Possibly the worst kept secret in all of smartphone-dom is out of the bag, as Telstra’s just launched its page for the 4G version of the Galaxy S II.
The 4G picture in Australia is a bit on the challenging side at the moment, with only a handful of 4G devices and a generally used spectrum that’s not used much overseas. Telstra’s said to be investigating another move that could muddy the picture even further, by using some of its 900Mhz spectrum for LTE services.
We knew it was coming “soon”, and “soon” turns out to be “today” if you’re a business customer, and next Tuesday for consumers.
Optus has concluded a trial of 700MHz 4G services in Bendigo, claiming speeds of up to 70Mbps and transmission distances of 13 kilometres. That’s good news in the long term, particularly for rural areas, but it won’t make any difference right now.
While it’s fashionable to wail about the slow deployment of 4G in Australia, spare a thought for the billions (and it is billions) in China, where the wait for 4G networks is still years away.
It’s a surprisingly common misconception that the iPhone 4/4S is a 4G phone. It’s not, and it (in terms of the current models) it never will be, but it’s easy to see where people get that impression. Mind you, Apple’s not doing itself any favours in this regard, given that some US iPhone users are being explicitly told that their phone is connecting to a 4G network.
1800MHz? 2100MHz? 700MHz? What frequencies are Australian 4G networks on right now, and what does the future hold? Here’s what you need to know.
iMore, citing the same source who was spot-on about a March 7 announcement date, says the iPad 3 is indeed going to pack LTE speed. Two more days.
The Galaxy Tab 8.9 isn’t a new tablet, but the internal chipset that allows it to access Telstra’s 1800Mhz LTE network certainly is. This week’s Mobile Monday ponders whether that’s enough to make it a worthwhile purchase.
