lte - 2/29 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Mar

Verizon's Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 Available Starting March 7th For $599, Enormous Logo And All

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Galaxy Note 10.1 (GT-N8000 / N8010 / N8013), News, Verizon Wireless

We know that at least a few of you have been eagerly waiting for Samsung to release its stylus-packing Galaxy Note 10.1 in a more wireless flavor here in the States. Starting on Thursday, March 7th, you'll get your surprisingly specific wish: Verizon will start selling the tablet online and in stores for $599.99. For six Benjamins, you'll get the pleasure of the Note's S-pen function and related TouchWiz apps, plus the honor of promoting Big Red through what is quite possibly the most gaudy, ostentatious carrier branding in the history of mobile electronics.

wm_IMG_1531

For the uninitiated, the Note 10.1 is a beefier version of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 2, with a 1.4Ghz quad-core Exynos processor, 2GB of RAM, 5MP rear camera, infrared blaster, Android 4.1, and of course, a Wacom digitizer on the 1280x800 screen.

Feb

US Cellular Adds The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 To Its LTE Lineup For $499.99

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Galaxy Note 10.1 (GT-N8000 / N8010 / N8013), News, Samsung, US Cellular

Its smaller 8-inch cousin is getting all the attention at Mobile World Congress (for better or worse), but the plus-sized Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 still has a few fans. At least one of them works at regional carrier US Cellular, because the device is now their second 4G LTE tablet, behind the original Galaxy Tab 10.1. The Galaxy Note 10.1 is available now from US Cellular's website and retail stores for $499.99; it requires a 2GB data plan, but not a long-term contract.

The Note 10.1 comes with a Jelly Bean 4.1 upgrade already on board, not to mention the 1.4Ghz Exynos quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM that it started with.

Feb

'AT&T' And 'GM' Fill This Month's '[Carrier] And [Automaker] Bring 4G To Your Car' Headline

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Carriers, News

In the future, your car is going to be connected to the internet. This is a matter of when, not if. Volvo and BMW are already working on auto connectivity, and Verizon has partnered with just about everyone. Today, AT&T and GM announced that they're joining the fray by combining their strengths. Starting in 2014, cars from General Motors will have LTE radios .

More specifically, most 2015 Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac models will support wireless connectivity in the U.S. and Canada. AT&T notes that it expects its LTE network to cover 300 million people by the end of 2014.

Feb

LG Refreshes Highish Mid-Range With The Optimus F5 And Optimus F7 Handsets

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in LG, News

While LG has started to make its way back into the hearts and minds of the average consumer with the impressive Optimus G Pro, and its sexier cousin the Nexus 4, the company still has other market segments to worry about. This is where things like the F-series comes in handy. Today the Optimus F5 and Optimus F7 were announced and, like their keyboard-dwelling namesakes, will probably be something we're aware of, but rarely pay too much attention to, despite their usefulness.

Here are the specs of the higher-end F7:

• Operating System: Android Jelly Bean 4.1.2
• Processor: 1.5 GHz Dual-Core
• Display: 4.7-inch True HD IPS (312 ppi)
• Size: 131.7 x 68.2 x 9.6mm
• Memory: 8 GB / 2 GB RAM / microSD (up to 32GB)
• Camera: 8.0 MP AF / 1.3 MP
• Battery: 2,540mAh

Aside from the dual-core processor and smaller amount of storage built in, this handset doesn't actually differ that much from the Optimus G.

Feb

Qualcomm Announces The RF360, A 40-Band LTE Radio That Plays Nice With All The Networks

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in News

Sometimes Long-Term Evolution wireless is presented as the future of mobile, and the answer to network incompatibility. That's half true. While LTE and GSM tend to play nice (or at least nicer than the entirely disparate GSM and CDMA standards) the bands and frequencies used for high-speed wireless access vary pretty widely in different countries, or here in the US, across different networks. Chip OEM Qualcomm is hoping to banish network anxiety with a new family of LTE radios, christened RF360. You can expect to see the radios embedded on future Snapdragon platforms.

The RF360 will work across a staggering amount of standard frequency ranges: GSM, CDMA and WCDMA, EV-DO, and an impressive array of LTE bands.

Feb

Sprint Updates The LG Viper 4G To Version LS840ZVK For Better LTE Reception

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in LG, News, Sprint, Viper

Quick note, LG Viper owners: If you're getting an update request this afternoon, don't get too excited. The newest software addition isn't any flavor of Jelly Bean. It's just a small update that addresses "LTE network acquisition improvements", which probably means it'll help you when transitioning from Sprint's old and busted 3G network to the new LTE hotness.

LS840ZVK 2/7/2013

- LTE network acquisition improvements

Check your Settings menu, then System Update to get the latest download. If you aren't seeing it right away, remember that carriers tend to deploy these things in waves. You might want to sit this one out if you're rooted, especially if you're not one of the lucky few within Sprint's LTE service area.

Feb

LG Optimus LTE, Nitro HD Join The CyanogenMod 10.1 Club With First Official Nightlies

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Development, News, Nitro HD, Optimus LTE

Claiming the title of the first MSM8660-packing devices to get CyanogenMod 10.1 nightlies, LG's Optimus LTE and Nitro HD (su640 and p930) joined the lineup today.

In a post to Google+, CyanogenMod is sure to note that the introduction of the Nitro HD and Optimus LTE does not necessarily indicate the imminent support of other devices that use Qualcomm's MSM8660 chip. "What it does mean," the post goes on, "is that the first hurdle towards more devices has been achieved."

That said, the nightlies are still great news for Nitro HD/Optimus LTE owners who have been hankering for an AOSP-inspired Android 4.2 experience with the full CyanogenMod treatment.

Jan

Sprint Brings LTE To Boston, Austin, Western Puerto Rico, And More, Fails To Achieve Triple Rhyme Bonus

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in News, Sprint

Better late than never, I suppose. Today Sprint announced that it's bringing new LTE service to Boston and Framingham, Mass., Austin and Bryan-College Station, TX, Fort Wayne, IN, and Western Puerto Rico. The latter is actually not the first round of 4G coverage for the territory, as PR has had coverage in a few southern cities for a while. Additionally, the carrier improved its 3G services throughout the entire island.

It's a good start for 2013 as Sprint continues its Network Vision plan, which should only ramp up this year as a variety of deals—including the Softbank acquisition, the Clearwire buyout, and spectrum purchases—finalize.

Jan

AT&T Is Going Shopping For A European Carrier To Buy Or Merge With, Says WSJ

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in AT&T, News

AT&T has a problem on its hands. It's big, but is it big enough? If you're a CEO of a major corporation the answer to that question is always "no." However, the carrier has difficulty expanding on the home front. An overwhelming majority of U.S. citizens have phones with one carrier or another, so there's very little wiggle room to grab new customers. And gaining in market share when you (and all your competitors!) are dead set on locking people into two-year contracts is very difficult. In short, growth isn't much of an option outside acquisitions, and those haven't gone so well.

Jan

T-Mobile Set To Launch LTE Network Within Days In Las Vegas, To Be Followed Soon By Kansas City

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in News, T-Mobile

Have you heard that T-Mobile is working on an LTE network? It's true. According to an interview with the carrier's USA EVP and CTO Neville Ray over on FierceWireless, the company is "days away" from flipping the switch on its new towers. The initial rollout will take place in Las Vegas (where T-Mo had hoped to debut in time for CES, but was delayed), followed closely by Kansas City.

The carrier intends to follow a similar rollout plan as its initial HSPA+ expansion. The first round of cities included Baltimore, Houston, and Washington D.C., followed by others like Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Portland and many more.