Category: AT&T

AT&T has somewhat thrown down the gauntlet to its competitors when it comes to Fifth Generation (5G) mobile networks.  The carrier announced that they plan to have true 5G coverage in a dozen cities by late 2018 and aim to be the first to offer the next generation, high speed mobile data solution.

This will be different than the pseudo 5G that both AT&T and Verizon are offering which, more-or-less, is beefed up 4G.  Indeed, AT&T plans to continue development on what they market as their “5G Evolution” product, which is currently available in 23 cities.

The carrier was clear in pointing out that they can accelerate their plans thanks to the 5G NR (New Radio) standard that was defined last month by the 3GPP.  That standard means that manufactures can start working on modems and chips sets and carriers will know what to expect and can build their networks.

AT&T has begun the process of rolling out an update for the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge on the carrier’s network.  The updates for both devices are small at 46.5MB and bring the Android Security Update patch to the December 1, 2017 level.  The patch also brings a fix to the BlueBorne Bluetooth exploit on both devices.

For the Galaxy S7, the updated build is G930AUCS4BQL1 while for the S7 Edge, you are looking for build G935AUCS4BQL1.  Given the small size of the updates, you can download them via your mobile data account but it is always recommended that you download them via WiFi.  After it is downloaded, expect about a 10-15 minute install and a required reboot.

Ookla, the company behind Speedtest, has released a report on the health of mobile networks here in the United States.  In that report, T-Mobile was deemed to have the best performing mobile network in the country, outscoring Verizon, AT&T and Sprint.

Speedtest, for those who don’t know, is a service that allows you to test the download and upload speed of your data connection (or Wi-Fi) from a website or their mobile app.

The report bases the information on a new Speed Score model that the company uses to measure the performance of mobile networks.

This year Ookla also introduced Speed Score to more accurately reflect the full breadth of networking experience on a given network. Speed Score incorporates low-end, median and top-end performance for both download and upload speed. It’s a comprehensive metric that combines all factors that matter to a good network experience into a single score.

Using this methodology, the test results should more accurately reflect what users can expect from a particular mobile network.

AT&T has announced that the Blackberry KEYone will be coming to the carrier starting September 1st in an exclusive color.  The phone will be available in Space Black and will be priced at $16.67 per month for 30 months.  That adds up to just over $500 which is less than the unlocked GSM version which is $619.99 on Amazon.

For those that don’t recall, the Blackberry KEYone is a 4.5″ device that is powered by the Snadragon 625 processor.  It has 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage.  It runs Android Nougat 7.1.1 out of the box and has the same cameras as you will find in the Google Pixel and Pixel XL.  It is powered by a 3505mAh battery and has a physical QUERTY keyboard.

The main camera on the KEYone is a 12MP shooter that has Sony technology & optics.

The storage on the KEYone is expandable thanks to the MicroSD slot and charging is done via the USB-C connector.

Good news this morning for those of you who have a Samsung Galaxy S8 or S8 Plus on the AT&T network.  A new update is rolling out for both devices that brings Google’s Daydream VR support to both phones.

The update for the Galaxy S8 is G950USQU1AQGL while for the S8 Plus, you will get update G955USQU1AQGL.  These updates not only bring support for the Virtual Reality solution from Google, but also brings the August Android Security update along with several other bug fixes and patches.

After a week or rumors and leaks, the Samsung Galaxy S8 Active is real and available for pre-order.  The ruggedized version of the Galaxy S8 will, as it has been in the past, exclusively available from AT&T here in the United States.

The Galaxy S8 Active internally is just like the standard Galaxy S8 you can order from Samsung or your carrier.  The 5.8″ phone is powered by the octa-core Snapdragon 835 processor running four cores at 2.3GHz and the other four running at 1.9GHz.  It is coupled with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage which is expandable up to an additional 256GB thanks to the MicroSD card.  The display renders at 2960 x 1440 QuadHD with an impressive 571 PPI.  Powering all of it is a 3000mAh battery which is charged with inductive charging.

Camera wise, the rear shooter is a 12MP camera with OIS and has a f/1.7 aperture.  On the front is an 8MP camera.  The S8 Active is IPS68 rating meaning it is water and dust proof.  It can go under water for up to 30 minutes.