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AT&T Throttles on a Curve, Punishing Low Data Usage

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by Ed Caggiani on
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What can a carrier do to keep their data networks running smoothly when the appetite for bits keeps growing? One method is called “throttling”. This simply means slowing down a user’s access to the network when that user passes a certain threshold of data used. The theory behind this is that heavy data users, once throttled, cannot continue to consume massive amounts of data when the pipe is made narrower, leaving more bandwidth for everyone else.

Last summer, AT&T announced new restrictions for users on their unlimited plan. The restrictions look at the top 5% of the heaviest data users who are grandfathered in to the plan, and throttle them for the rest of the billing month. The problem is that the amount of data used by the top 5% changes every month. So, for example, if the top 5% all used around 2GB of data, that’s where they set the threshold. Any user approaching that threshold would be warned, then throttled once they pass it.

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Hey Android Manufacturers, Too Much of a Good Thing Can Be More Than Enough!

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by Jack Holt on
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Even as an Android fanatic I have to admit that its main competitor, the iPhone, does extremely well. As much as I hate to say it, the iPhone is here to stay and will continue to be a thorn in Android’s side. I have been sitting and wondering though on why so many folks go over to the iOS side or stray from Android. While I am not an expert I believe a lot of it has to do with how these phones are marketed coupled with the amount of Android phones that OEMs are putting on the market. » Read the rest

Quick Rant: Why I Love My Motorola Xoom Wifi Tablet And Don’t Plan On Upgrading Anytime Soon

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by Roy Alugbue on
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What does a tablet mean to you? To most, it’s something that lets you have productivity on the go— emails, social communication, reading articles and e-books, etc. Of course consumers realize it’s possible to do all that with a notebook computer or netbook. However, it’s no secret that notebooks are losing in popularity because people understand in this day and age, “less is truly more”. You could have a netbook as well, but then some individuals would be graced with keys far too small for big hands like yours truly, a small screen that’s sometimes just slightly bigger than that of a smartphone or the fact netbooks just aren’t powerful enough even to do the bare minimum like check emails, do some online chatting, etc. Manufacturers have realized consumers want something that can bring the best of both worlds and that’s why tablets have been developed now.

While Apple’s iPad is leading the revolution, it’s obvious there are many other successful tablets. There are many of you who own a tablet now and then there are many of you who will be looking to purchase a tablet in the near-future. The great thing about Android tablets is that they are a direct reflection of the Android platform in general. The Android platform allows for a variety of manufacturers to make unique and “customized” versions of the Android devices which are best suited for each user’s tastes. While there are popular options such as the ASUS Transformer Prime, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and of course the record-selling Amazon Kindle Fire, there’s one tablet that has won my heart and will continue to win my heart for the next year or two (or three or four). That tablet is the Motorola Xoom Wifi tablet. Introduced at last year’s CES, the tablet is still literally the model for which other Android tablets are developed and shaped. I will share with you all my thoughts and experience of owning this tablet. Of course many of you will disagree and want to throw in your two cents, but I just want to give you all some insights as to what the device means to me and how it fits in my lifestyle. » Read the rest

Motorola scores a victory over Apple as the German patent battle continues

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by Chris Stewart on
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It was only yesterday we wrote about Apple’s claims against Samsung in Germany and just as one would expect, the saga continues.

This time it’s Motorola’s turn to go up against the Cupertino giants although, just to break the usual trend, it’s Apple’s turn in the dock. The groundwork for this case was actually laid back in November when Motorola won an injunction against the sale of Apple products in Germany.

In an unexpected twist, a German judge has ruled in Motorola’s favour, granting two permanent injunctions. Motorola has really gone for the jugular on this one too, dealing two major blows to Apple’s products in Germany :

Injunction passed preventing the sale of various iOS products

Apple has already removed the iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, as well as all 3G-enabled iPads from its online store.  The iPhone 4s is the only device still available online. All devices are still for sale at retail outlets.

Injunction passed preventing the use of push e-mail services

The Mannheim Regional Court has granted a permanent injunction preventing the use of the iCloud and MobileMe push e-mail services on German devices. Whilst users in Germany will still be able to use e-mail services, there will be no push option.  They will need to set their device to check for new e-mail at pre-defined intervals.

I’m ordinarily the first person in line to poke fun at our Apple owning friends however, on this occasion I have to say I take little pleasure in reading about cases like this.  There are no real winners as these patent wars rage on and Android users have missed out on features over the years due to similar claims.  In cases such as these, Apple may lose on the day but inevitably it’s the consumer who is losing out in the long run.

 

[via fosspatents]

The Psychology of Fanboyism

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by Ed Caggiani on
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Hypocrisy is one of the only things we absolutely despise in other people yet staunchly defend in ourselves. That’s the very definition of the word. Of course we can rationalize our own hypocritical behavior because we understand why we’re behaving a certain way.

What does this have to do with fanboyism? Let me tell you about how I became an Android enthusiast (ok, fanboy) and you’ll understand.

Tinkerability
Ever since I chose to use IBM compatible PC’s as a youngster, I’ve had an almost irrational feeling of negativity toward Apple as a company. Even back then I understood that the more open PC architecture was more in line with my way of thinking. I wanted to be able to open up my own computer and tinker with it, and the PC platform allowed for that. Apple, on the other hand, owned everything from the hardware to the software to the level of “tinkerability” with its more closed, proprietary system.

This closed system allowed Apple to develop a more highly polished end product since they didn’t have to worry about being compatible with anything other than themselves. From this walled garden arose a symbol of solid usability, security, and style. For many, that’s more than enough. For me, it was too rigid and limited. Tinkerability factor close to zero.

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Crittercism: iOS Apps Crash More Than Android Apps

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by Roy Alugbue on
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Ah yes, the iOS vs. Android debate is a seemingly neverending battle. Each has it’s pros and cons when it comes to both hardware and software. It’s no secret that iOS is a seemingly stable, an aesthetically stunning and a beautiful OS, while its simplified nature has won over the masses. As popular and successful as iOS is, we all know it’s all about its sheer number of apps. It’s no secret the number of iOS apps is far greater than what is available for the Android platform. It’s also no secret Android users complain about certain apps crashing perhaps because of compatibility or an app being far from a finished product. But what about iOS users, why hasn’t anyone complained about the iOS apps and those subsequent apps crashing? So let’s ponder this question: “Do iOS apps crash more than Android apps?” Well there are some people who have been pondering that very question and sought out to answer it. A recent study was completed by independent mobile app monitoring research firm Crittercism that yielded some surprising results. While additional testing needs to be done, Crittercism’s preliminary findings suggests that iOS apps do crash more than Android apps.

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Does RIM Have What It Takes To Catch Up To Android, iOS and Windows Phone?

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by Joe Sirianni on
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As many know by now, the mighty duo of CEO’s at RIM, Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis have stepped down only to promote one from within.  Taking over as single and only CEO of Research in Motion is Thorsten Heins, a four year COO who worked closely under Jim and Mike.  In recent news, he’s been given the cold stare thanks to making such statements as “I don’t think there is some drastic change needed,” and  “We are evolving. We’re evolving our strategy, we’re evolving our tactics, our processes.”  As one standing from the outside looking in, I’d argue in favor of a drastic change, personally.  But hey, RIM’s the competition so I’m not pressing the issue.  However, the question does arise, should Google’s Android be afraid?  As much as I would love to shout from the roof top “hell no!“, I”ll try to keep it professional here.   » Read the rest

AT&T Opposes Sprint For Using Roaming Agreement Rules In Support Of Huge Privation

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by Axl Logan on
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AT&T has strongly voiced its opinion lately in a move made by Sprint in their Oklahoma and Kansas City markets to shut down some of its own home services in favor of roaming agreements with other CDMA carriers.  AT&T specifically points to two policy changes made by the FCC which allowed Sprint to make the move.  The first policy pushes the end of the Home Market Rule, which prohibits a carrier to establish any roaming agreements in a market where it owns its own spectrum.  The other was pushed last year when the organization required for carriers to offer high-speed data roaming on top of traditional voice services.  AT&T Senior VP, Bob Quin says:   » Read the rest

“Dude You’re a Barista” and “You Got Samsunged”, A Quick Compilation Of Samsung Attack Ads (Video)

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by Joe Sirianni on
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I don’t know about you, but Im loving the new Samsung commercials which blatantly attack Apple’s iPhone 4S.  Call it being bias if you will, since after all I’m an Editor for one of the hottest Android sites on the planet.  Still though, you can’t help but chuckle at how well Samsung points out those little things about the iPhone like the small screen extremely reminiscent of yesterday’s hardware in addition to the fact that it looks exactly the same as its previous model, the iPhone 4.  You know what I’d love to see?  How about a commercial highlighting all of the iPhone’s new iOS 5 features which were taken from Android such as, drop down notifications, OTA updates and deep voice integration.  It seems like the iPhone 4S finally got in 2011 what Android had in 2008.  If you can’t beat them, join’em eh?  Ahhh, it seems like only yesterday that the iPhone finally received Copy & Paste.  Good job Apple, you’ve certainly come a long way.  At the rate you’re currently going, you’ll have 4G on that handset in no time.

However, I’ll digress for a moment to provide our Android friends with a one stop shop of all of Sammy’s new commercials highlighting some differences between the two industry giants and their flagship devices, while also poking some fun at the Kool-Aid drinking fans that love to stand outside Apple stores three days before a device is released.  Hit the break to check out all of the commercials in order and don’t forget to let us know what you think in the comments below.  And if you’re an Apple iPhone fan-boy/girl, just know this…….we still love you and we’re just having some fun :) » Read the rest

Transformer Prime GPS Performance Actually Worse Off After Software Update?

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by Joe Sirianni on
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It’s been a real sad state of affairs hearing all of the negative news surrounding the Transformer Prime lately.  Who would have thought the follow up device would have undergone so many fails in such a short time?  This week it’s being reported by a number of Prime owners that their already lacking GPS functionality has gotten significantly worse since the last update.  Quite a number of members over at XDA have reported that their already weak signal is now no longer present since downloading the second Android 4.0 update.  One of the members even reported leaving their TP on the window sill for over 25 minutes and it still didn’t latch on to a satellite.  Asus went on record stating that the “metallic uni-body design” is responsible for the weak GPS signal in that it ultimately interferes with the signal’s ability to reach the device’s sensors.  The company states that the new TF700 device is supposed to effectively fix the issue however.  Lets hope reports about ASUS charging their customers to fix the issue isn’t true.  Did you fork out for a Prime?  What do you think?  Feel free to rant all you want in the comments below.

[via Electronista]

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