Hasta La Gadget!

The most popular phone in the United States is finally landing on Verizon, and the moment of truth has come: Will it handle the iPhone better than AT&T? Wired.com’s initial batch of testing suggests the iPhone is a better phone on Verizon, but not a superior media-consumption device in terms of bandwidth speed.

(Read Wired.com’s review of the Verizon iPhone 4 for our complete verdict on the device.)

We ran a series of bandwidth and phone tests on both the Verizon iPhone 4 and AT&T iPhone 4 in 16 locations throughout San Francisco, where 3G bandwidth is known to be as diverse as the residential population.

The results found that Verizon overall has better coverage, but AT&T download rates are 62 percent faster than Verizon, and AT&T upload rates are 38 percent faster than Verizon.

For phone calls, Verizon passed every test, whereas AT&T failed two. The AT&T iPhone also occasionally switched to the slower EDGE in some locations while trying to place a call, but the Verizon iPhone was able to pull a 3G signal to place a call at every location — even in “dead spots” where it seems impossible to get an AT&T signal.

The difference in bandwidth is substantial, and it corroborates earlier independent tests that found AT&T does indeed have a faster network, but Verizon has more coverage.

To perform the speed test, we ran a bandwidth test three times on both devices at each location with the third-party iPhone app Speed Test. (If an iPhone scored “0″ for any of the speed tests, it failed that test.) Then we took the average of the three download speed results and the three upload speed results. Finally, we averaged all these results to determine the general performance of the Verizon iPhone and the AT&T iPhone in San Francisco.

For phone tests, at each location we placed three phone calls. If the iPhone was able to successfully place at least two phone calls, it passed the test. If it could not place at least two phone calls, it failed.

To make this all easier to digest, we plotted the results in the interactive ZeeMap above.

The Verizon iPhone 4 is an interesting product for Engadget to review. Firstly, it’s not exactly a new device (not in any outwardly noticeable way). From design, down to its CPU, RAM, and even cost, this iPhone is the same as the AT&T model… save for that one small but really important thing: it’s got a CDMA radio inside. The device is also somewhat tricky to review based on its software, since we’ve all been using (and even took a deep look at) iOS 4.2 for quite some time. So for us the task is to make clear the differences between these two devices and their networks. Now that’s a little easier, because we’re sure you have the same questions as us. What are calls like? How are the data rates? Is service notably improved or different than AT&T’s? Most importantly, if you’re currently a frustrated iPhone 4 owner, does it make sense to make the switch? We’re going to answer all those queries (and more), so read on for a full review of the Verizon iPhone 4!

Continue reading Verizon iPhone review

Verizon iPhone review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Feb 2011 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re not a Verizon customer or you don’t want to wake up at 3 a.m. tomorrow morning to fight all the other Apple fanatics for “a first come, first served” pre-ordered iPhone 4, you can get one next week. Apple just announced that the Verizon iPhone 4 will be up for general sale on Thursday, February 10th at 7 a.m.

If you want to make sure you get your hands on an iPhone 4, qualified customers can order an iPhone 4 on Verizon through the Apple Store for delivery or r in-store pick up beginning February 10. On the 10th, it will be available to the masses at Apple’s retail stores, online at the Apple Store, on verizonwireless.com, at select retail partners, at more than 2,000 Verizon Wireless Stores, or by calling 1-800-2 JOIN IN.

So, if you want it, go get it! 

We woke up this morning in Dallas to 20 degree temperatures and a parking lot covered in ice. Not exactly the kind of weather the NFL was hoping for when it selected the new Cowboys Stadium to host Super Bowl XLV, but it didn’t stop both teams and media from making their way — however slowly — to Arlington for Super Bowl Media Day. Naturally, the likes of ESPN were there in full force, but rather than picking apart defensive schemes and seeing who could outgun Troy Polamalu for the longest mane in North Texas, we spent our time asking about mobile OS preferences and soaking up knowledge from Cowboys CIO Pete Walsh. With a price tag well north of $1 billion on the new Cowboys Stadium, the home to the world’s largest HD display is certainly one of the most technologically advanced in the world. It’s packing 884 wireless access points throughout (not to mention an internal network operations center that constantly monitors activity on each one), 260 miles of fiber optic cabling, capacity to handle over 100,000 simultaneous wireless connections, over 3,100 IPTVs and micro cell towers for each major carrier within — you know, so that kickoff video that just can’t wait actually sees its way onto YouTube prior to the start of the second half.

Head on past the break to catch of a video of us talking smartphone platforms with Green Bay Packers center Scott Wells, as well as a lengthy (and insightful) interview with the Chief Information Officer of the Dallas Cowboys. Everything from the Cowboys’ rejection of FanVision to their hopes to blanket the stadium with gratis WiFi is covered, and we’re even given a hint that contactless payments and mobile food ordering systems could be just a season or so away.

Continue reading Super Bowl XLV Media Day: Packers split on iOS / Android, Cowboys CIO talks mobility

Super Bowl XLV Media Day: Packers split on iOS / Android, Cowboys CIO talks mobility originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Feb 2011 19:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You can call it a Valentine’s sale or a pre-iPhone 4 blow out, but any way you slice it there’s some pretty good deals on Android phones available from Verizon right now. That includes the Samsung Fascinate and Continuum, as well as the HTC Droid Incredible and Motorola Droid R2-D2, which are all now available for just $100 on the usual two-year contract (the Fascinate deal is apparently today-only). Unfortunately, the sale doesn’t include the Droid X, Droid Pro or Droid 2 Global, but Verizon is promising some additional one-day only sales during its “ten days of sweet deals” from now until February 10th, so folks interested in one of those might not be out of luck just yet.

Verizon drops Samsung Fascinate, Droid Incredible, Droid R2-D2 to $100 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 14:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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