Verizon Lands Super Fast 4G Galaxy Tab 10.1

You have probably heard just about everything there is to hear about the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 by now. It seems that every time you turn around there is something new going on with it and today is no different. A new version of the tablet has just arrived, this time packing an LTE radio tuned to the 4G waves of Verizon.

Nothing has really changed with the Verizon version of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 aside from a new brushed, gray plastic back and a rumored Micro SIM slot on the top. This latest version officially went on sale yesterday, so many people are wondering how the 4G LTE capabilities stack up.

While it has been noted that Verizon's LTE network is fast, things seem a little different with the Galaxy Tab 10.1. Not only does this device run the table on most cable modems, it is also competitive with a FiOS connection. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 averages 28.25Mbps down and 7.93Mbps up on speed tests, which is definitively better than the Thunderbolt's 21.77Mbps. Some speed tests have even seen the Galaxy Tab 10.1 get as high as 44.44Mbps down and 9.39Mbps up. Ping times are also very low, averaging just shy of 67ms.

Reports are also coming in that the connection feels just as fast as the speeds suggest. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 is capable of loading full desktop websites, even ones bogged down with Flash, in no time at all and movies from the Android market start playing almost instantly.

While all this is highly impressive, it is raising a few questions. Mainly, why is the Verizon Galaxy Tab 10.1 posting such dramatically faster speeds? It is a possibility that there is some beefed up hardware in the Galaxy Tab that isn't in the LTE smartphones currently available, I mean it is a bigger package. Whatever the reason, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 from Verizon is definitely an impressive piece of equipment.

Source: Engadget - Galaxy Tab 10.1 for Verizon, hands-on with the new 4G speed king

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Samsung Infuse 4G

If you thought the Droid X was big, wait until you see the newest thing coming out of Samsung and AT&T. I'm talking, of course, about the Samsung Infuse 4G. This device, which some are calling a superphone, is the biggest device to come out of Samsung to date and measures 4.5 inches. And even though it is rather large, it feels surprisingly light when you pick it up. That could be a result of the impressive 8.99mm profile with subtly textured backside, however.

The Samsung Infuse 4G is said to come with a Super AMOLED Plus display just like the smaller Droid Charge. The Super AMOLED Plus display is said to be much brighter than the traditional Super AMOLED screen as well as easier to view in direct sunlight. Hands-on reports from across the web note that the Super AMOLED Plus display is remarkable and hands down better then the regular Super AMOLED display. The colors are crisp, the blacks are deep and the screen is just all around nice to look at.

Samsung loaded the Infuse 4G with Android 2.2 and made its TouchWiz UI a little less intrusive when you first start to play around with your device. The Infuse 4G comes with a single-core 1.2GHz processor but that doesn't really matter unless you just absolutely love benchmarking things. Apps load up quickly and the touchscreen is responsive and precise.

You can swipe through seven home pages as well as three pages of applications right out of the box, until you customize it of course. This is also AT&T's first device that promises max speeds of 21 Mbps, which is quite a statement. In addition to that, the Infuse 4G, unlike other phones like the Inspire 4G, Captivate or Aria, allows app sideloading and also features the "Unknown Sources" menu item in the settings.

The good news is that this phone will be available May 15th through AT&T or Samsung for $200.

Source: Engadget - Samsung Infuse 4G hands-on (updated)

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The New HTC EVO 4G from Sprint

If you are looking for the best possible phone for Internet surfing look no further than Sprint’s new HTC EVO 4G. It is the nations very first WiMAX phone, and it features more Internet than any other phone in the United States including the HTC Droid Incredible and the iPhone 3GS.

There have been WiMAX handhelds in the U.S. before but they weren’t fully functional and capable 3G phones. The EVO comes standard as a fully operative 3G smartphone with the option of boosting it to a 4G experience. Even in 3G form though, the EVO is an incredible phone for Web users.

The EVO has a very simple design. It features a 4.3-inch screen with 800 x 480 resolution. Unfortunately, the screen is incredibly reflective making it very difficult to see anything outdoors, but it looks fantastic inside. The phone is completely reliant on its touch screen and therefore has no physical keyboard. Although it has decent touch response, it is not even close to being as simple or accurate as the iPhone’s touch screen keyboard. One feature that can be quite useful on the EVO is the kickstand that can be found on the back of the device. This can be utilized when viewing videos and such.

Although there is the 4G option with the EVO, calls cannot be made over the 4G network as of now. Unfortunately, Sprint is not exactly known for their outstanding 3G network. The call quality with the EVO is certainly not the best. The calls are loud but not exactly clear. They are more rough and harsh sounding.

The phone runs Google Android 2.1 OS with HTC’s Sense UI extensions. There are car mode options, FM radio, two different GPS options, a Twitter client, a social-networking client called Friend Streaming, Microsoft Office and PDF document readers, and Sprint’s streaming TV.

So many may ask what the difference is between using the device in 3G mode or 4G. As merely a 3G smartphone the EVO is still quite impressive, but when utilizing 4G with the EVO, there is more Internet access available with a faster response time. Almost everything that you will be streaming to the phone will not have to take any buffering time. With 4G coverage, web pages stream anywhere from 40 to 250 percent faster than when using 3G.

The problem with Sprint’s 4G network is that only a few dozen cities are covered under the network. Also when using the 4G network, battery life is not even close to being as good as when in 3G mode. The advantage is that you can easily switch back and forth between 3G and 4G. It seems best to utilize 3G most of the time and only using 4G when you need an extra boost.

As mentioned before, the EVO does wonderfully when handling the Internet. You can flip through different web pages quite quickly, zoom in on pages with a mere pinch, and select different browsers from the Android market. The phone comes standard with an 8 GB memory card which is all the memory you could possibly need.

The HTC EVO features two different cameras. On the front of the smartphone there is a basic 1.3-megapixel camera, and at the rear of the phone is an 8-megapixel camera with 720p hi-def video recording. Although they may not take the best pictures, they are much better than most camera phones.

Overall, the HTC EVO 4G is the best available phone from Sprint. It is in the same category as the HTC Incredible, Google Nexus One, and the iPhone 3GS. Although it has its issues with call quality, the phone is still the best Internet browsing phone available to date. If you like to utilize Internet on your phone, the EVO is the phone for you. It will be released by Sprint on June 4 for $199.99.

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AT&T Making Changes

AT&T is making some changes and it probably has something to do with Apple's impending announcement of the iPhone 4G, which is expected to come any day now. In addition to adding Wi-Fi to a struggling 3G network, the company has announced that it is increasing early termination fees from smartphone and netbook-using customers.

As of yesterday, early termination fees that were once $175 will grow to a whopping $325. The company sent an open letter to its customers last week about the fee increase. On the other hand, if you have a phone that is not a smartphone, your fees will drop from $175 to $150. If you are within an existing service agreement, the fees will not apply to you, but they will apply to new and renewed contracts.

With the new early termination plan, for every month a customer stay with AT&T, their fee will be lowered by around $10 each month (that's for smartphones and "high-end devices). The fees for basic phones will drop about $4 each month.

Despite what seems like an extreme increase in fees, AT&T's fees are still lower than Verizon's, which can run $350 on a Droid and other Smartphones. And the price of the iPhone is dropping. As a matter of fact, at Wal-Mart, you can purchase a 16GB iPhone 3GS for just $97.

Even so, AT&T will probably not be winning any new fans with the price increase. The network is already the target of thousands of complaints about dropped calls and other wireless data issues. In an effort to make some improvements, just last week, AT&T began attempts to support its 3G wireless service in New York City. The company added a free Wi-Fi hotspot to Times Square. If all goes well, you can probably expect more free Wi-Fi hotspots in cities around the world.

According to Wall Street analyst, Drake Johnstone, AT&T could lose about 40% of its iPhone customers when Apple releases the iPhone for Verizon networks, but will the increase in fees and attempts at increase in service make a difference or affect iPhone owners' migration to Verizon? Johnstone says they might, but no one can say for sure until actually happens.

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Sprint: First 4G Phone Coming June 4th

The wait is over. If you've been itching to get your hands on a 4G phone, you only have a few more weeks to start saving $199. Sprint Nextel announced today that it would be selling the most high-speed mobile phone ever on June 4th of this year. The company has a lost a number of customers over the years to rivals like AT&T and Verizon and hopes the new technology will be just the boost it needs to change that.

The EVO, as mentioned, will be the first phone in the United States that supports fourth-generation high-speed data speeds, and experts say it's going to give the iPhone a little competition. The 4G iPhone is expected to come out this summer, but much later than Sprint's new phone. Vodafone Group is expected to offer a 4G phone in 2011.

The appeal of the phone is definitely the faster internet access. In addition, these phones will have large screens and two cameras. Unfortunately, 4G coverage isn't exactly widespread throughout the country. Areas such as New York won't even get 4G until after the summer. Clearwire Corp, Sprints venture that is building the WiMax-based network, says it will only cover about 40 million people in the United States for now and expects to triple that by the end of the year. The current U.S. population is around 300 million. Sprint will also be charging a $10 monthly fee for EVO users, regardless of whether or not they're running in a 3G or 4G market.

Sprint CEO Dan Hesse calls the difference between 3G and 4G "night an day," and says even without the 4G capability, the EVO stands alone as being an exceptional phone. He said the phone will be the highest-spec phone on the markets for customers using 3G as well. The company also says that users will be able to make the most of the two cameras, which will support the first mobile two-way video conferencing service. According to Sprint, they have a long list of customers, waiting to buy the buy the phone.

Matt Carter, the head of Sprint's 4G business told Reuters that he believes the phone will appeal to consumers for a number of reasons and mentioned it would definitely be great for social networkers. He also mentioned that Sprint will release a second WiMax phone later this year and that Sprint is in talks with companies like Samsung and General Electric to consider putting WiMax connections in a number of consumer devices such as e-Readers, cameras, washing machines, and even medical equipment. Carter said Sprint is trying not to think like a "traditional carrier."

Sprint will also be launching a new prepaid service that will be aimed at older phone users who shop at Wal-mart. They're calling it a "no nonsense" mobile phone service for those whfo aren't really worried about having the latest trends. Upon making these announcements yesterday, Sprint's stock climbed, a good sign for the company who has been struggling for quite some time.

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Sprint to Release First 4G Smartphone This Year

Could 2010 be the year of 4G? It will if Sprint has anything to do with it. The current 4G leader says it will introduce the first 4G smartphone before the middle of the year.

The company introduced its 4G WiMAX network two years ago and so far, wireless cards, mobile hotspots, and USB modems have taken advantage of its speed - ten times faster than 3G - but there have yet to be any phones to use with it. The 4G network doesn't reach as many people as 3G, only about 30 million people in 27 markets, but by the end of the 2010, the company expects to add Houston, New York, San Francisco, Boston, and Washington to that reach.

Forbes made the report last Thursday that the new smartphone would be released during the first half of 2010. Rumor has it that the handset will be dual mode and allow users to take advantage of 3G coverage in areas where 4G is not available. HTC is supposedly going to make the phone which will be based on Google's Android operating system.

To compete with Sprint's WiMAX technology, Verizon says it will introduce its own 4G network this year, using LTE technology. AT&T will launch an LTE network sometime in 2011, while T-Mobile also plans to use LTE in the future.

Being the lone WiMAX-supporting carrier, it's no wonder Sprint is in a hurry to beat out the competition, but it could hurt the company in the long run as other companies work to increase the popularity of LTE. Some say the hurried use of 4G is an attempt to make up for the huge loss the company has suffered since 2005. In the last quarter alone, the company saw a huge loss of both customers and revenue. The new 4G smartphone could attract new customers with the right features and marketing.

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