Samsung Illusion 4G pictures have been floating around for some time now, but it has been confirmed that Verizon will be shipping the Samsung Illusion 4G in the US this holiday season.
A leaked rebate sheet reveals the device could be headed to Verizon very soon.
via Engadget
A lot of our readers have been asking us to explain to them what 4G is… 4G is the upgraded mobile broadband system that improves on the 3G technology. 4G stands for Fourth Generation.
Below is a quick introduction video of 4G from Verizon and what it can offer.
Broadband speed is a funny thing – what gets advertised by Internet service providers isn’t always what ends up being delivered by the copper cable, fiber optic line or wireless signals that make it into your home. ISPs usually find a number of different scapegoats for the differences between advertised speeds and real-world performance, including gems like line quality, signal interference and network congestion, but with the advent of new data transmission technologies that are hitting the market, federal lawmakers are zeroing in on ensuring that providers won’t be able to hide behind these excuses indefinitely.
The reason the U.S. government has gotten involved in the potential regulation of wireless data transfer speeds is because next-generation 4G network providers have become notorious for their inconsistent bandwidth. The term “4G” has unfortunately transformed into a catch-all term that actually encompasses a wide variety of different data standards, with at least three different technologies having been adopted by major players in the American market. This has led to a divergence between the data speeds promised by the international 4G standard and what is actually being labeled as 4G in the United States.
Legislation has been introduced by U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo that would force wireless Internet service providers to clearly define the details of what their 4G service packages actually offer consumers. Called the Next Generation Wireless Disclosure Act, the guidelines would establish a requirement for clear labeling of transmission speed, network coverage and service reliability with each 4G product. This would eliminate the blanket “4G = fast” marketing mantra that has so far saturated wireless provider advertising. The pending pack of rules would also establish an FCC evaluation of actual data transmission speeds in order to give consumers an impartial yardstick against which to compare their options.
There are some free market advocates who would argue that federal involvement in the wireless data network business is an unwelcome intrusion. However, given the fact that 4G services are positioned as premium products that come with equally premium pricing, it is definitely in the best interests of consumers to have a clear idea of what they are actually paying for.
In many ways, the decision to regulate wireless speeds is similar to government policies which establish standards for the different grades of gasoline at the fuel pump, or the quality of various building and renovation materials – a set of guidelines against which each service provider can be fairly judged, and a tool to help wireless users choose the best ISP for their particular needs.
Author Jason Lancaster writes for InternetServiceProviders.org, a website that helps consumers find internet service in Utah and across the US and Canada.
Sprint has just made the Google Nexus S 4G version available to buy for $199.99 on a two year contract in the USA. The phone is also available at BestBuy if you want a bit of a bargain.
The phone itself has been made by Samsung and runs Android 2.3. Featuring a 4 inch AMOLED touchscreen, 1 GHz Hummingbird processor and 16 GB of storage.
Unlike the T-Mobile version Sprint has a WiMAX chip in the phone to allow even faster mobile data transfer.
Do you think Google will have any more success with this device?
The release of the iPhone 4 has not been without it’s fair share of criticism. Like any product launch the pros and cons are quickly established and shared in review after review after review. Still cons for any device should never be something that should have been addressed during production. This was the case with the iPhone 4 reception when holding it with your left hand. Due to the positon of the hand and the placement of the antenna, reception quickly worsened to one or no bars left on the device. This quickly created frustration and prompted an email to Steve Jobs where he essentially stated “just dont’ hold it like that.”
The callous remark seemed to many to be the official “screw you all” from the company that created the very device that everyone has been waiting with much anticipation for. In all seriousness the matter is not just about how you hold the phone, it has to do with left handed persons the world over not being able to adequately interface with their mobile devices.
Recently it seems as if Apple’s tone on the issue might be changing as it was recently reported by AppleInsider that Apple has posted five NEW positions, all dealing with antenna projects. Could this be the apparently elusive answer for Apple to set things straight. What seemed so apparent to us (just fix the damn thing) is now being taken seriously with the current posting.
“The listings, including three positions for an “Antenna Engineer – iPad/iPhone” and two for an “iPhone OTA Wireless Systems Engineer,” join nine other open positions related to antenna design and testing for iOS devices, with the oldest dating back to last summer.” – AppleInsider
Now officially Apple is not saying there is any product defect. As a matter of fact customers calling into the AppleCare hotline are being told that “gripping almost any mobile phone in certain areas will reduce its reception. This is true of the iPhone 4, the iPhone 3GS, and many other phones we have tested. It is a fact of life in the wireless world.”
Shifty responses to the public outcry or honest response with regards to the world of mobile devices. A case could be made either way, perhaps the cusp of this issue was in how it was handled initially from Steve Jobs himself. Would his handling of the situation made any difference in how this story is playing out?
Within a day after the release of the new iPhone operating system, people already found the way to jailbreak it. Not only that, the hackers involved in this said that it was a simple procedure.
There’s a video already showing the operating system working like this, take a look:
This new operating system release will be included by default in the “other” big Apple announcement of the year, iPhone 4G. But this OS will be available for iPhone models 3G and 3GS. The 3GS will include the multi-tasking feature with the iOS 4.
The people in charge of hacking this new operating system already published the tool bundles to execute this (NOT RECOMMENDED BY CRENK).
AT&T service has gotten a bad reputation. So much so, that for major events like SXSW in Austin, TX, which I just recently attended, before the $%it hit the fan, they were already mobilizing trucks
3G MicroCell from AT&T
into the area as a preemptive to what was sure to be a strain on their network. In 2009 AT&T suffered scathing remarks from thousands upon thousands of technophiles for their inability to provide coverage, leaving phones and laptops dependent on their 3G service dead in the water. This year they planned on making a difference, and in the end, the service was amazing.
But not everyday is SXSW, and not every city is the site of a conference like SXSW, so what do you do when your 3G service is constantly dropping? Perhaps you could leave and go to another carrier, but bye-bye iPhone, because it’s not easy to take that thing where you want. Another alternative is to put up a mini-tower for AT&T cell service in your home with the 3G MicroCell.
The 3G MicroCell offers a strong, uninterrupted signal in your home that ensures that your calls and internet surfing remains fast and reliable. The mini-tower allows up to four devices to connect to it, providing a range of users inside the home the ability to interact as much as they want on a localized signal.
Coming in at approximately $150, the mini-tower offers the following:
Now you will also need an existing AT&T broad band internet service (DSL or Cable) to connect this device to, but if you’re tired of those dropped calls even inside your home, this might be what you’re looking for if you’re willing to invest in another piece of technology in your home.
As for the signal when you step out of the house and travel to your favorite spots around town, they can’t help you with that. You’re at the mercy of the overworked, already strained systems for your service, and that’s not even including the use of the 3G capable iPads yet. Joy!
Sprint in partnership with Clear have taken the 4G world by storm. Unfortunately 4G is not everywhere, nor is it that reliable. It has nothing to do with the companies in question, but mostly due to the lack of towers, which are going up as quickly as they possibly can. While service might be spotty, when you are able to access 4G you definitely know you’re in the fast lane.
But what if you can’t keep a constant 4G connection? No worries, the Sprint Overdrive is here to ensure that you can connect to 4G and should your connection drop it transitions to 3G no problem. This instant transition ensures that your web experience is not interrupted and will probably happen without notice.
The Sprint Overdrive 4G/3G Mobile Hotspot device can share it’s connection with up to five devices via Wi-fi. The internal battery is another bonus for those long trips if you’re looking to keep your laptop, or any other mobile device online at all times.
The device retails for $100 and reminds me of the Verizon Mi-Fi 2200. While the Mi-Fi 2200 is the size of a credit card, the Overdrive is bigger. The Mi-Fi also does not offer 4G connections, so this added edge (when you can get it and keep it) is worthwhile.
Sprint Overdrive 4G/3G Mobile Hotspot
So 3G is what we’re all looking for in terms of surfing the web, checking e-mails and streaming video. It’s modern, cool and new – not to mention useful. It’s only starting to take off now since the release of the first touch screen smart-phones that give you HTML browsing – not like 2007 when all you could do was see mobile web slightly faster.
Now a Japanese company by the name of NTT DoCoMo (the company that first introduced 3G back in 2001, but the world failed to adopt it for years) now say that they will introduce 4G in 2010 and that they are confident that the world will get behind them this time.
“We went first and when we looked behind us there was nobody there.” Said the company’s president when asked about the 2001 launch of 3G.
However, even though the future certainly lies with 4G, I can’t see it catching on so quickly. 3G is at its height now and
basic business strategy is that you don’t stop selling until the product does. Then you move on. I admire DoCoMo’s enthusiasm but even though it’s been over eight years since they introduced 3G, it’s only been three or four for the rest of the world.
They are really starting to push what 4G can do in the hope of winning over big companies into adopting the service. They claim that it will be able to stream movies and live TV anywhere where there is a hint of service at speeds approaching 300Mbs. In summary, I would say it will be a few years until we start seeing 4G around these parts.
