Verizon Wireless 4G: Are You Ready?

Verizon Wireless is preparing to switch to its "4G" Long Term Evolution (LTE) network this coming weekend. Despite the small amount of coverage available at this time, it is officially being released to consumers December 5. The test market is going to be available in 38 different markets and 60 airports. Although there are no current Verizon phones that support the 4G coverage, they will offer a 4G USB stick to be able to surf the web with your PC (Mac OS not currently supported). Future 4G phones will be released in the coming months. 

So what can you expect? 10 times the speed of the current 3G network. Customers are looking at download speeds around 10Mbps and upload speeds around 5Mbps. Verizon is reporting that their LTE network will feel as if you are using your home Wi-Fi connection. They are also reporting that the transition from 3G to 4G is fairly seamless. If your device fails to connect to the 4G network it will fall back to EVDO 3G. Unfortunately, the transition from 3G to 4G is not happening as fast as consumers would like. Never-the-less, 4G is coming to your area hopefully soon. Are you ready?

Twitter

FaceTime for Mac

Today at Apple's "Back to the Mac" event they announced FaceTime for Mac, which allows you to FaceTime with an iPod touch 4G and iPhone 4. You can download FaceTime for Mac here. It seems that Apple actually listened to all the hype over FaceTime for Mac and iLife 11'. Above, I provide a mini-review of the app, FaceTime for Mac.

Were Smartphones "Slow" Phones Before 3G? 4G?

This article was used and submitted with permission from jakeculpmedia.com.

Yesterday, I was checking my email on my phone and I had come to realize that even with 3G running, it was still slow. Even though my phone is not a smart phone, (its a world phone, the Samsung Impression to be exact) it still is fast enough to compare with other smart phones. With the new Evo 4G from Sprint coming out, does this mean that we are now getting into the "fast" smart phone age? Mmy opinion is that smartphones don't really have to be so called "fast" in order to be a smartphone. A smartphone's job is to make it easier for the average person to check their email and browse the web. Speed is not a factor in this situation. I think that most smartphones do that and do it very well. 

My point is that smartphones do what they say they do, they are SMART. They help create and manage your everyday tasks in your life with ease. Yes, smartphones were "slow" phones before 3g or 4g, but that is not the point; the point is that smartphones help run your life PERIOD.

Website

This Week in Phones #1 - iPhone Alternatives

With all the hype around the possible leaked 4th Generation iPhone, I think a lot of people are forgetting about other handsets recently released that kind of blow the iPhone out of the dust.

 HTC Evo 4G

The Evo 4G, on Sprint, is designed by HTC with power in mind. Sporting a gorgeous (and huge) 4.3 inch display, dual cameras including a front facing camera, and a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, the Evo is an absolute screamer! The Evo also has the ability to connect up to 8-wifi enabled devices, similar to what we’ve seen in other Palm devices. Being the first mobile phone to feature 4G technology, the phone is always fast! Most importantly, the Evo is on a better network than the iPhone, so you can really take advantage of 4G strengths, which AT&T does not offer. Pricing for this phone has not been announced, but is expected to be released sometime this Summer.

 HTC Droid Incredible

Phone manufacturers have to be pretty bold to name their phone “Incredible” but apparently HTC hit the mark. With a 3.7 inch AMOLED display and an 8-megapixel camera (which seems to be becoming the norm now a days), the Incredible really ones-up the iPhone. The Incredible is also on a much better network, that being Verizon Wireless, so you can really take advantage of faster data speeds.

 Nexus One

Google’s Nexus One, toted as “The Google Experience”, is a very powerful Android phone. The Nexus One is available on multiple carriers, T-Mobile and AT&T (AT&T unlocked only) makes it a very versatile phone available to customers on different networks. The Nexus One offers a 3.7 inch AMOLED display, a 5-megapixel camera and a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, so it has a very large feature set.

 In conclusion, those are just a few iPhone alternatives, all with much different feature sets than the iPhone and all on a better cellular networks. Even though the iPhone conveys a certain socioeconomic status to others, other manufacturers are developing phones with a better feature set, so next time you’re shopping for a mobile phones, look into some other iPhone alternatives.

Follow Me on Twitter

http://twitter.com/thetroyallen

Gizmodo iPhone 4G Story: My Thoughts

In this post I will be going over what has happened when Gizmodo got their hands on an iPhone 4G prototype. So, here’s a brief overview of what happened. An Apple Junior Engineer lost the prototype at a bar, it exchanged hands a few times, and Gizmodo actually bought the device for $5000. Then they went on to posting content about the prototype device on their website and even displayed the person’s name that lost the phone. I’m not a huge fan of that move. I abide by a strict code of ethics and that shouldn’t have happened. Checkbook journalism was also displayed in this case. But, if I had the money, I probably would’ve bought the device too and posted it on gadgetexperts.net. Well, if you want a full breakdown of the prototype device, be sure to check out the video. Thanks for taking the time to take a look at this post.