Clearwire throttling at-home WiMAX users?

Ah, throttling. Can't ever seem to fully shake it, can we? Just weeks after hearing about a similar issue with the EVO 4G, scores of Clear at-home WiMAX users are now up in arms over apparent throttling on certain accounts. As the story goes, it seems as if the company is pulling back on upload and download speeds (from 10Mbps to around 0.25Mbps) for users who have consumed between 7GB and 10GB in a month, which is comically low even compared to Comcast's hated 250GB / month usage cap. Forum users are finding customer service lines to be no help whatsoever, and some digging has found that this may all be a part of a network traffic administration program that's ongoing within Clearwire. Have any of you seen similar issues? How much data are you sucking down per month? Does your usage clock still show up in your account profile? Let us know in comments below.

Samsung Galaxy Tab Will Be on Every Major Carrier (There's a Wi-Fi Version Too)

Samsung's Galaxy Tab—which still sounds more like a horrendous soft drink with a movie tie-in than an Android tablet—is coming to every major carrier this year. Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile.
It's "arriving in time for holiday shopping," according to Samsung. What they're not talking about is price: How much the Tab is going to cost, and how much it'll cost after the carriers knock off a couple hundred bucks in exchange for tying yourself to them for two years.
They're calling it a "premium" device though, so expect slightly 'spensive, even if you go with the Wi-Fi only version. Dear God, let the Sprint version have 4G (Update: Nope. Boooo.).

This is what Samsung's Media Hub looks like on the Tab. Media Hub is like their version of iTunes, but for video—you can rent or buy movies and TV shows, and share them with up to 5 other Media Hub devices (right now, other Galaxy devices).

Okay, some fresh impressions. It's more like a tall, skinny Kindle than it is a small iPad. (It's like half an iPad, and weighs half as much too.) It's widescreen, with a relatively pixel-dense screen versus the iPad, since it's cramming about the same amount of pixels into a tighter space. So, as a straight reading device in terms of the screen, size and portability, it's probably going to be a better experience. (Thank you Kindle app.)
The size works well enough for the Tab insofar as it's scaling up Android 2.2 and that the relatively small jump from, say, a 4.3-inch phone to a 7-inch tablet means everything pretty much works without having to use a whole new UI. So, a lot of Android looks the same, just bigger. And it works, usually—in Gmail, in the Android Market, in the home screen, the Kindle app. (However, the Weather Channel app refused to scale up, so it looked like an iPhone app running on the iPad, with a black border around it.)
The UI itself, Samsung's enhancements work better here than I think they do on a phone—like the iPhone-like app screen, with pages of apps, versus the standard Android infinite scroll. The Media Hub looks pretty crappy and third-rate, on the other hand. It's pretty quick too, about as fast compared to fast Android phones as the iPad was relative to the iPhone. Android 2.2 is a lot of the reason why—I think Android 2.1 could've got painful, quick.
It's definitely got the potential to be something, if nothing else.

Sprint Expands Portfolio With New 3G/4G Modem

Sprint is continuing to broaden its portfolio of 3G and 4G mobile broadband devices. Recently, the wireless carrier added the Sprint 3G/4G USB U600. This small USB drive delivers 4G speeds (where available) and also works on the carrier's 3G network. The Sprint 3G/4G USB U600 will connect automatically to Sprint's network. The USB stick even has LEDs to let you know if you've made a 3G or 4G connection.
ADVANCED FEATURES:

• Supports Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP and Mac OS 10.5, 10.6 with Intel
• Easy installation of Sprint SmartView software on a CD for Windows and Mac OS
• External antenna ports available for both 3G and 4G
• Rotating USB connector

• Supports Hands-Free Activation via OMA-DM
• 3G and 4G DataLink capable via Sprint SmartView customization
• LED that lights up to indicate 3G or 4G coverage area
• Supports firmware Over-the-Air updates for 3G (FUMO)
• GPS Location Based Services for 3G
• 4G data speeds (WiMAX) – Peak download speeds of more than 10 Mbps; average download speeds of 3-6 Mbps
• 3G data speeds (EV-DO Rev A.) – Peak download speeds of up to 3.1 Mbps; peak upload speeds of 1.8 Mbps; average download speeds of 600 kbps-1.4 Mbps.
• Backward-compatible to EV-DO Rev. 0 and 1xRTT networks

SPECIFICATIONS:

• Dimensions: 1.26 x 2.91 x 0.55 inches
• Weight: 1.1 ounces
• Frequency: CDMA Dual Band 800/1900 MHz; GPS 1.5 GHz L-Band; WiMAX 2.5GHz
• Chipset: Qualcomm QSC6085; Beceem BCSM250; both 65nm
• Rotating USB connector

Sprint, T-Mobile bring higher speeds to Hub

Greater Boston’s airwaves have become a broadband battleground, as two wireless carriers launch new, high-speed data services today designed to leave current 3G cellular services in the dust.
Sprint Nextel Corp., the number three US cellular carrier, unveiled its 4G service, promising Internet download speeds that are two to three times as fast as standard 3G service. Meanwhile, rival T-Mobile USA Inc., the fourth-largest US cellular carrier, announced an upgrade to its Boston-area 3G network. T-Mobile claimed its improved technology, called HSPA+, can match or beat Sprint’s 4G network performance.

A typical 3G connection can download about 1.5 million bits of data per second. Sprint’s 4G network offers speeds up to 6 million bits per second, with short bursts as high as 10 megabits.

The 4G network was built by Clearwire Corp. of Kirkland, Wash. Sprint owns 54 percent of Clearwire; other major investors include cable TV company Comcast Corp., chip maker Intel Corp., and Internet search company Google Inc.

Clearwire will sell 4G service in Boston under the brand name Clear. It will market portable wireless hot spot devices to allow subscribers to connect laptop computers and other devices to the 4G network, as well as wireless home modems that will provide an alternative to broadband services from cable TV or telephone companies.

Comcast will also sell access to the Clearwire network, and will offer a bundle that combines its home cable Internet service with a portable 4G modem for use while traveling. Comcast said its existing broadband customers could get 4G access for an additional $40 per month.

Sprint 4G will be accessible in communities throughout the Boston metropolitan area and is also launching today in Providence.

Chris Hillanbrant, T-Mobile’s regional vice president for engineering and operations, said his company’s upgraded 3G technology would be as fast or faster than Sprint 4G service, although he declined to say just how fast it would be. But Hillanbrant noted that T-Mobile will charge the same rate for the improved service as it charges for standard 3G service. Sprint charges an extra $10 a month to 4G users.

T-Mobile presently does not offer phones that are compatible with the new 3G standard; the first, the T-Mobile G2, is being developed, but the company has not said when it will go on sale. Meanwhile, T-Mobile sells USB modems that let laptop owners use its upgraded network on their computers.

Allen Nogee, wireless industry analyst with In-Stat LLC in Scottsdale, Ariz., said the T-Mobile service would indeed be fast enough to compete with Sprint’s 4G offering.

“I think most people are going to see equivalent rates most of the time,’’ Nogee said. But he pointed out that Sprint’s network has much greater data-carrying capacity. “It’s like having more lanes on the highway,’’ Nogee said, adding that would let Sprint make future upgrades that would put its 4G network far ahead of T-Mobile’s HSPA+ technology.

Hiawatha Bray can be reached at bray@globe.com.

Clearwire, Sprint, Comcast break Boston's 4G floodgate

Broadband cellular coverage hits Boston today, as Clearwire Corp. and its partners officially launched 4G service in Boston. Clearwire's CLEAR 4G WiMax-based fourth generation (4G) cellular service stretches from Danvers to Norwood, officials said.
One of Clearwire's partners, Comcast Corp., reported it has launched its own 4G service, called High-Speed 2go, riding on Clearwire's local 4G infrastructure. In May, Comcast announced it would begin offering 3G service to customers through Sprint Nextel Corp., and eventually 4G service through Clearwire.
Sprint, the majority investor in Clearwire, also announced its 4G service has officially launched today. Earlier this month, Matt Carter, Sprint’s president of 4G, said in an interview that it would happen within “a few weeks.”

In addition to the 2.5 million people Clearwire (Nasdaq: CLWR) said it now reaches in greater Boston, the Kirkland, Wash.-based company also launched the service in Framingham, Natick, Lowell, Lawrence and Haverhill. With the new launches, CLEAR 4G is now available in 52 markets across the country.

In addition to the Bay State communities getting their first taste of 4G coverage, Clearwire fired up the service in Providence, R.I., and Daytona Beach, Fla., today, and Sprint also turned on coverage in those cities. When a CLEAR 4G user loses the 4G coverage, the modems Clearwire is selling will keep users connected by linking to Sprint’s 3G data network. Sprint is a partner with Clearwire in the 4G deployment, and Sprint’s own 4G offerings will connect through Clearwire’s towers.

To connect to the CLEAR 4G network, Clearwire is selling mobile modems, a home modem and WiMax-embedded laptops. In addition, Clearwire will be selling its access through a service plan called Rover, in which a customer can purchase – with no contract – a single day at $5, a week at $20 or a month at $50 with unlimited usage.

The CLEAR 4G service is expected to run at speeds between 3 Megabits per second and 6 Mbps, with bursts of up to 10 Mbps. In tests of the Sprint Epic 4G phone on the Clearwire-based Sprint 4G service – which is still in test mode – Mass High Tech found 4G speeds running between 2.49 Mbps and 3.08 Mbps when the service was available.

T-Mobile HSPA+ to hit 19 cities with new modem

T-Mobile's HSPA+ service should get a major expansion in just over a week, including a new netbook to match, if a tip this evening is accurate. The 21Mbps access would reach 19 new coverage areas on July 21, ranging from major cities in Ohio and Texas to the island of Hawaii and cities such as Baltimore, Kansas City, Portland and Washington, DC. It would represent one of the largest expansions of the faster 3G since it launched.
BGR hears the new network's activation would be met by the new webConnect 2.0 modem, which improve the overall design and add Mac support. Dell's subsidized Mini 10 will also make an appearance, although here it would come with a USB webConnect modem rather than have HSPA+ built-in.

T-Mobile currently has the fastest available cellular Internet access in the US as Sprint's 4G doesn't peak beyond 10Mbps in real conditions. AT&T is only just starting its HSPA+ deployment and will top at 14.4Mbps, and Verizon's 4G will be faster but won't be commercially available until the end of the year.

http://adf.ly/3x0j

Nokia to Fight Back in Smartphones, but Without the Android OS

While Nokia continues to struggle in the US mobile market, the Finnish-based company has voiced plans to "fight back" in the smartphone space, and it won't be adopting Google's Android OS for any of its phones.
"I am committed, perhaps even obsessed, with getting Nokia back to being number one in high-end devices. Achieving this will require performance and efforts over and above the norm," wrote Anssi Vanjoki, head of a newly created Solutions unit at Nokia, in a recent blog post called "The Fightback Starts Now."
Despite the widening popularity of Android as an alternative application development platform to Apple's highly successful iPhone , the Android OS is not part of Nokia's roadmap, according to the new appointee.
"Symbian and MeeGo are the best software for our smartest devices. As such, we have no plans to use any other software. Despite rumors to the contrary, there are no plans to introduce an Android device from Nokia," he wrote.
Wireless Modem Deal Another Sign of Nokia's Urgency
Only days after Vanjoki's post, Nokia raised $200 million by selling off its wireless modem business to Japanese semiconductor manufacturer Renesas. The deal with Renesas calls for 1,100 Nokia R&D staffers to be transferred to Renesas, in addition to an undisclosed number of patents around wireless modem technology.

This deal hardly represents the first time that Nokia has switched gears over the years. Originally established in 1865 as a paper mill, Nokiia has also played in myriad other industries, including cable, rubber, TVs, aluminum, and even footwear. Yet the selloff of Nokia's wireless modem arm seems to be another sign of the urgency of Nokia's intentions around catching up in smartphones.
Nokia Strives To Do Better in the U.S.
Although Nokia continues to dominate the world cell phone market, the Finnish company has kept lagging farther behind in the U.S. In one recent survey, for example, comScore ranked mobile phones based on their share of usage by current mobile subscribers aged 13 and over. For the three-month period ending April 30 of this year, Nokia fell 1 percentage point from January of this year to an 8.1% U.S. share, behind Samsung at 22.1%, LG at 21.8%, Motorola at 21.6%, and Research in Motion (RIM) at 8.4%.
Some analysts place the blame on Nokia's long-time refusal to go along with the desire of U.S. carriers for control over how cell phones look and behave. Nokia lost out before, for example, by clinging to a candy-bar-style form factor when U.S. consumers and phone companies started to prefer flip phones. Also, most Nokia phones have been designed to operate on the global standard, GSM, instead of the dominant U.S. standard, CDMA.
In recent years, Nokia has been singing a somewhat different tune, opening and maintaining offices in the U.S. to be close to the offices of AT&T Mobility and Verizon Wireless. AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile USA have all been selling Nokia feature phones.
New Nokia Smartphones
Yet Nokia has had little success bringing its best smartphones to U.S. carriers. Among the few exceptions to this are the Nokia E73 Mode recently released by T-Mobile and the Nokia E71x from AT&T.
These models include an HTML Web browser; GPS turn-by-turn voice navigation; e-mail and messaging; video sharing; and downloadable tools, games, and other apps.
For the most part, though, U.S customers interested in Nokia's smartphones had to buy them directly from Nokia, either at a Nokia retail store or over the Web, at unsubsidized pricing that might amount to $500 to $600.
In his blog post, Nokia's Vanjoki said that Nokia plans to release the Nokia N8, the first Nokia smartphone based on the Symbian 3 OS, over the coming months. "We also plan to deliver our first MeeGo device this year," he noted. Vanjoki did not say if or when these new smartphones will be offered through U.S. wireless carriers.

http://adf.ly/3tWk

Clear adds Mac-friendly 4G/3G modem, 4G routers

Clear today swung attention back to its 4G networking hardware with a particular focus on Macs. The Sierra Wireless-made 4G+ Mobile USB is its first dual 3G and 4G modem to support Macs and gives them an EVDO data connection fallback when 4G coverage is poor or non-existent. It should work with Mac OS X Leopard or later and will cost either $115 outright or $6 a month for a lease.

Routers now include two new options. The Spot 4G is a basic 4G-only mobile router for those that don't plan to leave Clear's coverage, sharing its WiMAX with up to eight other devices over W-Fi. The Spot 4G+ is a rebranding of Sprint's Overdrive with a 3G option and up to five devices sharing the network.

Both are OS-independent and carry different prices to reflect their expanded functions: the Spot 4G costs just $100 up front or $5 on a lease, while the Spot 4G+ costs $225 immediately or $6 per month.

Rates for access depend on how the device will be used and whether it supports 3G. The Spot 4G is the least expensive to use at $45 per month for an on-the-go connection or $65 per month to add home use, while the 3G-capable hardware raises these subscriptions to $61 and $81.

4G+ Mobile USB



Spot 4G



Spot 4G+

Signs of WiMAX Showing Up On Evos in New York, San Francisco, and LA

Evo owners in New York, San Francisco, and LA are reportedly starting to see some 4G action on their devices. It's just a trickle for now, but hopefully it means Sprint's preparing to turn on the WiMax faucet soon. [Engadget]

Sprint Won't Sell the Nexus One

First, Verizon changed their mind about the Google Phone after releasing the similar HTC Incredible. Now Sprint, weeks before the release of the Evo 4G, has done the same. And with that, the CDMA Nexus One is all but dead.

When Sprint's Michelle Leff Mermelstein told us that the company wouldn't be selling the Nexus One because of the "upcoming availability of the award-winning Evo 4G," it didn't change much for your average user. The Evo, like the Incredible, looks at least as enticing as the Nexus One, and even shares a lot of the same hardware. Where it diverges, Sprint says it's a "more robust, full-featured device," which, well, it is.

But what about the Google Phone? It wasn't just a handset, it was an idea. It was Google.com/phone. It was a brand, sort of. We were told to wait for other carriers to jump on board, and that's what a lot of us did. And now it seems that the Google Phone, only sold on contract with one major carrier, its launch partner T-Mobile, has suffered the same fate as so many of its fellow handsets: It has become just another Android phone.

Rumor: HTC EVO 4G To Cost $200 On Contract, On Sale June 6th

June 6th has been pointed at again for Sprint's HTC EVO 4G launch, with a crafty customer at RadioShack grabbing some fliers from a branch and being told of the contract prices. $600 out of contract? Steep, but worth it.

According to the PreCentral forum poster, bnceo, who was told of the contract prices, RadioShack is planning a month-long promotion for the phone, which will be the first WiMax/4G phone Sprint will offer. [PreCentral via AndroidCentral]

So There's a Sprint WiMax iPad... Case

Presented without comment: Sprint's 4G Case for iPad, with room for its WiMax Overdrive box. [Sprint via iLounge]

Franklin Wireless intros U600 WiMAX modem, R526 and R536 mobile routers

Franklin Wireless supplies modems (primarily of the CDMA variety) to a number of carriers across the Western Hemisphere, and they've introduced a handful of rather interesting new products in that vein here at CTIA this week. First up, the U600 is an EV-DO Rev. A / WiMAX hybrid USB modem with a 270-degree swiveling USB connector for those ridiculously hard-to-manage ports (ahem, Apple), integrated GPS, and zero-CD installation -- all pretty standard features these days, and we saw a Sprint-branded unit at Franklin's booth which leads us to believe we'll be seeing it at retail shortly.

Much more interesting, though, was a pair of pocketable WiFi routers -- the R526 and R536 -- that support EV-DO and EV-DO / WiMAX, respectively. Most of the units were unbranded, but we did spy an R536 done up in snow white with a Clear logo slapped up top, so you can pretty much gather that this thing will be filling a glaring hole in Clear's lineup (right now, the best you can do is a USB modem plus the Clear Spot, which is basically a branded Cradlepoint). What intrigued us about the R536 the most was the fact that it's got the functionality of an Overdrive packed into a smaller, more MiFi-esque form factor without any of the Overdrive's bells and whistles, so it'll be a great alternative as long as it performs well and has enough juice to last a couple hours off the power grid; the 3G-only R526, meanwhile, had an Ethernet jack stuck on the side, which is kind of cool in the rare event that you need to connect a WiFi-less device and you don't want to go through the hassle of installing a new driver. The R526 launches in April (with what carrier, we're not sure) -- as does the U600 -- while the R536 should start to trickle out in May.

New Sprint ad shows iPhone using WiMAX

Your existing iPhone (yeah, even the original) can surf the information superhighway at 4G speeds. Today. Who knew, right? Sprint's Overdrive -- which creates a WiFi hotspot that enables nearby devices to cruise on Clear's 4G (or 3G, if you're not in a 4G locale) network -- can theoretically enable any WiFi-capable phone to surf on WiMAX, but Sprint's taking a pretty bold approach by actually touting the feature in a new spot. Befuddled? Hop on past the break and mash play. Too bad this is about as close the iPhone will ever get to Sprint's shelves...

WiMAX-enabled HTC Supersonic rumored to debut on Sprint at CTIA

There's hardly anything here that we didn't already know, but an unveiling date of "next week" sure catches our eye. A new report over at The Wall Street Journal confirms earlier details that were fed to us over Sprint's first-ever WiMAX smartphone, and now we're learning that the HTC Supersonic will be officially revealed to the world at CTIA next week. We've heard before that the carrier anticipates selling a 4G phone "this summer," but you can bet we'll be digging for a hard ship date and price tag when we hit the scene in Las Vegas in just five short days.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Wall Street Journal

Our 2010 12-City 3G Data Mega Test: AT&T Won

Given carrier reputation and our own iPhone call drops, we were pretty surprised to discover, through careful testing in 12 markets, that AT&T's has pretty consistently the fastest 3G network nationwide, followed closely—in downloads at least—by Verizon Wireless.

Let's get this straight right away: We didn't test dropped voice calls, we didn't test customer service, and we didn't test map coverage by wandering around in the boonies. We tested the ability of the networks to deliver 3G data in and around cities, including both concrete canyons and picket-fenced 'burbs. And while every 3G network gave us troubles on occasion, AT&T's wasn't measurably more or less reliable than Verizon's.

It was measurably faster, however, download-wise, in 6 of the 12 markets where we tested, and held a significantly higher national average than the other carriers. Only Verizon came close, winning 4 of the 12 markets. For downloads, AT&T and Verizon came in first or second in nine markets, and in whatever location we tested, both AT&T and Verizon 3G were consistently present. If you're wondering about upload speeds, AT&T swept the contest, winning 12 for 12.

The Cities

Last year, we did an 8-city coast-to-coast test, and called Sprint the big winner. This year, we have results from 11 cities coast-to-coast, and even got to test (during what was otherwise vacation time) on the Hawaiian island of Maui. Also, unlike last year, we were able to test T-Mobile's new 3G network, active in all the markets we visited (except, at the time, Maui). For being such a latecomer, T-Mo did well, and the numbers show even more promise from them.

We tried to spread the love around this year, geographically, hitting cities we didn't get to last year (at the cost of losing a few from '08). Besides Maui, we hit Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, Portland, Seattle, San Francisco/Bay Area and Tampa.

The Methodology

Our testing regimen was based on the same scheme as last year: We picked five locations in each city, including at least one "downtown" location that was considered a suburb. The selections were arbitrary, or fixed but logical—landmarks, residences, etc. (Note: Due to timing constraints, Chicago and Maui only had three test locations.)

Our hardware consisted of two identical stripped-down Acer Timeline laptops running Windows Vista, and four 3G wireless modems requested from the carriers. We allowed them to make the choice of hardware, simply asking for their "best performing" model. Once up and running, here are the tests we ran:

• Bandwidth & Latency: Speedtest.net - Reports upload and download bandwidth in megabits per second, as well as ping latency in milliseconds. We performed this test five times at each location on each modem.

• Pageload: Hubble images at Wikimedia - A 4.42MB web page with 200 4KB thumbnails, it was fully reloaded three times, and timed using the Firefox plug-in YSlow. The three time readings were averaged.

• Download: Wikimedia's Abell 2667 galaxy cluster photo - This single 7.48MB JPEG is a clear test of how fast you can download stuff from the cloud, and again, we hard refreshed this file three times, and measured time using YSlow for an accurate human-error-free reading.

This was a test of 3G performance. Even though Sprint and its tech partner Clearwire have intrepidly released 4G networks in half of the tested markets—Atlanta, Chicago, Las Vegas, Maui, Portland and Seattle—we only tested Sprint's 3G network. The reason should be obvious: While we performed the test with laptop cards on PCs, it's supposed to serve as a test of the network's ability to deliver service to all devices, including smartphones, dumbphones and laptops. Show us a Palm Pre WiMax edition—better yet, sell 100,000 of them—and then we'll switch it up. And while you may argue that this 3G test still doesn't adequately reflect your experience with your iPhone, at least it's the same network, and may serve to rule out AT&T's data pipe as the independent cause for all those infamous dropped calls.

(On a side note, when multiple carriers release 4G networks, we'll definitely conduct a comparative test of them all, using new parameters, and focused around laptop use.)

The Results

Now that you know how we ran the test, here are the top finishers in each market, plus some pretty bar graphs showing you how bandwidth compares.

Though we tested for uploads and downloads, we focused our additional tests on the downstream, as it's the more important direction, in the minds of most consumers and most carriers. The anomaly there is AT&T, which has dramatically good upload bandwidth, even when its download bandwidth doesn't keep up. Fast uploads are a priority for AT&T, and will soon be for T-Mobile, which recently turned on faster uploading in NYC, which you can see in our test results. Meanwhile, although Verizon technically came in second in uploads as well as downloads, it doesn't seem to treat this as a major priority.

When it came to downloads, though, the competition was markedly stiffer:

Atlanta - AT&T, followed by Verizon
Bay Area/San Francisco - AT&T, followed by Verizon
Chicago - AT&T, followed by Verizon then Sprint
Denver - AT&T, followed by Verizon
Las Vegas - Verizon, followed by AT&T
Los Angeles - AT&T, followed by Sprint
Maui - Verizon, followed by AT&T
New York - AT&T, followed by T-Mobile
Phoenix - Verizon, followed by T-Mobile
Portland - T-Mobile, followed by Verizon
Seattle - Verizon, followed by T-Mobile
Tampa - Sprint, followed by AT&T

Is That The End?

No. We've compiled the following gallery with all the data from each test location in the 12 markets, so you can see on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood level who won what. This also includes latency, pageload and download numbers, so you can track the performance in several ways. (The data above is bandwidth, though as you'll see, that was generally representative of the overall performance. If a carrier was tops in bandwidth, it was usually tops in download time.) These tests are all just "snapshots in time," as the carriers like to say, so feel free to bitch about where your experience doesn't reflect our results. We stand by them, but acknowledge that network performance is changing all the time, and experiences very regular hiccups.

Regarding latency, you'll notice it didn't appear to affect actual user experience—3G isn't really up for Modern Warfare 2, if that's what you're thinking—we will gladly show you latency averages, as well as pageload and file download averages, broken out for every market on the test.

Special thanks to all of the excellent testers we enlisted, Mark Wilson, Chris Mascari, John Herrman, Kyle VanHemert, Dan Nosowitz, Matt Buchanan and Rosa Golijan from our own team, along with Tamara Chadima and the indefatigable Dennis Tarwood. You guys were troopers, and I'm pretty sure FedEx either loves you or hates you. Thanks to John Mahoney for helping develop the initial tests that we've continually refined, to Chris Jacob for mapping all the locations, and to Don Nguyen for the mad number crunching—you truly are a spreadsheet pimp.

Note: Some of you may have noticed that San Diego is among the cities highlighted on the top illustration—and that Maui is not. The reason is that while we did testing in three great San Diego locations, one of the locations didn't get any Sprint or T-Mobile service, and the already fairly thin dataset was rendered too compromised for any kind of usable report. As for Maui's absence, Maui's just too far out in the Pacific to make for a pretty map shot.