Items tagged with data usage
Anyone who has carried a smartphone of any stripe has come up against the question at some point: Do I shell out for the pay-for version of [insert whatever app name applies to you here, friend reader], or should I keep my money by installing the advertising-sponsored version instead and suffer a few (or more than a few) tap-through ads? Typically, the decision taken comes down to a few distinct factors...the nature of the app, the amount of use it is likely to get, or — in some rare cases — the price of the pay-for version. A new study published this week, though, reveals that the so-called "Free" versions of those apps come with some very real costs, those being your phone's battery life, CPU,...
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Last Friday, AT&T gave notice that it would henceforth take steps to block unauthorized tethering. For those who aren't familiar with the term, "tethering" is the practice of using a cell phone's data link to provide wireless service to a desktop or laptop. Now, Verizon is evidently following suit. Customers who have previously had no trouble using tethering on jailbroken devices are reportedly being redirected to Verizon's advertising page for tethered data plans. AT&T and Verizon have both justified their moves by noting that they don't prevent customers from tethering--they simply charge for the privilege. Verizon, however, has come under particular scrutiny thanks to a clause in the...
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Earlier, we told you about the possibility that Verizon Wireless could soon impose data caps on its users. Now, some news about the recently launched Droid X smartphone from Motorola could help explain why these caps could be coming. You see, Jennifer Byrne, a business development executive director at Verizon Wireless, recently revealed early data usage from Droid X owners shows they use five times the amount of data than other smartphone owners. More specifically, Byrne said, "On Droid X, we’re seeing something like 5x the data usage of any other device." Clearly, users are taking advantage of the large, 4.3-inch screen and using it to its fullest capacity to view YouTube videos, surf...
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