T-Mobile USA experiencing major outages
Posted: Jun 11th 2008 8:27PM by Chase Higgins Since last night, my trusty T-Mobile line has been experiencing some major problems. I am not able to make calls, or receive calls. I figured the issue would resolve itself overnight, and then tomorrow things would be back to normal. However, that was not the case, and all of today has been the same story. Fed up, I finally called customer care to open up that trouble ticket. Much to my surprise, when I said "I am having problems with my phone", the representative instantly shot back with "You can not make calls?". This was exactly my problem. The representative then informed me, T-Mobile is having nationwide problems with their network. I asked her for a official T-Mobile response, so I could present it here. She said that there was not one. Text messaging is working fine, and she assured me that the problem has been isolated and T-Mobile would be back online in the next few hours. So, are you guys having any issues?

Verizon to launch QChat as well, compete with Sprint
Posted: Jun 11th 2008 7:50PM by Chase Higgins Sprint has already said that they will be launching QChat in four days, so they will be the first to the punch on this one. Sprint will only have limited time to prove that they can carve a niche in the market though, as Verizon will be launching their own QChat service very shortly after. Sprint will be using the technology to phase out the iDEN network, and eventually use it as its sole PTT technology. The service runs over EV-DO Rev. A, and Verizon and Sprint both have a lot of that. Basically, it will come down to who has better coverage, and they will be the one that wins the hearts of the PTT crowd. Both carriers have already had QChat devices revealed to be in the pipeline, so prepare for yet another Sprint vs. Verizon battle royale.

LG and Verizon announce three new phones
Posted: Jun 11th 2008 7:41PM by Chase Higgins Verizon and LG are showing us that even in light of the huge iPhone 3G announcement that you can still get a little but of press attention. Three new LG devices have been announced. From the left, we have first the Chocolate 3. This device abandons the traditional Chocolate slider form factor, in favor of a flip. The device has 1GB of internal storage, and MicroSD expansion. The Chocolate 3 will launch next month. Next up, we have the LG Dare. This device is yet another touch screen entrant onto Verizon's line up. This device has a 3.2 mega pixel camera with auto focus, making it one of the highest resolution camera phones for sale in the states. This device will be made available in July as well. Last, we have the LG Decoy. This device is special, as it is the first device to go on sale in the states with a stow away Bluetooth headset. It will charge when connected to the phone. This device will be available first, on June 16th. Stay tuned for release dates and hands on when they are released.

Nokia N85, N79, and XpressMedia 5800 'Tube' pictures revealed
Posted: Jun 10th 2008 12:22PM by Chase Higgins Our good friends at Talk About Nseries found some interesting pictures on Flickr, that depict some upcoming Nokia devices. From the left, we have first the Nokia N85. This device will look like the N96, in a budget version if you will. It has the same dual slider, and even a 5 mega pixel camera with dual LED flash. The N85 features the industrial design that Nokia has been so fond of lately. Up next, we have the XpressMedia 5800. This device has been called the Tube before, and this name sounds a ton better. It will be Nokia's first touch screen handset running the new S60 Touch interface. It is said to be the S60 we know and love, enhanced to be used on a touch screen, just as the name would imply. From the images, we see this device will have a 3.2 mega pixel camera with dual LED flash, and is controllable with a stylus or finger. This means it is unfortunately not a capacitive device. Last but not least, is the Nokia N79. This device looks almost like a cross between the N78 and the N82. There is not much known about this device, except it will come in two colors.

Apple announces 3G iPhone
Posted: Jun 9th 2008 10:10PM by Chase Higgins As was expected, Apple today announced the new 3G iPhone. The new iPhone has a couple new features, and is only a little bit thicker. The new device has dropped the metal black, in favor of an all plastic exterior. That is likely so that the device can use all of the antennas without obstruction. The device also now has GPS, which has added the ability to geo tag photos taken with the device. The new device's price is also an interesting point, as it will be half of what the device costs now. That is thanks to carrier subsidies that will allow AT&T and other carriers to sell the device at a loss, and regain the money over the course of the contract. The price will be $199 for the 8GB model, and $299 for the 16GB model. The 16GB model will also come in the white color shown above. To check out all the specifications and an extensive gallery, hit the read link to go to Apple's iPhone website.

Reminder July 1st California and Washington Don't Talk and Drive
Posted: Jun 8th 2008 2:53PM by Scott July 1st Washington and California Drivers will not be allowed to talk and drive. This is HUGE. Well not that huge but... it will create annoyances for some who try to multi task on their drives to work or school. Is it worth it though? I want to know how you feel about policies now banning texting and calling. Yes, hands free devices are still legal so don't worry about that. So email me at Scott@cellformer.com and tell me what you think about these new laws.

T-Mobile sues AT&T and Starbucks
Posted: Jun 8th 2008 2:44PM by Scott It seems our favorite coffee house could be in a bit of trouble along with the sole carrier of the Iphone in the US. T-Mobile is suing AT&T and Starbucks over how they have transitioned from T-Mobile Wifi to AT&T Wifi. The suit is happening because AT&T and Starbucks offered free AT&T/Starbucks Wifi in stores that were still using T-Mobile infrastructure. Tsk tsk, Next time I go to get a venti caramel frappuccino extra caramel from my local Starbucks, I will be sure to ask which company really is providing equipment for the Wifi.

BlackBerry Thunder Picture Now Real Thing
Posted: Jun 8th 2008 2:33PM by Scott BlackBerry Thunder. A touch screen blackberry exclusive for Verizon Wireless here in the states. BGR got a great picture of this bad boy and we felt we just had to share it with all of our readers too. We don't really learn new info from the picture except it is one sexy phone.

Free Internet Vote Postponed by FCC
Posted: Jun 6th 2008 11:32AM by Scott Earlier this week we reported that the FCC would be voting on making some of the remaining 700Mhz auction for free internet. Well FCC chairman Kevin Martin has decided to delay the vote from June 12th to maybe sometime in July to still follow the current time line. To learn more about the delay read the Reuters link below.

What the Verizon-Alltel merger means to Sprint and T-Mobile
Posted: Jun 5th 2008 11:58AM by Chase Higgins With the news of Alltel and Verizon's impending merger, I am already hearing all sorts of things about the number three and number four carriers. Much of these things are hinting that Sprint and T-Mobile will be facing their mortality soon. This could not be less true. Though the new carrier formed by this merger will control a very large portion wireless subscribers in the U.S, and essentially be a monopoly, it should not have any trouble passing the FTC. It is probably a safe bet that the respective leaders of T-Mobile and Sprint let out a collective gasp at the news of the merger, but it is not as bad as you may think. For Sprint, the government will most likely step in and help out, as they are the only CDMA competition. They will probably get subsidies and even tax breaks, to keep them afloat to prevent a monopoly. As for T-Mobile, they will most likely have to deal with it on their own. They have tons of support though from Deutsche Telecom though in Germany, and should be fine. This news does increase chances of a Duetsche Telecom buyout of Sprint, which under these circumstances changes my opinion, which was previously very unlikely. The two combined would actually have more subscribers than the new Alltel-Verizon monster, and would be number one. Lets just see how all this pans out.

Verizon agrees to buy Alltel for $28.1 billion in cash
Posted: Jun 5th 2008 10:50AM by Chase Higgins In a extremely surprising move, Verizon and Alltel have just agreed to enter a cash merger, which will be worth more than $28 billion. This is not a rumor anymore like it was yesterday, as the word comes from Verizon themselves. The deal rockets them past AT&T for the crown of largest carrier in the nation based on subscriber count. This is thanks to the 13 million subscribers Verizon will gain from Alltel, which brings their total to more than 80 million. The deal will also give Verizon coverage in 57 rural markets that they had previously not covered. They will also gain all of Alltel's spectrum, with a good chunk of it overlapping and being sold off. This will help cover the cost of the merger. It will also establish synergy sites, meaning Verizon gets to put their equipment on Alltel owned cell sites, thus saving them money over having to build their own. The deal will be subject to anti trust approval still, but it is expected to go through without a hitch.

Anatomy of a cell site
Posted: Jun 4th 2008 7:14PM by Chase Higgins Anyone that knows me, knows that my main interest in the mobile world is not phones, but networks. I find a cell site to be one of the most intriguing things of the world, and so I took some time on this stormy day to go out and get some pictures of a local cell site that serves many users in this area. This site is one of the sites that serves my home, and among the only 4 major sites in this town. That is because where I live there are a lot of cell sites deployed on traffic poles etc, because city ordinances do not allow cell sites to be placed on the almost synonymous towering metal pole that accompanies them. Read on for all my thoughts and the pictures I snapped of the site. ...

Verizon looking into buying Alltel?
Posted: Jun 4th 2008 4:15PM by Chase Higgins Some very interesting news has came up today, with the leak that Verizon is in talks to buy Alltel. Alltel was bought last year by a private investment firm, and has since had a shaky ride. Alltel currently has over 13 million subscribers, and a combination on them into Verizon, would instantly rocket Verizon to over 80 million subscribers, far surpassing AT&T, and regaining title of largest in the nation. The move is all made possible thanks to Sprint, which will still be a CDMA provider on the national level, meaning this deal does not violate anti trust laws. It will still be reviewed and argued over, but there is enough competition. According to a source to Reuters, the deal is worth close to $27 billion, and would be paid for in cold hard cash, and by paying off Alltel's nearly $24 billion in debt. The deal would not change the current control of Verizon Wireless, which is 55% to Verizon Communications, and 45% to Vodafone Group Plc. Some interesting news on what would have been a boring Wednesday.

HTC releases Touch Pro
Posted: Jun 4th 2008 10:21AM by Chase Higgins It was not even that long ago that HTC unveiled the Touch line, in fact it was less than a year ago. For the longest time, the only device in the line was the original Touch. Fast forward to today, and look what we have, an Touch, Touch Cruise, Touch Dual, Touch Diamond, and now, the Touch Pro. This device is a variant of the HTC Touch Diamond, and it has one monster of a specification sheet. The device has one of the fullest keyboards you will ever see, it is a full five rows, look at your keyboard, then at its. One thing could have done better on the keyboard is make that first shift key shorter so the keyboard is properly aligned. Other specs include TouchFLO 3D, 512MB internal memory, 288MB RAM(!!), 8 hours of talk time, 3.2 mega pixel camera, 2.8 inch VGA touch input screen, and of course GPS. This version will be launching in Europe first, but a version is scheduled to make its way here this year. Please hurry, HTC!

AT&T Settles Lawsuits Over Third Party Fees
Posted: Jun 3rd 2008 9:53PM by Scott Send a text to 5633 for horoscope of the day. Oh but guess what? You're being charged $2.00 a day for that service. If this has happened to you and you happen to have AT&T service you may be very happy with this news. AT&T settled a bunch of lawsuits(16 to be exact) that dealt with third party services. Customers will be able to claim refunds for up to three of their monthly bills between 01/01/04 and 05/30/08. Also, AT&T is taking step to prevent these services from tricking you into those fees by requiring you to send a confirmation text to those third party servers.