Usually, when an ISP posts service downlink and uplink speeds, you have to take them with a grain of salt. Like a 20 MPG rating on a Hummer H2, your real world results “may vary.” It is, however, a great sign when an ISP says their network tests were, “faster than we’ve ever suggested” and that their, “network team is shocked.” Those were the words Verizon spokesman Jeffrey Nelson …  Read More →

By Evan Ackerman Infinitec is introducing what they’re calling the “next generation” of USB flash drives, the Infinite USB Memory (IUM) drive. Rather than storing data on internal flash memory, the IUM pairs with your computer, forming a wireless data transfer link. So, whatever device you plug the IUM into sees it as simple USB flash drive, while behind the scenes the IUM is streaming data…  Read More →

With little fanfare, Comcast launched a new online file backup service called Secure Backup & Share for its broadband internet customers. The new service utilizes Mozy, an online backup solution that is currently managed by Decho Corporation, a subsidiary of EMC. Using a tool installed on your PC and soon Mac, the service will backup selected files to a secure online location that can be accessed from any web browser, including your web-enabled... 

The New York Times is reporting that the Chinese cyber attack launched on Google and other major companies, which was made public last month, may have ties to one university and one vocational school in mainland China. While most of the collected data seems to point to servers in Taiwan, two anonymous Times sources claim there is evidence that indicates the attacks may have originated from the Lanxiang Vocational School and Shanghai Jiaotong... 

When Steve Jobs said Apple’s new iPad tablet would have 3G data service from AT&T during Wednesday’s press conference, sighs of disgust could be heard from the audience, presumably from disgruntled iPhone customers. Prior to the unveiling of the 9.7-inch device Wednesday, a few vague rumors suggested Verizon would carry the tablet. Instead, Jobs announced two versions of the iPad: a Wi-Fi only model and an unlocked, Wi-Fi +... 

2009 was a hell of a year for AT&T. Literally. The network’s notoriety incited widespread complaints, an ad war with its biggest rival and a consumer protest . Even Saturday Night Live mocked the big A. Every cellular network has its problems with voice quality, occasional dropped calls and imperfect data coverage. And AT&T has some things other networks don’t: It has even been ranked the fastest 3G network in some wireless... 

Life has got to be rough right now for AT&T employees. Thankfully, Luke Wilson has stepped up to the plate and recorded an internal memo for the folks at AT&T who might be struggling to get through the daily grind. After all, they have to deal with us as angry customers and it’s not their fault that the network is sub-par in some areas . Just like most of the characters he plays in movies, his tone in the message has that “you-can-trust-this-guy”... 

Surely you don’t think RIM has that kind of control over their own smartphones (they bend over backwards for their carrier partners). That leaves us to assume that Verizon Wireless has struck a deal with Microsoft’s Bing search engine to be the search engine of choice on their BlackBerry products. That’s fine and dandy (get that money, boo boo), but what&#  Read More →

Some AT&T customers are taking Fake Steve (who is, in reality, Newsweek’s Dan Lyons pretending to be Steve Jobs) seriously. The satirical blogger on Monday encouraged his readers to take part of Operation Chokehold — a plan to overload the AT&T network by with ruthless, bandwidth-sucking activities. On Friday, December 18, at noon Pacific time, we will attempt to overwhelm the AT&T data network and bring it to its knees.... 

AT&T’s Ralph de la Vega announced yesterday that the carrier would start taking steps to improve its network and acknowledged that service in some areas is sub-par (most of you would agree that that’s an understatement). After launching Mark the Spot , an app for the data-hogging iPhone that allows users to report network issues, it looks like AT&T is moving forward with making its user experience smoother and more reliable.... 

We’ve all heard the jokes about AT&T’s sub-par performance and how iPhone users are clogging up its network. Dropped calls, missed texts and delayed voicemails have become so common that AT&T even released an iPhone app that allows you to report network issues . The areas that seem to be affected most are densely populated cities — namely San…  Read More →

Poor AT&T, it must be tired of being tied to the whipping post and constantly flogged in the media for its abysmal network performance. To address its network woes, AT&T has released a new iPhone application called Mark the Spot to help AT&T customers report any failures with their service. The app uses geo-location to pinpoint the handset’s location and asks the user to identify the type of problem which they are reporting.... 

In a move that surprised very few, a B.C. Supreme Court justice has granted TELUS a temporary injunction against a series of ads from rival carrier Rogers. As you might recall, it was on November 12th that TELUS filed suit against the Toronto-based company feeling that its ads touting “Canada’s most reliable network” with speeds “two times faster than any other” were “false, misleading, and harmful” to its business.... 

Cloud Engines has unveiled a new version of their Pogoplug hard drive mobile access networker sharing thingy. Um, let me take another stab at that: Pogoplug (which we first saw last year at CES ) is a little tiny computer that talks to USB hard drives and makes their content accessible from anywhere, and easily sharable with anyone. It doesn’t do anything that you couldn’t do with all kinds of major networking headaches, but that’s... 

If you’re a big telecommunications company there is the hard way to add 893,000 customers to your portfolio — by working to provide hardware and services that people value and want — then there is the easy way. Cutting a check. Today, the FCC gave AT&T the final go ahead to purchase US wireless carrier Centennial Wireless for a cool $944 million. The acquisition will bolster AT&T’s presence in the midwest, southwest,...