iPhone #1 Smartphone on Verizon and AT&T

Verizon customers sure are happy to finally have a new iPhone. Verizon sold 4.3 million iPhones during the fourth quarter of 2011. Overall, they sold 7.7 million smartphones. That's nearly 56%.
But the sales figures for AT&T iPhones were even better. A whopping 81% of all smartphones sold on AT&T were iPhones. Out of 9.4 million smartphones sold, 7.6 million were iPhones.

If the iPhone retains this popularity, expect the iPhone to be the dominant smartphone in no time.
via tuaw and the next web

Read More

Sprint's Data Speeds Fail to Impress

Sprint offers an "Unlimited Everything" plan for $99. Similar plans on AT&T or Verizon cost more, or don't come with unlimited data. But, do you get what you pay for on Sprint?

Read the rest of this post »

Read More

Apple Loses Contract with Japan's Largest Carrier, for a Great Reason

NTT DoCoMo is Japan's largest mobile service provider. Despite that, Apple refuses to accept their terms, and that's a great thing.

DoCoMo wants to be allowed to preload software on the iPhone. Preloaded software like this is more commonly referred to as "bloatware" or "junkware". It's a plague on Windows PCs and Android phones alike. I recently went through the daunting task of teaching my father how to download an app from the Android Marketplace. I couldn't help but notice the immense amount of bloatware his Droid 3 came with.

Combine an overly complicated interface, problems downloading the app from the marketplace (I ended up sending him a link to the app from my iPhone), and the pages of bloatware, I couldn't believe he didn't throw the phone out then and there. I think the fact that it's his work phone stopped him.

Read the rest of this post »

Read More

iPhone 4S is the Best Selling Smartphone on all Carriers

The iPhone 4S is the best selling smartphone on AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint. It's not surprising that the latest version of the most popular smartphone with the highest customer satisfaction is also the best selling smartphone on all carriers.

It's still an incredible feat, as the iPhone 4S has only been available for less than a month. The iPhone 4 is still incredibly popular as well, sitting in the top 3 for each carrier. So, have you gotten your iPhone yet?
via CultOfMac

Read More

Radioshack Ditches T-Mobile for Verizon

As a former Radioshack employee, I think I can speak for everyone working for Radioshack when I say "FINALLY!".
Let me explain. Radioshack carriers AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile. However, every third customer in the door would ask for Verizon. Radioshack employees work off of commission, so every customer who comes in and leaves because they can't get a Verizon phone is a lost sale, and a lost commission.
When Radioshack started carrying T-Mobile, there wasn't a mad rush of customers. In fact, in the month my store carried Radioshack before I left, we didn't sell a single T-Mobile phone. It didn't help that there was no coverage in our area.

But now Radioshack is getting Verizon phones, and I'm sure the employees are happy about this. The dropping of T-Mobile won't be a huge loss, especially with AT&T in the process of buying T-Mobile. This is a good move for Radioshack, and may help boost their sales and popularity.
via BGR

Read More

32% of iPhones are on Verizon

In a recent report by Localytics, a mobile research group, it was revealed that Verizon iPhones account for 32% of all iPhones. This shows huge growth for the Verizon iPhone, despite getting the iPhone 4 much later than AT&T. The carrier will benefit from the launch of the iPhone 5, which is expected to be launched on AT&T and Verizon simultaneously. The iPhone 5 should also be in higher demand than the iPhone 4 was for Verizon, as the iPhone 4 was launched mid cycle, and many people decided to hold out for the next iPhone.

The iPhone has proven to be very profitable for both carriers. Though only rumors, Sprint and Tmobile may be getting the iPhone in the near future as well.
via AppleInsider

Read More

Verizon to Discount iPhone 4

Verizon may be planning on discounting the iPhone 4 by $50 prior to the release of the iPhone 5. Doing so would give them an edge over AT&T, and offer incentive for people who are thinking about waiting for the iPhone 5.
Both AT&T and Verizon may offer the iPhone 4 at a discounted price after the release of the iPhone 5, so it's not surprising that Verizon is considering discounting it ahead of time.
via CultOfMac

Read More

New Bill Clarifies "4G"

Mobile carriers advertising "4G" aren't always being honest. There's LTE, WiMax, and HSPA+, and they're all classified as "4G". How is a consumer supposed to decide which is best? They're all faster than 3G, but which technology is truly the fastest?

When Tmobile's advertising the "largest 4G network", they're really talking about HSPA+, the slowest form of 4G. It's been around since 2008, and while it is faster than normal 3G, it's nothing to write home about. Tmobile can claim a large 4G network, but what they don't mention is that it's much slower than any other form of 4G.

That's why a bill has been created to try to change this. It would force carriers to be honest about the speed of their 4G networks, allowing customers to make direct comparisons.
The bill, called the Next Generation Wireless Disclosure Act, is new, and it's still in the House. If approved, however, carriers would still be able to claim they have a 4G network, but they'd also have to mention the speed of their network.

Will carriers block this through extensive lobbying? Only time will tell, but it could become a lot easier to compare networks in the near future.
via BGR

Read More