This story was originally published and last updated .
The new Pixel Buds have plenty going for them: they're modern and sleek, they sound nice, and their Android integration is top-notch. But a quick glance at the Pixel Buds support forums shows tons of reports of connectivity problems. The good news is that Google is aware of these issues and a fix is on the way — eventually.
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It's not often that I get to fit the entire changelog of a software update in the headline, but today's the day. Verizon has shared details about an upcoming update for the Galaxy Note 3 that does two things - strengthens connectivity and improves sound quality. Though Verizon hasn't provided a proper software version number, the build hitting devices is apparently VRUBMJ7.
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"Many people don't realize … the majority of the world is not connected to the internet. How do we get cost-effective, inexpensive, and reliable connectivity to the remaining 5 or 6 billion people who don't have it?"
Chief Technical Architect Rich DeVaul poses this question in introducing the technology behind Project Loon – the newly (officially) announced project from Google X that aims to bring internet connectivity to "rural, remote, and underserviced areas," as well as those affected by natural disasters. The project doesn't seek to do this with a hulking wired infrastructure, however. No, Google plans to do this using the "effortless elegance" of balloons, combined with the power of stratospheric wind.
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Everyone's favorite mesh networking startup Open Garden today announced its 2.0 refresh at LAUNCH festival, having allegedly already served 2.1 million installs since version 1.
Readers would be forgiven for not remembering exactly what Open Garden is, or why it's interesting – we last covered the app in its beta stage.
Basically, the idea behind Open Garden is to create ubiquitous internet access by linking various smart devices together and sharing a common internet connection in a mesh network. For example, if your smartphone is connected to the internet, Open Garden would allow you to create a mesh network to which your tablet, another phone, a PC, or all of the above could connect.
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Just days after we learned of an expanded international availability, another interesting bit of news may be on the way for the Nexus 7.
According to Paul O'Brien of MoDaCo, a "very well placed insider" has indicated that a 3G-connected variant of the device is on the horizon, expected to be ready for shipping "in around six weeks."
If you've been holding out on buying the Nexus 7 due to its WiFi-only capability, this may be the news you've been waiting for. MoDaCo's source didn't divulge any pricing, availability, or carrier-related details, though the source did indicate that 3G connectivity would constitute the only hardware change to the device.
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Remember that problem Galaxy Nexus devices were having on Sprint where owners couldn't get any connection to any data network at all? Well, if you happened to be one of those owners, how could you forget? Worry not, though! Sprint just announced it will be rolling out a fix over "a 1-2 day period."
You'll need to be connected to a WiFi network to do anything (though this shouldn't be new to you if you're affected by this problem). Hopefully this will be the end of the data issues for Galaxy Nexus owners on Sprint. If you've been among those affected, let us know in the comments if this fix works for you.
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If you're on the Sprint network, and you're thinking about upgrading to the Galaxy Nexus, you might want to hold off for a bit. Some users in Sprint's forums are reporting that they are unable to connect to Sprint's 3G data network, instead only able to get data via WiFi. Ouch.
Said one user, who attached the above screenshot:
Read MoreI've attached a screen shot from RF Signal Tracker.
It shows EVDO-A is available and a "Network State" of "CONNECTING"
Every now and then it will get a data connection and the network state changes to CONNECTED, but that will only last for a few seconds.
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.
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The DROID BIONIC, it's no secret, hasn't been launched bug-free. In fact, there's a number of bugs, particularly the dreaded data connection drop, that make using the BIONIC a major annoyance at times. Verizon has apparently been keeping track, and has a very detailed list of the glitches currently afflicting the phone, given to a customer in a support e-mail (weird, we know). The good folks over at Droid-life have compiled a "Top 10" bug list along with all the reported issues (here), and we've excerpted a few that we've noticed most:
Read More1. Issue: 4G/3G Service – Data Connectivity
- Marginal 4G to 3G transition: Loss of data connectivity – The device may display 3G service indication but no data connections are possible.
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