It may be a while before the new cell standard known as Long Term Evolution (LTE) comes to your neck of the woods, but Verizon is already deep in testing of the new technology. They’ve been so good as to release some early speed estimates based on their tests in Boston and Seattle. The results are pretty good, but frankly not as good as we’d hoped.
According to Verizon’s PR statement, the LTE network is substantially faster than the current Ev-Do Rev. A network Big Red is running. This certainly doesn’t surprise anyone though. Verizon engineers were able to get an impressive 40-50Mbps down and 20-25Mbps up with ideal conditions. You know, the sort of ideal conditions you will basically never experience. Real world speeds should be around 5-12Mbps down and 2-5Mbps up.
This is nice (really, we’d love to get speeds like that on a cell network), but a little discouraging when you consider the theoretical max for this new LTE equipment is in the neighborhood of 100Mbps down. This is still preliminary, and the network could be stronger than expected when it rolls out to 25-30 markets later this year. With T-Mobile expected to bump up their data to HSPA+ 3G at 21Mbps maximum speed, the initial difference may not be as stark as we thought.
Another Nationwide Outage For The Blackberry http://bit.ly/d3AXXH
The Blackberry just doesn't seem to have the luster it once did. Today, it had another nationwide outage.
According to Data Outage News:
"A number of users are reporting and an escalated RIM tech support call has confirmed data issues affecting WiFi devices NOT connected to a WiFi network. The outage is sporadic and issues are confirmed on at least on Verizon and T-Mobile on both US east and west coasts. Again, if you are connected to WiFi, you likely won't notice any problems until you are out of WiFi range. This is not affecting ALL WiFi users, the reports are sporadic, but across all carriers, BIS and BES included."
Sponsor
What's going in with the Blackberry? Once the enterprise stalwart, it is now looking like a struggling behemoth. Its interface almost seems antiquated. An analyst group is now saying the iPhone is expected to beat out the Blackberry in 2011 for the number one spot. And now we have another outage.
Twitter users are all over today's outage. Some people are saying their service has been out since the morning. There have been some reports that the outage is international in scope.
The last Blackberry outage came in December. Reported outages also came in 2007 and 2008.
Blackberry has been facing a lot of of market pressure. The iPhone, the Android and the upcoming Windows Phone 7 Series all present challenges to the Blackberry.
A report by Trefis shows the iPhone beating out the Blackberry by 2011.
The iPhone's surge into the business community is a major reason for it overtaking the Blackberry.
A Trefi analyst write in Forbes:
We expect Apple's market share to overtake that of RIM by 2011, and for Apple and RIM to have 11% and 8% market share, respectively, by the end of Trefis forecast period. We believe sales of the iPhone will eventually outpace BlackBerry sales for the following reasons:Discuss1. Apple's ecosystem of consumer products (Macs, iPad, Apple TV) and services (iTunes, iPhone apps) make the iPhone a more attractive phone for many consumers compared to the BlackBerry
2. End of AT&T exclusivity will give Apple's iPhone wider distribution in the US (comparable to BlackBerry distribution)
3. iPhone is making inroads with business customers that have traditionally preferred the BlackBerry
More Android fragmentation madness: If Motorola’s Verizon Droid is a loaf of day old bread, then its new AT&T Backflip sounds like it’s stale beyond all recognition.
Making the most of 4G networks fiercewireless.com
Rogers Boosts Internet Speeds for Select Markets cable360.net
Verizon LTE Blazing Trails for Wireless Broadband pcworld.com
Consumers In The Dark Over Their Broadband Speeds npr.org
Verizon LTE test speed: 50 Mbps max fiercewireless.com
Don't Blame Your Community: Ad Blocking Is Not Killing Any Sites techdirt.com
Four Companies Join for Blu-ray Patent Licensing cable360.net
Touchsreen Sales to Soar 97% in 2010 internetnews.com
Stanford survey contemplates iPhone addiction networkworld.com
According to a new press statement from Verizon, the carrier is seeing peak download speeds of 40 to 50 megabits per second and peak upload speeds of 20 to 25 Mbps in the LTE (Long Term Evolution) wireless broadband tests they're conducting in Seattle and Boston. As we've already discussed however, real world speeds are going to be closer to between 5-10 Mbps downstream. Other than their announcement of peak speeds, there's really nothing new in Verizon's announcement: they're launching the service in 25-30 markets this year, but we still don't know what kind of pricing, caps or overages Verizon has planned for the service. Indications are that Verizon wants to employ some kind of usage-based billing model.
read comment(s)
Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Broadband Cards, Mobile, Computers, Wireless, Reviews, Features
I have been playing with the Palm Pre Plus and Pixi Plus for a little while now and I have to say that one of my favorite features is the Mobile Hotspot app. This app comes pre-installed on both the Pre Plus and Pixi Plus and allows the user to create a Wi-Fi hotspot for up to five other devices so you can connect your notebook, netbook or other Wi-Fi enabled device to the Internet. I should also point out that the use of this app requires an additional add-on service that will cost $40 per month. So in the end you are paying for the calling plan, any message plan you choose and also the regular $29.99 a month smartphone access. So yes, you are paying a bit more money, however for someone like myself who has used and liked having a MiFi this $40 add on may be a better option. This Mobile Hotspot app is also the reason that I will likely pick up a Palm Pre Plus of my own after this review period is over.
For me it comes down to the fact that the MiFi requires a two year commitment and costs $59.99 a month. The Mobile Hotspot add-on for the Palm Pre Plus costs $40 a month and comes as a service without a contract. In other words you can add it and remove it as needed. I would say that is a big plus for someone who likes the MiFi but does not need it all the time. That alone can be a money saver. But at least for me the decision came down to this, I already have a Verizon Wireless family account, so adding the Palm Pre Plus was an extra $9.99 a month for minutes and messages, then the regular data and Mobile Hotspot data. Bottom line, I would have paid $59.99 a month for a MiFi, and now I will pay $79.99 a month for the Pre Plus with the Mobile Hotspot. And yes, I realize that $79.99 is more than $59.99. Its $20 more to be specific, but that $20 more a month gives me a complete other phone to use as well as the mobile data. Its also cheaper than having another 3G data phone and a separate MiFi. Plus I can always add or remove that Mobile Hotspot add-on as needed and save a few extra bucks here and there as opposed to always paying $59.99 a month. Because remember those months when I drop the Mobile Hotspot service my price (minus tax) goes down to $39.99 a month.
And to add one other little bit of info, once you have the Mobile Hotspot app active and in use, any data that is sent or received by any connected devices as well as your Palm Pre Plus will be counted towards the 5GB limit that you have with your Mobile Hotspot service. That means if you are playing Slacker on your Palm Pre Plus and activate the Mobile Hotspot any data you use will count towards the 5GB limit on the Mobile Hotspot and not the 5GB limit for the phones data plan. So this kind-of sort-of means that you are increasing your monthly limit to 10GB.
Anyway, I think you can tell from this post that I like the Palm Pre Plus and its Mobile Hotspot service. And with that, here is a video demonstrating just how easy it is to set up a Mobile Hotspot network with the Palm Pre Plus.
Finally, the service without speed would be worthless. So here is a speed test that I did using the Chrome browser on my Eee PC 1000H netbook running Jolicloud.
More information [Verizon Wireless]
Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
Usually, when an ISP posts service downlink and uplink speeds, you have to take them with a grain of salt. Like a 20 MPG rating on a Hummer H2, your real world results “may vary.” It is, however, a great sign when an ISP says their network tests were, “faster than we’ve ever suggested” and that their, “network team is shocked.” Those were the words Verizon spokesman Jeffrey Nelson had to say about Big Red’s latest LTE network tests. Verizon’s Boston and Seattle LTE test networks are reporting speeds that range from 5-12 Mb/second on the download and 2-5 Mb/second on the upload. Verizon had initially quoted downlink speeds of 6 Mb/sec on its LTE network. Big Red says it is on track to light up its 4G network in 25-30 markets by the end of 2010.
Cisco Systems has pulled out of the WiMAX base-station market, according to reports, favoring the LTE standard instead.
Verizon Wireless has disclosed some test data about the next-generation 4G LTE wireless network it’s working on building out. The bad news is that the average download speeds–five to twelve Mbps–fall far short of LTE’s theoretical 100Mbps capability. The good news is that even a dependable 5Mbps would be pretty sweet…
Get it? Fast car, fast Internet connection? I’m trying, folks, believe me.
About a year ago I signed up for Cablevision’s Optimum Online Ultra, and aside from a little snafu that I’m trying to fix right now (don’t ask!), it’s been great. How could you go wrong with a reliable 100 mbps down/15 mbps up connection? Only $100/month, too. Other ISPs are getting close to offering similar speeds, thanks to Docsis 3.0, but some people are wondering: will people even need that sort of speed, and if so, then for what?
So, Cablevision already offers 100 mbps Internet connections for $100 per month. Verizon has fiber to the home, right now topping out at 50 mbps, but there’s capacity for up to 400 mbps. Even outright awful Comcast is getting in on the 100 mbps game, but so far they’ve been charging trial customers in Minnesota $370 per month. So, what I pay $100 for, Comcast wants $370. Makes sense.
The point is, thanks to Docsis 3.0, even the worst ISPs will soon be able to offer 100 mbps connections. You’ll just have to be prepared to pay a little more than you’re used to. The FCC, which wants 100 million homes to have access to 100 mbps connections by 2020, must be happy.
But, what do you do with that kind of speed? (Right now, people in South Korea and Sweden are laughing at us poor Americans for getting excited over a puny 100 mbps connection!) Like I said, I do a lot of Usenetting with Newsdemon—it’s Oscar season, what do you want? Well, if someone like Hulu or Netflix sees that’s X-Number of people now have 100 mbps connections, maybe they’ll start to offer higher-res content? Why offer something if nobody can use it?
If you give people a fast Internet connection, they’ll find ways to put it to good use, believe me.
By now most users should be aware of the deal Skype and Verizon have in the works. In case you missed it, Verizon will have an exclusive deal with Skype to run their VoIP application on the Verizon network. Aside from a rather slim on info press release we've not heard too much more. Unless, of course you include the information of Skype magically disappearing from other platforms. Today though, Verizon treated us all to a new video posted to their YouTube account. It gives a few more details about how Skype and Verizon will work things and oh ya, be sure to pay attention so you can hear the iPhone smack talk. They kinda snuck that in there.
CrackBerry.com's feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. Verizon Shows Off Skype And Tells Us How To Use It
Last week a story made its way around the blogosphere that Steve Jobs answered an email. Our pals at TiPb covered the iPad tethering question, originally from 9to5Mac:
First, the question from Jezper Söderlund:
Will the wifi-only version [of the iPad] somehow support tethering thru my iPhone?
And the answer?
No.
Sent from my iPhone
We thought it might be appropriate to send another email:
Dear Steve:
Will the wifi-only version [of the iPad] somehow support tethering through Mobile Hotspot on the Palm Pre Plus? Wait, don't answer that, we already know that it will.
Love, PreCentral
...of course, we'll be paying $40 per month for the privilege, but hey, it's there. While we're on the subject, we'll note that webOS 1.4 seems to have busted up the hack to get the Verizon-only Mobile Hotspot app working on Sprint - the hackery required now is epic, to say the least. Win some, lose some - but for Verizon Palm Pre Plus owners thinking about the iPad, we'll chalk it up as a win.
Study says WWW typo is most common prefix in trademark infringing domain names.
A new study from Corporation Service Company (CSC) — which provides trademark protection services — shows that www is the most common prefix to brand names used to “trademark infringers” in domain names. (The very common typo where someone forgets the dot between www and the domain name.)
Perhaps more interesting is that most companies that do own the www typo of their web site don’t actually forward it to their main web site. 67% of the www typos owned by the actual web site owner didn’t point to any active web site. 80% of the www typos owned by someone other than the web site owner pointed to pay-per-click pages.
CSC says the www typo of its own web site gets about 1% of the traffic of its web site.
CSC determined that the most common suffix added to trademarks is “online”. Surprisingly, the common “com” typo where someone forgets to enter a dot between the second level domain and ‘com’ is only ranked #5.
The study looked at 100 randomly selected brands as well as all filed UDRP cases.
© DomainNameWire.com 2009.
Review and rate domain name parking companies at Parking Judge.
Related posts:
Swype is making its interesting touchscreen keyboard available to select Android users in a limited beta.
If you don’t know, Swype was created by the guy who invented T9 and it’s trying to be a new way for text input on touchscreen displays. Instead of clicking on letters, you swipe your finger in a continuous motion over the letters you want. The software quickly recognizes what you’re trying to write (even if you misspell it), and you can use the traditional tapping method if you prefer.
Originally, the company’s business model was licensing the technology to vendors, but leaked versions have hit Android and it’s clear there’s some interest from consumers. You can now sign up for the beta and try it out for yourself. The beta won’t be as full-featured as one that comes integrated from a handset maker, there will be limited customer support, and you can only use it if you have devices with HVGA and WVGA resolutions.
I signed up for Swype and put it on the Motorola Devour for my touchscreen keyboard needs. There’s definitely a learning curve because I’ve been conditioned to quickly tap the letters I want. I found it takes about two days of nominal use to get the hang of Swype and once it learns your tendencies and frequently-used words, it is a blast to use. Check out the demo video below and try it out for yourself and let us know how you like it.
[Via Phonescoop]
Related News from IntoMobile:
