It seems as if AT&T is gearing up to launch their HSPA 7.2 in the Dallas area, making good on their promise of having it rolled out in 6 major cities 1 major city in the US. (If anyone in Charlotte, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, or Miami is seeing signs of the boost yet, let us know).

This is indeed the right time for AT&T to give their network a boost, especially with image the latest Verizon “map for that” commercials portray.

With these upgrades, you should have a better wireless experience with more capacity on our network and improved coverage inside your home and other buildings throughout the DFW area. Look for improved coverage in area communities like Allen, Arlington, Carrollton, Colleyville, Dallas, Denton, Ft. Worth, Frisco, Garland, Grapevine, Grand Prairie, Irving, Keller, Mesquite, McKinney, Lewisville, Plano, Richardson, Rockwall, Southlake and more. We updated nearly 1,000 cell sites in these areas! The fastest gets faster! AT&T has the fastest network in Dallas/Ft. Worth* and we’re excited to announce that Dallas will be among the first 6 major U.S. cities in which AT&T plans to upgrade its existing 3G technology to HSPA 7.2.** This new upgrade will provide considerably faster mobile broadband speeds, and we plan to make it available by the end of the year.

AT&T claims to have spent 50 million to improve their 850 mhz network in Dallas alone. That should mean pristine service for those enough luck enough to be a resident of the Dallas area. At least you that’s what one would hope…

[Thanks to David for the tip!]

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AT&T Ready to Rollout HSPA 7.2 in Dallas

TiPb, among others, has been hearing rumors for months now that Bell and Telus’ new GSM-based HSPA+ network would be up and running by November, and that the iPhone would follow along immediately there after. Nice to see some confirmation via Canadian stalwart, the Globe and Mail, however:

Bell announced Monday that it will launch national service in November on the $1-billion next-generation wireless network it has been building with Telus, months ahead of schedule. The project extends the two companies’ existing third-generation (3G) networks to include the same technology standard employed by Rogers, the nation’s largest cellphone company.

No comments from any of the carriers or Apple, of course, and it remains to be seen what if any downward pressure competition in Canada — like in the UK — would put on iPhone pricing for consumers.

Our question: Bell and Telus will have HSPA+ but no EDGE (to our knowledge), so if an iPhone on Bell or Telus couldn’t get a 3G signal, what exactly would it fall back on? EVDO/CDMA is not an option…

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Bell and Telus to Launch the iPhone in Canada Next Month?

Welcome to iPhone Analysts vs. the Magic 8-Ball, where we take the often outlandish, sometime surreal predictions of iPhone analysts and pundits, blogeratti and the ‘net elite, and compare them to the potentially equally precise prognostications of a… magic 8-ball (running on an iPhone, of course!)

Mike Abramsky, seasoned veteran of of RBC weighs in on an iPhone 3G “Pro” with the following specs, and the Magic 8-Ball chimes in with its pedictions in italics:

• iPhone 3G “Pro” nickname. As I see it, yes
• Retail price to stay the same $199/$299. My reply is no
• Wireless UMTS/HSUPA, Wifi, Bluetooth. My reply is no
  (Note: our understanding is that HSUPA is to uplink what HSPDA is to downlink, and someone’s mixing up their UMTS technologies there and really means a 3.5G system)
• 3.2MP camera with flash and video recording. Don’t count on it.
• 16GB/32GB storage. Most likely
• 0.1″ thinner. Yes
• AT&T to get it before the rest of the world. Most likely.
• Growth will not accelerate. Don’t count on it.

Okay, so both of their predictions seem a little hinkey to us, but what do we know? Bring on WWDC 2009, and until then, thanks everyone for playing Analyst vs. Magic 8-Ball and be sure to leave your predictions, and your thoughts on their predictions, in the comments!

[Via Apple Insider. Thanks to Jimmie for the tip!]

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iPhone 3G “Pro”: RBC Analyst vs. Magic 8-Ball

This is it. We’re in the home stretch. Bottom of the 9th, basebands loaded with 3G, and Steve Jobs is at bat. In 7 days we find out if Apple scores a home run, the two-peat for smartphone (even gadget) of the year, or if they strike out with their mostly evolutionary, not so much revolutionary, next generation handset.

What’s the difference? The big one — at least this time around — is in the name. 3G, which stands for 3rd generation, but not for the device itself — for the 3rd generation cellular technology that powers it.

Read on after the break to find out just why 3G will make a big difference to you!

The original iPhone is limited to 2.5G/2.75G mobile data technology, better known as EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution), which is analogous to a dial-up internet: SLOW. Even with their “fine edge” boost in anticipation of the original iPhone, AT&T’s speeds topped out at a crawl. Another drawback is that EDGE did not allow for simultaneous voice and data connections. You couldn’t talk on the phone and surf the web over EDGE at the same time. And while theoretically your iPhone should have elegantly quit surfing, for example, to take a call, all too often it would simply dump incoming calls to voice mail rather than switch.

The iPhone 3G, thanks to its In uses the 3G HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) technology, both HSPDA (Downlink) and HSPUA (Uplink), which is much closer to low-end broadband DSL speeds. While not yet as common or widespread as EDGE, AT&T (and other carriers around the world, especially in more advanced and populated areas like Europe) are rapidly building out their networks, and these speeds are, well… like a power walk. (We’ll have to wait for 4G LTE in several years before we can get our run on). And the bonus? HSPA can handle simultaneous voice and data. So with the iPhone 3G, you can chat with your friend, hit up a webpage for an image, save it to your camera roll, and then mail it to the same friend before you even finish talking. That’s next generation!

The drawback to 3G? It consumes more battery life. Using 3G, your iPhone is rated at only 5 hours talk time. Switch it off and degrade back to 2G and you get double — 10 hours.

Not everyone will have a choice, of course. Many areas in North America don’t have 3G coverage yet, but if yours does, and you value multi-tasking communications, the iPhone and its 3G power will definitely appeal to you.

I know I want it. What about you?

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iPhone 3G: 6 Days and Counting Down to Faster 3G Speed!