Posts Tagged ‘Verizon’

Skyfire provides an alternative browser for Android that is available for free in the Android Market.

Skyfire 4.0

The latest release (4.0.0) is a major one that provides simpler access to Facebook and Twitter. Skyfire provides dedicated buttons for these two social network services. The app provides tighter integration with these services in other ways too. For example, the new Facbook QuickView feature keeps your Facebook page loaded in the cloud for easy, one touch access to your news feed, profile, friends, inbox, events and places. There’s also a Fireplace Feed Reader that only includes links to browsable web pages, images, and videos posted by your Facebook friends.

I found navigating these new features to be a little touchy (pun intended). I found myself faced with unintentionally selected pages and even unintentionally exiting the app. Heavy Facebook and Twitter users will appreciate the easy access to the services, however.

Video optimization is now a $2.99 optional in-app purchase. Current Verizon customers, however, will find this fee waived as a special promotion. The new $2.99 charge for video optimization will certainly raise the eyebrows (if not more) of non-Verizon Android users.

I have a Verizon 3G iPad 2. However, since I wirelessly tether it to an AT&T iPhone 4, I haven’t experienced the iPad 2 Verizon 3G connectivity and FaceTime problems that have become a hot topic.

Why I Tether a Verizon 3G iPad 2 to an AT&T iPhone 4

The problem is apparently widespread. BGR reports that an iOS update is being prepared for near future release to address the problem.

Apple iOS 4.3.2 to fix Verizon iPad 2 connectivity and FaceTime issues, we go hands-on!

I hope 4.3.2 also provides some WiFi enhancements. I’ve noticed that the iPad 2 drops WiFi connectivity more frequently than the original iPad.

After spending 4.5 hours standing in line to buy an iPad 2 on its first day of availability, I ended up buying a model I did not intend to buy 4.5 hours earlier. My goal was to buy the $599 32GB WiFi-only model. It provided the right mix of price and storage for me. Having used a 16GB WiFi-only iPad 1 for nearly a year, I didn’t see a need for a 3G model. However, the 32GB and 64GB WiFi models were sold out by the time I reached the doors of my local Apple Store. In fact, all the 32GB models were sold out as was the AT&T 3G 64GB iPad 2. My choices were a WiFi-only 16GB model (too small) and the 64GB Verizon 3G model. So, I ended the proud owner of a $829 Verizon 3G 64GB iPad 2 which can be purchased without the requirement to purchase a 3G plan.

While toying with the idea of activating Verizon’s 3G data plan for my iPad 2, I began thinking about my existing and little used Verizon plan for my Motorola Droid. I was paying nearly $80 per month for a service I rarely used. So, I called Verizon Wireless last week to cancel my Droid service and to see if that action would provide Verizon a reason to sweeten the 3G data plan for the iPad 2. They didn’t make any offers. So, here’s the arithmetic I looked at and the reason I ended up with a 3G-less Verizon 3G iPad 2 tethered to an AT&T iPhone 4.

1. Verizon’s 1GB 3G service for the iPad 2 costs $20 per month. That seemed a little low.
2. Verizon’s 3GB per month plan costs $35.
3. The iPad 2 cannot be used as a mobile hotspot (tether other WiFi devices to its 3G data)
4. My iPhone 4′s grandfathered unlimited 3G data plan cost $30 per month
5. AT&T’s tethered 4GB per month 3G data plan costs $45 per month. Any three of my WiFi enabled devices can share its 3G data service – This includes my iPad 2. The net increase in my monthly recurring fee is $15.

So, tethering my Verizon 3G iPad 2 to an AT&T iPhone 4 ended up:
- Less expensive: $15 net monthly increase vs. $20 or $35
- Providing more data: 4GB vs. 3GB
- Letting me tether any WiFi-enabled device including my iPad 2
- Providing the ability to make or accept voice calls without dropping a tethered data session

And, since I also dropped the Verizon voice+data plan for my Droid, I ended up with a net $65 per month savings (80-15) at the cost of my former AT&T unlimited 3G plan.

I’ve found myself tethering an iPad, MacBook, or netbook to my iPhone 4 far more frequently than I thought I would. These have all been for relatively short sessions and for light activity (mostly email and some web browsing). Even these brief tethered periods were very useful to me. AT&T’s iPhone 4 app reports that I’ve used 69.34MB of my 4GB data since April 2. I don’t think it captured my initial tests before they started the billing cycle, so let’s call it 100MB of data. Careful use of 3G tethered access should keep me well below my monthly 4GB data cap. This means no video streaming, system updates, or any other large data activities that I can avoid. Email with attachments is a tricky one. I need to look at my current MacBook/netbook email client (Thunderbird) and see if I can tell it not to download attachments automatically.

ChangeWave survey more than 4000 consumers to learn their view of various aspects of iPhone 4 use on AT&T’s and Verizon’s networks. Assuming the results provide a reasonably accurate reflection of the general population of iPhone 4 users, the results are fascinating.

ChangeWave Survey Results: AT&T iPhone 4 Owners vs. Verizon iPhone 4 Owners

As expected, Verizon iPhone 4 customers reported dropped calls less than AT&T iPhone customers (1.8% to 4.8%). However, what is even more interesting is ChangeWave’s historical chart of dropped call responses for 90 day periods going back to September 2008. These figures do not involve the iPhone 4 which did not exist at that point but provide an interesting overall perspective of dropped calls by each company. Verizon started with a relatively low reported rate (2.7%) and has steadily improved to 1.4% (note that the iPhone 4 reported rate is 1.8%). AT&T, on the other hand, has become steadily worse over time. They started with 3.6% dropped calls peaked at a horrendous 6% in September 2010 and improved to 4.6% in the last report. However, it is still worse than the 3.6% rate they started with in September 2008. You can see this clearly in ChangeWave’s Percentage of Overall Dropped Calls chart reproduced here.

Surprisingly, dropped calls do not appear to significantly influence iPhone 4 users’ overal satisfication levels. ChangeWave notes: In terms of overall satisfaction the two iPhones are virtually indistinguishable.

US mobile operators like Verizon and AT&T are not capable of surviving the iPhone age and unless they transform their networks and business models, they would become an endangered race within the next three years, according to a new study conducted by Tellabs.

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In preparation for the release of iPhone on its network, Verizon has released a PDF memo on its website which states that the company will start throttling the data-throughput of subscribers that use a lot of data and fall within the top 5% of Verizon Wireless data users.

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The findings from a new survey released last week tracking how people react to online content delivery are not surprising: consumers have little patience for slow websites and expect their mobile service to be just as fast, or faster, than their home computers.

But don’t discard the survey just yet. The real takeaway, and the reason so much attention was paid, is the impact the survey may have in driving the debate over net-neutrality by presenting the side of a voice not often heard in the debate: consumers.

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Motorola is set to release the Droid on October 28th and has proclaimed themselves as the “iPhone killer” (as did the BlackBerry Storm) while some posit they are at least the newest hero in the mobile marketplace and others have declared it invalid altogether.

Let’s talk about some of the features and how it could or could not “kill” the iPhone. Read more

Verizon has inked a wide-reaching, multiplatform distribution deal with NBC Universal that gives the telco the rights to NBCU‘s Olympic coverage on TV, broadband and wireless.

During the games, Verizon Wireless customers can catch daily highlights, breaking news, scores and results and feature reports on V CAST video.

That’s nothing compared to what AT&T wireless customers will get, though, probably because AT&T is an official sponsor of the US Olympic team.

Anyway, folks who don’t want to watch on TV or online will have 24×7 access to NBC’s Olympic coverage via the new NBC Olympics Mobile Web site – great for the iPhone – and, for a limited group, the AT&T Mobile TV service. Specific mobile coverage includes live competition footage on the NBC Olympics 2Go channel. Unfortunately, it’s only available on a few handsets in 58 markets.

(Image credit: Clipart.com)

Today is mobile friday (I wanted it to be mobile monday but what can I do?). According to their press release, Verizon Wireless customers can now access MySpace Mobile on all Mobile Web 2.0-enabled phones. I’m not quite sure what Mobile Web 2.0-enabled phones are but apparently it is a Verizon service. The new service enables customers to access:

• Message Management – Just as it is called, users can read their messages as well as send in reply with all their friends as well as respond to friend requests. This is greater then the services currently provided by Facebook’s Blackberry application.
• View Photo Albums – You can browse through your albums on your phone. There was no comment on whether or not you can view your friends pictures.
• Viewing Friends – Just like on the standard version of MySpace, users can browse through all of their friends’ profiles from their verizon handled device.
• Friend Search – Not only can you browse through your friends’ profiles but you can also search for others. So if you want to spend time looking at random peoples’ profiles on your phone, now you can!
• Comments & Blog Postings – Just as you can do on your PC, you can post comments and update blogs. Also, “any new information entered will be posted to a member’s mobile and online MySpace profile simultaneously.”

From my recollection, this service is a premium service and users need to pay a monthly fee to access MySpace. It is most likely combined with their “Mobile Web 2.0″ service which, has a pretty horrible name. This news highlights the rapid growth of the mobile space for social networking. 2008 is going to most definitely see continued growth in the mobile space. Are you a “Mobile Web 2.0″ subscriber?