Verizon Unveils First 3G Mobile For Consumers (Investor's Business Daily)
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Investor's Business Daily - Verizon Wireless is bringing next-generation 3G wireless data services to the nation's consumers -- behind Asia and parts of Europe, but ahead of all its U.S. carrier rivals.
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(InfoWorld) - The first generation iPhone is barely on the streets, but some users and analysts are already talking about when a second-generation model will be launched to take advantage of faster 3G wireless network speeds for speedierÂ  Internet browsing. The first version of iPhone supports AT&T's EDGE -- Enhanced Data Rates for GSMÂ  Evolution -- network, a 2.5G network advertised as providing download speeds ofÂ  70Kbps to 135Kbps AT&T and Apple chose that network because it isÂ  the largest network, reaching 270 million people,Â company officials said last week. However, several analysts and reviewers believe that the next-generation iPhone, which could ship early next year in the U.S., will be provisioned toÂ  handle a faster 3G network, such as AT&T's High Speed Downlink Packet AccessÂ  (HSDPA), to support download speeds of 400Kbps to 700Kbps. However,Â  AT&T and Apple would not comment Thursday on their plans or a timetable forÂ  iPhone 2.0 or AT&T's HSDPA. AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel stressed that "HSDPA is available in 160 metro areasÂ  and AT&T will continue to build it out through the rest of the year, soÂ  obviously we're continuing to build 3G. " But Siegel also repeated comments made last week that iPhone users will acceptÂ  the slower EDGE speeds, especially since the iPhone can access faster WiFiÂ  networks when a hot spot is available at home or a coffee shop. "We haven't hadÂ  many complaints about EDGE," he said. "What really matters for a real humanÂ  being using the iPhone who doesn't know anything about EDGE is that this isÂ  going to be a great experience in totality, whether searching for a stock quoteÂ  or a map or many other things. We think overwhelmingly that people will beÂ  thrilled using this device. The experience they have on EDGE will be a reallyÂ  good one." Siegel's comments, however, don't match user consternation about EDGE speedsÂ  registered atÂ theÂ MacRumors forums, or concerns raised by some reviewers, including one who said itÂ  took two minutes to download the Yahoo Web site home page. The discussion thread at MacRumors asked people to post their EDGE speeds overÂ  iPhone using a network measuring tool. Some reported speeds were higher thanÂ  those advertised by AT&T, but most were slower, with 64Kbps on July 3 inÂ  San Diego and 71Kbps in Los Angeles that same day. "Boooooo!" is the onlyÂ  comment from the San Diego user identified as FreeState. GnarleyMarley87 inÂ  Atlanta reported 126Kbps in Atlanta on EDGE, but 1,245 Kbps over WiFiÂ  at home. Other uses weighing in on Macrumors about the differences between 3GÂ  and EDGE and why Apple is waiting indicate that iPhone users are aware thatÂ  AT&T's 3G network is not widely available in the U.S. Users also noted thatÂ  3G-capable phones consistently run down batteries faster than those on slowerÂ  networks. One analyst, Ken Dulaney at Gartner, recently confirmed that aÂ  3G phone can use up a battery at a rate 30 percent faster than a 2.5G phone. Apple officials would not comment on a timetable for the next iPhone release,Â  or even whether it will support 3G. Two analysts tended to support the decision to release the first iPhone overÂ  EDGE in order to get the broadest network reach over higher bandwidth. "EDGE isÂ  not a show-stopper for iPhone, and I think the next version will likely haveÂ  3G," said Michael King, an analyst at Gartner Inc. King said some industry experts believe Apple can have a second generation device ready by October, but that Apple won't unveil them so closely behind theÂ  first version's June 29 release. King believes AT&T's HSDPA network will beÂ  more widely available for U.S. users in late 2008. "It's a pretty usableÂ  network now," he said. With a second generation iPhone, Apple is also likely to support QuickTime, giving access to streaming video that will also use more bandwidth that willÂ  tend to require a 3G network, King said. Shiv Bakhshi, an analyst at IDC, said that Apple was "wise to have chosen unibiquitous network reach over bandwidth ... a culture of mobile data consumption in the U.S. is only beginning to set in. By the time it takes hold,Â  Apple will be out with 3G iPhones and AT&T will likely roll a 3G HSDPA networkÂ  across its national footprint." Asked when both will happen, Bakhshi said "in under a year." But Bakhshi said that it is not clear how much current iPhone users will be downloading from the Web. Songs and video can be imported from a PC, so EDGEÂ  speeds might not be an impediment for the average user. "Every network falls short as your expectations rise higher," he said."SomeÂ  people will always be high-end users and will find EDGE really frustrating, butÂ  for the average Joe Blow like you and me, it will suffice." Bakhshi said that data usage may not be the biggest driver of iPhone sales."The single biggest driver of iPhone may not be data usage," he said. "Instead,Â  it might be just its ability to invoke envy in your friends." Â
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Investor's Business Daily - Thanks to earlier reports of a strong cell phone market, it didn't surprise many analysts that Qualcomm, a leading cell phone company, on Friday boosted its earnings guidance.
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Last week many Americans got their first chance to sign up for the next wireless data technology, thanks to the rollout of Verizon's 3G (third-generation) mobile system that makes cell phones more comparable to miniature computers. Verizon's VCast service, which debuted Feb. 1, can deliver video clips, TV content and 3-D games to mobile phones in Verizon's broadband network.
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(InfoWorld) - Verizon Wireless on Thursday unveiled its first deployments of a faster mobile broadband service that multiplies speeds upstream to the Internet. The carrier announced five areas where Revision A of its EV-DO (Evolution-Data Optimized) technology is commercially available. Verizon already has EV-DO in places across the country, but in a version that offers upload speed of less than 100Kbps. Revision A delivers between 300Kbps and 400Kbps upstream, according to Verizon. Downstream speed goes up with the new version, too, but less dramatically: Verizon says 450Kbps-800Kbps, versus about 400Kbps-700Kbps. EV-DO is one of two main families of 3G technology, going up against WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), which is being adopted in increasingly fast iterations by carriers that have used the popular GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) cell-phone system. Both are among a proliferation of emerging wireless technologies, including Wi-Fi and WiMax, that are expected to come in handy for users in different situations. But mobile operators in the U.S. and most other countries are still working on getting users to adopt the new services in large numbers. Verizon's network has the new technology in parts of Massachusetts, including Boston and its suburbs; Chicago, Gary, Indiana, and suburbs; Salt Lake City and other cities in Utah; the Richmond and Hampton Roads, Virginia, areas; and throughout the broadband coverage area in Florida. To take advantage of the new speed, which is offered as part of the carrier's existing BroadbandAccess service, subscribers will need compatible devices, two of which will go on sale Friday at Verizon's Web site. The company will be selling the USB720 modem, which plugs into a PC via a USB interface, and the AirCard 595, which slides into the PC Card slot on a notebook. Both are available immediately through Verizon's business sales channels. Verizon is the biggest U.S. carrier with EV-DO, but rival Sprint NextelÂ is farther along in upgrading to the new, faster version. Sprint said Tuesday it can reach 95 million people in 24 major markets with Revision A. Sprint first rolled out the new technology in October and most recently added South Florida, Portland, Oregon and Puerto Rico to its coverage area. There are several Revision A client devices available for Sprint's network, including three PC Cards and a USB modem, as well as stand-alone modems and a Sony notebook.
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and its handsets make a step to answer the need for all-in-one mobile media devices. The company expects 3G to begin gaining mass market
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Users may see an iPhone with 3G technology in the next six months, a financial analyst said Monday, citing waning inventory of Apple&#39;s current iPhone and the increasing demand in Europe for 3G products.The iPhone shipments are likely to be weak during the March quarter, and inclusion of 3G technology in the phone could ensure that Apple meets its target of shipping 10 million iPhones in 2008, analyst Richard Gardner of Citigroup said in a research note on Monday. 3G is a high-speed wireless communications standard that provides broadband Internet capabilities to cell phones and mobile devices.An iPhone upgrade to include 3G technology could help the company forge more relationships with carriers as it builds a European presence. &quot;We believe that lack of 3G has been a significant headwind for iPhone in Europe where 3G is already pervasive,&quot; Gardner said.During meetings with Citigroup, Apple reiterated its plan to introduce the iPhone into additional European countries and Asia by the end of 2008, Gardner said.In a December report, Shaw Wu of American Technology Research said a 3G iPhone would likely ship around the middle or in the second half of this year after network coverage and battery life issues are addressed.During the iPhone rollout in the U.K. last year, Jobs said that 3G chips were &quot;power hogs&quot; but also said he expected to see better battery consumption this year. Chip vendors, including Broadcom and Arm, are developing power-efficient 3G mobile chips with multimedia capabilities.3G is still not widely deployed in the U.S., Wu wrote in a report. Apple could possibly position the new iPhone as a high-end smart phone with the current iPhone being shipped as a more mainstream product, Wu said.Apple&#39;s 3G plans in the U.S. could get a boost from AT&amp;T&#39;s announcement last week that it was expanding its 3G wireless coverage to 350 major U.S. markets, including all 100 of the largest cities.Until the iPhone becomes available in more countries, unlocking numbers will remain high. But as the iPhone&#39;s presence expands, &quot;most consumers will prefer to use iPhone on the network with which Apple has a relationship -- only then can they take advantage of innovative features, such as visual voicemail and ongoing software updates,&quot; Gardner said.Up to 35 percent of all iPhones sold since its launch in June have been unlocked and sold in countries where Apple does not yet have a formal relationship with a wireless carrier, Citigroup&#39;s Gardner said.There has been plenty of speculation surrounding the release of a 3G iPhone. Last year, Apple CEO Steve Jobs and AT&amp;T CEO Randall Stephenson separately said a 3G iPhone was coming in 2008, though the exact date is shrouded in secrecy.
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TechWeb - The latest and best in smartphones -- most with 3G capability -- from Nokia, HTC, Research In Motion, Sharp, and more.
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HONG KONG -- Consumers have been promised a lot from the high-speed 3G (third generation) cellular networks being rolled out around the world, but is there much in it for businesses?
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Vodafone, the world&#39;s largest mobile phone operator, today finally launched its third generation (3G) services as it seeks to recoup Â£16.
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Cingular, the largest US mobile phone operator, is to launch a high-speed third generation (3G) network.
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NEW YORK - Verizon Wireless, the hulking champ of the cellular world, is about to meet a new contender. Any day now, the Federal Communications Commission is expected to recommend the approval of Cingular
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Verizon Wireless is appealing new rules requiring some soon-to-be auctioned wireless spectrum to be open to any devices mobile customers please. Google says the move is anti-consumer.
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Investor's Business Daily - Philips Semiconductors has a plan to cash in on the craze for cool new features in cell phones.
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Investor's Business Daily - If you think Americans have a lot of cell phones, consider this: Israel's wireless penetration rate is 117%.
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Verizon Wireless this week said its 3G service will be available in 14 US markets and 20 airports on September 27. Next Monday, it will also be offered in Atlanta; Austin, Texas; Baltimore; Kansas City, Missouri
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Verizon (VZ:NYSE - news - research) Thursday posted a solid quarter as its wireless operation continues to pick up steam. For its third quarter ended Sept.