New Touchscreen 4G LTE Hotspot: MiFi Liberate from AT&T

MiFi LIberate Hotspot from AT&T
The MiFi LIberate is the first-ever touchscreen hotspot

It’s kind of amazing, but sometimes 4G LTE download and upload speeds are faster than your home Internet access. Other times when you need to the web, there’s just no WiFi to be had, and a small mobile screen isn’t going to cut it. That’s what a hotspot is for: think of it like a portable router that can power multiple devices, but uses your cell signal instead of WiFi.

The MiFi Liberate is a new touchscreen hotspot from AT&T. It’s the first touchscreen to come on the market, and the screen gives a quick at-a-glance  picture of important stats, like network status and how much battery life you have left. The interface should feel pretty natural for anyone used to navigating a smartphone: the homescreen has icons that are easily tapped for the important details, like how much data you’ve used: .

Battery life is always huge selling point for any kind of mobile device, and this a point where the MiFi shines, promising 11 hours of battery life (enough to outlast a couple of laptops). The battery life is almost twice that of many competitors, thought the device is slightly larger than average, too. It weighs in at 4.3 ounces, with dimensions of 4.1 x 2.9 x 0.9 inches, which still seem perfectly manageable and portable.

Anyone who travels regularly, especially frequent fliers, should consider a Hotspot, as should anyone who just travels to a local Starbucks to get some work done! For many, the promise constant internet access is reassuring, and for others it’s a lifesaver. Either way, it’s worth evaluating if it’s a must-have for your business.

The MiFi Liberate is $50 through AT&T on one of their shared data plans. Go here for more information or to order.

Samsung Galaxy S III Now Available in Red—Check it Out!

Want a great smartphone to take advantage of blazing LTE speeds (now in 51 markets!) but can’t wait to find out if Apple’s next iPhone will be able to connect to the network? The Samsung Galaxy S III on AT&T is a great choice. And with AT&T, you can exclusively order the phone in Garnet Red (seen to the right). And just like the white and blue models, the red Galaxy S III is available for just $199 with a 2-year contract.

If you’re still on the fence about the S III, then you might enjoy our preview video where we look at some of its top features. And we don’t even cover everything in that video! There’s a bunch more photo modes (take pictures while video records, for one) as well as NFC technology built into the phone, so you’re getting a lot with a phone that’s available today. Well, Sunday, technically.

What do you think? Is a red Galaxy S III enough to get you to embrace Android? If not, what killer feature does Android lack that’s holding you back? Let us know in the comments!

AT&T LTE now available in 51 markets, adding Miami, West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Worcester, MA and expanding in Baltimore!

While many consumers have found the term “4G” a confusing marketing buzzword and not the indicator of mobile data speed they might expect, “4G LTE” or, simply, LTE, is an entirely different game. Offering speeds that compare favorably with your home broadband connection, LTE makes a huge difference in terms of how much you can get down, download, browse, and share while on the go.

Today AT&T is announcing that they’re adding 4G LTE to four new markets: Miami, West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Worcester, MA. This brings the total count up to 51, and they’re still going—many more markets will find themselves downloading at insane speeds by the end of the year.

As well, coverage is expanding in the greater Baltimore area! Rob Forsyth, vice president and general manager for AT&T in the greater Washington/Baltimore area, noted in a press release yesterday that, “[AT&T has] seen positive response from customers on our 4G LTE launch in the Baltimore region, and as today’s expansion shows, we’re continuing our rollout of fast LTE speeds to more areas of Maryland, including Baltimore and Anne Arundel Counties, as well as Ellicott City. Today’s launch means being able to beat your friends to the punch when accessing webpages, updating social networks and streaming video.”

Keep reading to see the complete list of markets where AT&T currently offers 4G LTE service. Read More

Everything You Need to Know About The New iPad

UPDATE: Don’t take our word for it, you can now watch today’s Apple event streaming on their website.

Tim Cook just left the stage from Apple’s iPad event in California, where he and his team brought us the latest Apple announcement, presumably including “the new iPad” (yes, that’s it’s full name!). It hits stores next week, on Friday March 16th and this page has all of the news you need to know about today’s announcement.

A Post-PC World

It’s no surprise that Tim Cook is leading off this event with a discussion involving one of Apple’s favorite terms, “post PC.” We’re all doing more on our iPads and iPhone, so it’s no surprise that these post PC devices (plus the iPod) make up 76% of Apple’s revenue.

iOS is the Key

The reason for Apple’s success with post-PC devices? iOS. Right now there are 315 million iOS devices in the world, 62 million of those sold in the last quarter of 2011 alone. At the forefront of this innovation in the mobile OS, is Siri, Apple’s “intelligent personal assistant” that comes with every iPhone 4S. Today, Cook is announcing that Siri now speaks Japanese and she’s coming to Japan today along with iOS 5.1. Amongst other fixes, iOS 5.1 brings fixes to battery life on iPhone and iPad and is available over-the-air for download right now.

A New Apple TV

Turns out the rumors were true! Apple is announcing a new Apple TV that supports 1080p HD video. As a result, they’re re-releasing all of their movies in this higher-def format (and it’s a free download for anything you’ve already purchased!). A new Apple Genius will work just like on your iTunes and suggest movies and television shows based on your interests. You can even store them in the cloud—iCloud is being expanded to cover music AND movies now. Your photo stream syncs effortlessly to your Apple TV now too – take a picture on your iPhone 4S, and instantly show it off to your friends on your big-screen TV in HD! It still costs just $99, a great price for what you get! Combine that with the amazing AirPlay mirroring features that the Apple TV provides, and this looks to be an exciting update to the device. Pre-orders start today and the new Apple TV is available March 16th.

iPad outselling the competition

If you need proof that post-PC devices like the iPad are taking over computing, check out this fact: Apple sold more iPad’s last quarter than HP sold PCs.

There’s no doubt as to the direction of the computing industry right now, and Apple is unquestionably at the forefront in terms of sales.

What you’ve been waiting for: introducing the new iPad

Here are the features Apple is including in the new iPad:

Retina Display. Much as everyone predicted, the new iPad will have quadruple the resolution of the original, with a retina display screen at 2048×1536. That’s 3.1 million pixels on the screen, or 1 million more pixels than 1920×1080, the resolution of even a 60″ HD TV. It translates to 264 pixels per inch, an amazing pixel density. All this means is that the screen is going to look amazing on the new iPad, and this is going to be a huge boon to any apps that work with photos and video as well as text. If you used an iPhone before they went retina with the iPhone 4, you know that this isn’t just a new feature on a list but a HUGE CHANGE that will really impact how you’re able to work on the device.

It’s not just the density of the display though. The new iPad also offers a much better screen, with 44% greater color saturation. Not only will you never have to see a dreaded pixel again, but colors in images will “pop” in a way never before seen on a tablet device.

iPad 2 (left) vs. the new iPad (right) – 44% greater color saturation

A5X Processor with Quad-Core Graphics. Designed for the retina display, the new iPad is “four times as fast” as nVidia’s Tegra 3. A dual-core processor with quad-core graphics, the chip has to be way more powerful than what’s in the iPad 2 since it’s pushing 4x the number of pixels!

While not some massive upgrade to quad-core as some were hoping for, if the A5X can provide an experience as snappy as the current A5 can in the iPad 2 while simultaneously pushing 3.1 million Retina-enhanced pixels, you shouldn’t hear a single complain that the new iPad is in any way under-powered.

Massively improved iSight cameras. The cameras on the iPad 2 worked, but they were kinda a joke for any real photo or video applications. The back side camera took images you’d expect from a mid 90’s digicam, and the front-facing camera was even worse. The new iPad is packing in an iSight-branded camera, meaning that this 5-megapixel rear-facing camera boasts illumiation, a 5-element lens, an IR filter, and 1080P video recording—in other words, it’s high enough quality that you’ll actually feel comfortable using it. No word yet on whether or not you’ll still feel awkward holding up your iPad, though. Overall, it seems like everything on the new iPad is going HD in a big way.

Voice dictation. The new iPad will let you dictate in US English, British, Australian, French, German and Japanese. A new button on the software keyboard will let you talk to your iPad and have your text automatically inserted into your email or Evernote documents.

For the mobile professional who can’t always stop and type (and even then, typing on the iPad without a physical keyboard isn’t the easiest thing to do) this will make a huge difference in terms of how you use your new iPad.

4G LTE and Hotspot. Aside from the Retina display, this is the feature that got the most applause from the audience and for good reason. If you read my recent article about how fast 4G LTE is on AT&T, you’ll know why it’s exciting that the new iPad is an LTE device. 4G LTE isn’t just fast for mobile, it compares well and is often faster than your Internet at home!

The iPad will have 4G LTE on both AT&T and Verizon for a theoretical maximum of 73 megabits per second—huge news for these carriers. Unfortunately, these will be separate devices thanks to the different bands these carriers use. You’ll have to choose either the Verizon or the AT&T iPad 4G LTE. However, they will both work anywhere in the world with 3G as they carry the most wireless antennas ever put in a mobile device.

One cool new feature they’re adding is that the iPad can now serve as a mobile hotspot, allowing you to share it’s internet access with a number of devices. Since the iPad doesn’t come with any kind of contract, this could be a huge new feature for the mobile professional. Imagine having the power of the new iPad by your side at all times, but also the ability to pass along a 4G LTE signal to your laptop no matter where you are. All that on a month-to-month plan from your carrier of choice.

Same battery life and price. Thankfully, no surprises here. The 10 hour battery life and $499 introductory price will be staying the same. Since 4G LTE is a huge battery hog, that’ll knock you down to 9 hours, which really isn’t too bad.

Since a few reports have mentioned that the new iPad is a little bit thicker (9.4mm) and a little bit heavier (1.4lbs) than the iPad 2, this makes a lot of sense. Clearly, Apple had to expand the battery capacity a bit to accomodate the faster processor and the LTE chipsets inside the new iPad.

Apps

What would an Apple iPad announcement be without some new apps? The iWork suite is getting a full upgrade to take advantage of the faster processor and retina graphics, with Keynote, Pages and Numbers all updated in the app store today. With features like stunning new 3D charts, and new builds and transitions, the new versions of Apple’s suite will really show off the retina display on the new iPad. All three apps still sell for the low cost of just $9.99, and if you already own them you’ll be getting these updates for free from the app store today.

Garageband is getting iCloud support, easy sharing, a note editor and smart strings, to add a whole orchestra to your performance and then later edit individual notes.But Jam Session is the most exciting feature that lets 4 users on iPads play together at the same time and create original compositions over Wi-Fi on the iPad. Again, Garageband still costs just 4.99 and these updates are free for everyone who already owns it.

iMovie is getting a huge boost and a free update for the $4.99 app. Now there are some new features, including advanced editing tools, storyboards, and beautiful transitions. Combined with that 1080p camera, the new iPad should prove to be a great platform for making AND editing videos!

A huge new app release too – iPhoto for iPad. New gestures, new effects, multi-touch editing, and with iCloud you can effortlessly beam photos from iPhone to iPad to desktop and back. With editing support for images up to 19 megapixels, ways to automatically find images similar to the one you’re looking at, views that only show you flagged photos that you like, and easy share support to Flickr, Twitter and more, this looks to be a hot new app.

The biggest new feature is probably that all of these new editing features are non-destructive. Meaning, no matter how many times you crop or add filters, your original image is always there and can be recovered easily. This is just like ProTools for audio or Final Cut for video on the Mac. A huge feature for pro users looking to edit photos on the go.

Full Pricing and the iPad 2

As a final note, Apple’s going to keep selling the iPad 2 but at a $100 discount. The 16GB iPad 2 with Wi-Fi now costs $399, and the 3G-enabled version is going for $529. An amazing deal on some great tech, and if you don’t need the absolute latest it’s even cheaper to take your business mobile (and still take advantage of all these amazing new apps) at a lower cost. The iPad 2 is a great tablet, and this price cut should help get it into a lot more hands.

Is 4G LTE just a marketing buzzword? Or should you get excited about it?

For AT&T Premier business and education customers, right now you you can get a great deal on one of three Android-powered 4G LTE smartphones. But what does 4G LTE really mean? Is it just another marketing buzzword like the original “4G” designation was last year, or does it actually mean something this time?

4G LTE promises speeds up to “10x faster” than 3G according to AT&T. In my testing, I’d say that’s pretty much accurate. I typically experienced download speeds around 3mbps and upload speeds around 1mbps on my 3G AT&T devices.

Now, LTE was only just turned on in New York City last month, so chances are that the network is nowhere near as saturated as the 3G network as only a limited number of devices (like the Samsung Galaxy Note I’m testing this week) work on 4G LTE. That said, it’s not just fast, it’s really, really fast:

One of these images shows the download speed on AT&T’s 4G LTE network. The other shows the cable internet I pay almost $80 a month for. Can you tell which is which? (Hint: LTE is faster).

If you’re a business professional and finding yourself often sending huge documents, videos, pictures and more to colleagues and clients while on-the-go, you know how frustrating 3G speeds can be. With AT&T rolling out 4G coverage to an increasingly large part of the country, maybe it’s finally time for you to upgrade.

Is bigger better? Samsung’s betting on it with the Galaxy Note 5.3″ Phone

I got my hands on the Samsung Galaxy Note (available for preorder now from AT&T, arrives this Friday, Feb. 17th) a couple of days ago, and while I haven’t completely made up my mind about the device, there are a few things I’d like to share ahead of my full review coming next week. First and foremost, this is a big phone (a Samsung rep I talked to called it a “Super Phone”). As you can see below, it fits right in between the 3.5″ iPhone 4 and the smallest of Samsung’s Galaxy Tabs, the 7″ model:

While some reports as to it’s size are exaggerated, there’s no denying that this is a big device. The best example of it’s size I could think of was that it’s roughly the same size/shape as a “pocket” sized Moleskine notebook. Granted, the Galaxy Note is thinner, but if you think about where you’d store a Moleskine (blazer pocket for me, or maybe messenger bag) then you probably have a sense as to whether or not you’d feel comfortable keeping this device in, say, the front pocket of your jeans.

However, for some this larger size is going to be a huge advantage. For one, it means the phone packs a massive 2500mAh battery, which should be enough to power it’s 4G LTE chipset all day long. This means you’ll be able to enjoy lightning fast LTE speeds (I personally witnessed over 33mbit download, 11mbit upload speeds) without having to search for a power outlet every few hours. The huge screen means you’re unlikely to miss-click a button, or click on the wrong link. It also means that for users with impaired sight or who need high magnification reading glasses, the device should prove popular.

This Is the Way You Do Stylus

The second thing I noticed was how quickly and easily I was able to annotate images on the device, like the size comparison pic above. In a clear nod to both the Palm Pilots of the past, as well as the Nintendo 3DS, the Galaxy Note includes a hard plastic tipped stylus. With it, you’re able to quickly and easily take screenshots (a shockingly rare feature on Android devices), mark them up, take notes, highlight text, and more.

The stylus experience on the Galaxy Note is, frankly, remarkable. I’m a huge fan of using a stylus on my iPad 2 to take notes and draw, and it’s not an ideal experience. With the fat-tipped, capacitive styluses you have to use on the iPad (essentially, a fake thumb on a stick!), it’s hard to get accurate lines. Handwriting is often too-big to be useful. In contrast, on the Galaxy note I’m able to write small, and legibly, in the included S Memo app. In contrast to the iPad, where there’s something of an input lag (the lines you draw trail behind the location of the pen), input lag on the Galaxy Note is virtually non-existent. You can even input text with the stylus and ditch the on-screen keyboard, and in my brief tests the handwriting recognition software is shockingly accurate. Read More