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Dec

[Update: Working As Intended] ASUS Transformer Prime GPS Performs Very Poorly Without Wi-Fi, Massive XDA Thread Ensues

Posted by David Ruddock in ASUS, Eee Pad Transformer Prime, News, Tablets

Last Updated: January 3rd, 2012

Update 2: ASUS has issued an official statement on the matter and determined that the Prime's GPS is functioning as intended, which for many folks means essentially non-functional.

Please note that this product is not a professional GPS device ... To avoid inconveniencing users who demand a powerful GPS device, we made the decision to remove it from our specification sheet and marketing communications. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.

ASUS

That means if you're actually unable to live with your Prime without true GPS, there's not a lot to do but sell it - because ASUS isn't going to (and apparently can't) do anything about it.

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.

Aug

T-Mobile To Offer 'Signal Boosters' To Customers Beginning On September 7th

Posted by Cameron Summerson in News, T-Mobile

In order to combat weak signal-strength inside the home, T-Mobile will unleash a new program that offers signal boosters to its customers beginning on September 7th. The boosters will increase the available signal of T-Mo's 3G and 4G networks, but, like with most things, has certain downfalls:

Signal Boosters are not available in multi-family residence (i.e. apartment, condo, etc)
You must be able to receive at last one bar of 3G service anywhere within the house
The booster is T-Mobile's property and a fee of up to $500 may be charged if the device is damaged or not returned upon cancellation
The booster will require a two-year agreement with the associated line

Despite the fact that a two-year agreement is required and the user is held responsible for any possible damages, the booster will not cost any additional monthly charges.

Jul

Geek Overload: CyanogenMod 7 Now Has The Option To Show Exact Signal Strength (In dBm) Instead Of Signal Bars

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Development, News

The unstoppable CyanogenMod, Android's most popular custom ROM, is gaining yet another cool feature as of today, which is kind of reminiscent of the exact battery percentage mod that has become one of my favorites.

Starting with tonight's nightlies and future stable releases, those green signal bars ("can you hear me now?") can be replaced with the exact signal strength measurement, in dBm (decibel-milliwatt is an electrical power unit in decibels (dB), referenced to 1 milliwatt (mW)).

Definition: A "nightly" is a bleeding edge release that is built on a daily basis, usually at night after a full day's worth of new code has been committed.

Apr

FCC Gets Hands On: Regulates Data Roaming And Suggests Signal Boosters

Posted by Zak Stinson in AT&T, News, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless

When we talk about the Federal Communications Commission, we usually do so in regards to a new and highly anticipated device they have just finished testing. Today, there is a little something different in the news regarding the FCC. On Thursday, the FCC made a couple of moves that have received mixed responses from the major wireless carriers.

Roaming Data

The first order they passed was to establish a rule forcing carriers to allow competitors to send and receive data on their networks for an established price. This move means that no matter where you are outside of your carrier's network, you will have roaming data coverage.

Jul

Samsung T-Mobile Vibrant, AT&T Captivate Galaxy S Series Phones Not Without Their Own Signal Problems: Major GPS Issues Emerge For Some

Posted by David Ruddock in Captivate, Galaxy S, News, Samsung, Vibrant

Can You Find Me Now?

A substantial thread on the XDA forums over GPS-related woes for people using the Samsung Galaxy S i9000 has left users of the device puzzled for nearly two weeks across Europe and Asia. Now, there are similar threads for the currently available American versions, the Vibrant and Captivate, that are quickly increasing in length as well.

So, what is this problem? The Galaxy S (for some users) has difficulty locking onto enough GPS satellites to maintain an accurate fix on the user’s position. This translates to unusable GPS car navigation apps, inaccurate map readings, and generally makes using any GPS-enabled application a less-than-enjoyable (and inaccurate) experience.