It’s been confirmed that Verizon is actually selling the iPhone 5 factory unlocked out of the box, and you can pop in another SIM card to use the device on even a GSM network like AT&T. Jeff Benjamin of iDownloadBlog has already tried inserting an AT&T SIM card into his CDMA Verizon iPhone 5, and it worked!
Verizon has been a bit of a dick about unlimited data and the iPhone 5. First, they told customers that they’d need to pay full price for the iPhone 5 if they wanted to keep their unlimited data plans; now, they are telling customers that they shouldn’t care about unlimited data anyway, because unlimited “is just a word.”
When Apple releases iOS 6 tomorrow, it will finally allow users to make FaceTime calls over 3G and 4G data connections. But AT&T has decided — unlike most other carriers — that it’s going to charge its customers extra to take advantage of the feature. Understandably, this has annoyed a lot of people.
So much so that the Free Press, Public Knowledge, and the New America Foundation’s Open Technology Institute have warned AT&T that they will be filing a complaint with the FCC against the carrier for violating network neutrality rules.
So, you’re ready to buy the iPhone 5. You’ve waited for months, you have the contract eligibility to upgrade. Hell, you can even switch if you want to. But which carrier is best for you?
Having Apple’s latest and greatest iPhone is worthless if you get yourself locked into a two-year contract with a carrier that doesn’t even provide you with high-quality cellular service at your house or work. Luckily, there’s an essential app and other tools you can use to check who provides the best service for your iPhone.
If you woke up late and missed your chance to pre-order the iPhone 5 from Apple before shipping estimates slipped, then don’t worry; there’s still a chance you’ll be able to get a handset delivered to your door on launch day. At things stand, AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint are still promising iPhone 5 delivery on September 21, but you’ll have to be quick.
Earlier today we told you that the Verizon iPhone 5 was the best choice to buy, but this news may change your mind. The Verizon and Sprint (CDMA) iPhone 5 will not be able to talk and surf the web at the same time, while the AT&T (GSM) iPhone 5 will. It’s been that way since the iPhone 4 debuted on Verizon back in 2010, but nothing has been officially said about the iPhone 5’s ability to talk and surf until now.
Verizon has confirmed that you won’t be able to use 3G or 4G LTE data while talking on the iPhone 5. Due to the fact that Verizon and Sprint both run on the CDMA network standard, this limitation assumedly extends to the iPhone 5 on Sprint as well.
Preorders for the iPhone 5 start tomorrow, so it’s time to consider which model you’re going to drop your hard-earned cash on.
There are several things to consider when purchasing a new iPhone. The iPhone 5 you buy depends on your carrier preference, storage requirements, and most importantly, how much you’re willing to spend.
Still,
For a brief moment during yesterday’s keynote, Apple mentioned that along with some new LTE and battery wizardry, they were able to add support for “wideband audio” phone calls. Some tech people are calling it HD Voice, because it’s really just higher quality voicecalls.
The iPhone 5 supports HD Voice, but you’re never going to be able to use it in the U.S. right now, and you probably never will. Why? Well, there are a lot of messy technical details behind it, but here’s the simplest explanation.
Although Apple hasn’t directly confirmed the exact time yet, iPhone 5 preorders look set to begin tomorrow morning at 12:01AM PST, exactly… the same time iPhone 4S preorders started last year.
The iPhone 5 is slated to be Apple’s most wildly in-demand phone yet, and while Apple is attempting to balance the crush on their website by starting preorders in the middle of the night, it will, in all likelihood, still be a madhouse when Apple starts selling iPhones later tonight.
Hence this guide. We’re going to walk you through the best ways to make absolutely sure you get your iPhone 5 preordered right at the stroke of midnight and in your hands next Friday when it officially launches in the minimum amount of time, so you can go right back to sleep.
Wondering which iPhone 5 to buy? Check out our guide to finding the iPhone 5 that is right for you here.
We’ve been waiting to hear official word from Apple about when pre-orders for the iPhone 5 will begin, so we can set our alarms for tomorrow morning. Even though Cupertino has been silent on the matter so far, both Sprint and Verizon have confirmed that they will start taking pre-orders for the iPhone 5 at 12:01AM PST.
The new iPhone 5 is almost among us, dear friends, and on this episode of the CultCast, we’ll tell you everything we know about it, ponder what Apple will actually be naming it, and tell you how to hang on to that unlimited data plan your carrier wants to move you out of.
Plus, looks like there’s a new HD tablet in town, and this one is looking pretty fern good, partner. We’ll tell you why Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD is one tablet that could actually give the iPad a run for its money.
Hit the subscribe button and let’s get this party rollin’!
Show notes ahead!
After months of delays, Isis has announced the debut of its mobile payment system. A joint venture by AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, Isis made news earlier this year at the Mobile World Congress in March, but has been pretty quiet since then. During that quiet period a number of other players in the mobile payment market have stolen the spotlight and announced major deals.
Apple is expected to eventually unveil its own mobile payment system, one that will most likely be based around the iTunes Store payment system, but hasn’t made announcements beyond iOS 6’s Passbook feature. Apple has also kept quiet about whether it will include NFC chips used in some mobile payment systems in the upcoming iPhone 5, which some analysts and pundits consider a barrier to entry into the mobile payment market.
Although a lot of people are clamoring to finally have a proper 4G Phone when Apple’s next device is released next month, how important is LTE to the average consumer? Not very, it looks like.
The iPhone 5 is coming. Maybe it won’t be called the iPhone 5, but it’s coming, and it’s almost a sure bet that it will launch on Friday, September 21st.
A new report claims that Verizon has issued an all-staff vacation blackout from September 21st till September 30th so that all Verizon retail staff will be working to cover the launch.
Earlier today, U.K. communications regulator Ofcom gave Everything Everywhere — the parent company of Orange and T-Mobile — approval to rollout out the country’s first 4G network from September 11. Within hours of that announcement comes a new report that claims Apple’s upcoming iPhone 5 will be one of the first smartphones to take advantage of it, possibly handing Everything Everything an “exclusive” as the U.K.’s only 4G carrier compatible with the iPhone.
In a series of tweets summarizing a new (and still unpublished on the Internet) report by Jefferies, Apple’s forthcoming HDTV is said to already be in full production, and will be sold with a carrier subsidy from AT&T and Verizon. They estimate that two million will be sold in 2013.
Walk into your local AT&T, Verizon or Sprint store and ask to look at the latest and greatest smartphone. A store employee will show you the Samsung Galaxy lll and other Android phones from the likes of HTC and Motorola. You may be shown a Windows Phone like the Nokia Lumia 900. At Verizon, you’re definitely going to be shown about the Motorola DROID RAZR 4G.
You won’t get pitched the iPhone as easily. In fact, many walk into a store with the plan of buying an iPhone and come out with the latest Android phone in hand.
Why? Employees and customers we’ve spoken to agree that sales reps from all three big carriers discriminate against the iPhone on the store floor, but it’s not a conspiracy: profit margins and device-specific incentives pressure employees to intentionally steer customers away.
It’s starting to look like Verizon will hit its 400 market goal well before the end of the year. With plans to unleash yet another wave of 4G LTE rollouts, Verizon will hit the 371 mark by tomorrow. While some markets are already seeing 4G LTE, tomorrow’s scheduled rollout aims to add 34 new markets and expand LTE in another 38 markets. At the very least, this news reminds me why I’m still on Verizon.
In a move that makes the Square/Starbucks partnership announced last week look like small potatoes, a group of national and international retailers announced plans to develop their own mobile payment network complete with mobile apps and digital wallet functionality. The move seems almost certain to shake up the nascent mobile payments market where a wide range of companies and organizations have been trying to figure out the secret sauce that will turn mobile payments into a mainstream retail system for the past couple of years.
The Merchant Customer Exchange or MCX, as the new company is known, plans to deliver a solution that offers convenience in both making purchases and in receiving customizable offers from retailers. Development of a mobile app and payment network are underway, but MCX has yet to announce any details about either the app or its network.
My contract with AT&T is finally up, which might be the most glorious moment of my smartphone owning days. I’ve been jealous of my friend’s using their iPhones on Verizon for over a year, and now I can join them and maybe get some better service. Or go to Sprint. Hell, I might even go to Virgin Mobile and save some fat stacks of cheddar on their pre-paid plans.
I don’t know exactly what I’ll do, but I’m free, and that’s the important part. But what about you guys? Do you plan to switch carriers when the new iPhone comes out? Is the grass really greener in other cellular pastures? Or is it pretty much all the same? I’d love to hear your thoughts or stories about switching carriers in the comments.
The NFL pre-season games are almost upon us with the regular season not far behind. If you’re a fantasy football fan, that means it’s time to join a league (if you haven’t already), research and plan your draft choices, and pick the apps that you’ll use over the course of the season to track all of your key player and team stats as well as to manage your team.
The right tools can make or break a successful season. Here are some of the best apps out there for iOS and Android that can help you keep track of everything and manage your team’s lineup on the go.
Both Verizon and AT&T are introducing their shared data plans this summer, and Verizon is forcing all grandfathered unlimited data customers who renew their contracts with a subsidized phone purchase onto a shared plan. Whether you’re a fan of shared data or not, you probably don’t know that Verizon offers 5 extra top-tier data plans. For some reason, Verizon doesn’t list the upper-level plans on its website or in promotional materials.
Verizon’s biggest plan offers 20GB of shared data for $150 per month. AT&T charges $200 per month for 20GB across up to 10 devices. With the extra $40 per month Verizon charges per device (AT&T charges $30 per smartphone or tablet), Verizon’s shared plans end up being slightly cheaper than AT&T’s across the board.
Even though selling the iPhone can potentially bring carriers a huge influx of new customers, selling Apple’s treasured phone isn’t cheap. Before they were able to bring the iPhone to their network, Sprint had to give Apple $15.5 billion in committed purchases for four years, which sounded pretty crazy at the time.
In a recent interview, Sprint CEO Dan Hesse explained that committing to the iPhone was a huge risk, but ultimately, betting against Apple could have been disastrous.
As the NFL pre-season kicks off, the league has begun reminding fans about the various online programming and mobile apps that it offers. While we still have a month before the season starts, August is the time to check in with how your favorite teams are shaping up for the new season. It’s also the time to begin researching your fantasy football draft options – if you haven’t already.
For the preseason and fantasy prep time, the NFL is offering a mobile apps – many of which will be familiar to fans with iPhones and iPads. We’ll be taking a look at the various official and third-party fantasy tools for Mac and iOS users as the pre-season rolls on, but here’s a quick look at the official options from the NFL.
A report this morning claimed that AT&T employees were being instructed to push Windows Phone and Android smartphones over iPhones to customers. Not only that, but the report claimed that employees are being forbidden from buying an iPhone as a company-owned device. AT&T later released an official statement in a poor attempt to clear the air, saying “The idea that we would steer any customer away from a particular device couldn’t be more farfetched.”
Several readers have since shared their experiences of AT&T reps pushing Android phones over the iPhone, with one even noting that a buddy who works at AT&T gets more commission on Android smartphone sales.
According to a new testimony, it appears that Verizon may be also instructing/incentivising its reps to push other smartphones over Apple’s iPhone.
