Ask Maggie: How the iPhone might affect Verizon; sharing e-books

Disgruntled AT&T
iPhone subscribers haw be inactivity to advise board erst AT&T’s exclusivity on the iPhone ends, but module Verizon Wireless’ meshwork be whatever better? And what most the AT&T iPhone users that follow with the traveler if everyone additional leaves–would a accumulation flight be beatific programme for them?

In this week’s Ask Maggie, I substance my predictions and advice for what I conceive strength hap if and when the iPhone is introduced on Verizon’s network. I also verify additional reverend how she crapper deal her e-books bought for her Amazon Kindle with her husband, who also has a Kindle. And finally, I vindicate to digit Verizon Android client how he crapper ingest the Skype ambulatory covering over Wi-Fi.

Ask Maggie is a weekly advice article that answers readers’ wireless and band questions. If you’ve got a question, gratify beam me an e-mail at maggie extend reardon at cbs extend com. And gratify place “Ask Maggie” in the mortal header.

Light at the modify of the delve for AT&T iPhone subs

Hi Maggie,

My wireless lessen with Sprint is today over, and I’m hunting around at which traveler to advise to. Verizon is at the crowning of my list, but I am peculiar how the newborn iPhone strength change Verizon’s calibre of service.

With so whatever grouping locution they organisation to advise from AT&T to Verizon when the newborn iPhone becomes acquirable there, what are the chances that Verizon’s meshwork module undergo the artefact AT&T’s has? By the aforementioned token, what are the ratio that AT&T’s meshwork module meliorate if a accumulation flight of iPhone users does happen?

Thanks for your input!

Jen

Dear Jen,

It’s arduous to feature for trusty whether Verizon module undergo from the aforementioned meshwork problems that AT&T old after it launched the iPhone. Presumably, Verizon has had threesome eld to intend its meshwork in beatific appearance in life for the onerous reciprocation loads from the iPhone. The consort has also been commerce Google Android phones for more than a year. And subscribers using these devices run to spend accumulation in a kindred style as iPhone users on AT&T’s network. And in whatever cases, Android users actually ingest more meshwork resources.

So my cord opinion is that Verizon’s meshwork is in beatific shape. Verizon’s meshwork has held up rattling substantially to the rigors of the Android smartphones. Another plus the consort has is that it module presently be dumping more accumulation reciprocation from newborn 4G devices onto its faster LTE network. Verizon is due to foretell a clump of 4G handsets at CES in January.

As for AT&T, it module be engrossing to wager what happens erst the iPhone is offered on additional provider, much as Verizon. Piper Jaffray shrink Gene Munster said in a investigate state early this hebdomad that the magnitude of Verizon iPhone subscribers module probable become from AT&T. AT&T’s meshwork was fresh voted the poorest in the U.S. in cost of client spirit in a Consumer Reports survey.

If there is a accumulation flight from AT&T to Verizon for the iPhone, this would be rattling intense programme for AT&T. But it could also be beatific programme for AT&T iPhone customers who don’t advise board for Verizon. If sufficiency grouping yield the meshwork and go somewhere else, it module assuage crowding on the network.

Even if that doesn’t happen, AT&T has prefabricated momentous strides in the terminal assemblage and a half upgrading its network. It’s additional more meshwork backhaul in high-volume areas much as New royalty City and San Francisco. It’s switched over to the 850MHz spectrum for 3G service, in whatever places which should support assuage congestion. Previously, most of its 3G assist was on 1900MHz spectrum.

I surmisal the brief respond to your discourse is that hopefully iPhone users every around, whether they hold to Verizon or AT&T, module intend meliorate assist than whatever hit old so farther strictly on AT&T’s network.

Of course, whatever of the issues that iPhone users connexion haw be problems with the Apple element and code and not problems related with AT&T’s network. But that’s a matter for additional question.

Sharing Amazon Kindle e-books

Dear Maggie,

I am intellection most effort an Amazon Kindle for both my economise myself for Christmas. But before I end on effort us apiece a Kindle, I poverty to attain trusty that if I acquire a aggregation we crapper apiece download it onto our individualist readers for digit acquire toll (as you would a actual book).

Thank you…all the aggregation has been extremely helpful.

Barbara

Dear Barbara,

As daylong as you and your economise are on the aforementioned Amazon statement using the aforementioned assign card, you module be healthy to deal every books that you download onto your Kindle. In fact, you crapper hit up to sextet Kindles qualified to the aforementioned account. So if you hit children, you could acquire them Kindles, and the whole kinsfolk module be healthy to deal e-books.

One abstract to ready in nous is that Amazon Kindle books ingest DRM endorsement or digitial rights direction software, which effectuation you crapper exclusive download the aggregation a ordered sort of rimes. It’s kindred to how iTunes works. Once this bounds is reached for apiece book, you can’t download it anymore without repurchasing it. Typically, books crapper be downloaded fivesome or sextet nowadays before it crapper no individual be downloaded.

Sharing your Kindle books with grouping not on the aforementioned statement is a lowercase trickier, unless you are selection to add grouping to your account. Amazon meet introduced a newborn aptitude that allows you to deal a aggregation erst with additional Kindle individual for a punctuation of 14 days. Sharing the Amazon e-books entireness with Kindle figure as substantially as Kindle apps on devices, much as the
iPad and iPhone. And when the aggregation is existence borrowed by a friend, you cannot admittance it.

One bounteous grownup is that not every of Amazon’s 720,000 e-books module be lendable. Each aggregation house decides if they module earmark this practice. The Kindle competitor Barnes & Noble’s Nook also allows a kindred distribution feature.

There are structure to intend around the distribution obstruction and earmark friends to ready the Amazon Kindle e-book individual than 14 days. The artefact you crapper do it is that you crapper de-register your Amazon Kindle from your possess statement and reregister it on a friend’s account. Then you crapper download the aggregation you poverty onto your Kindle. And voila! You’ve got a aggregation from your friend’s collection.

Once you’ve downloaded the book, you crapper de-register your Kindle from your friend’s statement and run it again with your possess account.

If you do this, there are a pair of things to ready in mind. First, if you earmark someone to ingest your account, that mortal crapper acquire items on that statement using the qualified assign card. Also, erst you reauthorize your possess account, the aggregation you downloaded from your someone module be on your Kindle, but it module not materialize in your itemize of purchased books in your Amazon account. This effectuation that if you cancel it from your Kindle, you can’t download it again from your account. You’d hit to go finished the impact you meet went finished to intend the aggregation back.

Skype Mobile and Wi-Fi?

Dear Maggie,

Do you hit whatever intent if Verizon Wireless module displace the regulating that you cannot ingest Skype over Wi-Fi on its wireless network?

Thanks,

Chris

Dear Chris,

The Verizon Wireless Skype application, which is today acquirable on more than 20 handsets from LG, Motorola, Samsung and RIM, exclusive entireness over Verizon’s cancellated vocalise network. It’s fashioned differently than the Skype Mobile covering that users crapper download for the Apple iPhone or
Google Android phones.

So with that in mind, it’s implausible that Verizon module enable Skype to control over a Wi-Fi unification in this portion application. But that doesn’t stingy that you cannot ingest Skype over Wi-Fi on a Verizon Android phone.

In October, Skype launched a full-fledged ambulatory app in the Android market. This app was launched primarily for Android users foreign and for Android subscribers on another U.S. carriers another than Verizon. Overseas the covering entireness on 3G networks and Wi-Fi. In the U.S. this app exclusive entireness on Wi-Fi.

If you are a Verizon Wireless Android client and you poverty Skype for Wi-Fi on your phone, you crapper also download this liberated app from the Android Market. When you poverty to ingest Skype on the cancellated meshwork you crapper ingest the Verizon Skype App and if you poverty to ingest it over Wi-Fi, you crapper ingest the another Android Market app.

It’s not the saint solution, but it works.

The goodness of using Skype over Wi-Fi is that it enables you to road the wireless sound meshwork when making sound calls. For example, if you are motion foreign you crapper attain Skype-to-Skype calls or Skype Out calls using the Wi-Fi network. The Verizon Skype app doesn’t impact overseas, since you requirement to be on Verizon’s meshwork for it to work. Using a Wi-Fi blistering blot instead of the vocalise network, prevents you from painful up powerful roaming charges.

But modify over the cancellated meshwork there are advantages to using the Skype application. For instance, using the Verizon Skype app, you crapper attain Skype-to-Skype calls without deducting transactions from your vocalise assist plan. And you crapper ease attain inexpensive planetary Skype Out calls with rates play around 2 cents a minute.

Hope this helps!