Last night, T-Mobile and Samsung pushed out the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update to the Samsung Galaxy S2. Aside from bringing in all the new features of Android 4.0, it also turns it into a fully IPv6 capable device.
With the Android 4.0 update, the Galaxy S2 from T-Mobile becomes the first branded phone to support T-Mobile’s new IPv6 network for HSPA+ (and eventually LTE). While the unlocked Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus from Samsung both offer IPv6 support with Android 4.0, they are not officially T-Mobile devices (though the company does offer some support for them).
If you have a Samsung Galaxy S2 from T-Mobile and are running it on T-Mobile’s network, you can easily turn it on. By going into Settings, tap “More…” under the Wireless and Network category, tap “Mobile networks,” then “Access Point Names,” then tap on the item for T-Mobile’s network. It should be called “T-Mobile US.” This will bring up a list of options to configure the APN. Scroll down until you see “APN protocol” and tap that. Select “IPv6.” Press the menu key and tap “Save.” After that, restart the phone and you should have IPv6 access on the cellular data network.
To switch back to IPv4, just repeat the process above and select “IPv4” instead of “IPv6.”
Note that if you use this phone with AT&T and try to configure an AT&T APN for IPv6, it will not work. AT&T has not deployed IPv6 for subscribers to use on the mobile network.
Detailed instructions with screenshots are available and more information about the IPv6 network is available at the IPv6 user trial website.
Read more about last week’s World IPv6 Launch Day and the impending IPocalypse, and how The Pirate Bay is dodging the feds with IPv6
T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note waiting in the wings: Update - Phones Review
Since it was released late last year the Samsung Galaxy Note has proven to be quite successful in terms of sales, and while it may not quite match up with the figures for the Galaxy S2 many consumers like the handset, and today we have news of the T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note waiting in the wings ahead of a release.
The handset has recently found its way onto the AT&T LTE network in the US, and according to Pocket Now the device is getting ready to arrive onto T-Mobile as well. Previously hackers have tried to modify the handsets radio software to offer some basic T-Mobile 3G support, and later some images were leaked to show an official T-Mobile version of the Galaxy Note was being worked on.
These images revealed a Samsung model number of SHG-T879, and now a model with that number has appeared at the FCC, and the handsets certification paperwork has been published. As expected there is voice and 2G data coverage on both the 850MHz and 1900MHz bands, with 3G on 1700MHz.
There is also 3G on 1900MHz that the carrier has already started to use in some areas along with support for 3G on 850MHz, with the latter not being used by T-Mobile at the moment. The documentation also shows there is also a NFC antenna located on the battery cover as well.
While it is thought that the T879 is the Samsung Galaxy Note there is something that doesn’t quite add up in the documentation. It is showing the width of the Note to be correct but the handset should be a bit taller, around 147mm. Maybe the figure is just for an internal circuit board and not actually the handsets external dimensions.
A recently leaked T-Mobile roadmap showed that the Samsung Galaxy Note would arrive on the carrier on July 11th, and going on this paperwork this date is quite possible, and there is a good chance the handset could come with Android Ice Cream Sandwich already installed. We recently reported on rumours though that the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 could be coming as early as October. Update: TmoNews are reporting that a blue Samsung Galaxy Note demo unit is set to arrive in T-Mobile stores.
Are you waiting to get the Galaxy Note on T-Mobile?
O2 to offer free Wi-Fi in Debenhams stores for all - Phones Review
With more of us now using smartphones and tablet PCs the need for a reliable Internet connection increases, and a data connection can be expensive for some users but more companies are offering the opportunity to access a free Wi-Fi connection. Today we have news that UK carrier O2 is to offer free Wi-Fi at a number of Debenhams stores for all smartphone users.
According to an article on Mobile News all of the retailers 167 stores will be kitted out with free Wi-Fi so users can make use of the Debenhams app to improve their shopping experience. The retailer has teamed up with O2 to offer the service that will allow customers that use the app to order items for home delivery, and check sizes while in store.
The company will promote the service and its application to its customers as a way of combining online and retail shopping together. Users will be able to check stock and if an item isn’t available in the correct size they can simply scan the barcode, and arrange home delivery.
There will also be discount vouchers available within the application along with a store guide that will help customers to locate goods more easily. This news follows a trail run in three stores and the popularity of the stores app for online shopping growing. So far one million people have downloaded it, and twenty percent of the company’s online traffic is now coming via mobile devices.
Gavin Franks of O2 said the company were pleased to be adding Debenhams to their growing portfolio, and added that “this marks a continuation of our fresh thinking that has seen the rapid growth of O2 Wi-Fi”.
Simon Foster director at Debenhams said that “the shape of shopping in the future emerging right before our eyes”, and this move could transform how some people do their shopping.
Do you try and find a free Wi-Fi connection when you are out shopping?
Here she comes! Cheryl Cole announces dates for her FIRST solo UK tour - Daily Mirror
Cheryl fans may struggle to contain their excitement after it was announced the singer will embark on her first solo UK arena tour.
It's been a good week for Cheryl who wowed Wembley at the Summertime Ball and her new single Call Me Name when straight to No.1 within hours of release on iTunes, clocking up record breaking sales.
Now it has been confirmed that the Fight For This Love singer will tour the country and Ireland for the first time as a solo artist.
Cheryl will play eight shows in October, including the O2 Arena and a homecoming at the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle.
She opened as a special guest for the Black Eyed Peas European tour in 2010 and played four sold-out arena tours as part of Girls Aloud.
She's one of the most exciting performers in music and will be performing songs from previous albums 3 Words and Messy Little Raindrops, as well as new material from the much awaited A Million Lights which will be released June 18.
There will plenty of surprises in store for fans who can purchase tickets from 9am on June 15 at Live Nation.
Can't wait until October to get your Cheryl fix? Read more below.
"Cheryl Cole is losing her touch": Desperate star adds nothing to the nation and it's time she went away: Read Mirror Online's guest columnist Fleet Street Fox brutal opinion on Cheryl.
Cheryl Cole pointless and unworthy of Prince Harry? She’s the perfect modern day celebrity and would blow Kate Middleton out of the water: Sunday Mirror celebrity columnist Dean Piper bit back at the Fox with his praising verdict of Queen Chez.
CHERYL COLE TOUR
6 Oct Capital FM Arena, Nottingham
7 Oct 02, London
9 Oct Motorpoint Arena, Sheffield
11 Oct Echo Arena, Liverpool
12 Oct LG Arena, Brimingham
13 Oct Manchester Arena,
15 Oct SECC, Glasgow
17 Oct Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle
T-Mobile may be sunsetting 2G, but its M2M biz keeps growing - Gigaom.com
T-Mobile’s M2M services provider Raco Wireless announced today at the Connected World Conference that it has landed one of the biggest fish in the M2M industry, point-of-sale (POS) transaction manager Apriva Wireless, which processed $7 billion in sales last year through wireless payments terminals.
Apriva isn’t shifting all of its business to T-Mobile. But, in a carefully worded press release, Raco, T-Mobile and Apriva said that they would be replacing the terminal SIM cards of Apriva’s current carrier in areas where that carrier is shutting down its 2G network. They didn’t name that mystery provider but it’s easy to read between the lines.
AT&T is one of Apriva’s current M2M network partners, and AT&T plans to shut down its GSM network on the 1900 MHz PCS band in New York City (it’s keeping GSM up on the cellular band) devoting that spectrum to its HSPA network. That means Apriva will need to find a replacement network for its PCS-only payment terminals in the country’s biggest commercial center. T-Mobile and Raco may have won the contract by default – there aren’t any GSM alternatives besides T-Mobile in the NYC — but a win is a win.
Raco President John Horn said there would be many more wins in same vein. As carriers – again he wouldn’t name Ma Bell by name – start refarming more of their 2G spectrum for mobile broadband, they’ll be abandoning their M2M customers, who are counting on 2G networks being around for years to come, Horn said.
So why is T-Mobile any different? Of the four Tier I operators, T-Mobile has been the most aggressive when it comes to cannibalizing its 2G spectrum for mobile broadband. While its true T-Mobile is refarming its airwaves, Horn said, T-Mobile is only shutting down GSM to a point. It’s committed to keeping that remaining quarter of its 2G capacity running for the “foreseeable future,” which is more than enough to support a robust a M2M business.
“That 25 percent of its PCS spectrum will support hundreds of millions of [M2M] subscribers,” Horn said. “Not millions, not tens of millions, but hundreds of millions of connections.”
While the big ticket items like tablets and cars get all of the attention, Horn said, 90 percent of M2M devices consumer only the most miniscule amounts of data – smart meters, vehicle tracking modules, field sensors, etc. For the most part, those connected car and tablet computing platforms are moving to 3G and LTE networks, which have the capacity to support their applications, while all of that low-capacity traffic is staying on 2G.
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock user Maitree Laipitaksin
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Why Samsung really could be buying Nokia - NASDAQ
Nokia Corporation ( NOK , quote ) jumped almost 7% on Friday on heavy volume after a Reuters report that South Korea's Samsung ( SSNLF , quote ) might be making an offer for the Finnish-based communications giant.
The report had more than its share of detractors. Commented Ben Wood of CSS Insight, "This is Friday madness. I can't think of a rational reason why Samsung would want to buy Nokia at present." Even with that dour assessment of Nokia's worth to Samsung, the stock rose 14.39% last week.
There is appeal to Nokia for Samsung or another buyer that can be found in both tangible and intangible factors. The mere fact that Microsoft ( MSFT , quote ) is partnering with Nokia on a number of ventures is a bullish indicator.
Weight must also be given to Nokia's position as the second biggest seller of mobile phones in the world. Until recently, it was at the top. Who supplanted Nokia? Samsung.
Nokia has not been negligent in turning out new products, although they have been bedeviled. The Lumia 900 introduction went poorly in early April. That caused a hit to Nokia's share price.
But Nokia has pumped out a series of Lumia and S-40 mobile phones, which offer a wide variety of entry points in the global marketplace. While Samsung is now challenging Apple in the United States, Nokia is very strong in emerging markets.
Nokia's presence could assist Samsung in acquiring users who do not commit to two-year contracts, the new hot market niche. T-Mobile is very actively pursuing this business segment. Owned by Deutsche Telecom ( DTEGY , quote ), T-Mobile is pursuing these customers with pre-paid data options for the week and the month. With its emerging market strength and new low-end S-40 models, Nokia could be a formidable competitor for these customers.
The balance sheet and income statement of Nokia has some appealing financials for a buyer. The debt-to-equity ratio is under 0.50. The price-to-book ratio is 0.83 and the price-to-sales ratio is 0.26. There is $3.29 cash-per-share on the books so there is enough funds to pay for the purchase. The dividend can also be ended to buttress cash flow after an acquisition. Earnings-per-share are projected to increase by 134.80% for the next year.
Nokia sells more mobile phones than any company in the world other than Samsung, is strong in new products, has an established presence in the emerging market nations where the most growth will be in the future , is valued cheaply for both assets and sales, and has enough cash to make an acquisition very inexpensive in terms of capital outlays for the buyer.
In addition, Samsung just borrowed money very, very cheaply in a bond offering, so it has plenty of cash for an acqusition. Samsung's interest could be just a rumor, but there is some merit behind the surge in Nokia's price for the day and week.
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