Hasta La Gadget!

After several months from Apple announcing FaceTime over cellular, AT&T is finally rolling the feature out to all of its tiered data customers. AT&T cites that its testing phase for FaceTime over cellular is complete, and will be enabled for all of its customers, including those on tiered data plans at no additional cost.

Previously, FaceTime was only available over cellular to customers with LTE or Mobile Share plans, and now, those who own the iPhone 4S and are on any tiered data plan can now use the carrier’s HSPA+ network to use Apple’s video chat tool. There’s no word on whether customers with unlimited data plans can use FaceTime over cellular, though, so it looks like the feature is still only good for those with tiered data plans.

AT&T says that it has already begun updating their “systems and processes,” and expects to start rolling the update out to eligible customers “beginning in the next couple of weeks.” Previously, back in November, the carrier announced that iPhone 5 users with tiered data plans would be allowed to use FaceTime over its LTE network.

The good news is that any AT&T customer with an older Apple device can now use FaceTime over cellular, including the iPhone 4S and previous-generation iPads. With the popularity of discounted older-gen iPhones, more and more budget-minded consumers are buying Apple’s older gear, and with AT&T’s lift on FaceTime over cellular, more users will finally be able to chat with their friends and family while on the go.

AT&T allowing FaceTime over cellular for all tiered data customers is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

We’ve been seeing a major push for tablets lately, but if a new study from Arieso is to be believed, then manufacturers might want to rethink their strategies. As it turns out, Arieso has found that smartphones have passed tablets in data usage for the first time in the three years the company has been doing these studies. You’d think that given the larger screens found on most tablets, users would turn to those devices more often for Internet access, but it seems that the tides are changing as far as mobile data goes.

As far as data downloads are concerned, Arieso found that iPhone 5 users download the most. In fact, iPhone 5 users downloaded four times as much stuff as iPhone 3G users, and 50% more than iPhone 4S users, who enjoyed being at the top of the list after last year’s study. Interestingly enough, Galaxy S III took home the top spot for mobile uploads, which suggest that Galaxy S III owners are uploading more pictures and video than those on iPhone 5.

Just as well, those opting for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 are downloading 20% more than those on iPad, so while Apple has the smartphone arena on lockdown for the time being, it’s facing some pretty stiff competition in the tablet space, at least from the perspective of mobile downloads. To top things off, we’re discovering from this study that a very small number of people use a very large percentage of data. Arieso says one percent of users consume 40% of total downlink data, with the top 0.1% is responsible for 20% of that. The top 10% of users account for 80% of total downlink data, so it seems that there are a number of users who don’t download very many things on their mobile devices.

Keep in mind that in years prior, tablets came out on top in Arieso’s studies, so there might be a little bit of back and forth in the years to come as users continue to adopt smartphones and tablets on a broader scale. Still, it’ll be interesting to see what Arieso’s data says next year, especially with the battle between iOS and Android seemingly becoming a closer race with this latest report. Stay tuned.

Smartphones overtake tablets in data usage for first time is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

You know what sucks about buying 4G enabled netbooks and tablets? Suddenly you have another monthly bill to deal with. It adds up, making the gadget cost a lot more in the long run than the initial sticker price. T-Mobile’s 4G Connect effectively kills that. More »

The amount of people in the whole world is pretty wildly unfathomable. For that matter, even a subset like just the 300,000,000 or so that live in the United States can be hard to wrap your head around. This interactive map by Brandon M-Anderson helps by showing one dot for each of them. It’s pretty wild. More »

The dedicated car phone may be a thing of the past, but the in-car hotspot is becoming increasingly common. BMW isn’t shy when it comes to in-vehicle tech, so the fact that it’s launching its own solution should come as no surprise. We initially heard about the ConnectedDrive LTE integration back in summer, but now it looks like it’s almost here. The BMW Car Hotspot LTE is essentially a purpose-built WiFi router that houses an LTE SIM (it also supports 3G and EDGE). It’s compatible with any BMW with a telephone docking station and allows connections from up to eight client devices. Authentication can be done via code entry or NFC (or there’s WPS too). Rather than just rebranding an LTE dongle, the system is designed to integrate with the vehicle’s aerial for better signal, while the dock keeps it charged. As you might surmise, this does indeed mean there is an internal battery, making it useful beyond the confines of the automobile too (for about an hour according to the car maker). No official word on price or release, but it’s suggested it’ll be landing in Europe as soon as this week.

Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Transportation, Mobile

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Via: Telematics news

Source: BMW