4G - 4/12 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Jul

Sprint's LTE Network Just Went Live In Kansas City - More Markets To Follow?

Posted by David Ruddock in 4G, News, Sprint

If you're a Sprint subscriber in the Kansas City area, you should probably be getting excited, as Sprint's 4G LTE network went live in portions of that market early yesterday. Sprint has confirmed this with S4GRU, and has stated more markets around the greater Kansas City area will continue to light up until that region's rollout is complete. Additional markets, as we know, are scheduled to go online on the 15th, though based on what we're seeing here, that could be an "at the latest" sort of date.

Are you a Sprint subscriber in the Kansas City area? Post up your Speed Test results in the comments - let's see what Sprint LTE can do.

Jul

HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE Review: DROID Doesn't

Posted by David Ruddock in 4G, HTC, Incredible 4G, Phone Reviews, Verizon Wireless

If Verizon's DROID brand is the Alamo (and at this point, it sure seems like it is), then the Incredible is Davy Crockett's trusty rifle Old Betsy (yeah yeah, I know he didn't he use it at the Alamo.)

The original Incredible was the best Android phone available when it stormed onto the scene in April of 2010. The follow-up Incredible 2 was still a hot-shot, though its 4" display and lack of 4G had it outgunned from the start, relegating it to a "high end of the mid-range" role in Verizon's Android lineup. And now, the Incredible 4G LTE is riding in with reinforcements - a modern S4 Snapdragon dual-core processor and Verizon's 4G LTE.

Jul

AT&T Launches Its LTE Network In Six New Markets, Expands In Two Others

Posted by Cameron Summerson in 4G, AT&T, News

While AT&T's LTE network may not be nearly as expansive as Verizon's, the company is still making good progress on broadening its other 4G reach. It announced today news of yet another expansion, this time bringing its brand of 4G LTE to six new markets:

It's also expanding in two current markets:

This list may seem relatively short compared to some of Verizon's more recent rollouts, but it's clear that AT&T is gunning for Verizon's LTE customers by launching in such large areas.

Jun

Verizon Announces 4G LTE Service For 46 New Markets, Expansion In 22 Existing Markets On June 21

Posted by Cameron Summerson in 4G, News, Verizon Wireless

Looks like it's the time of the month for Verizon to flip its 4G LTE switch to 'on' in new markets. It seems that the rollout has been in hyperspeed lately, as more and more cities are getting their taste of the blazing fast 4G service; this time Big Red is giving it to 46 new markets:

Florence, AL
Harrison, AR
Yuba City/Marysville, CA
Panama City, FL
Carrolton, Gainesville, and Newnan, GA
Blackfoot, ID
Decatur/Effingham, Kankakee/Bradley-Bourbonnais, and La Salle/Peru/Ottawa, IL
Columbus and Michigan City/La Porte, IN
Greater Portland, ME
Greenville/Greenwood, Jackson, and Tunica, MS
Houghton and Traverse City, MI
Jefferson City, Lake of the Ozarks, and West Plains, MO
Binghamton, Elmira/Corning/Hornell, and Oneonta, NY
Burlington, Hickory/Lenoir, Jacksonville, and New Bern, NC
Bedford and Sharon/Farrell/Hermitage, PA
Anderson, Florence, and Greenwood, SC
Lufkin/Nacogdoches, Midland, San Angelo, and Waco, TX
Danville, VA
Ashland, KY
Huntington and Logan, WV
Fond du Lax, Janesville, Beloit, and Sheboygan, WI
Gillette, WY
The Lihue, HI (launched on June 11)

And expand in 22 existing markets:

Denver and Fort Collins/Loveland, CO
Philadelphia, PA
Wilmington, DE
Daytona Beach, Gainesville, and West Palm Beach, FL
Hilo, HI
Boise/Nampa, ID
Chicagoland, IL
Lafayette, IN
Hammond, LA
Springfield, MO
Glens Falls and New York, NY
Charlotte/Gastonia and Greensville, Washington, NC
Indiana, PA
Hagerstown, MD
Chambersburg, PA
Sioux Falls, SD
Norfolk/Virginia Beach, VA
Seattle, WA
Appleton, Oshkosh, WI

Yay for 4G in more places!

Jun

The New Verizon Wireless Shared Data Plans Start June 28th, Here's How They Work

Posted by David Ruddock in 4G, News, Tips & Tutorials, Verizon Wireless

Verizon has officially announced the impending launch of its shared data plans on June 28, and at first glance, they make look a little confusing:

The reality is much simpler (check out this PDF - it's better). The "Share Everything" plan, as it's called, starts out on the premise that you are required to choose unlimited voice and text messaging. Not bad.

Then, you're required to select a data plan based on your needs. If, for example, you have 2 subscribers on your line, 4GB is probably a good place to start. That sets your baseline bill at $70. Then, you calculate the total cost of the bill with the number of connected devices you'll be using on the network.

Jun

Qualcomm Working On A Chip That Would Support Multiple LTE Bands, Carrier Networks

Posted by Liam Spradlin in 4G, Android OS, Carriers, News

According to a recent FCC filing, Qualcomm is hard at work on a new radio chipset that would support seven spectrum bands, including three below 1GHz. The introduction of this chipset could offer an effective solution to LTE spectrum fragmentation, which is a thorn in the side of manufacturers looking to cleanly execute broad product releases.

LTE fragmentation has also stirred debate among carriers, though. Smaller carriers operate within the Lower A block of the 700MHz band, in Band Class 12 while larger carriers like AT&T operate on the Lower B and C blocks in Band Class 17. For this reason, smaller carriers are urging the FCC to mandate interoperability.

Jun

[Update: Pre-Orders Are Live] Sprint Announces The Galaxy S III Available June 21, Pre-Orders Start June 5 - $199 For 16GB, $249 For 32GB

Posted by David Ruddock in 4G, Galaxy S III, News, Samsung, Sprint

Alongside Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile, Sprint has announced that it, too, will be carrying the next Galaxy in just a few short weeks. As far as we can tell, the device will be unbranded aside from the standard Sprint logos, but we've yet to confirm this (Sprint has not provided images).

Yesterday, we'd heard from Samsung that the device would be coming to five carriers in the US, and with Sprint's announcement, we're now up to all five. Sprint's will be the only Galaxy S III in the US to come with Google Wallet pre-loaded on the device, which makes sense, as AT&T, VZW, and T-Mobile are all members of the ISIS mobile payment platform alliance.

Jun

US Cellular Announces The Samsung Galaxy S III, Pre-Orders Begin June 12

Posted by David Ruddock in 4G, Galaxy S III, News, Samsung, US Cellular

Alongside Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, and T-Mobile, regional carrier US Cellular has made official that it will be carrying Samsung's Galaxy S III, with pre-orders beginning on June 12th. Pricing has yet to be announced, but as a regional carrier, US Cellular often has slightly higher premiums than its national counterparts, so potentially expect something above the standard $199 price-tag for the 16GB model.

As with all the announced US Galaxy S III devices, it is packing a Snapdragon S4, rather than a quad-core Exynos processor, which means full LTE support.

US Cellular will offer the device in both blue and white; however, only the Marble White color will be available with the 32GB capacity version.

May

Rumor: The LS860 Is A Sprint LG Viper With A Slider QWERTY Keyboard

Posted by David Ruddock in 4G, LG, Rumors, Sprint

Hot on the heels of blurry-cam shots of the upcoming LS970, a rumored upcoming Sprint LG device, today we've heard that the carrier has yet another phone from the other Korean electronics giant waiting in the wings - though this one's a little less exciting.

If you recall, the LG Viper is essentially Sprint's take on the LG Lucid, found at Verizon - a mid-range device with highly capable, if slightly dated, specifications. Packing a dual-core Snapdragon S3 processor and LTE, along with a pretty good IPS LCD panel, it definitely has raised the bar in the budget handset scene.

May

[Update: Sprint Confirms] The EVO 4G LTE Is Now Shipping To Sprint Pre-Order Customers, Delivery Expected By May 24

Posted by David Ruddock in 4G, EVO 4G LTE (Jewel), HTC, Legal, Sprint

Update: here's an official statement from Sprint's Community Forums, confirming the May 24 delivery estimate:

Customers who pre-ordered HTC EVO 4G LTE…Your wait is almost over! Sprint expects to begin shipping HTC EVO 4G LTE for arrival on or around Thursday, May 24 to customers who pre-ordered the device online from Sprint.

We will provide details on the full national launch as soon as possible. Thank you to everyone who has been patient while waiting for their HTC EVO 4G LTE. We will continue to update this post as additional details are available.

To check the status of your pre-order, please visit www.sprint.com/myorder.