Hasta La Gadget!

The iPhone 5 has been out for a little over a week now, and we’ve already seen some issues arise. Of course, the Apple Maps debacle was certainly up there and caused a lot of frustration for users. However, on the carrier end, some Verizon users are reporting that 3G data has been active even when WiFi is enabled. Verizon has now issued a fix for this.

Verizon Wireless has released a carrier settings update that resolves an issue in which the iPhone 5 uses 3G data while the device is connected to a WiFi network. Verizon says this was only happening to a handful of users and would only occur in certain circumstances, but that was enough to release a fix.

To apply the update, follow these steps:

1. Go to Settings > General > About.

2. Wait for the carrier update alert to appear (pictured above).

3. Tap OK to install the update.

After the update is done downloading and installing, it’s important that you completely turn the device off and turn it back on again in order to complete the update. After your iPhone 5 starts back up, go to Settings > General > About, and then scroll down to Carrier and verify that “Verizon 13.1″ is displayed. If so, the update installed correctly.

Some users were even complaining about how their 3G connection would kick in instead of WiFi while in sleep mode. This was normal behavior in iOS 5, since WiFi was automatically switched off in sleep mode to save battery life, and was only switched on when needed. However, it looks like that has changed in iOS 6 — Wi-Fi doesn’t seem to kick on when needed anymore, and instead just stays off completely in sleep mode, making the 3G connection do all the work.

[via 9to5Mac]

Verizon iPhone 5 carrier update fixes WiFi and 3G issue is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it’s easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don’t escape without notice, we’ve gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

Continue reading Refresh Roundup: week of September 24th, 2012

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile

Refresh Roundup: week of September 24th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 30 Sep 2012 20:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When we learned that Verizon wouldn’t lock the GSM-related components of the iPhone 5, we were waiting for a “gotcha” moment. Surely the carrier would clamp down and steer us back towards its more expensive roaming plans, right? Not according to Verizon spokeswoman Brenda Raney: she says there’s no plans to lock Apple’s handset at a later point. In other words, you should be free to use a Verizon-locked iPhone 5 on any compatible GSM and HSPA+ networks for as long as you’d like, including with AT&T and Canadian carriers. Of course, this still brings the caveats of having to both buy a Verizon model, either at full price or with a contract attached, and track down a nano-SIM for the carrier of choice. It could nonetheless settle the question of what carrier to pick if you regularly need a passport when you travel — especially knowing that neither AT&T nor Sprint will be quite so open-minded.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Verizon has no plans to re-lock iPhone 5’s GSM and 3G sides originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 14:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ever since the bootloader of the Galaxy S III for Verizon Wireless was cracked wide open, there’s much less of a clamor for the Developer Edition of the handset from Samsung. That said, the unsubsidized smartphone is now available to purchase — for backorder, anyway — directly from the manufacturer, which gives all owners the ability to easily unlock the phone’s bootloader and thus delight in the world of custom ROMs. As of now, only the Pebble Blue variant is available, but purchasers may choose from the 16GB ($600) or 32GB ($650) versions. We still maintain that Verizon Wireless gave its subscribers a pretty raw deal with the Galaxy S III, as all other carriers left it to the owner’s discretion of whether to unlock their phone’s bootloader. We wouldn’t expect Big Red to change its tune any time soon, but you can take solace knowing that the hacking community and manufacturers have your back.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Samsung Galaxy S III Developer Edition for Verizon Wireless now available to order originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 22 Sep 2012 04:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s not uncommon for US carriers to take an international smartphone under their wings, make a few adjustments to hardware and firmware, stamp their fat logos in multiple places and then sell it to the masses. Verizon is no exception: the LG Intuition is its interpretation of the Optimus Vu, a 5-inch phablet we reviewed over the summer. Perhaps calling it an “interpretation” is a bit of an overstatement: aside from a bump in firmware and Big Red’s LTE, it is the Optimus Vu. In fact, going into this review, we had a difficult time believing our experience would be much different than our run-in with the Korean version.

Our first reaction is that this doesn’t bode well for the carrier. If Verizon opted for the Intuition in order to fill a gaping hole in its lineup, we have a hard time understanding why it would choose to greenlight this particular device with the Samsung Galaxy Note II coming within the next two months. The device’s quiet launch is a solid enough indication that the network isn’t planning on throwing a lot marketing dollars behind it, so it feels as though the Intuition’s main reason for existing is to bolster Verizon’s rapidly expanding LTE portfolio. Is there something intriguing about the Intuition ($200 with a two-year commitment) that wasn’t there when we first played with the Vu? Or will we find ourselves in the Twilight Zone, reliving the same moment over and over again? Let’s find out.

Continue reading LG Intuition review: Optimus Deja Vu with a Verizon LTE twist

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

LG Intuition review: Optimus Deja Vu with a Verizon LTE twist originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Sep 2012 16:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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