AT&T boosts Seattle-area 3G coverage with 850 MHz spectrum

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Broadband, Cell Phones, Wireless / WiFi

This morning AT&T announced that they’ve done a “substantial upgrade” of its 3G coverage in the Seattle area, having deployed additional wireless spectrum using the 850 MHz band. According to AT&T, the upgrade should mean that customers in Seattle, Tacoma, Everett, Renton, Auburn, and King County should all have better 3G connectivity, performance, and the signal should be much stronger when indoors as well. The move should also increase overall network capacity, which AT&T is hoping will support subscriber growth.

Since Gear Live HQ is located smack-dab in the middle of the enhanced coverage area, we’ll be giving things a try, and we will let you know if the use of 850 MHz spectrum truly helps the dire situation that is AT&T coverage. Seattle iPhone 3GS and 3G users, give it your best!

Read More | AT&T News Room

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The gloves are off: Verizon iPhone attack commercials go full swing

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Cell Phones, Corporate News, Videos

Oh man, you’ve got to love how Verizon Wireless has gotten so bold now that they’ve finally got a killer device in the Motorola DROID to brag about. You’ve also got to love how Apple is getting a taste of their own medicine, after running the “I’m a Mac” ads for years now. Verizon is aiming to highlight their phone offerings, as well as their huge 3G network, in their holiday commercials that dump on the iPhone and AT&T. There are three so far, and we must admit, they’re pretty clever. You can watch all three commercials, one of which sees the iPhone banished to the Land of Misfit Toys, after the break.

Click to continue reading The gloves are off: Verizon iPhone attack commercials go full swing

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Preview: ngmoco’s new iPhone FPS: ELIMINATE

Posted by Drea Avellan Categories: Games, New Apps, Reviews

Oh, San Francisco. Home to the 49ers, majestic bridges, historic Alcatraz, cable cars and even countless videogame development studios. Amongst these studios, in a cozy restored building cloaked by the AT&T Park, lives Neil Young’s iPhone & iPod Touch game developer—NGMOCO.

ngmoco has been put out some of the most successful games for the iPhone & iPod touch, including the Rolando series, Topple and Word Fu. Ranging from puzzle, strategic and adventure, ngmoco knows how to create entertaining portable games. Now, they are set to release one of their most exciting titles yet, ELIMINATE. ELIMINATE is a 3G/Wi-Fi enabled First-Person Shooter (FPS) game, which takes advantage of micro-transactions, where you can upgrade characters, weapons, and the like.

Uncomplicated games currently dominate the App Store platform, due to their casual nature and mass appeal. The creation of more complex genres, such as FPS and strategic games, require a higher level of thought and consideration— a challenge ngmoco was more than willing to take on.  ELIMINATE brings with it an FPS online arena with intuitive controls that make it simple to jump in and play, and while the game might be a pick up and play experience, they haven’t ignored the importance of creating a story. ELIMINATE casts you as an employee of Arsenal Megacorp, a company in question for the use of humans in testing as a way of perfecting their gear. You and three other players are the guinea pigs of this project—SURPRISE!

Click to continue reading Preview: ngmoco’s new iPhone FPS: ELIMINATE

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IREX DR800SG e-book reader set for October launch

Posted by Mark Rollins Categories: Handhelds

A new e-book reader is set to enter the market as IREX announced that their 8.1 inch display version is planned for an October release. Like Plastic Logic, IREX is partnering with Barnes and Noble for the digital catalog, and teaming with Verizon for the 3G wireless downloads.  IREX has also partnering to sell its e-readers (model number DR800SG) to Best Buy stores nationwide for a price of $399.  This price include 2GB of built-in memory, leather cover, and user-replaceable battery. 

Read More | IREX

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AT&T 3G MicroCell reviewed: It works, and it’s a rip-off

Posted by Mark Rollins Categories: Cell Phones, Household, Wireless / WiFi

There’s been a lot of hype and discussion surrounding the AT&T 3G MicroCell, and now we’ve got a review from someone who actually purchased one. As a refresher, this device is designed to significantly boost both the voice and data signal in your home by using your own home broadband network. In other words, if the AT&T network sucks enough in your area that you can barely get through a call to Domino’s without it dropping, you can now pay AT&T even more money to get the reception that you should already be getting as part of your monthly payment plan. Oh, and the AT&T 3G Microcell also boasts additional feature options, like unlimited talk time, for additional cost. 

So far, only the community of Charlotte, NC actually has them for purchase , and the device sells for $150. Ouch. One buyer reports that the device works as planned, and that before the purchase, they had one bar of EDGE coverage in their home, and now reports five bars connected to 3G.

Read More | Jason Nash

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Viliv S7 finally priced, starts at $629 on Dynamism

Posted by Mark Rollins Categories: Handhelds, PC / Laptop, Wireless / WiFi

For those wondering how much the impressive Viliv S7 swiveling tablet notebook would cost, wonder no more, because Dynamism has finally let it be known.

The S7 has a swiveling 1024x600 7-inch touchscreen and pack in a 1.33 GHz Intel Atom processor, 1 GB memory, 60 GB HDD/16 GB SSD, and Windows XP. It has an impressive 9 hours of battery life, and will go from sleep to wake in 4 seconds. Pricing starts at $629, and jump up to $799 is you wanna rock the 32GB SSD model with built-in HSPA 3G access. Head on over to Dynamism to sign up to be notified when pre-orders begin. These won’t last long.

Read More | Viliv S7 Product Page

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Nokia Booklet 3G extended promo video

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: PC / Laptop, Videos, Wireless / WiFi

Nokia has put together a nice promotional video, shot here in Seattle, and featuring a bunch of my friends giving their thoughts on mobile devices, and the Booklet 3G in general. Obviously, the big thing here is the 8-12 hour battery life on this Nokia laptop. Needless to say, we can’t wait to get our hands on this one.

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3G speed test: Verizon wins, AT&T dead last

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Cell Phones, Corporate News, Internet, Science, Wireless / WiFi

No shocker here. Wired.com did their own independent tests to determine the fastest and slowest average 3G network speeds in the US, and Verizon came out on top. The survey included 15,000 participants, with 12,000 of them reporting back with data that was valid and usable for the tests. Verizon clocked in with an average download speed of 1,940 kbps, T-Mobile dropped in at second at 1,793 kbps, Sprint took third at 1,598 kbps, and AT&T was way behind at just 901 kbps. That’s just sad, and very telling when you consider the complaints from many an iPhone user as it pertains to 3G speeds.

Granted, this wasn’t the most scientific of studies, as the test included 8153 AT&T users, compared to just 856 from Verizon, but hey, the info is still useful, right?

Read More | Wired

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T-Mobile myTouch Google 3G Cell Phone

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Cell Phones, Google, Handhelds

T-Mobile is already working on its next Google phone. So far a million of their G1s have sold since October. The myTouch 3G is set to debut in August. The new phone has a touchscreen but no keyboard like the G1 and will be priced at $199.00 with a 2 year contract. The software is free as Google would love to have Android for all phones. Both Verizon and Motorola seem to agree as they each have products in the works.

Read More | ABC

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iPhone 3GS AT&T in-store launch details

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Cell Phones, Handhelds, Portable Audio / Video, Videos

If you are looking to pick up an iPhone 3GS from an AT&T Store tomorrow morning, you’ll want to check out the video above to details on how everything is going to flow tomorrow morning. Basically, stores open at 7:00 AM, and you’ll be able to enter first if you have a pre-ordered phone waiting for you. As soon as the pre-order line is done, you can enter to purchase an iPhone 3GS if you did not pre-order. That second line is good for both current and new AT&T customers, but if you are new, you should head to the AT&T iPhone page first so you can get through the process a bit quicker, since you’ll be pre-qualified.

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