Posts Tagged: ‘cell phone’

As cell phone technology evolves, so does the nomenclature. What’s a 2G network? 3G? 4G? In this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com, the TechStuff guys give a detailed explanation of recent and emerging cell phone networks and technologies.

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The CTIA Wireless trade show is underway in Las Vegas, Nev. If you’re not sure what CTIA is, you’re not alone, but there’s a decent chance that the cell phone you carry with you now was once on display at the show. CTIA is the wireless phone industry association.

So what’s up at this year’s show? Big surprise: smartphones. Oh, wait, that’s no surprise. CNET’s Kent German said that Samsung is going to release a new version of the Instinct, the S30. There aren’t many changes for the Sprint touch screen phone, but it appears that Samsung will make it more possible for developers to write software for the machine, which may make it more appealing to customers who want something more like the Apple iPhone or HTC G1 (based on the Google Android operating system)*.

Speaking of HTC, they have a pretty nifty-looking machine on exhibit as well. Theirs is called the Snap.

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It sounds biological. But it’s not. A femtocell is a low-power cell phone access point that lets you use your phone over a broadband connection. Sounds good for those of us (and I include myself here) who don’t have excellent cell phone coverage where we live. But there’s some interesting news coming from the AT&T camp that might give us an idea where the future of cell phone networks is going.

Glenn Fleishman over at Ars Technica wrote earlier this month that AT&T may be looking to include femtocells with their high-speed Uverse broadband product. The information was released before an official announcement on the company’s Web site — the page has been removed, so the details may change. But if what was up there is correct, AT&T might just build a femtocell into the Uverse modem, which would help the company cut costs by using built-in femtocells to extend its network.

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Apparently there are at least two American wireless carriers planning on launching fourth-generation wireless broadband networks: Verizon in 2010 and AT&T in 2011. And here I am, still making calls with my dumbphone.

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Your average cell phone boasts some pretty cool features, but Smartphones have taken things to a whole new level. Get the lowdown on these versatile gadgets in this HowStuffWorks podcast.

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