Samsung’s S4 Moves Past 100Mbps on Korea’s New LTE

SK Telecom announced the world’s first consumer LTE-Advanced network today, and it’s quick. This new standard is the successor to the current-generation LTE technology, and supports much higher data transmission speeds – downloads top out at 102Mbps, ten times faster than the average home broadband speed in the US. And SK Telecom is rolling the new service out to customers free of charge. The service will be available by the end of the year, and the first device to take advantage will be the Galaxy S4 LTE Advanced. With the rest of the world just getting a taste of LTE, Korea remains several steps head of the mobile world. 

AT&T 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot Unite Available February 8 For $0.99

AT&T’s second touchscreen LTE mobile hotspot, the Sierra Wireless device called Unite, was announced today just four days before it is available for purchase through all conventional AT&T channels. With a 2.4″ touchscreen display that prominently features data usage and Wi-Fi information on the home screen, Unite is primed for customers looking to expand their wireless connections beyond the traditional grid. The device boasts 10 hours of battery life with regular use, along with ten days of standby, for customers who need the device for long stretches of time away from the desk. It’s just one way to stay connected on the go, and for $0.99 represents AT&T’s attempt to bring its LTE and wireless plans to the budget-conscious marketplace. 

Smartphones Eclipse Tablets In Data Consumption

A recent report from mobile analytics provider, Arieso shows smartphone users consuming more data than tablet users for the first time. Despite increased tablet growth, it appears that usage on devices like the iPhone 5 and Galaxy SIII is skyrocketing. Another interesting fact is that 40% of all data is consumed by 1% of users thanks in large part to LTE.

Layers of influence reign at CES

Layers of Influence at CES 2010 (Lori Schwartz)Imagine a world where any screen you come into contact with has the capability to play multiple streams of content that are contextually relevant to you, to your gender, location and purchase habits.  Imagine that this content could take the form of video with additional layers of text, graphics or audio.  Then picture a powerful 4G network, with 80 megabits of data being delivered with HD quality video and 3D enhancements. Data would be fed back and forth to respond to interactions and navigation would be more primal, responding to touch and movement. Marketers would have a field day with targeting content based on demographics right down to the individual.  And imagine if the foundation of this world was presented to you at a yearly consumer electronics trade show…

While there were no earth shattering products or mind-blowing reveals at this year’s CES, the world I described above has been set in motion. Never before have so many consumer electronic companies all committed to embracing the same technology trends in such a way that the dividing line between competitive offerings is hard to see. All this sets the stage for what I’d like to call “layers of influence.”  Continue reading “Layers of influence reign at CES”

LTE steps up to bat

CTIAIf you didn’t look you might have missed it.  If the letters LTE just passed your field of vision at CTIA you might have missed the next evolution in wireless technology.  LTE or Long Term Evolution is being positioned as the successor to 3G.

Technically speaking, LTE is a modulation technique that is the latest variation of Global Systems for Mobile Communications (GSM) technology. It was dubbed “Long Term Evolution” because it is viewed as the natural progression of High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA), the GSM technology that is currently used by carriers such as AT&T to deliver 3G mobile broadband.

Continue reading “LTE steps up to bat”

4G and apps dominate CTIA

CTIA 2009CTIA 2009 was a much smaller show than last year, which was a big talking point at the show.  Despite the reduction in size, the show had two big stories to tell: 4G and apps.

The 4G story began with Verizon CEO Seidenberg’s keynote, where he mentioned Verizon’s plans to roll out Long Term Evolution (LTE), a 4G technology, by year end in select markets.  On the show floor, those three letters took on a much greater meaning, and were everywhere.  At LG’s booth, I saw high quality HD video streaming over LTE connections that were four times faster than peak cable broadband.

For marketers, LTE is going to make things very, very interesting.  Continue reading “4G and apps dominate CTIA”