spectrum

Read Cult of Mac’s latest posts on spectrum:

Spectrum TV brings 60 channels to your Apple TV for $15

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You’ll be able to watch Spectrum TV Essentials through Charter’s iOS app.
You’ll be able to watch Spectrum TV Essentials through Charter’s iOS app.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Charter Communications, the US’s second largest cable company, is launching an inexpensive streaming TV service. For just $14.99 a month, subscribers will be able to watch 60+ live channels on an Apple TV, iOS device, Mac, or other computer.

Spectrum TV Essentials is scheduled to go live in March, when it will have to compete with similar services, like Sling TV and YouTube TV.

ZX Spectrum Bluetooth Keyboard For iPad

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For nerds of a certain age (my age), the Sinclair ZX Spectrum was our first home computer/games console/escape from the nightmare world of normal humans. And now this iconic machine is set to be reborn in its home country of Great Britain, only now it’ll be a Bluetooth accessory for your iPad.

Carriers Could Force 3G/LTE iPhones and iPads To Use Wi-Fi To Conserve Spectrum

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As mobile data traffic continues to explode, carriers may need to shift 3G/4G data to available Wi-Fi networks.
As mobile data traffic continues to explode, carriers may need to shift 3G/4G data to available Wi-Fi networks.

The wireless spectrum crunch is forcing most mobile carriers to consider options to address a future in which there simply isn’t enough frequency available to easily meet the ever-growing demand for 3G and LTE connections. One idea that has been floated is developing systems that can offload mobile data onto Wi-Fi networks.

That idea isn’t new. In fact most iPhone and 3G/LTE iPad users tend to offload data service to home or public Wi-Fi networks. Doing so has clear advantages to consumers in that it helps avoid any overage fees and it can provide a faster connection in some circumstances.

Dealing with limited spectrum resources, however, carriers have been forced to consider ways of offloading data themselves rather than waiting and hoping that users to take action on their own.

T-Mobile Will Launch The LTE Network It Needs To Support The New iPhone Next Year

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Unlike its 3G network, T-Mobile's LTE offering should be compatible with the new iPhone.
Unlike its 3G network, T-Mobile's LTE offering should be compatible with the new iPhone.

Believe it or not, there are over one million iPhone users in the United States who cannot access 3G networks because their carrier of choice is T-Mobile. Apple’s smartphone isn’t officially available on T-Mobile right now — because the operator’s unique 3G network isn’t supported by the handset’s wireless chip — but people choose to use its 2G network instead.

That situation will change for the new iPhone, however, because T-Mobile has announced it will launch a new LTE network next year.

Spectrum Issues Cause AT&T LTE Slowdowns in Chicago And Other Major Markets

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AT&T's LTE service won't be as fast as Verizon in several markets
AT&T's LTE service won't be as fast as Verizon in several markets

 

As AT&T continues to roll out its LTE network across the country, some markets are getting markedly lower speeds for LTE iPads and other devices. In fact, two of the company’s largest markets are getting speeds below the national average for AT&T’s LTE service and below Verizon’s LTE service in those areas. Those two markets are Los Angeles and Chicago – but several other cities may be in for the same issues as AT&T expands its LTE service in the coming months

LTE iPhones/iPads On Sprint Will Be Slower Than On Verizon Or AT&T

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If the next iPhone has LTE, Sprint still wants to offer you an unlimited plan.
If the next iPhone has LTE, Sprint still wants to offer you an unlimited plan.

Sprint’s plans to migrate its 4G server from its current WiMax standard to the more common LTE already in use by Verizon and AT&T. The move should allow Sprint to offer LTE iPads as well as future LTE iPhones. That’s good new for the carrier and Sprint customers.

Unfortunately, there’s also some bad news. Sprint’s LTE network won’t be able to match the performance of its competitors.

New iPad’s Color Filters Alone Eat 30% More Battery

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The new iPad has much improved colors, but at the expense of battery life. Photo Jeff Yurek/Dot Color
The new iPad has much improved colors, but at the expense of battery life.

The first thing that hit me when I powered on my new iPad wasn’t the retina-ness of the display — that takes a little time to seep into your brain. No, it was the colors. They seemed more contrasty, more saturated. More colorful. But just what was going on? Jeff Yurek, of the Dot Color blog, did some scientific digging.

Today At Cult Of Android: Google Announces Q4 Earnings, Virgin Mobile USA To Start Throttling Data, And More…

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Android may not be every Mac user’s cup of tea, but it’s the biggest mobile operating system in the world, and it’s important to know what’s going on with Android — what it’s doing right, and what it’s doing wrong. Here’s the best stories that hit today over at our sister site, Cult of Android.

Today At Cult Of Android: Google Introduces Android Design, Global Roaming On The DROID 4 And LG Spectrum, And More…

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What’s this? Android news on Cult of Mac? Who cares? Maybe you don’t, maybe you do. Point is: these are a few of the popular topics going on in the Android world today. Maybe you’d like to know what the competition is up to, or perhaps your aunt received a Kindle Fire she needs to update. Regardless of the reason, having a resource such as Cult of Android allows you to learn more about what’s going on with the competition. You know what they say: the best way to beat the enemy is to know which way they’re moving!/em>