T-Mobile's New LTE Plans for 2013

Now that T-Mobile has already upped their LTE network coverage to 116 cities total, they're ready for the next big step. According to information T-Mobile gave to Light Reading Mobile, T-Mobile has been testing different channel frequencies to see how much speed they can generate. Having already tested 2x5MHz channels, which provided 10-20mbps, they're now testing with 2x10MHz and 10+10MHz - during which they will be using some 3G towers. After some of this testing, T-Mobile CEO John Legere posted speed test results (on Twitter) showing 60mbps download speed and 18mbps upload speed - even adding, "Let's see the others run this fast."  Legere also says, in a recent statement, that T-Mobile plans to 'deploy the new 10+10MHz of LTE in 90% of the top 25 markets by the end of 2013.'

Google brings faster WIFI to 7,000 US Starbucks stores

Google recently announced their plan to team up with Starbucks to help boost WiFi speed across all 7,000 Starbucks across the US. The rollout is scheduled to be completed within the next 18 months and will be a big loss for AT&T, which is what Starbucks was previously using for Internet access. Google says WiFi speeds should be boosted 10x faster than what’s currently offered and customers could see as much as a 100x increase in cities that offer Google Fiber like Austin, Provo and KC. The deployment is scheduled to start in August and if you notice “Google Starbucks” as an available SSID (network name), you’ll know that the Starbucks location has been upgraded. With the new upgrades if you live near a Starbucks it could be a perfect time to pick up a Pepwave Surf Mini if you can’t quite grab their WiFi signal from your home or office!

No Warrant Required in New Orleans Says Court

Law enforcement does not need to obtain a search warrant in order to obtain cell phone location data from network operators, according to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans.

Instead, law enforcement needs to obtain a court order, which does not need to meet the same rigorous legal requirements as a search warrant, in order to obtain the location data.

The court of appeals called the data "a business record that belongs to the network operator." As such, Fourth Amendment protections shouldn't apply.

The new ruling conflicts with those made in other states in recent weeks. Earlier this month, the state of New Jersey said that law enforcement must obtain a search warrant in order to collect location data from cellphone providers.

Audi S3 gets built in 4G LTE

Ingolstadt, 2013-07-29 - Audi is the first carmaker to bring the fast LTE data transfer standard to the car with full integration. It can be ordered as an option in the Audi S3 Sportback from July, and in all other model variants of the premium compact from early November. LTE technology is very important for Audi connect, the networking of the car with the driver, the Internet and the environment.

The new LTE (Long Term Evolution) standard takes mobile Internet to a new dimension. LTE enables the exchange of large amounts of data via the Internet, such as music and films in HD quality. Commercial LTE networks already exist in many European countries and in the USA. In Germany, LTE is available in a few large cities, but is primarily active in many rural areas. The standard is expected to be available everywhere by the end of 2014.

To use LTE, a suitable SIM card with a data flat rate simply needs to be inserted into the appropriate slot in the MMI navigation plus unit in the Audi S3 Sportback. When the passengers connect their mobile end devices to the WLAN hotspot integrated into the car, they can surf the web independently of one another. For example, one passenger can participate in a video conference while another watches a video.

The MMI navigation plus uses LTE to deliver the tailored services of Audi connect to the driver – from navigation with Google Earth and Google Street View to Audi music stream web radio and online traffic information. The community services Facebook and Twitter have also been made vehicle-friendly with a text-to-speech function and a text function with prepared text modules. In addition, there are over a dozen Audi connect services, including a text-to-speech function for e-mail and a dictation function for text messages (SMS). And the range of services is expanding rapidly.

LTE technology can be ordered for the Audi S3 Sportback from July, and for all other variants of the A3 family from November. Audi connect is the keyword for the brand's intensive efforts to continuously develop new networking solutions. New technologies are increasingly making cars with the four rings more of an experiential space. The LTE standard is expected to provide a strong boost to the seamless use of media stored on a server on the Internet (data in the cloud). Audi is also a major driving force behind the networking with other automobiles and the transport infrastructure (car-to-X-communication).

Already have LTE in your Vehicle? Get a 4G LTE antenna to boost your reception

AT&T Verizon 2Q Earnings

AT&T’s revenue increased by 1.6%, or $600 million, to $32.1 billion this past quarter from the year-ago period. The wireless business was up 5.7% on smartphone sales, and the wire-line business was up 2.4% on additional U-Verse subscribers.  
Verizon increased its consolidated revenue by 4.3% and increased EPS by 14.1% year-over-year. The main drivers of this growth were FiOS add-ons and an increased number of wireless devices.
These increases lead to a strong free cash flow position at both telecoms. AT&T generated $9.5 billion in free cash flow from operating activities, and returned more than $5.7 billion to shareholders via repurchases and buybacks. Verizon also generated $9.5 billion in free cash flow, and reduced debt outstanding by $2.6 billion

T-Mobile Offers NO MONEY DOWN on Phones

That's right, the carrier who's decided to do away with contract service plans, has decided to give customers a free phone with new service. Of course, nothing is quite free, but they're making it easier for customers to purchase the latest and greatest phones with no money down. So if it's the new Samsung Galaxy S4 you've got your eye on, but you don't have the $600 to fork over right away, this is the way to go.

T-Mobile just adds a monthly fee so you can gradually pay off your new phone over time. Just keep in mind that if you decide to ever cancel your service before you've paid off the phone, you'll have to pay the remainder of the debt all at once. Here's a list of the phones currently being offered until the end of summer 2013 (along with the monthly fee over a 24 month pay-off period):

Samsung Galaxy S4	$25
Samsung Galaxy Note II	$27
Samsung Galaxy S III	$22
Xperia Z from Sony	$25
iPhone 5	$27
Nokia Lumia 925	$20
Nokia Lumia 521	$5
BlackBerry Q10	$25
HTC One	$25
Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1	$20

Qualcomm Alcatel Lucent Strike Small Cell Pact

Qualcomm and Alcatel-Lucent announced plans to collaborate on 3G/4G small cells for use in residential and campus environments.

The companies will use Qualcomm's mobile broadband technologies and Alcatel-Lucent's small cell technology to create base station equipment for use in shopping malls, businesses, and other urban areas where denser coverage is needed.

A joint research and development program with the express purpose of creating next-generation small cells. .
Both AT&T and Verizon Wireless have said they plan to use small cells to supplement their larger macro network coverage

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), July 30, 2013 - Sprint (NYSE:S) 4G LTE is now available in 151 markets including today’s 41 new markets which include Philadelphia; the Bronx and Brooklyn, N.Y.; Grand Rapids, Mich.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Nashville, Tenn.; Oakland, Calif.; and Portland, Ore. Customers in these areas can make the most of seasonal fun by sharing videos of music festivals, quickly accessing the Internet, playing the hottest games, and posting summertime photos. Plus, with the groundbreaking Sprint Unlimited Guarantee, available with an Unlimited, My WaySM or My All-inSM plan, customers can get unlimited talk, text and data while on the Sprint network guaranteed for the life of the line of service.

Continue reading - Full list of new Sprint 4G LTE Markets

Apple Releases Beta iOS 7 to Developers

Apple made a fourth beta version of iOS 7 available to developers. According to Apple, the beta includes bug fixes and other improvements. Apple typically releases a new beta every few weeks ahead of the general release.

iOS 7 should become available for mass distribution this fall.

Congrats to 3Gstore Customer Ryan W. For Writing Review of a CradlePoint MBR1400 3G/4G Router (MBR-1400) Firmware 4.3.0

Congrats to Ryan W. of chapel hill, North Carolina who just won a $25.00 Restaurant.com gift code for writing a review for CradlePoint MBR1400 3G/4G Router (MBR-1400) Firmware 4.3.0 at 3Gstore.com! Every week we randomly pick one product review from the previous week and award the writer a $25.00 gift code. We appreciate ALL the reviews our customers write, whether they are positive or negative - honest reviews like Ryan W.\'s help other customers decide if the product is right for them. After you purchase a product from 3Gstore.com, we encourage you to log in and 3Gstore.com and leave a review letting people know how the product worked for you - you'll be helping others, and you'll automatically be entered to win a restaurant.com gift code!.

The MBR1400 router has amazing feature set, performance and capabilities. Outstanding quality, not found in many routers and definitely not at this price.

Time Warner increasing data caps in select areas

In 2009 Time Warner Cable took a lot of grief for being one of the first Cable operators to start metering customers data usage. At the time this was something that you only saw on cellular Internet due to limited spectrum, but now many cable/DSL companies like Comcast and AT&T’s U-verse have also transitioned to metered data usage. Most companies offer a pretty reasonable limit (for most), but the 5GB Time Warner package was very restrictive by cable standards. The good news is Time Warner is starting to expand their data allotment slowly in select markets.

Time Warner hopes to expand the new plans nationally, but for now users in some markets can opt for a larger 30GB data cap. The cap is still quite low by cable standards with cellular service like our prepaid Millenicom package delivering 20GB of data per month and likely faster data speeds. However, for those that like their existing cable service Time Warner will still offer the 5GB package with $1 per GB overages if you go over. If you’re not sure how much data usage you’re using we recommend pairing your Time Warner cable connection with the new Pepwave Surf SOHO. The Surf SOHO’s bandwidth tracking breaks everything down by the hour/day/week/month and on a per device level so you can spot an unusual data anomalies to make sure Time Warner isn’t charging you for extra data that you haven’t used.

Metro PCS just took a LEAP with help from TMobile

T-Mobile expanded the reach of its MetroPCS brand by doubling it's Market - 15 new additional markets.

The additional markets for MetroPCS largely overlay the existing footprint of rival Cricket Wireless, and include Birmingham, Ala.; Fresno and San Diego, Calif.; Tallahassee, Fla.; New Orleans, La.; Baltimore, Md.; Akron, Cleveland, Sandusky, and Toledo, Ohio; Memphis, Tenn.; Austin, Corpus Christi, Houston, Rio Grande Valley, and San Antonio, Texas; Seattle and Tacoma, Wash.; and Washington, D.C.

Though T-Mobile will set up MetroPCS retail shops in these markets, the MetroPCS stores will actually be selling devices that run on T-Mobile's network, including the Nokia Lumia 521 for $99 and the LG Optimus F3 for $149. Customers in these markets may also bring their own, unlocked GSM handset to use on the Metro/T-Mobile network. Prepaid plans start at $40 per month for unlimited voice and messaging, and 500MB of data.