, charged up and logged in. Fingers crossed that Wi-Fi behaves for the event, which should run for about an hour.

3:02 pm: Elop takes the stage. “It’s wonderful to be here in North America on behalf of Nokia,” says Elop, the Canadian former Microsoft executive.

3:04 pm: Elop very briefly mentions the company’s entry-level phones for emerging markets, before turning to the company’s Windows Phone-based smartphone strategy.

Elop uses his favorite lines, talking about how a battle of devices is now a war of ecosystems and once again refers to the Lumia 710 and Lumia 800 as the first real Windows Phones.

3:06 pm: Elop talking up Lumia 710, which goes on sale this week (Jan. 11) on T-Mobile.

More war talk: Nokia is establishing beachheads, country by country …

Nokia Lumia 900 for AT&T introduced with a video. Elop holding it up, talking about AT&T’s exclusive.

Initially available in black and cyan (that’s blue to you and me).

Primary camera has Zeiss optics and wide aperture for low light along with a front-facing camera for video chat.

It looks like the Lumia 800, only bigger with its 4.3-inch screen.

3:10 pm: Nokia senior VP Kevin Shields comes up to show off a few of the device’s features.

The device is made from injection-molded polycarbonate, like the N9 and Lumia 800, which it looks an awful lot like.

3:17 pm: Shields touts the phone’s front and rear cameras, Nokia Drive (built-in turn-by-turn directions) and some custom apps such as the ESPN Windows Phone app that is exclusive to Nokia.

Other partners include Univision, the Atlantic Coast Conference and Sesame Street (of which I am a huge fan).

3:21 pm: Ballmer now on stage talking about Microsoft’s partnership with Nokia. He notes that Nokia has delivered the first Windows Phones in well under a year.

3:23 pm: Ballmer underscored, as he has repeatedly of late, that Microsoft has “room to grow” in terms of selling Windows Phones.

3:24 pm: Now out is the third in the executive triumvirate, AT&T Mobility chief Ralph de la Vega. “We’ve been spending a lot of time together,” de la Vega said, noting their appearance together at AT&T’s event this morning.

“Nokia is going to be back in the U.S. in a very big way,” de la Vega said, adding the Lumia 900 will be out “in the coming months.”

“We’re big fans of Windows Phone,” he said.

3:26 pm: Elop isn’t any clearer about Nokia 900 timing, saying only that the device will ship “in the months immediately ahead.”

Time for Q and A.

3:28 pm: What about Verizon? “Today we are just announcing AT&T” but clearly the company wants to get in front of as many U.S. consumers as possible.

3:30 pm: Asked about potential for fragmentation in the Windows Phone market, Elop says he is glad that Nokia isn’t alone in making Windows Phones. “I’m so happy companies like Samsung and HTC are releasing” Windows Phones. “We all need that to get the ecosystem going.”

That said, he added that “we do need some elements of differentiation.” The company is focused on specific apps and other things that won’t break compatibility within Windows Phone.

3:32 pm: Asked about pricing and specifics on availability, Elop again declines to give a more detailed time frame and, on pricing, he says only that it will be “aggressive.”

3:33 pm: As for where Nokia is headed, Elop indicated the company sees room for Windows Phone devices that cost less than the 710.

3:35 pm: In addition to its other app partnerships, Nokia said on Monday that it is working with games leader Electronic Arts to bring more than 20 new games to Windows Phone “coming first to Nokia Lumia devices.”

3:38 pm: Asked about what it would take for Nokia to get into tablets, Elop said it would want room to stand out.

3:40 pm: Why no NFC?

Elop notes that Nokia has been a pioneer in near field communications and already ships it on some Symbian phones.

As for why it is not on the first Windows Phones, Elop said the company had to prioritize and it wasn’t the most critical thing for consumers at this point.

“NFC is growing in importance. It’s something I personally believe in.”

Asked for an update on reports that Nokia looked at some sort of deal for RIM, he said, “There’s never been any information at all so there is no update available.” That said, he indicated Nokia does see an opportunity to make inroads in the business market RIM has dominated.

And with that, the press conference ends.

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20120109/live-nokia-unveils-that-lte-windows-phone-its-been-dying-to-share/feed/ 0 AT&T's De La Vega: Shared Data Plans Still in the Works http://allthingsd.com/20120109/atts-de-la-vega-shared-data-plans-still-in-the-works/ http://allthingsd.com/20120109/atts-de-la-vega-shared-data-plans-still-in-the-works/#comments Mon, 09 Jan 2012 20:27:48 +0000 Ina Fried http://allthingsd.com/?p=161796 AT&T still hopes soon to be able to allow customers to share a pool of megabytes or gigabytes across multiple devices. However, getting all the details ironed out is taking longer than the carrier would have hoped.

“We’re still working on that,” AT&T CEO Ralph de la Vega said in an interview on Monday, just after wrapping up his keynote speech at AT&T’s developer conference in Las Vegas. “It just takes a little more time than we all would want it to take. But sometimes it’s better to make sure you take your time and get it right.”

Verizon has said it expects to see such plans arrive this year and de la Vega himself said at last year’s D9 conference that AT&T was also looking to let customers pool their data into a single plan.

“We’re working on one,” he said at the time. “It will be soon. I can’t comment on a quarter (when it will launch) but it will be soon.”

France Telecom already offers such plans in some of its European markets.

The need for such plans was further highlighted on Monday by one of AT&T’s announcements. The company plans to sell a bundle with Pantech’s LTE phone and tablet for just $249. It is a good deal, of course, but the annoying catch is that it requires signing up for two separate data plans.

De la Vega talked about a number of other topics during our chat, including why he thinks Samsung’s 5-inch Galaxy Note phone/tablet hybrid stands a chance and why Motorola and Research In Motion were entirely absent from Monday’s talk.

I’ll have more from our interview in a bit.

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20120109/atts-de-la-vega-shared-data-plans-still-in-the-works/feed/ 0 AT&T's Vegas Act Stars LTE and, Making Her Return to the Stage, Nokia http://allthingsd.com/20120109/att-uses-vegas-stage-to-tout-lte-plans-nokia-phone/ http://allthingsd.com/20120109/att-uses-vegas-stage-to-tout-lte-plans-nokia-phone/#comments Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:30:22 +0000 Ina Fried http://allthingsd.com/?p=161483 As it has in years past, AT&T is using the Consumer Electronics Show to make its pitch to developers and unveil its plans for the year ahead.

This year, much of the focus is going to be on the company’s just-launched LTE network and all of the devices that the company plans to have running on it soon.

On Thursday, AT&T announced that it has added service in several more cities, including three of the biggest markets: Los Angeles, New York and the San Francisco Bay Area. In all, the carrier is now in 26 spots, though its network remains far smaller than the LTE footprint of Verizon Wireless.

The company has announced several LTE devices, but a bunch more are expected to be shown later on Monday. The most closely watched of these will be a new Nokia device running Microsoft’s Windows Phone, though we’re also expecting to hear from AT&T about other gadgets, including Samsung’s 5-inch Galaxy Note and Sony’s PlayStation Vita.

AT&T’s act runs from 9 am to 11 am PT. We’ll spare you a full recitation of the script and instead just offer the Playbill summary, along with insight on the performance and maybe a little inside info about the cast.

Earlier:
8:48 am: The good news: AT&T is passing out 5-Hour Energy bottles, more than enough for its keynote. The bad news: No power outlets. Many in the press row are fretting their laptops won’t have enough juice to make it through.

8:50 am: To keep everyone entertained, AT&T has been posting a set of “Would you rather” questions. My favorite one so far was, “Would you rather telecommute using a 14.4Kbps modem or commute two hours each way carpooling with the Kardashians?”

Modem all the way, personally.

Other questions include, “Would you rather use a cellphone from the 1980s or a pager from the 1990s?” and, “Would you rather only be able to text during the day and make calls at night or only be able to make calls during the day and text at night?”

It’s entertaining, but I’m not sure making people choose between two painful options is the branding message you need, AT&T.

8:55 am: OK, we should be getting started in a few minutes. Going to save laptop juice.

By the way, sponsors of AT&T’s developer summit include the expected array of partners — Samsung, HTC, Microsoft — as well as Nokia.

Somehow they managed to get RIM to pay twice, as both QNX and BlackBerry are sponsors.

9:03 am: We must be getting close. AT&T just put a slide on the big screen with its SEC-appeasing “safe harbor” warning. Basically, if things change, you can’t say they didn’t warn you.

9:08 am: AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega takes the stage. Overview so far, no news yet.

Expect the new devices toward the end.

9:12 am: Handoff to head marketing guy David Christopher, who is taking a stroll down memory lane, going back 16 years to when the company launched its developer program. I’ll let you know when we get back to the present.

9:13 am: AT&T is announcing a few new programs for developers, including some new programming interfaces to tie into its network.

Lots of carriers are doing this and there are benefits to developers that want to do the extra work. The downside is that developers already have to support multiple operating systems and HTML5. For many, writing to each carrier’s developer tools is too much extra work.

Among the new APIs, though, is carrier billing for payment — that appeals because it helps developers actually get paid.

9:20 am: AT&T is bringing an interesting developer out — Viva Vision chief and former NFL player Joe Tafoya.

Tafoya is showing an app his firm built for Dallas Mavericks player Jason “Jet” Terry. Incidentally, Terry went to high school with our own Tricia Duryee, who is helping out with this live blog, via Webcast.

9:25 am: Some stats on AT&T’s TV product, U-Verse. It’s up to 3.6 million customers, as of last year’s third quarter.

9:31 am: Lots of talk about partners and stuff. Apparently developers have to pay a $99 registration fee and can get unlimited access to the programming interfaces this year.

I’m ready for that energy drink.

Anyway, now up is Chief Technology Officer John Donovan.

He’s talking about the company’s 4G strategy, which includes both its HSPA+ network as well as the LTE network it is just building out now.

“AT&T delivers the best possible blended speed,” Donovan said, noting this is paying off for iPhone 4S users, since that phone supports HSPA+ but not any other 4G network.

He’s talking about the company’s network investments including 80,000 new antennas and 150,000 network improvements.

He’s suggesting the network is going to become like oxygen. Personally, I’m happy that I am able to get oxygen on my own, without having to pay AT&T or rely on them (or anyone else) to deliver it. But that could be just me.

And, as Tricia points out, wireless connectivity is inherently more limited than oxygen molecules, which are abundant, even if increasingly in the shape of carbon dioxide.

9:39 am: AT&T also has a cloud strategy, with droplets and other features that I am a little cloudy on. Got distracted by the clouds on the PowerPoint slide, which look like fluffy little pillows to me.

Donovan promises the ability to pay hourly or monthly for its cloud services and pledges more news on this front this year.

Now he’s talking more about programming interfaces. Developers do care about this stuff, but pretty sure they are all here or watching the Webcast. So I will spare you most of the details.

Donovan said the company expects to see 10 billion calls to its interfaces this year, more than double what it saw in 2011.

9:47 am: Pretty sure we will get some new devices at some point.

But sadly that point is not now.

9:52 am: Promising sign — now up is Senior VP Jeff Bradley who heads AT&T’s device business.

First up, though, are the winners of a developer conference …

Still a bit away from the device news. AT&T is talking about a technology for developers designed to allow their apps to be more power and bandwidth efficient.

10:08 am: Zynga and Pandora talking about how that tech helps their apps be smarter about when and how to connect to the network.

The tool also works across other devices and networks, Zynga noted.

And, Bradley said, it will be made available as open source code later this year.

10:11 am: And, just ahead of the device news, AT&T is talking about AppCenter — its new tool for app discovery. It’s more of a magazine pointing to existing app stores and mobile Web sites than yet another marketplace.

10:12 am: Back on stage are David Christopher and John Donovan. They are talking about three apps created in last night’s hackathon.

It’s similar to what AT&T does at its foundries, but this time live. The winner gets backstage passes to AT&T’s concert with Nickelback as well as the opportunity to be featured in an AT&T ad.

First up is Action X-Ray, which lets you share your extreme sports injuries with friends. It’s really good for targeted ads. Say, if you have a head injury, you get an ad for a helmet.

Next is HopiChest, a health-tracking app for kids to enter stats about their exercise and health habits and tweet it to their friends.

Finally is Sleepbot, which is a mobile and web app designed to help users get a better night’s sleep and compare one’s sleep with others who are tracking their Zzzzzs.

Now the audience is being asked to vote by text message for a winner.

10:19 am: AT&T isn’t the only carrier making news at CES today, by the way. Verizon has just announced the Verizon Jetpack, a new hotspot from ZTE and a new phone from LG.

10:22 am: AT&T is ready to start with its device news as well, with emerging devices head Glenn Lurie on stage. First up is gaming and Sony’s PlayStation Vita.

AT&T has already said it will have the wirelessly connected game console (an announcement made almost a year ago). It will debut next month.

Now it is sharing the fine print.

Sony’s SVP Kuni Suzuki is out, but decides to talk first about Sony’s Tablet P, a dual-screen clamshell device that folds out into a tablet-size screen. Sony announced the device last year and said it would come to AT&T, but again, we’ve been waiting on final details like price and availability.

10:30 am: Now he’s showing off the PS Vita, which is already on sale in Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

He’s showing pictures of the long lines that accompanied the launch. However, after a strong initial burst, sales trailed off.

The Vita is coming to the U.S. on Feb. 22, by the way.

Data plans for the Vita will be similar to the iPad, AT&T announced. For $15 a month, gamers will get 250 MB of data and for $25 a month, they will get 2GB.

However, since the Vita is a designated gaming device, it will be interesting to see if consumers will be willing to pay just as much for wireless connectivity.

The device itself will cost $299.

10:34 am: OK, back to de la Vega for more devices. But first, the results of that developer live pitch. And the winner is…

Action X-Ray, the one that lets you share your injuries with friends.

10:40 am: Device time, starting with six new Android devices, all with LTE.

Sony Xperia Ion, an exclusive to AT&T, will pack a 12 megapixel camera and a 4.6-inch screen. Planned for second quarter (with Sony branding now that it has bought out Ericsson).

Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket HD adds a bigger 4.6-inch Super AMOLED screen to the current Skyrocket model as well as a removable battery. Also, as widely leaked, AT&T is getting the Galaxy Note, a 5-inch cross between phone and tablet.

W.P. Hong, Samsung’s head of global product strategy, comes out to explain why we actually need such a thing.

It’s coming to the U.S. exclusively with AT&T and comes in blue and white. U.S. head Kevin Packingham is brought out to add to the Galaxy Note pitch.

He touts the pressure-sensitive pen capability, 5.3-inch screen and other features.

“And yes, it does make phone calls,” Packingham said.

De la Vega says AT&T also wants to bring LTE to the masses and is doing so with a lower-end LTE phone and tablet from Pantech as well as entry-level phone from Samsung.

10:50 am: De la Vega said the Pantech phone will be available for under $50, with a bundle coming that offers the tablet and phone for $249 (as long as you sign up for contracts for both, of course.)

The tablet, the Element, is also waterproof, notes Pantech marketing chief S. Jay Yim, who is now on stage.

Yim ends his talk by dipping the tablet in water, with de la Vega handing him a towel to dry off himself — and the tablet.

The Samsung Exhilarate, an eco-friendly budget LTE phone, will also be priced at less than $50, AT&T said.

10:57 am: OK, Windows Phone time, with de la Vega saying it sees a lot of promise in the platform. AT&T has been the biggest backer of the technology.

AT&T will be first with LTE Windows Phones. And, out comes CEO Steve Ballmer.

“The devices are blindingly fast,” Ballmer said, promising more details will come throughout the day. (Think Nokia event at 3 pm.)

Ballmer draws a contrast between Windows Phone and its app-centric rivals and says that others’ approach puts distance between a user and what they want to do.

“That doesn’t mean we don’t love apps,” Ballmer insists. Microsoft’s approach lets apps work together more easily, he said.

Ballmer notes that the company now has 50,000 apps in its marketplace, with 300 more coming each day.

As for Windows and Windows Phone getting more similar, Ballmer said, “We’ll continue to move in the direction of sharing more technology.”

Ballmer’s also sneaking in a quick pitch for Windows 8.

There have been 3 million downloads of the developer preview version of Windows 8, released at the Build conference last fall, Ballmer said.

Beta coming in February, Ballmer reminds developers.

And, he wraps up with his now-familiar chant of “developers, developers, developers.”

11:08 am: On to Windows Phone devices. Nokia is coming, but first up is HTC.

HTC CEO Peter Chou comes on stage to show that company’s first LTE-capable Windows Phone.

He shows off HTC Titan II, with its whopping 16 megapixel camera.

“I’ve tested it,” Chou said. “It’s blazing fast on the AT&T network.”

The press conference is running over and it’s fingernail biting time in the press row as our laptop batteries all dip into the red.

11:15 am: Chou is cracking up Ballmer and de la Vega. Maybe if he keeps it up there won’t be any time for Nokia.

11:16 am: Nope, here’s Nokia CEO Stephen Elop.

De la Vega said AT&T is betting on Nokia and on Elop. “We have bet on this person because I think he is the right person for this job.”

Elop starts out with his now-familiar line about the battle of devices turning into a war of ecosystems.

He also repeats his assertion that Lumia 710 and Lumia 800 were “the first real Windows Phones,” a phrase that is now doubt giving Chou fits backstage.

Elop promises first 4G LTE phone will be with AT&T.

But he also says that Nokia will share “more details” later this afternoon at its press conference.

And with that, the presentation is over.

MORE CES NEWS:

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20120109/att-uses-vegas-stage-to-tout-lte-plans-nokia-phone/feed/ 0 Confirmed: Sprint Combining Business and Consumer Units, Ousting Four Top Execs http://allthingsd.com/20120106/sprint-combining-business-and-consumer-units-ousting-four-top-execs/ http://allthingsd.com/20120106/sprint-combining-business-and-consumer-units-ousting-four-top-execs/#comments Fri, 06 Jan 2012 21:13:25 +0000 Ina Fried http://allthingsd.com/?p=161107 Saying that it needs to cut costs where it can, Sprint is merging its business and consumer units.

The move also will result in four top executives leaving the company, according to a memo from CEO Dan Hesse.

“As the wireless market has evolved, the lines between consumers and businesses have blurred,” Hesse said in the memo, which was first reported by Reuters. “Because of the enormous investments we’re making this year in Network Vision and in the iPhone, we need to consistently be looking for ways to be more efficient.”

Leaving the company are divisional presidents Bob Johnson and Danny Bowman and senior VPs Chris Rogers and John Carney.

All sales will now report to Paget Alves, with all consumer and business marketing being headed by Bill Malloy. Sprint’s machine-to-machine business will switch over to wholesale unit president Matt Carter.

A Sprint representative confirmed the moves and the authenticity of the memo.

Although Sprint got its way in seeing AT&T’s efforts to buy T-Mobile derailed, the company faces plenty of hurdles of its own, and remains a distant No. 3 to AT&T and Verizon Wireless.

The company had placed a big bet on being first to market with a high-speed 4G network, choosing WiMax. However, with LTE offering higher speeds and more ubiquitous adoption, the carrier is now shifting gears and aiming to build an LTE network, as well.

Sprint said this week that it will launch by midyear in several southern U.S. cities, but it now trails both AT&T and Verizon in the LTE race.

Also, as paidContent’s Tom Krazit notes, the Sprint Web site could do with a bit of business/consumer consolidation, too. The screenshot below is what folks see when going to Sprint.com:

Updated at 1:40 pm PT to include confirmation of the moves by a Sprint representative.

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20120106/sprint-combining-business-and-consumer-units-ousting-four-top-execs/feed/ 0 Sprint Announces First LTE Cities and, Prematurely, Its First LTE Phone http://allthingsd.com/20120105/sprint-announces-first-lte-cities-and-perhaps-prematurely-its-first-lte-phone/ http://allthingsd.com/20120105/sprint-announces-first-lte-cities-and-perhaps-prematurely-its-first-lte-phone/#comments Thu, 05 Jan 2012 23:28:27 +0000 Ina Fried http://allthingsd.com/?p=160685 Sprint made a bunch of 4G network news on Thursday and some of it was even intentional.

On the intended front, CEO Dan Hesse told investors that the company would launch its first high-speed LTE service before the middle of the year in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.

Perhaps less intended was the announcement of the company’s first LTE smartphone. However, as spotted by The Verge, Sprint is advertising on CNET’s CES page that the Samsung Galaxy Nexus will be the company’s first LTE phone. Clicking on the phone in the ad does nothing, while a link in the bottom of the ad for more info about Sprint’s LTE plans led to an error page as of Thursday afternoon.

After being early to the game with its WiMax-based 4G network, Sprint is now racing to catch up as it adopts LTE. Verizon already has coverage in a good chunk of the nation, while AT&T announced on Thursday that it is offering service in 11 more cities, including Los Angeles, the New York City Metro area and the San Francisco Bay Area.

I’ve asked the company for more details on its plans for the Galaxy Nexus and whether the ad was meant to go live on Thursday.

Update, 5:50 p.m. PT: In a story on its own site, CNET said the ad was published accidentally.

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20120105/sprint-announces-first-lte-cities-and-perhaps-prematurely-its-first-lte-phone/feed/ 0 AT&T Lights Up LTE in 11 More Cities, Including L.A., N.Y. and San Francisco http://allthingsd.com/20120105/att-lights-up-lte-in-11-more-cities-including-l-a-n-y-and-san-francisco/ http://allthingsd.com/20120105/att-lights-up-lte-in-11-more-cities-including-l-a-n-y-and-san-francisco/#comments Thu, 05 Jan 2012 18:19:35 +0000 Ina Fried http://allthingsd.com/?p=160507 AT&T took a big step toward expanding its high-speed LTE network, announcing on Thursday that it has added 11 more areas, including Los Angeles, the New York Metro Area and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Also getting the service are Austin; Chapel Hill, N.C.; Orlando; Phoenix; Raleigh, N.C.; and San Diego, Calif.

That’s in addition to the 15 other markets in which AT&T launched LTE last year. Of course, AT&T still trails Verizon, which has coverage in 190 markets, with service available to more than 200 million people.

Sprint, meanwhile, has much of the country covered with an alternate 4G technology, WiMax. However, Sprint has announced plans to launch an LTE network of its own later this year.

Constrained by spectrum, T-Mobile USA has focused on rolling out ever-faster variants of its 3G network. The company had hoped a merger with AT&T would solve its problems, but is now scrambling for other options since that deal collapsed.

Update, 1 p.m.: In a Twitter posting, Sprint noted on Wednesday that it plans to launch its LTE service in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio by mid-year.

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20120105/att-lights-up-lte-in-11-more-cities-including-l-a-n-y-and-san-francisco/feed/ 0 Verizon: Sorry for the 4G Downtime, but It Really Wasn't That Bad http://allthingsd.com/20111229/verizon-sorry-for-the-4g-downtime-but-it-really-wasnt-that-bad/ http://allthingsd.com/20111229/verizon-sorry-for-the-4g-downtime-but-it-really-wasnt-that-bad/#comments Fri, 30 Dec 2011 01:32:28 +0000 Ina Fried http://allthingsd.com/?p=158287 In the wake of its third outage this month, Verizon today defended its network performance.

The carrier noted its overall 99 percent uptime, and characterized the outages as the growing pains that come with the territory as it pioneers a new 4G LTE network.

Each of the outages, Verizon said, had distinct causes.

Here’s the full release:

Statement From Verizon Wireless on 4GLTE Network

12/29/2011

In light of recent events, Verizon Wireless shared the following statement about its 4GLTE Network:

The Verizon Wireless 4GLTE Network is BY FAR the largest and the most advanced 4GLTE wireless network in the world. It is available in 190 US markets and covers more than 200 million people, providing the fastest 4G Network in the US.

Being a pioneer comes with growing pains. The recent issues that affected our customers’ 4GLTE service were unforeseen despite careful, diligent planning, deployment and ongoing upgrade programs.

Problems customers experienced affected connectivity to the 4GLTE Network and data service. Several times, we have proactively “moved” 4GLTE customers onto our 3G Network to ensure all would have a data connection. For brief periods, such as on Wednesday (12/28), 4GLTE customers could not connect to the 3G Network as quickly as we would have liked.

Nonetheless, we estimate that 4GLTE connectivity has been available approximately 99 percent of the time this year.

Why have these issues occurred with our 4GLTE Network? Each incident has been different from a technical standpoint. Our engineers have successfully diagnosed those past triggering events, and they have not re-occurred. We also work diligently to rectify technical problems in the Network before they affect any customers.

Our 3G and 1X Networks continue to reliably process calls, texts and data for customers with 3G devices and, when necessary, 4GLTE devices. It continues to perform at the high level that established it as the nation’s largest and most reliable 3G Network.

We are taking a number of steps, working closely with our network suppliers, to ensure the integrity of our 4GLTE Network. We continue to fortify and improve its performance, and our goal is that our 4GLTE Network meets the same high standards that our 3G Network has set for performance and reliability.

Among the numerous measures we have taken or will take are: geographic segmentation, which enables us to isolate, contain and rectify network performance issues, and maintain service to the majority of customers when an issue does develop; and software fixes that we have developed, tested and applied regularly – and will continue to do so. Both will improve performance and reliability.

And finally, we are learning from these issues and applying the same gold standard to our 4GLTE Network that make our 3G Network the nation’s largest and most reliable.

Verizon Wireless is a leader and pioneer in this cutting edge technology that provides very fast wireless data speeds, enabling customers to enjoy the best experience in video and other wireless data usage. Clear unbuffered streaming video, super fast file downloads and wide availability are among the advantages we offer to customers. The capabilities of 4GLTE have exceeded many expectations.

We will not rest until our 4GLTE network performs at the very highest levels that our customers have come to expect from us.

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20111229/verizon-sorry-for-the-4g-downtime-but-it-really-wasnt-that-bad/feed/ 0 Verizon Wireless Playing the 4G Grinch With Third Outage This Month (Update) http://allthingsd.com/20111228/verizon-wireless-playing-the-4g-grinch-with-third-outage-this-month/ http://allthingsd.com/20111228/verizon-wireless-playing-the-4g-grinch-with-third-outage-this-month/#comments Wed, 28 Dec 2011 20:46:27 +0000 Ina Fried http://allthingsd.com/?p=157799 Verizon Wireless customers from various cities are once again reporting problems connecting to the cellular carrier’s high-speed network.

Users in Alabama, California and Indiana, among other places, are taking to the company’s support Web site to document their connection woes.

The company had an outage last week and another earlier this month.

With the past outages, Verizon has confirmed the issues but declined to discuss the specific causes. A Verizon representative was not immediately available for comment on the latest outage.

Update: Verizon has provided the following comment:

We are investigating reports of some customers experiencing trouble accessing the 4GLTE network. The network itself continues to operate and all customers continue to be able to make calls, send text messages and utilize data services. 3G devices are operating normally.

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20111228/verizon-wireless-playing-the-4g-grinch-with-third-outage-this-month/feed/ 0 Year of the Talking Phone and a Cloud That Got Hot http://allthingsd.com/20111221/year-of-the-talking-phone-and-a-cloud-that-got-hot/ http://allthingsd.com/20111221/year-of-the-talking-phone-and-a-cloud-that-got-hot/#comments Thu, 22 Dec 2011 02:04:22 +0000 Walter S. Mossberg http://allthingsd.com/?p=156106 While other industries struggled, consumer technology seemed to march ahead as always in 2011, with important new products and services continuing to roll out. Sure, some tech companies, like BlackBerry maker Research In Motion, suffered reverses. And some products, like Hewlett-Packard’s TouchPad, flopped. But many shone.


[ See post to watch video ]

So here is a look at a few of the biggest tech products of the past year, with some analysis of what they signified and what issues they raise for 2012. As with all my columns, this one is focused only on products and services provided to consumers. Also, as usual, this column isn’t meant to offer investment advice or to evaluate the management skills or financial condition of companies.

The iDevices
PTECH-JUMP

Siri, right, the voice-controlled artificial-intelligence system, made the iPhone 4S stand out even though it looked like its predecessor.

Even in a year when its iconic leader, Steve Jobs, resigned as CEO and then passed away, Apple kept going from success to success. In March, it introduced the iPad 2, a thinner, lighter, faster version of its groundbreaking tablet and sold tens of millions of them. In October, it brought out the iPhone 4S, which proved popular even though it looked identical to the prior model. One reason: The phone introduced a voice-controlled artificial-intelligence system called Siri that answers questions and performs tasks without requiring typing or searching. Siri, while still rudimentary, could herald a revolution in practical artificial intelligence for consumers.

The lesson here is that Apple is driving the industry toward simpler, more reliable digital experiences tied into ecosystems of content and cloud services. It is expected to bring out radically new iPhones and iPads in 2012. But can it fend off challenges from popular, rapidly improving rivals using Google’s Android operating system? And, in the absence of Mr. Jobs, can it keep churning out game-changing hits?

PTECH-JUMP

With its ultralow price and Amazon connection, the Kindle Fire may be the first tablet to gain significant traction against the iPad.
The Kindle Fire

Despite some initial software flaws and its chunky, plain hardware, the diminutive Fire appeared to be the first color tablet to gain significant traction against the iPad. The biggest reasons are its ultralow $199 price and its tie-in to Amazon’s huge content library. But the Fire may have started a trend that could be a problem for Google: It demotes the Android operating system to an under-the-covers piece of plumbing, ignoring Google’s user interface and apps marketplace.

In 2012, Amazon is expected to bring out a larger, possibly sleeker Fire, and, if it continues to prove popular, it could attract larger numbers of apps designed for the Fire and sold only through Amazon. But despite its success with simple e-readers, Amazon has little experience as a maker of general-purpose computing devices, and it will have to be nimble and creative to keep up with Apple and more-traditional Android rivals.

LTE

Though several cellular technologies claim the moniker “4G” to indicate fast data speeds and greater capacity, only one, LTE (Long Term Evolution), delivers true broadband speeds consistently. This past year, it finally spread significantly in the U.S., both in terms of geography and in the number of devices supporting it. The LTE leader by far is Verizon Wireless and it has the potential to make the wireless Web, and wireless streaming of video, the equal of their wired counterparts. AT&T is racing to catch up and Sprint, which uses a different 4G system, says it will join the LTE parade.

But at this stage, LTE still consumes too much battery power. And LTE networks, if they become the norm, could get overwhelmed. To fend off this prospect, the biggest carriers in 2011 began charging more for greater data usage, a move that could curb the spread of innovative services that rely on large data downloads, such as video streaming and sharing of music and high-resolution photos.

PTECH-JUMP

More companies took advantage of cloud computing, with Google introducing the Chromebook, which relies almost entirely on the cloud.
The Cloud

Many players began offering consumers the opportunity to both store their data on, and run apps from, remote servers on the Internet, a system called cloud computing. Google even introduced a new kind of laptop, the Chromebook, that has almost no internal storage and relies almost entirely on the cloud. An example of a cloud service: music “lockers” that store all your songs on multiple devices. Cloud services are sure to expand in 2012, but questions remain on their reliability, security and privacy. And while most now cost little or nothing, these offerings could become another monthly fee burden for consumers.

PTECH-JUMP

Android became easier to use with the release of the Ice Cream Sandwich version, used in the Samsung Galaxy Nexus.
The Android Army

In 2011, Android overtook Apple’s iPhone and iPad operating system, called iOS, in users. Though no single Android device is as popular as the iPhone or iPad, Android is now the collective leader, with hundreds of devices using it. Samsung, in particular, had success with its Android-based Galaxy devices. And a new version, called Ice Cream Sandwich, continued Android’s steady improvement by making it easier to use. However, Google may be losing control of Android, as hardware makers and cellular carriers redefine it to suit their own needs, and fail to offer consumers updates in a timely fashion. Except for the Kindle Fire, the operating system hasn’t caught on in tablets.

Windows

Microsoft has been way behind in the new areas of super-smartphones and tablets. In 2011, the software giant began to try to reverse that situation. It introduced the first competitive version of its sleek, sophisticated Windows Phone software, called Mango, though so far without much uptake by consumers. And it previewed a bold new version of main Windows, called Windows 8, with a multitouch interface that, unlike Apple’s approach, is a single operating system meant for both PCs and tablets. It will start shipping in 2012.

PTECH-JUMP

Following in the Apple MacBook Air’s footsteps, a crop of thin and speedy ultrabooks, such as the Toshiba Portege Z835, pictured, became the new standard for laptops, with Windows PC makers coming up with their own versions of the machines.

Still, Windows Phone must somehow attract many more users. And Windows 8 is a gamble, because it includes two interfaces: the new tabletlike face and the old, familiar Windows look, which could confuse consumers.

Ultrabooks

In 2011, Apple’s MacBook Air, previously a niche product, became the new standard for laptops—thin, light, speedy, with long battery life and solid-state memory for storage instead of a hard disk. Now, Windows PC makers are following suit with similar machines called Ultrabooks.

Ultrabooks may recharge the Windows laptop scene in 2012. However, they will have to become less costly—they now hover at around $1,000—and their solid-state drives don’t offer the capacity of hard disks at an affordable price.

PTECH-JUMP

The Lenovo IdeaPad U300
Television

The reinvention of television picked up steam in 2011, albeit in a small way. Despite some miscues, Netflix streaming of TV shows to many devices grew in popularity. Set-top boxes that bring Internet video to TVs, like the Roku box and Apple TV, got better and more popular, though Google’s competing effort was a dud. Microsoft’s Xbox is set to compete strongly, using its Kinect add-on to find and play media apps with gestures and voice commands.

The big test may come in 2012, when Apple is believed to plan to ship a whole new type of Internet-connected TV, which the company hasn’t confirmed. A big obstacle: Cable and media companies will have a huge say in this potential revolution, and the current system serves them well.

So, 2011 was an exciting year in consumer technology. I can’t wait for 2012.

Email Walt at mossberg@wsj.com.

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20111221/year-of-the-talking-phone-and-a-cloud-that-got-hot/feed/ 0 Verizon: 4G Data Service Returning After Overnight Outage http://allthingsd.com/20111221/verizon-4g-data-service-returning-after-overnight-outage/ http://allthingsd.com/20111221/verizon-4g-data-service-returning-after-overnight-outage/#comments Wed, 21 Dec 2011 16:58:07 +0000 Arik Hesseldahl http://allthingsd.com/?p=155837 Verizon Wireless just confirmed the service outage on its 4G network that numerous customers noticed overnight, in an official statement: “Verizon Wireless 4G LTE service is returning to normal this morning after company engineers worked to resolve an issue with the 4G network during the early morning hours today. Throughout this time, 4G LTE customers were able to make voice calls and send and receive text messages. The 3G data network operated normally.”

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20111221/verizon-4g-data-service-returning-after-overnight-outage/feed/ 0 Verizon Hit With Second Big Data Outage This Month http://allthingsd.com/20111221/verizon-hit-with-second-big-data-outage-this-month/ http://allthingsd.com/20111221/verizon-hit-with-second-big-data-outage-this-month/#comments Wed, 21 Dec 2011 12:26:57 +0000 Ina Fried http://allthingsd.com/?p=155764 Verizon Wireless users from various parts of the country are again reporting an outage of the carrier’s main data networks.

In reports on Twitter and the carrier’s support forums, users note getting either no data service or service only on Verizon’s slowest data network.

Two weeks ago, Verizon had a significant outage on its fastest network. That network also went down for a spell back in April.

A Verizon representative was not immediately available for comment. The Verge said that a representative they talked to confirmed the outage, but declined to offer details or provide a time frame when service might be restored.

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20111221/verizon-hit-with-second-big-data-outage-this-month/feed/ 0 LightSquared Asks FCC to Declare GPS Interference Not Its Fault http://allthingsd.com/20111220/lightsquared-asks-fcc-to-declare-gps-interference-not-its-fault/ http://allthingsd.com/20111220/lightsquared-asks-fcc-to-declare-gps-interference-not-its-fault/#comments Tue, 20 Dec 2011 22:11:21 +0000 Ina Fried http://allthingsd.com/?p=155567 Aspiring wholesale wireless provider LightSquared wants the Federal Communications Commission to declare that any interference between its network and GPS systems is the fault of the way those systems are designed.

LightSquared aims to build a 4G network, and to offer that network to other companies on a wholesale basis. Among the hurdles it faces are complaints that such a network will interfere with millions of GPS systems already on the market. In a petition filed on Tuesday, LightSquared reiterated its position that the problem is that GPS systems “look into” the spectrum that has been licensed to LightSquared.

“The one inescapable conclusion from two rounds of independent testing is that the incompatibility problem is not caused by LightSquared’s network,” LightSquared Executive Vice President Jeff Carlisle said in a statement. “It is clear that GPS devices are purposefully designed to look into LightSquared’s licensed spectrum, and given this evidence, we believe decision-makers should consider LightSquared’s legal rights as the licensee.”

Even though it is asking the FCC to rule that it is the proper licensee of the spectrum in question, LightSquared said it still wants to work with the GPS industry to minimize potential problems. LightSquared has maintained that navigation-system makers can design systems that filter out any potential interference from devices that would run on its network.

“While we ask the FCC today to confirm our legal rights, LightSquared remains fully committed to cooperate with all parties — the GPS industry, GPS users, and the federal government — to ensure that LightSquared’s network is deployed in a way that is compatible with GPS users,” said Carlisle. “LightSquared has always recognized the critical importance of the GPS system, and we firmly believe that GPS devices can peacefully co-exist adjacent to our network.”

The GPS issue isn’t the only one facing the company. Reuters reported this week that LightSquared also faces a potential cash crunch. A company representative did not confirm or deny the authenticity of the data in the Reuters report, but told AllThingsD that LightSquared has enough cash for the next several quarters.

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20111220/lightsquared-asks-fcc-to-declare-gps-interference-not-its-fault/feed/ 0 Flush With Cash, T-Mobile's Future Still Very Much Up in the Air http://allthingsd.com/20111219/flush-with-cash-t-mobiles-future-still-very-much-up-in-the-air/ http://allthingsd.com/20111219/flush-with-cash-t-mobiles-future-still-very-much-up-in-the-air/#comments Mon, 19 Dec 2011 23:44:33 +0000 Tricia Duryee http://allthingsd.com/?p=155146 AT&T’s $4 billion breakup package may be of little consolation to T-Mobile USA and its German parent company, Deutsche Telekom.

While the carrier gets valuable spectrum, a roaming agreement and $3 billion in cash, the future of the No. 4 U.S. carrier is cloudier than ever, now that AT&T has called off its planned purchase.

T-Mobile has been operating as something of a lame duck since AT&T first proposed its $39 billion acquisition in March. Consumers, employees and potential partners have all been writing the carrier off, assuming that it would soon be swallowed up by its far-larger rival.

The abrupt turn of events will send T-Mobile and its parent company back to the drawing board, which will include soliciting new buyers, figuring out a strategy for its next-generation network and coming up with some inducements to avoid losing even more customers.

The blow of the breakup is only softened by the fact that the Bellevue, Wash.-based carrier will be handed a huge chunk of spending money to ride out the near-term bumps.

As T-Mobile looks to come up with Plan B, here are some potential options:

Spectrum sharing: As part of the breakup, AT&T has entered a mutually beneficial roaming agreement with Deutsche Telekom. Terms of the agreement have not yet been shared, but there could be some pretty compelling outcomes.

In Europe, it is common for carriers to share spectrum and even the cost of maintaining the network and towers. From the consumer’s perspective, it’s two different networks and two different brands. The carriers only end up competing on handset offerings, price and features — not coverage.

Another merger: T-Mobile will entertain any and all offers. Most recently, Dish said it was interested in partnering with T-Mobile if its merger with AT&T fell apart. Other candidates could include Sprint, or other companies from the media industry that are always sniffing around wireless, such as cable operators.

A bid from a company like Google or Microsoft would definitely make things interesting. While both are less likely candidates, they could use the network to push their agenda, including handsets and applications.

A total overhaul: The $4 billion breakup fee could give Deutsche Telekom the confidence to take another shot at the U.S. market. Probably not, but there’s always a chance. The company’s roots have been entrepreneurial and scrappy, but it’s been awhile since it has been able to make an impact on the market.

Worst-case scenario: Deutsche Telekom passes out the cash as a dividend to stockholders. It has always leaned on the U.S. as a moneymaker, and this could be no exception.

The 4G conundrum: Regardless, T-Mobile still does not have enough spectrum to update its network to the next generation. It may gain access to AT&T’s 4G network as part of the roaming agreement with AT&T, but both companies will arguably need more spectrum to keep up with demand.

The only two options will be to partner with Clearwire or LightSquared, or to wait until the next government auction. Both Clearwire and LightSquared are always in need of more cash, and have their difficulties. A deal with Clearwire would be additionally complicated by the fact that Sprint owns nearly half of the company.

AllThingsD’s Ina Fried contributed to this report.

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20111219/flush-with-cash-t-mobiles-future-still-very-much-up-in-the-air/feed/ 0 LightSquared Network Could Block GPS Devices, Report Says http://allthingsd.com/20111210/lightsquared-network-could-block-gps-devices-report-says/ http://allthingsd.com/20111210/lightsquared-network-could-block-gps-devices-report-says/#comments Sat, 10 Dec 2011 21:17:38 +0000 Amy Schatz http://allthingsd.com/?p=152675 New government tests show wireless start-up LightSquared’s network could knock out a “great majority” of GPS devices, according to a congressional aide who has seen a draft government report on the tests.

Preliminary data from recent government and industry tests of LightSquared’s network suggest that the start-up hasn’t solved concerns that its network would knock out a large number of personal or military GPS devices, the report said, according to the aide.

LightSquared, a startup funded largely by hedge fund Harbinger Capital Partners, wants to build a national wireless broadband network and offer wholesale Internet access to companies including Leap Wireless International Inc. and Best Buy Co.

Read the rest of this post on the original site »

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20111210/lightsquared-network-could-block-gps-devices-report-says/feed/ 0 Verizon Wireless Customers Finding Themselves At Least a "G" Short of 4G http://allthingsd.com/20111207/verizon-wireless-customers-finding-themselves-a-couple-gs-short-of-4g/ http://allthingsd.com/20111207/verizon-wireless-customers-finding-themselves-a-couple-gs-short-of-4g/#comments Wed, 07 Dec 2011 22:04:47 +0000 Ina Fried http://allthingsd.com/?p=151626 Verizon Wireless customers are reporting what appear to be widespread network issues affecting customers in various places across the United States.

Customers took to both Twitter and the Verizon Wireless support forums to kvetch about their lack of high-speed data service.

Posters from locations ranging from Houston to Boston and Iowa to New Hampshire reported problems accessing the company’s data networks.

Verizon told AllThingsD that the problems are limited to its fastest 4G LTE network.

“Verizon Wireless engineers have been working to resolve an issue with 4G LTE service that is affecting some customers’ 4G devices,” a company spokesman said in a statement. “3G data and voice devices are unaffected. All customers’ voice calls and text messages continue to go through.”

Verizon said that the issues began over the past 24 hours, with some users having no issues and other having intermittent or no 4G data access.

“We are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible,” Verizon said.

The company was hit with a significant nationwide outage back in April.

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20111207/verizon-wireless-customers-finding-themselves-a-couple-gs-short-of-4g/feed/ 0 Cox Giving Up Completely on Wireless Business http://allthingsd.com/20111116/cox-giving-up-completely-on-wireless-business/ http://allthingsd.com/20111116/cox-giving-up-completely-on-wireless-business/#comments Wed, 16 Nov 2011 21:07:00 +0000 Ina Fried http://allthingsd.com/?p=144947 Cox Communications, which in May stopped operating its own cellular networks, said this week that it plans to completely exit the cellphone business.

The cable company said that it will stop selling cellular service as of today and will discontinue service to current customers as of March, though it promised to help them transition to other providers. Cox has been reselling 3G service from Sprint to customers in about half of its service areas.

Existing customers will get a $150 credit on their bill for each line of wireless service and keep their phone as well as any deals they had for bundling their phone and cable services.

“Cox is working to make this transition as seamless and easy as possible for our customers,” Executive VP Len Barlik said in a statement.

In making the decision, Cox cited several reasons, including the rapid shift to 4G and its inability to land “iconic devices.”

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20111116/cox-giving-up-completely-on-wireless-business/feed/ 0 Here's the Download on Verizon's New "Double Data" Plans http://allthingsd.com/20111108/heres-the-download-on-verizons-new-double-data-plans/ http://allthingsd.com/20111108/heres-the-download-on-verizons-new-double-data-plans/#comments Tue, 08 Nov 2011 16:38:47 +0000 Ina Fried http://allthingsd.com/?p=141762 Starting today, Verizon is offering customers buying a new 4G smartphone a choice of “double data” plans — users will get twice as much data for the same price the carrier had been charging.

However, Verizon spokeswoman Brenda Raney sent an email clarifying some misconceptions that have been circulating since word of the new plans cropped up on Monday.

First off, all customers who buy a 4G smartphone are eligible. Second, they can keep the plan for as long as they stay on a 4G smartphone. “Limited time” in this case refers to how long Verizon will keep offering the double data plans to new customers.

Third, for existing customers, only those who have upgraded their service or bought a new 4G smartphone within the last 14 days are eligible to switch to the double data plans. That said, many of Verizon’s smartphone customers are still grandfathered in on the unlimited plans that Verizon, like other carriers used to offer.

Verizon and AT&T now require customers to pick from one of several “tiers” of data, based on how many megabytes or gigabytes they will use — a number that is still kind of fuzzy for a lot of people. Verizon, like other carriers, offers a data calculator that tries to help.

T-Mobile offers unlimited data on most of its plans, but starts to throttle the speed once users hit their specified threshold. Sprint, meanwhile, continues to offer and heavily promote unlimited data plans for smartphones.

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20111108/heres-the-download-on-verizons-new-double-data-plans/feed/ 0 LTE iPhone Expected in 2012 http://allthingsd.com/20111026/lte-iphone-expected-in-2012/ http://allthingsd.com/20111026/lte-iphone-expected-in-2012/#comments Wed, 26 Oct 2011 19:29:28 +0000 John Paczkowski http://allthingsd.com/?p=137031 Apple has evidently found a way around the design compromises that have so far dissuaded it from releasing an LTE-capable iPhone. Industry sources tell Taiwanese trade mag DigiTimes that Apple will “join the LTE club in 2012.” Presumably by that time, LTE networks and the chips required to access them will be mature enough to relieve Apple’s concerns. As Apple CEO Tim Cook said earlier this year, “The first generation of LTE chipsets force a lot of design compromises with the handset, and some of those, we are just not willing to make.”

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20111026/lte-iphone-expected-in-2012/feed/ 0 Half of All Verizon's Smartphones Sold Are Androids http://allthingsd.com/20111021/half-of-all-verizons-smartphones-sold-are-androids/ http://allthingsd.com/20111021/half-of-all-verizons-smartphones-sold-are-androids/#comments Fri, 21 Oct 2011 12:56:25 +0000 Tricia Duryee http://allthingsd.com/?p=135521 Verizon Wireless said it sold 5.6 million smartphones in the third quarter, half of which were devices using Google’s Android operating system.

Additionally, it said that now 39 percent of the wireless devices running on its networks are now smartphones.

The nation’s largest carrier said in total it sold almost three million Android devices, compared to two million iPhones. Apple’s latest device, the iPhone 4S, did not go on sale until after the quarter ended.

Yesterday, AT&T said it activated 2.7 million iPhones in the same quarter, which was the lowest level in more than a year as customers waited to upgrade. Additionally, as of Tuesday, it had sold one million iPhone 4S devices already in the fourth quarter.

Verizon declined to update investors on how many next-generation iPhones it had sold, other than it sold out on the first day and was waiting for more shipments from Apple.

Many of the sales were driven by the company’s 4G network, which is now in 165 markets, covering 186 million people. It sold 1.4 million 4G LTE devices, and said that 95 percent of all Internet devices on its network were now using 4G LTE.

Overall, Verizon said its wireless revenues surged by more than 9 percent. For more details on the company’s financial performance, check out the liveblog of its Q3 conference call.

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20111021/half-of-all-verizons-smartphones-sold-are-androids/feed/ 0 AT&T's iPhone Sales Slow, But Just You Wait Until the Fourth Quarter http://allthingsd.com/20111020/atts-iphone-sales-slow-but-just-you-wait-until-the-fourth-quarter/ http://allthingsd.com/20111020/atts-iphone-sales-slow-but-just-you-wait-until-the-fourth-quarter/#comments Thu, 20 Oct 2011 14:44:20 +0000 Tricia Duryee http://allthingsd.com/?p=134936 AT&T said it expects to see the best smartphone sales ever in Q4, driven by the latest iPhone and the launch of its first true 4G phones.

During AT&T’s third-quarter conference call this morning, mobile chief Ralph de la Vega said that despite a dip in the number of Apple iPhones activated in the latest quarter, the holiday season is shaping up to be one of the company’s strongest smartphone quarters ever.

Here’s what is driving the fourth quarter: For the first time, AT&T is offering an iPhone — the 3GS — for free with a two-year contract; the iPhone 4S is turning out to be the strongest launch ever, with more than one million activated as of Tuesday; it is also launching its first LTE devices; and generally strong holiday sales are expected.

AT&T is late in rolling out its 4G network on the LTE standard, compared to its next-closest competitor, Verizon Wireless, which blankets many of the major cities in the U.S. So even though the devices will be available, the network will be spotty.

“I’ve been a part of many network and device transformations, and this technology is the best I’ve ever seen. The devices are fast and thin and have great battery life,” de la Vega said. “What I see happening with LTE and data is a huge growth opportunity. We mentioned that 52 percent of our post-paid base … In the future, you could look at 100 percent penetration, not two-thirds of our sales, like we are seeing today.”

AT&T said that by the end of the year it will cover 15 cities, representing 70 million people. The next two markets to be built out will be Boston and Washington, D.C. The company previously said it had launched in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.

To date, the wireless carrier had only been selling data devices for the network, such as a data stick and a mobile hotspot.

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20111020/atts-iphone-sales-slow-but-just-you-wait-until-the-fourth-quarter/feed/ 0 The iPhone Finds Its Voice http://allthingsd.com/20111011/the-iphone-finds-its-voice/ http://allthingsd.com/20111011/the-iphone-finds-its-voice/#comments Wed, 12 Oct 2011 01:03:27 +0000 Walter S. Mossberg http://allthingsd.com/?p=131271

[ See post to watch video ]

Sometimes, as we all know, looks can be deceiving. While Apple’s latest iPhone doesn’t look different, and may not be the kind of blockbuster people expect from the late Steve Jobs’s company, it thinks different, to quote one of Apple’s old ad slogans. Inside its familiar-looking body there lurks a nascent artificial-intelligence system that has to be tried to be believed.

Apple’s fifth-generation iPhone, the $199 iPhone 4S, goes on sale Friday with a new operating system and a new cloud-synchronization service called iCloud. But, while its insides have been significantly improved, the phone’s exterior design is identical to that of last year’s iPhone 4, which Apple says is the best-selling smartphone in the world.

PTECHjp1

IPhone 4S’s 8-megapixel camera takes the best photos seen on a phone.

I’ve been testing the 4S for about a week to see how it differs from the previous model. I also evaluated the key features added by the new operating system, called iOS 5, including a new, free text-messaging service; deep integration with Twitter; and the ability to edit photos right on the phone. This new software will be available as a free upgrade for owners of the iPhone 4 and the 2009-vintage iPhone 3GS, as well as for Apple’s iPad tablet and its iPod Touch.

PTECH

Apple’s Siri system can answer spoken restaurant requests.

I focused on the handful of new features unique to the 4S, notably the new voice-controlled artificial-intelligence system called Siri; a brilliant new camera for stills and videos; and faster, 4G-class download speeds. The iPhone is now available from Sprint, AT&T and Verizon, but I tested the AT&T version, because it is the only one which offers the faster download speeds.

The standout feature, not available in other iPhones, or in any other phone I’ve seen, is Siri. It answers questions and provides information using natural language and an intelligent understanding, not just of words, but of context and colloquial phrasing. It isn’t perfect, and is labeled a beta, but it has great potential and worked pretty well for me, despite some glitches.

Despite Siri, the iPhone 4S isn’t a dramatic game-changer like some previous iPhones. Some new features are catch-ups to competitors. I sense Apple chose to focus more on software and cloud service than on hardware. But, in my tests, the iPhone 4S performed very well. It’s a better iPhone for the same $199 entry price, at a time when some competitors are pricing their flagship smartphones starting at $299.

PTECH

…and queries about calorie counts.

While some analysts and commentators were disappointed the new iPhone didn’t offer an external redesign, consumers so far don’t seem to care. Apple announced Monday that pre-orders for the iPhone 4S hit one million in the first 24 hours, a record that was 67% higher than the previous single-day high set by the iPhone 4 last year.

My advice is that owners of the iPhone 4 needn’t rush to upgrade; they can get the new operating system. But owners of older iPhone models, or those with basic phones, will find this latest iPhone a pleasure and a good value.

Artificial Intelligence

Some other phones, including earlier iPhones, have rudimentary voice recognition, for limited terms and responses. But Siri does much more. It offers too much to fully describe here, but it isn’t a simple voice-command system. It understands a wide variety of ways to ask a question, grasps the context, and returns useful information in a friendly way, either audibly or by displaying results on the screen. It learns your voice as it goes along.

It starts up when you either hold down the home button—even from the phone’s lock screen—or when you place the phone up to your ear when you’re not making a phone call.

Siri can find information in Wikipedia, Yelp and Wolfram Alpha. It successfully answered when I asked it, “Who’s the president of Iran?” (though it misunderstood me the first time) and “Who stars in ‘Boardwalk Empire?’ ” When I asked for a “French restaurant in Bethesda, Maryland,” it instantly returned a list from Yelp, ranked by user reviews.

In my tests, I was able to dictate emails and text messages, even in the car over Bluetooth, without looking at the screen. Accuracy wasn’t perfect—about 20% of the time I had to try twice to get all the words correct. But, in most cases, Siri didn’t make more errors than I do typing on a virtual keyboard.

Siri can read incoming text messages and let you reply via voice. If the message is about a date, Siri will even consult your calendar and tell you if you’re busy at that time, and then remember to return to the message reply.

The system understands multiple, colloquial forms of a question. I asked, “Will the weather get worse today?” and Siri answered, “I don’t think the weather is going to get worse” and displayed a weather chart. You can check stock prices, addresses, map directions and much more. It also answers in a friendly fashion, saying things like “Coming right up” or “I’m not sure what you said, Walt.” And it has some cute answers built in. When I asked it “What’s the best phone?” it said, “Wait… there are other phones?”

Siri has limitations, in addition to imperfect accuracy. It can’t read the contents of email. It can’t provide flight information or movie times. But Apple says it intends to link Siri to more databases over time. Also, Siri can reveal private data you’d rather it didn’t unless you adjust your passcode permissions.

Hardware

The iPhone 4S now comes with the same, dual-core processor found in the iPad 2. I didn’t notice a dramatic speed gain, but the phone operated rapidly and surely, with smooth scrolling and swiping.

There is now an 8-megapixel rear camera, with a greatly improved sensor, a new five-element lens and a wider aperture. Other phones boast 8-megapixel cameras, but the 4S takes the best pictures and high-definition videos I have seen on a phone. The colors were gorgeous, everything was sharp and the camera can detect up to 10 faces. Plus, it’s fast, both in taking the first shot and subsequent pictures.

Also, Apple finally has matched some competitors by allowing you to quickly get to the camera, even when the phone is locked, by just pressing the home button twice; and by letting you use the volume button to snap the picture. (These features are part of the free software and aren’t unique to the 4S.)

When combined with the new software feature that allows editing right on the phone, the iPhone 4S offers a camera experience I find unmatched on any other phone.

Though the 4S isn’t labeled as a 4G phone, and the Verizon and Sprint models can’t use those carriers’ 4G networks, the AT&T model, in my tests, achieved 4G speeds in areas where AT&T has deployed its 4G network.

In numerous tests at three different locations in the Washington suburbs, I averaged download speeds of nearly 7 megabits per second—better than in prior tests on Sprint and T-Mobile 4G phones. By contrast, a colleague’s tests of the Verizon version of the iPhone 4S yielded average download speeds of less than 1 mbps.

All models of the iPhone 4S are “world phones,” meaning even the Verizon and Sprint versions, which use a technology rare outside the U.S., can switch to the global standard cellphone technology and be used in most other countries.

Apple claims to have improved voice-call reception in the iPhone 4S, allowing the phone to switch between two antennas to pick up the best signal. But my AT&T model dropped too many calls, just as earlier AT&T iPhones do. My colleague’s Verizon iPhone 4S dropped none.

PTECH

But ask Siri about, say booking a flight from Dulles to San Francisco and Siri says ‘sorry.’

In my tests, voice quality was very good, even on conference calls and over Bluetooth in the car. Apple says the 4S has as good or better battery life than the prior model. While I didn’t run a formal battery test, the phone lasted all day, every day, even when I was doing heavy testing and, thus, using it more than I typically would.

Also, there is a 64-gigabyte model of the iPhone 4S, for $399. A 32 GB version is, as in the past, $299.

Software

Apple claims the new iOS 5 operating system has 200 new features. These include some catch-ups, like a pull-down panel that combines your notifications of alerts and reminders, and new messages, plus a stock ticker and weather info. Also, like some other phones, the new system will allow you to swipe on an alert and go to the content, even if the phone is locked.

You can Tweet from within many apps, like photos, maps and the Web browser. The new, free, texting system, called iMessage—similar to BlackBerry Messenger service—lets you text to anyone with an iOS5 device, and automatically detects if they have one.

A new Reminders app seems like any other task list, but, on the iPhone 4 and 4S, it allows you to use location instead of time to trigger a reminder. For instance, you can tell it to remind you to call your spouse when you leave work. If it knows your work address, it will trigger the reminder when it detects you’ve left.

Perhaps the nicest feature is on-phone photo editing, which allows you to crop, and auto-enhance any photo. In my tests, it worked great.

Bottom line

The iPhone 4S is one of Apple’s less dramatic updates, but, when combined with the Siri, iOS 5 and iCloud features, it presents an attractive new offering to smartphone users. Some may be content to skip the new hardware and just enjoy the software and cloud features with older models. But those buying the phone will likely be happy with it.

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Email Walt at mossberg@wsj.com.

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