LTE or 4G is being rolled out this January by Verizon.  LTE is built on the 700MHz band that was purchased a few years ago by Verizon and AT&T.  The promised speeds can be up to 5 – 12 Mbps.  This is different from Sprint’s 4G service which is WiMax and it is not based on the 700MHz radio band.

There are several articles on Verizon’s 4G network and the Verizon iPhone.  What I think we will see is an iPhone 4[X], or 4G, that is the same device with the 700MHz chip set.  That way there will be a phone that covers the new services being rolled out by Verizon and AT&T in 2011.  It makes sense that even if Verizon is rolling out the new service in January that Apple would wait until the summer before delivering the new device; that way Apple will cover 2 networks at once.  I believe there will be an announcement in January and the phone in late June.  Apple likes to plan things out and deliver their products with panache.

iron wil

Update, 2010.08.16

Adam from MacCast also supports my beliefs on the full 700MHz spectrum iPhone 4.  It was also discussed on TWIT.tv on TWiT #260 and TNT #49.  Some of the panelists feel the same way, others share their points of view.

The small wireless carriers are prohibited from getting the better devices because the mobile providers lock the manufacturer into contracts that prevent them from selling to everyone.  Verizon and AT&T said that they would open their services so that customers would be able to bring the device they wanted to their network or move to another.  However, we are still locked into contracts and carriers because of incompatible hardware and exclusivity contracts.

Despite the promises, we currently don’t see a change on the horizon.

In the other article the small or rural carriers ask the FCC to intervene and disrupt the exclusivity contracts.  These issues affect all those that want to take their iPhone to Verizon or another carrier.  This has a larger implementation that just the little guys that want to bring the latest bling to their networks.

The next change in hardware and services should, I hope, see the creation of a 700MHz chipset that will allow the owner of the hardware to migrate to the best provider for the area they live in.  I believe, eventually, that the carriers will become like the internet providers today and who you have won’t matter as much as the quality of service and the device you have.

Who wouldn’t like to have the iPhone in Alaska or Vermont?

iron wil

1. ‘Available networks’ tool on taskbar — already present in OS X, works great! It was called Internet Connect, but now is just part of the Network pane in System Preferences.
2. Fewer annoying pop-ups — true we get a bouncing dock icon if you want it; but pop-ups aren’t standard.
3. HomeGroup — oh yeah, I think we call that Bonjour.
4. Device Stage — sounds like more work, OS X launches the program and gets ready to work.
5. BitLocker support for removable storage — Now, for businesses, this has promise.  Home users get nothing from what I understand.  There is FileVault; however if you want whole drive encryption, you can get tools like TrueCrypt.
6. Speedier boot-up — yeah, that is working . . . my MacBook was still faster booting OS X than it was booting Windows 7.
7. Libraries — copycat?  Yeah, *Nix systems have been using this model for some time now.
8. User Account Control is less in-your-face — about time!!!
9. Multi-touch — okay, this is only available on the iPhone, iPod Touch, and ModBooks; we are still waiting for Apple to release a NetBook or Tablet PC that will blow our socks off.
10. It’s not Windows Vista — yeah, we never thought we would see something more busted up than Windows ME; but that has come & now they are ‘getting it right’.

Commentary added.

iron wil

Are your downloads getting filtered and kicked?

iron wil

• Open redirect vulnerabilities: definition and prevention
• The future of security is information-centric
• Securing the enterprise data flow against advanced attacks
• Bypassing and enhancing live behavioral protection
• Security flaws identification and technical risk analysis through threat modeling
• Migration from e-mail to web borne threats
• Security training and awareness: strengthening your weakest link
• Assessing risk in VoIP/UC networks
• Building a secure wireless network for under $300
• Reverse engineering software armoring
• Point security solutions are not a 4 letter word
• Corporate due diligence in India: an ICT perspective
• Hacking Second Life
• AND MORE!

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iron wil

• Security policy considerations for virtual worlds
• US political elections and cybercrime
• Using packet analysis for network troubleshooting
• The effectiveness of industry certifications
• Is your data safe? Secure your web apps
• RSA Conference 2008 / Black Hat 2008 Europe
• Windows log forensics: did you cover your tracks?
• Traditional vs. non-traditional database auditing
• Payment card data: know your defense options
• Security risks for mobile computing on public WLANs: hotspot registration
• Network event analysis with Net/FSE
• Producing secure software with security enhanced software development processes

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iron wil