The countdown is over. See our updates below for the IPhone 5 specifications.

There are rumors already circling stating that it’s just going to be called the iPhone 5. Do you think so? We will find out shortly for sure. There have been numerous leaks ahead of Wednesday’s event, from individual components like screen size guestimates and dock plugs to full-fledged prototypes of the iPhone. Of course, all of these remain suspect until Apple makes it official. Some leaks even suggest that there will be new lineups for the Apple iPod but we don’t know for sure until about another hour and a half.

The press conference, which is expected to bring Apple’s next iPhone, takes place at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in downtown San Francisco and kicks off at 10 a.m. Pacific. CNET just so happens to be there and they have created a live blog for you to follow. Click here to see the blog updates. They will also be running live commentary from editors Molly Wood, Brian Tong and Donald Bell beginning at 9 a.m. PT. Some of you may want to see the live feed from Apple themselves but that’s not going to happen. There’s no live video of the presentation itself, which is the usual for Apple’s events so CNET is helping out by blogging it for us all to see.

To all the Apple lovers, what do you expect to see in the next iPhone? What would you like to see? Are you waiting patiently for the event to start? We sure are and we will be following CNET’s blog to get the best details. After you collect all of the information and feel like you need to share your opinion, come right back here and let’s talk about it. We want to know if you were shocked, surprised, excited etc. How does this big event today make you feel?

Source: CNET

[UPDATED]

Here’s what has gone on so far at the live event and what you can expect in the new IPhone 5:

• Name – Iphone 5
• Operating System – IOS 6
• Shipping – Possibly October 5th
• Made entirely of glass and aluminum with a metal backing
• Thinnest and lightest Iphone so far
• 7.6mm thick (18% thinner than the IPhone4)
• 20% lighter
• Retina display with a 4″ screen size
• 1136 x 640 resolution
• Old applications run letter boxed
• 44% more color saturation in the screen
• Ultra fast wireless
• LTE Support – Verizon, At&t and Sprint
• Max 100MBPS download speeds
• Single chip for voice and data
• A6 processor two times faster graphics and CPU, which is 22% smaller and more energy efficient
• Time shifted multi-player
• 8MP camera and a front facing camera (face time over cellular networks)
• Dynamic low light mode for camera
• 40% faster image capture in the camera
• Camera will have panorama mode
• Camera creates up to a 28 megapixel image
• Take photos while recording!!
• 3 microphones
• New, 80% smaller USB connector called “Lightning”
• Apple created adapters to work with the older accessories
• Turn by turn navigating from Siri
• Safari gets full screen mode

Do these specifications make you happy? Let us know how you feel in the comment section below.

The press release looks pretty promising but we just wish the date of release was listed. Samsung did say this about US availability:

Samsung Mobile is planning a U.S. version of Galaxy Note II, which will be available later in 2012. Building on the success of the original Galaxy Note, we’re confident that the Galaxy Note II continues to redefine what consumers should expect from their smartphone and delivers a powerful, innovative and unique experience. Exact timing and retail channel availability is not being announced at this time, we will continue to share information as it becomes available.

 Below you will find a screenshot of specific details about the Samsung Note II:

Do you have T-Mobile service or the Samsung Note? Do you plan on grabbing it as soon as it comes available? We would like to know if so and also let us know what you think about the specifications on the Samsung Note II. If you aren’t a member here yet, join by clicking here.

Source: TmoNews

• Introduce yourself to PPCGeeks users all over the world in our introductions forum. Click here
• Our Windows Mobile HTC Arrive/7 Pro forums have some interesting topics. Click here
• Check out the “Off Topic” chatter box and explore several different topics. Click here
• [NEW TOPIC] Maybe Moving from Windows. Would like some real input from users. Click here
• [THEMES] Lots of Android themes can be found here. Click here
• [HOW TO] Install CWM and ROOT for GALAXY TAB 10.1 in our Android Tablets forum. Click here  
• [SPRINT] Perplexed: troubleshooting dropped calls in our carrier discussion forum. Click here

PPCGeeks is a site for smartphone owners (including Windows Phone 7, Windows Mobile, Android, Blackberry, WebOS, and iPhone) with discussions, reviews, news, links, downloads and much much more. We have several helpful members in the forums who are willing to help you with questions you may have. If you are not a member yet and just now stumbled upon us, what are you waiting for? Join the forums now by clicking here.

#1 Android (Google Inc.) — 104.8 million units, 68.1 percent share (46.9 percent a year earlier)

#2 iOS (Apple Inc.’s iPhone) — 26.0 million units, 16.9 percent share (18.8 percent a year earlier)

#3 BlackBerry (Research in Motion Ltd.) — 7.4 million units, 4.8 percent share (11.5 percent a year earlier)

#4 Symbian (mostly used by Nokia Corp.) — 6.8 million units, 4.4 percent share (16.9 percent a year earlier)

#5 Windows (Microsoft Corp.) — 5.4 million units, 3.5 percent share (2.3 percent a year earlier)

#6 Linux — 3.5 million units, 2.3 percent share (3.0 percent a year earlier)

#7+ Others — 0.1 million units, 0.1 percent share (0.5 percent a year earlier)

The figures are a great reminder not only of the most popular devices but they let us keep up with what operating system is being used the most or the least. These are all important factors when it comes to knowing where the current operating systems stand as well as the development of newer technology. The figures show the developers of each operating system and device that they are either doing great, good or have more hard work to do. They can do the math! For you and I this means that we get to, as we always have, learn more with each new device and operating system while having fun at the same time. Surely these numbers come as no surprise to you, right? Let us know what you think!

Source: ABC / HTCPedia

May 23rd sounds a lot better than indefinitely!

Thanks to Inside Sprint Now for a little hope.

According to an Inside Sprint Now blog ALL pre-orders are in a “Pick and Pack” status. So wouldn’t that mean that the pre-orders are basically ready to go and we are really just waiting to find out what is happening on the legal side of things.

I personally like thinking that they will have enough on hand to ship out the orders all at once, but I am not sure how I feel about being told the phones are at customs when the above makes it sound like they are not.

What are you thoughts on this? Do you think that all orders are really ready to go like mentioned in the Inside Sprint Now blog? Do you think they are truly still sitting at customs? Is it possible that this is just a scheme in Apple’s master plan to sue everyone into dumbing down their products so Apple can catch up? ((Ok, maybe that last question was a bit “aggressive”.))

Thanks to Inside Sprint Now for their insight on the this story here: http://insidesprintnow.wordpress.com/2012/05/16/update-htc-evo-4g-lte-delayed-launch-status/

If you have been around the various forms you will see a frenzy forming. Rumor has been that pre-orders for the Evo Lte would be shipping out tonight at 11 pm and pre-order customers are concerned. Why? Well, because Sprint hasn’t really updated any order information for their customers. Worry is setting in that the phones will be delayed and that pre-ordering really isn’t going to get the phone to the consumer any faster.

Now add rumors of delays in shipping and you have a full on mass panic. All we can say is take what you read on the internet with a grain of salt. Remember, than anyone can say anything and it will spread like wildfire. Also, remember that the official release date is the 18th. It is the 15th, we still have time for Sprint to make good on their promise that we will get it first.

It has always been my experience when dealing with Sprint that I always get the phone before I get any kind of update in their system. My personal account shows that Sprint owes me money since they have already charged my credit card for the order. I have no tracking information. Am I concerned? Sure, because I already passed on my Evo 3d to my husband and I am stuck with my daughter’s old LG at the moment. Am I’m stressing out? Not yet… but I will if this goes into the weekend. I am a phone geek after all.

I did come across this press release on 5-14-12 from Sprint and I feel that if they were concerned about stock they would not be pushing media events at a brick and mortar store.

Surely they wouldn’t stick us pre-order folks with a rain check slip and release them to the general public. Right?

Sprint has been sending out flyers in hopes to generate a lot of interest in what it hopes to be one of its new flag ship devices the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. With the Samsung Galaxy S3 on the horizon I am not convinced that many will jump from there current device to the Nexus, but only time will tell. I will be attending the event for PPCGeeks bringing you live coverage.

Sprint was one of the first carriers to push “4G” when they announced their WiMAX network. One of their hottest selling phones was the HTC Evo 4G. Now that almost every other carrier has announced their dedication to LTE for 4G, Sprint has been making the switch to LTE as well. Today, Bob Azzi, Senior VP of Networks, announced that Sprint will no longer be launching any new WiMAX phones to the market. Previously, Sprint has said that it would release WiMAX devices through 2012.

He also said that LTE will launch on their 1900MHz spectrum, but that they will also repurpose its 800MHz spectrum as old Nextel iDEN users are transitioned to their CDMA Direct Connect service.

Earlier this year, they announced that they would be releasing LTE devices by mid-2012 and they would have 15 devices (phones, tablets, data cards) coming throughout the year.

Source: FierceWireless

US Cellular announces their plans for their 4G LTE network today. At launch, it will cover the cities of Milwaukee, Madison and Racine in Wisconsin, Des Moines, Cedar Rapids and Davenport in Iowa, Portland and Bangor, Maine, Wichita Falls, Texas, Lawton, Oklahoma and Greenville, North Carolina. The first two devices available will be a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and a Samsung Galaxy S Aviator. There’s no pricing available yet and their LTE network will be launching in March.

Source: Slashgear

In the next few days, Sprint will be rolling out some updates for these devices. Most are pretty minimal. The “Security Update” could be to remove the controversial CarrierIQ software. Here’s what’s included in the updates:

HTC Evo 4G
Security Update
Updated Peep client (to align with Twitter)
Battery life improvements

HTC EVO Design 4G
Security Update
Updated Peep and Sprint Zone clients
Battery life improvements
3LM Enterprise Tool Access (no user interface changes)

Samsung Epic 4G
Security update
Speaker feedback fix
The QIK and Asphalt 5 applications are no longer preloaded – when tapping on their icons you will be redirected to the Android market to download them from there.

Source: IntoMobile

The NFL announced that NBC will stream the 2012 Super Bowl live, for free, to the web and Verizon smartphones. This is nothing new for the network, either. It already streams its “Sunday Night Football” telecasts online and to Verizon phones. NBC expects a hearty response for the Feb. 5 showdown in Indianapolis. NBC will also stream its other postseason games, including the Pro Bowl and wild card Saturday–all will be streamed online and to mobile phones for the very first time. All will be available through Verizon’s NFL Mobile application. And, according to the network, the package will include additional camera angles, in-game highlights and live stats.

NFL Mobile

Verizon Wireless

Description

Earlier this week we wrote about the Carrier IQ ordeal, we should have know it was only a matter of time with all the media hype and internet buzz before this whole thing started getting out of hand.

Senator Al Franken is demanding the company provide details about what data it collects and how it’s used and has given the company until December 14^th to respond. Massachusetts congressman Edward Markey has asked the FTC to open an investigation into Carrier IQ. Markey wants the Federal Trade Commission to look into whether or not the rootkit and its creators have violated the privacy of millions of cellphone users and federal wiretap laws.

A class action lawsuit has also been filed against Carrier IQ, HTC and Samsung. The class action lawsuits are seeking hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of all U.S. residents. All three companies have been accused of violating the Federal Wiretap Act which “protects
 the
 privacy
 of
 wire,
 oral,
 and
 electronic
 communications” of all Americans. A St. Louis lawsuit against HTC states the following:

Plaintiff, Erin Janek owns an HTC Android phone using the Sprint network. At all relevant times Plaintiff used her phone to electronically send over her cell phone network various types of private data. This data was not readily accessible to the general public. She did not know that Defendants were surreptitiously monitoring and collecting this data, nor did she give them permission to do so.

 
So far none of the phone carriers have been included in this class action lawsuit but we have a feeling that may change of the course of the next few days. Sprint and AT&T have both admitted to using the application, and other carriers likely use similar services, but both carriers have denied taking advantage of the software’s ability to spy on customers. Stay tuned for more detail, we have a feeling things are going to get real interesting.

Sprint, being the 3rd largest US Carrier is always looking for a way to undercut Verizon and AT&T, has just announced two new mobile broadband data plans that give you more bang for your buck. Customers can now play with 6GB of data per month for $49.99, while the truly adventurous can have 12GB of data per month for $79.99.

Hotspot and tablet-specific data plans have been reconfigured as well: tablet customers can score 1GB of data for $19.99 per month, while 3GB will cost users $34.99.

“Sprint is committed to delivering exceptional value to its customers, and our new 3G/4G Mobile Broadband plans are the latest example of that,” said Will Souder, vice president of pricing for Sprint. “Sprint gives customers more data at lower prices than competitors, so they can do more with their mobile broadband devices on Sprint’s 3G and 4G networks.”

To accompany their new broadband plans, Sprint has also pulled back the curtains on a new Huawei mobile hotspot. Dubbed the Express, this no-nonsense hotspot is priced to move at $29 so certain Sprint customers will just be swimming in savings.

Sprint’s new data plans certainly seem like a better value than comparable plans on AT&T and Verizon, but there’s a catch: Sprint’s 4G WiMax network has seen better days. While Sprint has more-or-less confirmed that they and network partner Clearwire would continue working together for at least a little while longer, the rollout of new WiMax markets was slowed down dramatically in recent months. Long story short: if you don’t have Sprint’s 4G WiMax service already, there’s a very real chance that you won’t get it at all.

Still, it’s not a shabby deal if you’ve been bathing in Sprint’s WiMax signal for a while now. The plans are available to all new and existing mobile broadband customers, so you data-hungry Sprint customers should get on the horn and renegotiate your plans.

 
[showhide type=”pressrelease” more_text=”Show Press Release” less_text=”Hide Press Release ” hidden=”yes”]

[/showhide]

Yup, you heard that right. LightSquared took to the stage this wendsay during the Open Mobile Summit to outline their goals going forward as a national provider of 4G LTE service.

“We want to be the dumbest wireless broadband pipe. No intelligence in our network. None. Zero.” said  LightSquared CEO Sanjiv Ahuja in his keynote address.

Effectively Lightsquared is distancing themselves from every player in the mobile industry that tries to monetize their income by charging you ridiculous prices for exactly the same thing. Instead they seek to become a utility company that provides unrestricted data via LTE.

Now of course there is a possibility this claim is done to garner more popular support for them in their never ending debacle with claims of GPS interference. But any cell phone enthusiast can’t disagree that if this come to be, it will be like a dream come true.

What do you think?

[Source]

With the holiday season approaching fast, lots of people are looking for their next phone upgrade, either for themselves or for their family or friends. We’ve had some announcements of phones coming out, or ones that have been released recently. There’s a variety of operating systems to choose from, along with carriers. Let’s start a discussion about each aspect of a phone upgrade.

First off, the carrier. Who are you with now? Have you been happy with them? Have you considered switching, and if so, to who? There’s been lots of changes going on with carriers too, ranging from data rates, to caps, to 4G technologies. We have At&t trying to merge/buy T-Mobile USA. We’ve had Sprint announce their plans to roll out LTE instead of their WiMax network for 4G (rumor is that it won’t start until 2013 though). We have some carriers that set a hard cap on data usage, while others throttle your speed once you reach a limit. For voice and 3G, we have CDMA/EVDO vs GSM/HSPA.

For the operating systems, the big ones are obvious…Android, iOS, and Windows Phone 7. There’s also Blackberry and still some WebOS devices out there (although its being discontinued). So with all of those choices, which is your preference? Would you consider using one of the other ones? What features do you like most about them? Which do you like least?

Now for the phones. We have Nokia announcing their new Windows Phone 7 devices, but there’s talk that they won’t come to the US until 2012. We have the new Samsung Galaxy S II line coming to most carriers. Verizon has the Motorola Droid RAZR coming out. Then there’s the next developer phone, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, which is coming to Verizon. The GSM version has penta-band 3G/HSPA though, so it’ll work across all carriers, you might just have to buy it from overseas right now. There’s also the new iPhone 4S. Blackberry has their Bold line and Torch lines.

So with all those choices out there, talk about what your plans are. We’re interested to see what everyone is doing.

The end of WiMAX, the first 4G technology in America launched by Sprint and Clearwire in 2008, looks to be two years away.

At the “Sprint Network Vision Strategy Update” in New York, Sprint executives announced the aggressive rollout of a 4G LTE network to the end of 2013, the fastest 4G standard available in the U.S. today offered by both AT&T and Verizon.

Sprint will “continue selling WiMAX devices throughout 2012,” said Steve Elfman, president of network operations and wholesale, leaving many to conclude that the WiMAX product roadmap would not go any further.

For an idea of how Sprint’s support for LTE will trump WiMAX, Sprint said that by the by end of 2012 it will cover 120 million people and 250 million by the end of 2013.

The announcement adds to a big week for Sprint. The company became the latest carrier to offer the iPhone, joining larger rivals AT&T and Verizon Wireless, when Apple unveiled its iPhone 4S on Tuesday. Elfman said he believes the network will be able to handle the increased traffic that comes with the iPhone.

Sprint plans to to launch 15 dual-mode 4G LTE/CDMA smartphone and tablets by mid 2012.

Samsung waisted no time in going after Apple and the release of the iPhone 4S. Just a few hours after the announcement the director of PR sent out a helpful comparison chart showing how the iPhone 4S stacks up against the company’s newest flagship phones, the Galaxy S II.  The company also announced that they’re seeking to block sales of the iPhone in France and Italy, citing patent infringement. Sound familiar? This fight is going to be good.

Looking at hardware alone, you have to admit that Samsung has the advantage if you want a large screen and masses of storage. You also have to wonder how the iPhone 4S will stack up in a few months as new Android smartphones keep appearing such as the Samsung Nexus Prime.

With that being said let’s see  how the iPhone 4S stack up against the competition.

Samsung has filed two separate motions for preliminary injunctions in Paris, France and Milan, Italy on October 5th seeking to block the sale of Apple’s upcoming iPhone 4S in each respective market. The company posted the complaints on its corporate blog on Wednesday, just one day following the unveiling of Apple’s next-generation iPhone 4S smartphone. Samsung’s motions allege that Apple’s new smartphone infringes on two Samsung-owned patents related to wireless telecommunications technology, specifically Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) standards for 3G mobile handsets.

“The infringed technology is essential to the reliable functioning of telecom networks and devices and Samsung believes that Apple’s violation as being too severe and that the iPhone 4S should be barred from sales.”

“Apple has continued to flagrantly violate our intellectual property rights and free ride on our technology,” Samsung said in a blog post. “We believe it is now necessary to take legal action to protect our innovation.”

The move is hardly unexpected. Reports surfaced last month suggesting that Samsung was already planning to target Apple’s next-generation smartphone in a wave of patent attacks. Samsung then later went on record just days later stating that it planned to turn up the heat in its ongoing patent disputes with the Cupertino, California-based tech giant.

 For Sprint iPhone enthusiast yesterday was a day of good news, it was finally confirmed the third largest carrier in the U.S. would now carry the iPhone.

As promised, Apple shows off its latest iPhone Tuesday at “Let’s Talk iPhone Event”, and although the new handset was packed with new features and hardware like a new chip and improved camera, the general reaction was less than spectacular. Many had hoped to see the new rumored iPhone 5 released but this was not the case.

 On the carrier front, Sprint will become the third U.S. wireless provider to carry the iPhone, but it won’t come easy for the company. Like the other carriers, Sprint will have to buy the phones for around US$600 each, and then sell them at the suggested retail prices, starting at $199 with a two-year contract.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Sprint — the third-largest carrier in the U.S. and in a more difficult financial position relative to rivals AT&T and Verizon — made a commitment to purchase more than 30 million iPhones over the next four years. Neither Apple nor Sprint has confirmed that number.

The move has the potential to be a lifesaver for Sprint, especially as future iPhones with more advanced wireless capabilities come along. However, the initial capital could put a strain on current balance sheets.

John Feland, CEO of Argus Insights, said “It would make sense strategically for both companies. Sprint has the most mature and widespread true 4G network in the U.S. They are in desperate need of a winner. Apple needs a 4G network to push new experiences out to the iPhone faithful, especially in the face of competition heating up from Amazon.”

It’s a risky move for the company, but it’s the kind that can pay off well, especially when the company is in the position of going big or going home.