Mobile

While AT&T and Apple have remained silent on the absence of tethering and MMS with the iPhone, a new report provides insight on the effect an influx of bandwidth-heavy mobile users have had on the wireless network.

Digging into customer dissatisfaction with the AT&T network, The New York Times revealed that the carrier has struggled to keep up with demand as iPhone owners use more and more bandwidth. The report suggests that AT&T’s reputation could be tarnished because, for some users, its network is unable to keep up with demand. The bandwidth issues have led to delays of tethering and multimedia messaging, much-anticipated features for iPhone users.

“The result is dropped calls, spotty service, delayed text and voice messages and glacial download speeds as AT&T’s cellular network strains to meet the demand,” the report, which compared the device to a gas-guzzling Hummer, states. “Another result is outraged customers.”

The average iPhone user reportedly consumes 10 times the bandwidth of a typical smartphone user, but that is expected to change in the near future. The growth of the iPhone and its impact on the AT&T network has even led to lawsuits. As other mobile devices emulate the iPhone and also use more network capacity, the problem is expected to grow on all networks, not just AT&T.

Even John Donovan, chief technology officer for AT&T, admitted his company’s struggles. “It’s been a challenging year for us,” he told the Times.

But in the face of demand, AT&T plans to spend $18 billion this year to upgrade and expand its 3G network. And the company has no plans to cap data use, whether solely through the phone or via tethering with a computer.

AT&T announced Wednesday that it had improved its 3G coverage in metro New York and New Jersey. The company expects to roll out nationwide improvements with HSPA 7.2 technology, with the upgrade to be completed in 2011. And 1,900 new cell towers are planned for construction in the U.S. this year as well. But expansion isn’t so simple.

“As fast as AT&T wants to go, many cities require lengthy filing processes to erect new cell towers,” the report states. “Even after towers are installed, it can take several months for software upgrades to begin operating at faster speeds.”

Many analysts believe that when Apple’s exclusive contract with AT&T expires in 2010, the handset maker will offer the iPhone on other carriers. The most obvious jump would be to Verizon, the largest carrier in the U.S., ahead of No. 2 AT&T.

Source:

• Apple Insider

It was only a matter of time: the iPhone swine-flu app.

Researchers in Boston released a new application yesterday that lets users track and report outbreaks of swine flu and other infectious diseases in their areas.

Dubbed “Outbreaks Near Me,” the free app uses the Global Positioning System and maps to pinpoint illnesses in an area and keep people informed about how diseases spread.

Users can set alerts to be notified of new outbreaks nearby – and even if someone with the app who is sick enters their area. They can also submit photos of sick people and at-risk locations.

“We aim to empower citizens in the cause of public health, not only by providing ready access to real-time information, but also by encouraging them to contribute their own knowledge, expertise and observations,” said HealthMap co-founder Clark Freifeld, a Ph.D. student at the MIT Media Lab.

MIT partnered with Boston Children’s Hospital to design the new application.

Source:

• NY Daily News

“A lot of people have come to us with questions, and one of the most common is this: what do I do with my old iPhone when I buy a brand spanking new iPhone 3G?

Well, how about a free iPod touch—how would you feel about that? Because as far as I can tell, that’s what you get when you set up a new iPhone 3G to replace your existing original iPhone. After the Apple Store’s Mac specialist did whatever mojo he needed to do to get me up and running, I walked out of the store with a fully functional iPhone 3G.

But what of my poor, lonely original iPhone? Waiting in line for six hours turned out to not be the best thing for its battery, so I had to plug it in to recharge it (using the brand new teeny-tiny iPhone power adapter). As it juiced up, I turned it on to see what was still working—would I get an activation required screen? Would any of my data be accessible?

Imagine my surprise then, when I found everything still working as expected. Sure, there’s no cell phone signal, but Wi-Fi appears to work, and so do all my applications—including the ones I installed on the new 2.0 software yesterday. That left me with a pretty darn functional iPod touch—albeit one with a recessed headphone jack, and a non-functional EDGE antenna (which, I’ll point out, thanks to the newly refined airplane mode, you can turn off without deactivating Wi-Fi).

Not too shabby, if I do say so myself. I had envisioned far worse, anyway—Apple bricking the old iPhones, or crippling them in some way. But a free iPod touch might be just the thing for a friend or family member. And remember—you can also turn it into a perfectly functional phone again, just by signing up for an AT&T plan.”

Source: Mac World