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Jan

[CES 2012] T-Mobile Serves Up A Slew Of Announcements – Introduces Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G, Bobsled Messaging Enhancements, And Expanded 4G Network

Posted by Liam Spradlin in 4G, Galaxy S, Galaxy S Blaze 4G, News, T-Mobile

Last Updated: February 22nd, 2012

At CES today, T-Mobile, in an effort to outline "the company's ongoing efforts to fuel consumer adoption of mobile data," revealed a handful of announcements, ranging from the introduction of a new 4G-capable device, to Bobsled Messaging, to expanded 4G networks.

You may remember that T-Mobile announced updates to its Bobsled Messaging service back in October. Well, T-Mo today announced further enhancements, including free unlimited messaging to Android users worldwide. Bobsled, for those who don't know, is essentially a service which allows users to communicate using mobile devices (through messaging or calling), regardless of platform or network, requiring only an internet or data connection.

Jan

[Updated] First Alleged Sprint LTE Speed Tests Surface - Yeah, It's Pretty Fast (At Least For Now)

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in 4G, News, Rumors, Sprint, Videos

As we already know, Sprint is going to roll out its next generation 4G LTE network in four U.S. cities somewhere around mid-2012, and it would only make sense that they already have some of the towers undergoing testing. The first of such alleged tests surfaced online today:

While I can't promise you it's 100% legitimate, here's my analysis:

The device used is more than likely a dedicated LTE hotspot and not a handset (like the LTE Galaxy Nexus). If you remember, such was the case with Verizon's LTE network, and it's easy to understand why - building a complicated phone with a new chip and having it available for testers this early would be a lot harder than a dedicated device with only one job - being a hotspot.

Jan

[Updated]AT&T Galaxy Note Shows Up In Accessory Product PR Release, "Early 2012" Release Date Claimed

Posted by David Ruddock in 4G, AT&T, Galaxy Note (GT-N7000)

Update: Anymode, after what we assume was a good-natured cease and desist letter from AT&T, has denied any of the information in its CES Media Alert (pictured below) is true. If we're being frank, they're 100% completely full of beans. Someone made available information they weren't supposed to, and someone got upset. Too bad official photos of the AT&T Galaxy Note were leaked this morning.

The stylus-toting Samsung Galaxy Note (or as I call it, the Samsung Galaxy S II: Andre The Giant Edition) has been quite successful overseas, and US consumers have been clamoring for a chance to get their hands (both of them, mind you) on the mega-sized 5.3" handset.

Jan

[Update: Clarification - Roaming Only] Sprint CEO Dan Hesse Admits Sprint Throttles Top 1% Of Data Users

Posted by David Ruddock in Editorials, Sprint

Last Updated: January 7th, 2012

Update: Dow Jones Newswires apparently left out a key piece of information from Hesse's statement on throttling, in an example of truly stellar journalism and attention to detail (unfortunately, we have no audio or video record to verify Hesse's statements). Hesse was discussing throttling of those who are on networks that Sprint has roaming agreements with (which, admittedly, Sprint has a lot of - including with Verizon). While this still makes Sprint's ads technically misleading, the throttling really only applies to those who live in areas where Sprint's data network relies chiefly on roaming - not to those using primarily Sprint towers.

Dec

Best Of The Worst: The 5 Most Bittersweet Moments For Android In 2011

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Editorials

2011 was a great year for Android - Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich was announced. The Galaxy Nexus was released. A whole truckload of Android tablets came out. The first 4G LTE smartphones appeared. But there were some significant speed bumps as well. Here are, in no particular order, the five things in the world of Android in the last year that really got our hopes up, but ended up being a little disappointing.

1. HTC ThunderBolt / All Early Verizon 4G LTE Phones

It's really hard to know where to start with the ThunderBolt. It wasn't actually a terrible phone in terms of usability or performance, but the delayed release, abysmal battery life, overheating, and seemingly endless wait for Android 2.3 drew more angst from owners than probably any other device we've ever seen.

Dec

[Updated x4: More Info] Verizon's 4G LTE Network Is Down, Devices Left Without Data Connectivity Across The Nation... Again

Posted by Cameron Summerson in News, Verizon Wireless

It seems like this is becoming a weekly habit, doesn't it? Big Red 4G LTE devices across the nation are once again without data services (mine included).

It appears that this just happened, so there's no word from VZW as to when we can expect data services to be restored. We'll keep you posted on any new information as it comes along; until then, I hope you're around a Wi-Fi network.

Update: Some users are reporting that 3G is still working, while many others are reporting no data whatsoever.

Update x2: Verizon is aware of the issue and had this to say:

We are investigating reports of some customers experiencing trouble accessing the 4GLTE network.

Dec

[Updated: Here Are The Winners!] Mega-Holiday Giveaway #9: Santa's Samsung Grab Bag: Win A Verizon Galaxy Nexus, T-Mobile Galaxy S II, Galaxy Tab 10.1 And More

Posted by David Ruddock in AT&T, Captivate Glide, Contests / Giveaways, Galaxy Exhibit 4G, Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy S II, Galaxy Tab 10.1, Samsung, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless

Last Updated: January 23rd, 2012

In our biggest giveaway yet, we're handing out a whole boatload of awesome Samsung Android products - including the Verizon Galaxy Nexus, T-Mobile Galaxy Tab 10.1, and the T-Mobile Galaxy S II. Also included are the Captivate Glide and the Exhibit II 4G, all courtesy of our friends at Samsung's Mobile US division. This contest is open to US entrants only (they're US-only devices and Samsung USA is sponsoring, sorry guys).

This contest is now over. Here are our winners, selected at random:

Galaxy Nexus: Jason Kennedy
T-Mobile Galaxy Tab 10.1: Daniel James
T-Mobile SGS II: Neal Gompa
T-Mobile Exhibit II 4G: Joshua Holt
AT&T Captivate Glide: Rob Lightner

Congratulations, guys - all of you will be contacted for your information in the near future!

Dec

[Updated: And The Winner Is...] Mega-Holiday Giveaway #6: Win A Verizon Galaxy Nexus And A Pair Of Klipsch S4A Headphones

Posted by David Ruddock in Contests / Giveaways, Galaxy Nexus, Samsung, Verizon Wireless

Last Updated: January 13th, 2012

You probably guessed this was coming - our Mega-Holiday Giveaway series just wouldn't be complete without a Galaxy Nexus (check out our just-published review). Today, we're giving away one Verizon Galaxy Nexus, courtesy of our friends at Texas Instruments, along with a pair of Klipsch S4A headphones (read our review here). (For our international readers: this particular contest is open to the US only (it's a US-only phone), but you may want to check back tomorrow.)

We've selected randomly from all the entries, and our winner is...

Kyle Korum

Congratulations, Kyle - We'll contact you for your information in the near future!

Dec

This Is Why Your Verizon Galaxy Nexus (Or Other 4G LTE VZW Phone) Is Losing Its Data Connection

Posted by David Ruddock in 4G, Editorials, Galaxy Nexus, News, Verizon Wireless

After months of wondering and looking around for answers, we think we've finally found out why all of Verizon's 4G LTE phones (and modems / USB dongles) are having data connectivity issues, and it's a wee-bit technical even for us, but we'll do our best. This information has been gathered from various comments and forums across the net, so, take us at our word here.

When Verizon launched its LTE network in November of 2010, it was the first time the carrier had utilized a GSM-based (WCDMA, as opposed to CDMA2000) network in the United States. All Verizon phones and data-enabled devices had previously run on CDMA2000 connections - the network responsible for Verizon's 3G and 2G data.

Dec

[Updated: Here Are The Winners!] Mega-Holiday Giveaway #4: Win A Motorola ATRIX 2, A Samsung Stratosphere, Or A DROID Incredible 2

Posted by David Ruddock in Atrix 2, Contests / Giveaways, Incredible 2 (Vivow), Stratosphere

Last Updated: January 5th, 2012

You thought we'd stop the prize train because it's Sunday? Well, here at Android Police, we give away awesome stuff seven days a week during the holidays, so we've got a bag of goodies for you today, courtesy of RadioShack.

Even in the event you do win one of the great phones we've got up for grabs today, you might want to check out RadioShack this holiday season regardless - they've got a whole bunch of phones you can get free today on new 2-year agreements on AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon as part of their holiday free phone sale. The Samsung Stratosphere, HTC Inspire 4G, and more.