Brighthand Bytes » AT&T

Verizon Leads in Overall 4G Access, But There Are Plenty of Good Options

Ed Hardy — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 16:53:23 +0000

If you’re in the market for a smartphone with a super-fast connection to the Internet, there are loads of good choices out there. Still, not all the wireless service providers are equal. Here’s how they stack up.

There’s two main criteria to keep in mind: speed and availability. It doesn’t matter how fast a company’s 4G service is if it’s not available in your area. Price is also a consideration.

Verizon is the over-all winner. Its 4G LTE service isn’t the fastest, but it’s near the top. And it’s been around long enough to be very widely available, covering major cities and most good-size towns around the U.S. It continues to grow as the carrier keeps adding smaller towns.

AT&T comes in second. Tests have shown that its LTE service is a bit faster than Verizon’s, but it’s still so new that most Americans have no access to it yet. Still, AT&T is working to add new cities at a fast pace. Traditionally, though, this carrier has focused its efforts on larger metropolitan areas, ignoring smaller towns.

AT&T and Verizon are approximately equal in price, but cost a bit more than their smaller rivals.

Despite being the smaller of the Big 4 U.S. carriers, T-Mobile does surprisingly well. Its 4G HSPA+42 network is relatively widely available and quite speedy — in real-world tests it’s about half the speed of AT&T’s LTE, but much faster than any 3G network. Also, this carrier offers 4G for less than AT&T and Verizon. Still, this company mainly concentrates on larger cities, with little rural access.

Sprint is in the process of switching from 4G WiMAX to 4G LTE, and is therefore struggling a bit. Its WiMAX network has stopped expanding but LTE service isn’t available yet. What Sprint has going for it is its truly unlimited data plan which can save heavy wireless users a lot of money.

Is the iPhone 4S a 4G Device? Depends on Who You Ask

Ed Hardy — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:49:57 +0000

It’s a seemingly simple question: Is the newest iPhone a 4G smartphone? Nevertheless, it has a somewhat complex answer.

If you’re a Verizon or Sprint subscriber, the answer is easy: this device does not support either of these carriers’ 4G standards, LTE or WiMAX. The situation for AT&T’s version isn’t so cut-and-dried, however.

Apple itself does not say that the iPhone 4S is 4G, or that it supports AT&T’s HSPA+ service. If you look at Apple’s specs page for the iPhone 4S, the 3G standards HSDPA and HSUPA are clearly listed, but there’s no mention of 4G HSPA+.

AT&T’s website, on the other hand, does claim that this smartphone supports HSPA+, and reportedly is trying to get Apple to add a 4G icon to the status bar in the next iOS update, which will be displayed at the top of the screen when the phone has an HSPA+ connection.

My guess is the difference in opinion comes down to Apple wanting to save the term “4G” for its next model, which is widely expected to offer LTE – a wireless data standard that is much faster than HSPA+. AT&T does consider HSPA+ to be 4G, and would be thrilled to be able to claim to have the only 4G-enabled iPhone.

Phil Schiller, head of marketing for Apple, summed up his company’s thoughts on this issue best: “We’re not going to get into the debate about what’s 4G and what isn’t. We’ll leave that for others to talk about.”

In AT&T’s defense, studies have generally shown that AT&T’s iPhone 4S has better download performance than either Verizon’s or Sprint’s versions, which use 3G EV-DO Rev. A.

HSPA+ vs. LTE
If you want to put things in perspective, real-world figures for the HSPA+ service on the latest iPhone put it in the 2-3 Mbps range. Still, that’s faster than the older iPhone 4.

Because there’s no LTE-enabled iPhone yet there’s no way to definitively say how fast this device will be, but other LTE-enabled smartphones are getting 5-12 Mbps. Much faster, anyway you slice it.

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Google Android vs. Apple iOS: Which Side Will You Choose?

Ed Hardy — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 19:57:10 +0000

It’s not easy shopping for a smartphone. There are so many different devices — the options can be overwhelming. In hopes of making this decision easier, Brighthand has published a comparison between two of the best phone running Google’s Android OS and Apple’s iOS: the Samsung Galaxy S II and the Apple iPhone 4S.

This is an impartial look at all the features of these two very popular models, from screen size and camera resolution to entertainment and productivity apps. They are compared head-to-head, giving shoppers the information they need to decide between them.

Hopefully this will be useful for just about everyone in the market for a new smartphone. In the U.S., the iPhone is offered by AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint, while Samsung’s flagship device can be found at AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile. These two are broadly available around the world.

You can find this comparison at:
Apple iPhone 4S vs. Samsung Galaxy S II: Which Is the Greatest?

This is just the latest in a log series of device vs. device comparisons published by Brighthand. Some recent examples:

Is It Time to Get on the 4G Bandwagon?

Ed Hardy — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 20:24:38 +0000

When this year started, there were just a handful of 4G-enabled smartphones. Months later, there is a wide array available.

There are models from all of the Big Four U.S. carriers, and for half a dozen of so device makers. Anyone shopping for a handset these days has to ask themselves, should I go 4G? Or is 3G still good enough?

There is no easy answer, as there are trade-offs no matter which decision you make. But have no fear — Brighthand is here to help.

We have prepared an analysis of the different varieties of 4G, and the pros and cons of using a smartphone that has one of these super-fast wireless connections. To make things even easier, we included a list of some of the best 4G-enabled devices available today.

So drop by Brighthand today to learn more about 4G, and whether it is right for you!

Should You Get a 4G Smartphone?

Is Your Phone Spying on You?

Ed Hardy — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 17:51:12 +0000

One of the biggest news stories of the last week has been the revelation that many recent smartphones have an app called Carrier IQ pre-installed on them. This is either a simple diagnostic tool or a nefarious bit of spyware, depending on whom you ask.

The app is keeping a log of the phone’s activities and sending this information to wireless carriers. The companies who use it say this info is only being used to debug problems with the phone: dropped calls, battery failures, etc. Many users, however, resent that details like all the websites they visit was being collected without their knowledge, and with no way to opt out.

The company directly behind this app, also called Carrier IQ, has jumped to its defense, promising that what they do is completely innocuous. Nevertheless, lawsuits and a Congressional investigation are already under weigh.

Carrier IQ has been found on a wide range of devices — Android, iPhone, and BlackBerry. It has been estimated that it could be on as many a 140 million phones.

This issue is still playing out, so be sure to drop by Brighthand to keep an eye on the latest developments. This story has been reported in the main-stream press, but not in the kind of detail we can bring you.

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iPhone 4S Faces Early Problems

Ed Hardy — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 14:54:41 +0000

Apple’s latest smartphone started shipping in mid-October, and in the weeks since then a couple of problems have come to light. The most obvious one is in its battery life, but the Siri voice-control system has had an issue or two as well.

Siri is possibly the best new feature in the iPhone 4S. It is a powerful and functional voice-recognition and control system… when it works. Last week it went offline for several hours, and Apple has yet to explain why. Siri is still a beta, and some of wrinkles have clearly not been ironed out yet, but it’s somewhat disconcerting that the feature can apparently shut down so easily and completely.

But a larger issue is the device’s battery life. There is a bug in the operating system for the iPhone 4S that doesn’t seem to affect everyone, but both I and Louie Tran, who reviewed the device for Brighthand, can’t go more than a few hours without needing a re-charge. Apple has promised a fix that’s likely to come in the form of an iOS 5.0.1. update, but in the mean time there are a few modifications you can make to the settings on your smartphone that an extend its battery life.

Check out this article for the details:

How to Increase the Battery Life of Apple’s iPhone 4S

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Expect Verizon To Dominate the Smartphone News from CES 2011

Ed Hardy — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 06:19:48 +0000

The Consumer Electronics Show is going on this week in Las Vegas, and the biggest smartphone-related news is going to come from Verizon.

Still, Sprint has an important announcement too. AT&T and T-Mobile, on the other hand, are almost certainly going to be overshadowed by their rivals.

I’m attending CES, as I always do, and will be bringing you first-hand reports on any smartphones announced here.

Verizon
Big Red has promised to take the wraps off its first phones with support for 4G. This carrier’s LTE service debuted last month, and currently only laptop and PC users can access it. But this is going to change soon.

Unconfirmed reports indicate that 4G devices from HTC, Motorola, and Samsung could all be unveiled at CES.

These Android OS-based smartphones are detailed in this news article on Brighthand:

Verizon Could Be Prepping Three 4G Smartphones for a CES Debut

The official announcement is scheduled for Thursday. I will be at the unveiling, so stay tuned for more details.

Verizon’s biggest announcement of the year — that it’s going to start offering the iPhone 4 — isn’t expected until after the end of CES.

Sprint
The HTC EVO Shift 4G was officially announced yesterday, adding another smartphone to Sprint’s line-up of WiMAX-enabled smartphones.

This model is a new option device for people who like HTC’s EVO 4G but prefer a physical keyboard. It will have a smaller screen than the current model, though.

More details are available in this a Brighthand news article:

Sprint Announces the HTC EVO Shift 4G

The device isn’t exactly being announced at CES, but it’s going to be on display here.

A review unit of this smartphone is already on its way to me, so keep your eyes peeled for a review.

T-Mobile
It’s not clear what T-Mobile is going to unveil at the Consumer Electronics Show this year.

One possibility is the Motorola Cliq 2, a follow-up to a consumer-oriented Android OS smartphone that was unveiled at last year’s CES.

A dark-horse candidate is the LT Optimus 2X, an upcoming high-end smartphone that’s rumored to be heading for T-Mobile this spring. This will be one of the first phones powered by a dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor.

AT&T
AT this point, no information has leaked out about AT&T’s plans to announce any new handsets at CES. This doesn’t automatically mean the carrier doesn’t have something up its sleeve, but there’s a good chance it’s giving this tradeshow a bye.

In a way, that’s actually a good thing for AT&T. CES is held just a couple weeks after Christmas, and any products that are announced here have missed the very important holiday shopping season

AT&T Finally Gets Serious about Android

Ed Hardy — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 15:45:32 +0000

AT&T was the last of the “big four” carriers to release a smartphone running Google’s Android OS, and for a long time it’s offerings were anemic at best. But that has changed, and the company now offers a decent selection of models running Google’s operating system

Samsung Captivate — The Captivate offers cutting-edge features like a 1 GHz processor, a Super AMOLED touchscreen, and 16 GB of internal storage. This Android OS device also has a 5 megapixel camera, 3G, Wi, and much more. The asking price is $200.

HTC Aria — With its 3.2-inch, 320 x 480 (HVGA) touchscreen, the HTC Aria is much smaller than the Captivate, but it still has a lot to offer, like a 5 megapixel camera, 3G, Wi-Fi, and much more. AT&T sells it for $130 with contract.

Motorola Backflip — The Backflip has a very unusual design featuring a flip-around keyboard and a touchpanel behind its 3.1-inch, HVGA screen. This consumer-oriented device sells for $50.

Brighthand‘s reviewer Jen Edwards liked the first two models, but didn’t warm up to the Backflip.

In addition, this carrier has announced plans to offer another Android OS model, the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, next week.

It has taken a while, but AT&T customers are finally getting a respectable selection of Android OS-based smartphones to choose from.

Money Will Bring Apple and Verizon Together

Ed Hardy — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 14:07:38 +0000

Easily the biggest open question in the phone business these days is, Will Verizon offer a version of the iPhone?

There have been quite a few unconfirmed reports indicating that a version of the iPhone for Verizon is in the offing, with the latest saying it’s going to happen in January 2011.

But quite a few people continue to have doubts. They point out that Apple and Verizon both insist on controlling every facet of their businesses, a pair of corporate attitudes that won’t easily lead to cooperation. Apple has almost total control of AT&T’s version of the iPhone, including handling technical support and deciding when upgrades are sent to users. According to conventional wisdom, that situation would be anathema to Verizon.

Unconfirmed reports say that Verizon passed on the opportunity to be the exclusive provider of the iPhone back in 2006, forcing Apple to go to AT&T. The reason: Apple wanted the same deal it talked AT&T into, and Verizon wasn’t going for it.

Money Changes Everything
To me there are billions of reasons why these two should find a way to cooperate, and each one of them has a dollar sign on it. There’s just too much money to be made for them to shut the door on cooperating.

And I’m not exaggerating, there’s really a billion or more dollars riding on the negotiations between Apple and Verizon. That money is going to be spent by mobile phone users somewhere, and it’s going to these companies’ competitors if they can’t come to an agreement.

Millions of Verizon’s subscribers want an iPhone, but they’ve read the reports of problems with AT&T’s wireless network (justified or not), and they aren’t giving up the network that has worked for them, not even for the iPhone. These are the people that Apple is missing out on.

On the other side of the coin, according to analysts’ estimates, there are a million AT&T subscribers who would like to switch to Verizon if they could stay with Apple. If Verizon is going to take in $70 a month or more from each and every one of these people, it’s going to have to bend its stiff neck a bit.

A it is, many of these Verizon customers, unable to get an iPhone, are getting an Android OS model instead. So Apple’s loss is HTC’s and Motorola’s gain.

The biggest problem is that both Verizon and Apple have been successful by insisting on control of their products. Verizon is the biggest wireless carrier in the United States, and while Apple is consistently a very profitable company.

Has Been Done. Must Be Done. Will Be Done.
There’s no doubt, both Verizon and Apple are control freaks, so it’s easy to say that they aren’t ever going to get along. But for many decades companies that have conflicting corporate cultures have found ways around their differences if there’s enough money to be made.

If you’ll forgive the anthropomorphism, Microsoft and Apple hate each other’s guts, but Microsoft has made a version of Office for Macs since 1985. These two have worked through their differences for 25 years because it’s in the interest of both to do so.

If Apple and Microsoft can cooperate for so long, I believe Apple and Verizon can too, especially with so much money on the line. They aren’t even in direct competition. And an agreement would be a huge economic win for them both, bringing in billions.

Verizon Still Likely to Get the iPhone This Year

Ed Hardy — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 19:41:59 +0000

Apple CEO Steve Jobs officially took the wraps off the iPhone 4 yesterday, and to the dismay of many said nothing about a version for Verizon. Instead, AT&T will be the exclusive provider of this smartphone when it debuts later this month.

Verizon customers, don’t be disappointed. Apple is following the exact path industry insiders had predicted. Even though there was no mention of Verizon during yesterday’s event, this carrier is still expected to release the iPhone 4 in a few months.

AT&T Practically Confirmed It
An announcement Steve Jobs made yesterday all but confirmed to me that Verizon is getting the iPhone 4 at some point before the end of the year. AT&T is going to allow all of its customers who will qualify for a device subsidy at any point this year to buy the iPhone 4 at the subsidized price on launch day.

Normally, a customer qualifies for a subsidy every two years, but AT&T is going to waive up to 6 months of waiting time. It’s obvious to me that the carrier wants as many people as possible to buy an iPhone 4 now, before Verizon offers its version.

Coming This Fall
According to information leaking out of Verizon, its version of the iPhone is still in testing and won’t be available until this fall.

One unconfirmed report indicated that Verizon’s version will support the 4G wireless networking service LTE, and the carrier is holding off releasing its version of the iPhone until it can get its LTE network up and running. This seems like a long-shot — Verizon has said its first 4G-enabled phone won’t be out until mid-2011 – but it’s possible.

Overview of the Apple iPhone 4
Apple’s fourth-generation smartphone is going to be a significant upgrade from the current one, starting with its 3.5-inch, 640 x 960 touchscreen, a much higher resolution than any previous iPhone has offered.

It’s going to have a new slimmer design and run iOS 4.0, the latest version of Apple’s operating system, on a 1 GHz Apple A4 processor. This will be the first version of Apple’s mobile OS with support for multitasking.

The iPhone 4 will have a 5 megapixel rear-facing camera with a flash and support for recording 720p video at 30 frames per second. In addition, it’s going to include a small front-facing camera for video chatting with an app called FaceTime.

Not everything is being improved: despite expectations, Apple’s upcoming smartphone will have the same amount of storage capacity as the current one.

The Apple iPhone 4 will be available from AT&T on June 24. The Verizon release is expected several months later.

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