3G / 4G possibly coming to the London Underground.

We have Virgin Media's WiFi between stops but this looks to improve on that. 

http://www.engadget.com/2015/02/20/london-underground-3g-4g/

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/long-term-economic-plan-for-london-announced-by-chancellor-and-mayor-of-london

Ofcom Propose to Allow 3G and 4G Mobile Communications on Aircraft

It’s already possible to make 2G based voice calls on-board flights (note: not all allow it though) and Ofcom has now launched a new consultation that aims to extend this by enabling the use of 3G (UMTS at 2100MHz) and 4G (LTE at 1800MHz) based Smartphones and related devices on a licence-exempt basis while flying.

The UK communications regulator has based its new proposal on a related decision by the European Commission (EC), which allows for the inclusion of additional access technologies and frequency bands for mobile communications services on aircraft.
http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2014/02/ofcom-propose-allow-3g-4g-mobile-devices-aircraft.html

Verizon LTE now available in 35 NYC subway stations

London underground is falling behind. Admittedly, Virgin Media have done a good job with the Wifi rollout compared to hotspots such as TheCloud (It was poor when it was in Waterloo Station) but we need 3/4G!   

http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/28/verizon-lte-nyc-subway/

O2 bag the LTE Google nexus 7 exclusive in the UK

The wait is over for folks in the UK who want to get their hands on the new Nexus 7. The tablet, which was launched just over a month ago, can now be purchased for £199.99 (16GB Wi-fi only version) and £239.99 for the 32GB version.

There's also an LTE version priced at £319.99 on offer at O2 for those needing the cellular availability add in, but that won't be available for a couple of weeks. The N7 can also be picked up in Germany, France, Spain, and Japan from today.

The updated N7 features a 7-inch HD screen with a 1920 x 1200 resolution (323 ppi), the device also packs an Adreno 320 GPU, a 1.5GHz snapdragon processor, 5-megapixel rear-facing  and 1.2-megapixel front-facing cameras. In the U.S. Best Buy is currently taking orders for it with the 16 GB and 32 GB SKUS costing $229 and $269 respectively.

http://www.neowin.net/news/new-nexus-7-now-on-shelves-in-the-uk-starting-at-19999

https://www.o2.co.uk/shop/tablets/google/nexus-7-4g-black/

Chat apps now more popular than SMS worldwide

Certainly find Whatsapp ideal for group chats and a less messy way of knowing the recipient has received the message (1 tick next to the message means it sent, two and they have received).

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57581830-94/chat-apps-now-more-popular-than-sms-worldwide/

Nokia Lumia 900 review - The Inquirer

I really like the new Windows Phone 7 OS. Pricing compared to an iPhone is good and it's probably more stylish if you ask me with better games (Xbox live support) Nokia Lumia 900 review - The Inquirer

Google Developers Blog: SPDY performance on mobile networks

Google Developers Blog: SPDY performance on mobile networks: Michael Ben Matt By Matt Welsh, Ben Greenstein, and Michael Piatek, Mobile Web Performance Team SPDY is a replacement for HTTP, ...

Engadget review the HTC One X

Getting a bit bored of my iPhone 4S.. Coming from a Windows Phone 7 device (HD7) saw improvements but I missed the size and quality. This has me looking at what's on offer at the moment.

The smartphones I really like the look of at the moment are the Samsung Galaxy note, the nokia Lumia 900 and this HTC:Link

HD Voice - UK operators

Wow, we still haven't got wide spread availability of 'HD Voice' and we're fast approaching 2012.... Then again the UK looks set to be one of the last European countries to jump on the 4G bandwagon as well. 


I hadn't looked at this for a bit but just did a quick check and its good to see that Three jumped on board this year to join Orange with availability but it would seem other operators are still dragging their feet. 


Probably the upgrade is costly or they are concerned about the disparity when their customers fall outside a 3G coverage area (required on both HD Voice handsets in order to function).


The magic phases you want to look out for our:
HD Voice,

G722.2

AMR-WB

Anyway, for more info, check out the Wikipedia link:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wideband_audio