Hasta La Gadget!

With the launch of iOS 5 on Wednesday and the iPhone 4S today, excited iOS users have queued up to make the transition to Apple’s latest and greatest. Unfortunately for many, the transition hasn’t been as smooth as they’d hoped.

A number of early adopters who tried to upgrade to iOS 5 late Wednesday and Thursday experienced errors due to a massive influx of traffic on Apple’s servers. And this morning, Verizon and AT&T’s activation servers appear to be having a similar issue. Luckily, repeated attempts, or just waiting a while until server loads go down, fixes the issue for most upgraders.

Many users who tried to update on Wednesday afternoon got “Error 3200” or “Internal Service” errors because their devices weren’t able to make a connection to Apple’s servers. The issue became widespread as iOS users across the globe decided it was time to update, and Apple’s servers couldn’t keep up with the crushing volume of traffic.

At least one iPhone user who attempted the iOS 5 upgrade ended up bricking his phone after getting the Error 3200 message.

Twitter searches for Error 3200 or AT&T activation reveal complaints from quite a few iOS users, and there are additional reports of Verizon having server problems Friday morning. “Error 3200” became a worldwide trending topic on Twitter by Wednesday evening.

On AT&T, the error message reads: “Your activation is still pending. You will receive an email notification once your activation is complete.” Below that it reads, “We’re sorry. There was a problem connecting to the server. Please try again later.” Some suffering from this issue have already deactivated their previous iPhones (including our own editor, Jon Phillips). These folks are now left without any cell service until server loads die down.

If you want to avoid such issues, it may be best to hold off a few days or weeks to make the jump. Although Apple has an extremely robust beta program — iOS 5 has been available to developers since May — there is also still a possibility of system bugs, which would inevitably be ironed out within the next few weeks. To wit: When the iPhone 4 and iOS 4 launched last summer, Apple issued the iOS 4.1 update that fixed problems like sluggish performance on the 3GS and proximity-sensor issues.

Another thing to consider: If you’ve jailbroken your device, when you upgrade to iOS 5 you will lose your jailbreak (there is a tethered jailbreak already available, though). Regardless, with iOS 5, you may not even feel the need to jailbreak, as some traditional jailbreak-only features — like having the camera button on the lock screen and better notifications — are now built-in.

Have you been experiencing iOS 5 download or iPhone 4S activation-related issues? Share your experiences in the comments.

Image: Brian X. Chen/Wired.com

Imagine if Verizon’s Testman was actually the admiral of a fleet of Chevy Tahoes, all dedicated to the purpose of testing and comparing networks and asking if others can hear them now over a million times each year. The famous Testman himself is just an actor, of course, but Verizon’s self-proclaimed “test cars” are a thing of reality; in fact, the fleet numbers a cool hundred nationwide. We had the opportunity to take a quick peek inside one of these cars, each of which drive an endless number of miles to measure the performance of not only Big Red’s network, but its competition as well.

You wouldn’t recognize any of these unmarked cars if they drove past you on the street unless you were trained to look for the outside clues: on the roof lies a GPS module in concert with several black nubs, each one acting as its own phone antenna. If you look close enough at the back windows, you may be able to make out the multitudes of USB data sticks taped to them. All of these elements are crucial for Verizon in order to collect real-time data on how its network stacks up against the likes of AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint, not to mention regional carriers such as Cricket and MetroPCS. Thus, each test car is equipped with phones that work on almost every network and try each one out thousands of times a year. The company’s goal? To ensure that it maintains a standard of excellence in its network performance for both its voice and data quality. So how does this all happen? Read on past the break to find out what’s inside the car.

Continue reading A look inside Verizon’s test car: we go heads-in at CTIA E&A 2011

A look inside Verizon’s test car: we go heads-in at CTIA E&A 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Oct 2011 20:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon sending Xoom docks back with delayed, updated slates originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Oct 2011 08:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you own an iPhone 4 on AT&T, using the device while traveling internationally means paying sky-high roaming fees, jailbreaking or limiting data use to when you’re on a WiFi network, either with a public hotspot or through a service like Xcom Global. Verizon iPhone 4 owners, however, don’t have the option of GSM roaming at all, and can only make calls and use cellular data in countries that support CDMA. All that changes with the iPhone 4S, however — Macworld has confirmed that Sprint will sell its version of the device with the Micro SIM slot unlocked, with Verizon offering free unlocking to customers after the first 60 days of service. iPhone 4S owners will then be able to purchase a Micro SIM overseas, allowing them to access data and make calls at local rates, for a fraction of what it would cost to roam. AT&T iPhone 4S owners won’t have this option, however, so if you make frequent trips overseas, this benefit alone may be enough to justify purchasing the phone through Sprint or Verizon, saving some users hundreds or thousands of dollars in international roaming fees.

Update: Our source article was incorrect, and Sprint has told us that its SIM will not be unlocked, adding that the card will not even be removable.

Our SIM does not come out of the device – I believe the same is true of Verizon’s iPhone but you would need to confirm that with them. Customers can sign up for one of our international rate plans and use this phone all over the world. When traveling internationally, there is a setting that must be turned on within the device to connect to GSM. The phone will work with a SIM that is provided within the device out of the box. International voice and data charges are on a pay-as-you-go basis and vary based on the country where the customer is using their phone; a list of rates is available at www.sprint.com/international.

Update 2: We heard from Sprint a second time, which redacted part of its previous statement. The carrier further explained “the SIM is removable and is not affixed to the device,” which as you may notice directly contradicts the statement made earlier today. We’ve reached out to Apple twice and are awaiting further clarification.

[Thanks, Julio]

Sprint and Verizon confirm iPhone 4S Micro SIM unlock for international travel (update: Sprint remains locked?) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Oct 2011 11:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Looking to harness all the power of your smartphone PC-style? Motorola is looking to help with its Lapdock 100 for a number of devices, including the Atrix 2, Photon 4G and Droid Bionic. The laptop shell sports a 10.1-inch screen (smaller and hopefully cheaper than the Atrix 4G’s axed lapdock), keyboard with dedicated Android keys, touchpad, multi-tasking and tabbed web-browsing via WiFi or your phone’s data plan. You’ll also be able to utilize a full Firefox browser, Adobe Flash, Quick Office, Google Docs and a PC-esque File Manager. Just in case your smartphone’s SD card doesn’t offer enough storage space, the dock packs two USB ports for all those extra documents you might collect. Looking to stay ultra-portable, the peripheral weighs a hair over two pounds (less than 1Kg) and touts five hours of battery life — which can also be used to recharge that tired handset if needed. If you’re looking to snatch up one of these bad boys, you’ll have to wait until October 17… and even then, it’ll only hit shelves at AT&T. Verizon and Sprint customers will get their chance “later this quarter” and there’s no word yet on pricing. Need more info? Hit that coverage link for product page and get yourself better acquainted.

Continue reading Lapdock 100 brings a Webtop IQ boost to Moto phones on Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T

Lapdock 100 brings a Webtop IQ boost to Moto phones on Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Oct 2011 22:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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