ctia

NEW ORLEANS--Theoretical speeds are one thing, but the majority of smartphone owners will agree that real-life data speeds are what count.

Comprehensively charting each carriers' data network is the subject of RootMetric's quarterly report.

So far, the company scouts have systematically combed 42 urban and suburban markets to compare 3G and 4G data speeds.

Their methodology includes test calls, data downloads, and texting. Scouts record how easily they could get onto the network and perform tasks, and then run diagnostic speed tests through RootMetrics' automated software. They never use jailbroken devices.

On the LTE front, RootMetrics found that AT&… Read more

NEW ORLEANS--In addition to displaying its recently released Score M at CTIA this year, the small Chinese telecommunications company known as ZTE also showed off its V96 tablet.

Though the device isn't due out yet, it's set for a global launch. Unfortunately, there aren't any plans in place to bring the Android Ice Cream Sandwich tablet to the U.S.

The Wi-Fi enabled device has a 10.1-inch touch screen. Powering the V96 is a 1.7GHz dual-core processor.

When I got my hands on the tablet, I noticed it was quite snappy and the animated wallpaper (… Read more

NEW ORLEANS--Cricket subscribers have spoken -- they want more premium phones -- and now the prepaid carrier is ready to deliver.

Cricket customers are beginning to care much more about technical specifications like larger screens, faster processors, and better cameras. Significant sales of the Huawei Mercury, which leaped to an more than10 percent adoption rate in the course of two weeks, proves it.… Read more

NEW ORLEANS--This hasn't exactly been a CTIA Wireless show to remember.

The conference was a virtual snooze fest this year, with the lack of product news and the disappearance of a few key players on the show floor leaving many questioning the relevancy of the show.

Are this week's show, as well as the second enterprise and application-focused CTIA conference in the fall, worth the time and effort? I'm starting to have my doubts, and I'm not alone. Industry executives have privately expressed to me hope that the trade group consolidates the two conferences and move … Read more

NEW ORLEANS--T-Mobile USA isn't looking at Verizon Wireless's proposed spectrum auction as the answer for its needs.

"For us, this spectrum is not interesting," T-Mobile CEO Philipp Humm said during a conference call with reporters today.

With T-Mobile working toward an upgrade of its existing network as well as a move to 4G LTE, the carrier is in need of spectrum, which provides wireless capacity and allows it to deliver mobile services.

T-Mobile's dilemma is shared by all of the carriers, and has been a common theme at this year's CTIA Wireless show. Verizon … Read more

NEW ORLEANS--Seeing the Samsung Galaxy S III at CTIA was exactly what I had hoped for leading up to the show.

Samsung's next global flagship phone packs a wallop of new software features, especially in the camera department. While there wasn't enough time at the busy conference to inspect everything, I did return for some quality time with the 8-megapixel camera.… Read more

NEW ORLEANS--Paying for goods or services at the checkout counter with your phone is the holy grail of mobile payments, something Google, the credit card companies, and the wireless providers are all trying to figure out.

But until that goes mainstream, startup iCache has a pretty novel approach for people who want to leave their wallet at home. The company's Geode product acts as both an iPhone cover and digital wallet, while packing a single programmable smart card.

It works like this: a user enters in their debit and credit card information through an included mag stripe reader, which … Read more

NEW ORLEANS--Seven years after it last visited New Orleans and almost seven years after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, CTIA has returned to The Crescent City. And as the 2012 Hurricane season approaches on June 1, Verizon Wireless uses the trade show to show how it is preparing for future disasters.

We've already seen a Verizon Super Switch that can withstand a Category 5 hurricane, but this time Big Red showed a cell on light truck, or COLT. Inside a seemingly normal truck is a fully contained cell site with power for up to three days.

Verizon can send … Read more

NEW ORLEANS--After you've covered the big news and handled the new phones, it's always fun to walk the CTIA show floor and seek out the weird and wonderful. There's usually plenty of sights to behold, and you always can count on NTT DoCoMo to lead the way.

The Japanese carrier's booth this year was smaller than usual, and it lacked a collection of high-end "only in Japan" phones, but it showcased some pretty cool technologies that I haven't used before. Some were practical and another was just for fun, but they provided a … Read more