Monday, March 7, 2011

Android Community

Android Community

Google Nabs more Exploits from the MarketPlace

Posted: 07 Mar 2011 11:15 AM PST

The latest battle in the war against malicious apps is joined as Google has reported via it’s mobile blog that a number of new Android Apps repackaged with malware have been removed. In addition to wiping the apps from the Marketplace, Google is in the process of removing the malicious applications via remote from affected handsets. They’ve also banned the suspect publishers and are calling in the long arm of the law. According to Google, the malicious applications are taking advantage of a known vulnerability in Android versions 2.1 and below, so users with handsets running Android 2.2 (Froyo) and above aren’t affected.


What are the hackers after? Well, it seems that for affected devices, the only information they could possibly glean is IMEI/MSI codes used to identify specific devices and the specific version of Android each phone is running. However, Google says that given the nature of the attacks, other data could eventually be accessed, which is what prompted the scorched earth policy.

The remote application removal feature is one of the security controls that the Android team has put in place to eradicate the suspect exploits out in the wild. Google is currently pushing security updates to all phones affected. Users of Android 2.1 (Eclair) and below will be getting an email from android-market-support@google.com by mid week advising of the installation of "Android Market Security Tool March 2011." The update will be automatic and no users action needs to be taken. Once the security tool is in place, it should remove any suspect applications within 24 hours.

For more details, head on over to the Android Market Help Center.

[via Google Mobile Blog]

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Samsung Galaxy S 4G unlocked at XDA

Posted: 07 Mar 2011 10:09 AM PST

With the results of JD Power’s customer satisfaction survey being most unkind for T-Mobile, Samsung Galaxy S 4G fans may want to try and bring their phone elsewhere. Thanks to XDA developer SanFranX415, users can. All they need is root access, a hex editor, and plenty of patience to find the unlock code buried deep in the Android OS. There’s a thread here that will walk users through the process, but it’s always important to remember that having to root a phone may cause your warranty to be voided.

The Samsung Galaxy S 4G is available for $150 with a two year contract from T-Mobile. It’s got a Super AMOLED screen, and runs Android 2.2 (Froyo) under Samsung’s TouchWiz. It’s 5MP camera can also shoot 720p HD video. Check out our hands on here.

[via XDA Developers]

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Honeycomb music player syncs to the Cloud

Posted: 07 Mar 2011 09:09 AM PST

Last December, before anyone else know about it, we posted a full guide on how to place the Honeycomb music player onto your Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) Nexus S. The two step process, based on a method by XDA Developer johnnie93, enabled users to replace their old music player and get some Honey music goodness. But word out of XDA now is that XDA user White Widows has taken the next step and got the new music app to sync to the Cloud. Users need to have Android 2.3.3 (Gingerbread) with CyanogenMod 7 Nightlies, though word is that any 2.3.3 ROM will do.

The bid deal is that users can create their own custom music experience, grabbing their music from their desktop to the cloud and then syncing it to the Android. Several others in the XDA thread have reported success as well, meaning this method is matured and ready to widespread use. Users can pick up the Honeycomb music player here. And don’t forget to read up on our install guide (link above), but it’s important to remember that if you choose to try this, that you back up your device and realize that installing altered ROMs may void your warranty.

[via XDA Developers]

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HTC DoubleShot Tipped for T-Mobile [PLUS: Bonus HTC Pyramid Release Info]

Posted: 07 Mar 2011 08:58 AM PST

It appears that our friends over at T-MoNews have been tipped off to a codename of an upcoming HTC device that could be anything, anything at all. That means anything at all, a device, a cheeseburger, an Android robot that follows you around offering you tips on new phones, anything. While we’ve got love for more information than a single word being a tip, we are of the opinion that there is indeed no news too small to consider. This tip comes along the same lines as the one that brought us the HTC Pyramid, a phone which we also’ve been tipped some bonus info on.

We’re hoping both of these phones will be released at CTIA 2011 in Orlando, an event we’ll surely be running around with bells on at. The additional information we’ve received from a trusted source is that the HTC Pyramid will not only have a dual-core processor, (probably much like what’s described [here],) it’ll be officially announced at CTIA 2011 as well! Sounds like a new wave of well-named devices is on the way from HTC.

Let’s hope another group of brands with similar names don’t come out of the woodwork to slap some heavy litigation on HTC for picking up their similar set of letters. Again, we want to say HTC, well played, these names are much better than the groups moving forward with odd combos of characters that mean nothing to nobody. We’re looking very much forward to taking a sip of your caffeine-enriched devices, especially if and when they’re stocked with fresh Android.

[via T-MoNews]

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Motorola XOOM Review [The Big One on Android Community]

Posted: 07 Mar 2011 07:13 AM PST

Hello and welcome to our official slick and clean review of the Motorola XOOM Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet. We’re pretty much totally used to titling the tablet right alongside the name of the first operating system to function upon it, Android 3.0 Honeycomb, since Google worked closely with Motorola to make this tablet the optimal environment to show off what their first tablet-centric OS was meant to do. This tablet is also set to be hooked up with Flash player and 4G LTE connectivity via Verizon in the near future, though since this tablet is being released now without either, we must go on to review without! But there’s plenty to speak about – a while new piece of hardware and a whole new age in Android, all rolled up into one. Let us discuss our initial judgement for this singular window into sweets.

Hardware and Performance

This is a machine that has been released with its hardware ready and raring to go. Isn’t that supposed to be something that goes without saying? Yes, of course! You might find that the same cannot entirely be said about the software, though, thus the pre-mention here – more on that in the next section. What we’ve got to speak about here first is the loveliness in the physical bits.

This device is black. It’s very clearly supposed to be a blank canvas on which you’re meant to paint your first tablet experience. Because this tablet is being released in a world where one slate’s dominated the market for the first full year of the market being a reality, there’s two situations the vast majority of consumers are in. The first possible situation consumers are in whilst thinking about the XOOM is one where they’ve had an iPad – the second is one where they’ve never had a tablet at all. Thusly, the hardware choice is more than likely one where a consumer has been holding a tablet that’s basically the exact same size and weight as the XOOM, or they’ve had a much smaller smartphone and will be what they see as moving upward.

When one handles the 10.1-inch WXGA display with 160dpi, 1280 x 800 resolution, they instantly must consider the .8 x 6.61 x 0.51 inch device holding it, one that weighs in at 25.75oz (1.61lbs,) as it’s not especially realistic to be holding the device with one hand for more than a few minutes at a time. Then there’s the glossy, glossy screen. It’s so very glossy, it’s basically impossible to use anywhere near sunlight or a lamp. On the other hand, if you’re going to be using this device on your couch at home, at your desk in school, or for odd events like using it to show the 4D-sonogram doctor some 2D-sonogram pictures in a gallery. For that it works exceedingly well, indeed.

It doesn’t seem to our fingers that the screen’s response time and touch sensitivity could possibly be any better, and the monster motor inside is more than ready to back this situation up. You’ll find the NVIDIA Tegra 2 inside, a dual-core 1GHz SoC paired with 1GB of DDR2 RAM and 32GB of integrated storage. If that’s not enough to flip your lid, connections include EVDO Rev.A, WiFi a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, along with USB 2.0 and mini HDMI ports. In the future you’ll be able to have the following instead and/or as well: a functional LTE SIM slot, a functional microSD card slot, and a whole separate Wifi-only version of the device.

At the moment you’ll see some super cute transparent cards in the slot where the real cards will be inserted in the future.

Also inside you’ll find a laundry-list of additional features able to work in your current functional apps as well as apps that haven’t yet been invented: GPS, an accelerometer, digital compass, ambient light sensor, gyroscope, and yes, even a barometer for measuring air pressure. I can’t WAIT for that to be utilized by the first intrepid developer wishing for great pressure readings.

Along the back you’ll find stereo speakers, one in the upper left, the other in the upper right. We’re hoping for an age in the future where speakers can once again be placed on the front of devices instead of relying on the sounds bounced off of whatever happens to be behind the device. Because these speakers are on the back of the device, whenever we’re using it for music, we place it face-down. This is of course when we’re not using the speaker dock, which we won’t go into here.

Motorola XOOM Unboxing and Hands-On

Also along the back near the speaker that’ll generally be near your left hand, you’ll find the power/standby button. The placement and form of this button is superior to most we’ve seen as of late on smaller smartphone devices. In the time we’ve been using it, over a week, we’ve not once hit it accidentally. This coming from me, yours truly, who is notorious for losing at Angry Birds on every device I’ve tried it on because I’m hitting the power button – iPod Touch, iPad, Inspire 4G, ATRIX 4G, and more! Those power buttons man, not the best. The power button on the XOOM – tops!

The volume rocker is up near the top on the lefthand edge of the device and was terribly difficult to find when we first wanted to utilize it. This is a good thing, because again, it’s not easy to accidentally hit. The headphone jack, on the other hand, is in the center at the top of the device – aka a very aesthetically unappealing place. The rest of the ports are all together along the bottom of the screen – all happy together and in perfect alignment – see how happy our little electric assistant is?

As for benchmarking, we got very similar results to what Vincent got over on SlashGear, with averages running right around the following:

BenchmarkPi: 544, 513, 506 miliseconds
Linpack: 35.568, 35.75 MFLOPS
Quadrant: 1838, 2268, 2316
SunSpider: 2098.2, 2060.2 ms

It might be important to mention that we’re at a point where it’s almost as if we expect these speeds – speeds that allow us to move back and forth through menus and screens without lag, opening and loading apps with no time at all between screens, and graphics which essentially have no chop whatsoever. It is what we’d call nearly impossible to slow this machine down whilst working in an everyday manner.

Software

The biggest complaint Android devices receive, on the whole, as far as software goes, is that they’re full of junk. Carriers across the board are guilty of filling their phones with apps they feel will either be helpful to their customers or at least make them feel like they’re put a big effort into giving them a unique experience. The Motorola XOOM comes with less than a full grid screen of pre-boxed apps, and without a doubt, that’s a good thing. Because Google has worked so closely with Motorola to make this machine the optimal environment for running Android 3.0 Honeycomb, the machine is basically barren, ready and willing to work with all of your favorite downloads from the Android Marketplace AND 3rd-party locations.

Playing some Gun Bros – free app from glu, now in Android Marketplace

What this means is more than one thing. The first and most oddly appealing of these things an essentially nude system means is that updates to the OS will almost certainly come to this device first. One of the main reasons updates do not push to certain devices as Google releases new versions of Android is the overlays placed on phones by the groups that carry them. Not only will this not be a problem for you non-hackers, there’s a leak of the stock SBF file for those adventurous enough to mess with the insides of the device via unlocking and rooting and such. This SBF file, which will return your device to stock, will be helpful for you if you plan on upgrading to Verizon 4G LTE.

We’ve tested several amazing applications on the Motorola XOOM so far, including a couple that can be found in NVIDIA’s Tegra Zone app, which you can go ahead and check out [here] if you wish, or just check out the video of the demo and mini-review here:

The greatest games you’ll be finding thus far on this device are almost certainly those in the NVIDIA Tegra Optimized suite, a set of games worked on by amazingly talented studios teaming up with NVIDIA to create games meant to show the power of the processors. Take a peek at one of them here, a game by the name of Monster Madness, a hack-and-slash game with no short of monsters and their blasted corpses:

Then there’s Galaxy on Fire 2, a game that’s not yet technically released, one we got our hands on in preview form that’s massively impressive nonetheless. Behold the outer reaches of space, and the blasting of ships therein – this isn’t just your everyday edge-of-space destroy-all-enemy-fighters attack run:

And this is only the tip of the tip of the iceberg. Imagine the first few weeks that Android 1.0 was out. That’s essentially where we are now, but with the massive power of brand-confidence in the air. It’s a VERY exciting time for gaming on not only this platform, but in the greater market as well because nothing drives great gaming better than some competition in hardware AND software.

Motorola XOOM Photo Example #1

Motorola XOOM Photo Example #2

Cameras and Multimedia

There are two cameras on the XOOM, one on the back for photos and video, and another on the from primarily for video, but also for not-quite-great photos if that’s what you’d like to use it for. The back-facing camera is a 5-megapixel unit with auto-focus and dual-LED flash. The front-facing camera is 2-megapixels strong, has a fixed-focus, and can be switched to at the tap of a button. What you’re about to see here is a video example from both the front and the back cameras filmed by yours truly. Note that you have to stop the camera before switching to the other view, we had to splice these videos together in post-production:

Motorola XOOM Video Recording Demo [front and back]

The back-facing camera is capable of capturing 720p HD video at 30fps, while a 1080p upgrade is promised for the future, while the front-facing camera’s recording capabilities really aren’t worth pecking about. Allow the video above to speak for itself as far as how this all translates to the web. As far as how well it plays back on the device, you’ve got the capability currently of displaying 1080p video on either the device’s screen or via the HDMI 1.4 output which you’ll be shooting out with the cable bundled with the tablet.

Motorola XOOM YouTube / Video Playback Demo

If you want to play any video you didn’t film with the device outside the web, it’ll need to be MP4, WebM, 3GP, or H.264/H.263. You could, on the other hand, download a third-party media player and roll with whatever format you can get working on your own. You’ll be rolling strong plopping videos on the device if you’re working with Mac OS X by working with the brand new Android File Transfer, which, if I may be so bold, makes the whole process of accessing the files on your Android device a WHOLE lot easier. Hopefully it works on all versions here on out (currently it works with Android 3.0 only.)

Of course, there’s the lack of Flash player. You’ll need to wait at least another week or two(?), or so, to be sent the update for this and the other things you’ll need to have a “fully” functional device. The ability to work with and watch movies with Flash player has been a big fat point of contention on devices over the past year or so – it’s no less a situation here. But it’s on the way!

Battery

The battery is amazing. The battery is slick, works amazing, and can basically sit around working forever. The longest we’ve had it working with HEAVY use was over 14 hours – while I’m writing this review, the unit has been on almost 20 hours with no charging and moderate usage, and the battery appears to only be a half-empty. A full recharge take a total of around 3 hours – that’s starting at zero and ending up at completely full.

Connectivity and Price

You’ll be attaching to the rest of the world via EVDO Rev.A, WiFi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and USB 2.0. You wont be able to make voice call out of box, and your plan with Verizon won’t be including voice calls, thusly if you’d like to call someone up you’ll want to hook yourself up with a voice over IP (VoIP) client or something along the lines of Skype. I’m sure you know the situation you’ll be in here as it’ll be very similar to what you’re doing with your desktop or laptop for calls.

You’re working with a 3G connection here for at least a couple of weeks if you purchase one at the same moment I write this review, and ith that you’ll be able to activate a mobile hotspot to connect the rest of your devices. Currently you’re able to purchase the XOOM direct from Verizon for $599 just so long as you attach it to a 2-year plan that starts at $20 per GB and $20 per additional GB, after which it’s $10 per additional GB on higher plans: 3GB for $35, $50 for 5GB, or $80 for 10GB — none of these has any sign of an additional fee for the hotspot, which means you’ll just be paying for the data no matter which way you’re utilizing it.

Wrap-Up

This is the benchmark against which all future tablets will be measured. Not only Android tablets, but Apple, BlackBerry, Palm, and whatever else comes down the pipe. How could I possibly say that the iPad 2 isn’t the new top tier? Because as with everything else Apple, you either decide to buy the iPad 2 or you don’t, the rest of the tablets are in a different world altogether. Apple gains this distinction by continuing to market themselves as a standalone platform and brand, the titan that all but brought down the Windows PC as the dominant “cool” home computer, the group that brought us the world’s most popular digital music player and had at least a giant part in paving the way for the smartphone market that dominates mobile connectivity today. There’s a market out there for people who’ve been waiting to work with a tablet-sized-device for over a year now who don’t feel like the iPad is going to do it for them, and here comes the hero.

This tablet is Google’s first attempt at showing off their ground-up built mobile OS made specifically for the tablet – and what a whopper it is. The hardware is magnificently solid, aesthetically pleasing at all angles, and most important of all, feels great to hold and work with. The Android 3.0 Honeycomb operating system takes everything Google has learned from wave after wave of mobile OS versions on smaller screens and odd devices and situations and forms an instant masterpiece here with Honeycomb. This is the next big step in tablet warfare in both hardware and software, mark my words.

I remember when I first laid eyes and hands on Android as it was applied to a smartphone – I saw a magnificent system, one that was a healthy alternative to again, the dominant Apple, one that I enjoyed using and felt free to modify without fear of compromising. When I first started messing around with the XOOM, I got that feeling all over again. Here’s a brand new system that you Android lovers will feel comfortable using and that those of you new to Android will have no trouble getting used to. This is a user interface that’s second to none – made for everyone from beginners to hardcore developers and hackers.

If you’re familiar with reviews by yours truly, you know I don’t often have too many terribly bad things to say about a device, but I rarely come out and say: go buy now! I’m saying that right now. At the risk of playing favorites, I’m telling you to check this device out at the store and spring a few weeks checks on one. I won’t tell you which model to buy, obviously, but all those looking to get a glimpse of the cutting edge of everything that’s great in mobile computing, look no further.

And don’t forget to download the Android Community and SlashGear apps – they work great in Honeycomb! PLUS check out our featured guide of the Motorola XOOM as it works with Honeycomb in [Q and A form!]

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Intel says Nokia should have went with Android

Posted: 07 Mar 2011 05:45 AM PST

Intel CEO Paul Otellini doesn’t think Nokia made the right choose when it came to going with Windows Phone over Android. It’s an odd statement from Otellini considering that Nokia and Intel were working together on MeeGo and the move to Windows Phones means that its own MeeGo OS is going by the wayside too.

According to Otellini Nokia went with Microsoft’s mobile OS thanks to a “huge” sum of money offered to secure the deal. That tidbit comes by way of the Manila Bulletin Newspaper. I think that Nokia would have had handsets that are more popular had they chosen Android.

However, Nokia has stated that it felt it would not be able to standout in the Android market. That is understandable and honestly, I am not sure if Nokia is capable of standing out in any market with some of the most boring handsets around.

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Angry Birds downloaded 30M times on Android

Posted: 07 Mar 2011 05:32 AM PST

Rovio is the dev firm behind the game phenomenon known as Angry Birds. This game is raking in the dough for the company and according to Rovio Angry Birds is all kinds of popular for Android users. Rovio reports that the game has been downloaded over 30 million times.

The 30M mark was reached with the ad-supported free version of the game on Android. Rovio CEO Peter Vesterbacka noted at GDC that 80% of the folks that downloaded the game kept coming back for updates. That is an indication that people continue to play the game.

Angry Birds is so popular that it is coming to other platforms as well with a Facebook version set to land. Rovio is also apparently planning a 3D version of the game. Rovio has also worked with 20th Century Fox to make a branded version of the game for the animated flick Rio.

[via ITProPortal]

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No Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 hardware tweaks; Honeycomb slate still on track insists exec

Posted: 07 Mar 2011 03:09 AM PST

Samsung has insisted the Galaxy Tab 10.1 Honeycomb tablet is still on track with its original release plans, denying speculation that the company were returning the 10.1-inch slate to the engineering lab so as to make it more competitive against the iPad 2. Having been quoted as saying that “[Samsung] will have to improve the parts [of the Galaxy Tab 10.1] that are inadequate” last week, Executive Vice President Lee Don-Joo told Yonhap News this weekend that the tablet wasn’t being reworked.

Speaking shortly after Apple unveiled the second-gen iPad, Don-Joo had singled out the slate’s slim build as a key improvement. Samsung had previously been championing the Galaxy Tab 10.1′s thinner chassis than the first-gen iPad, as well as its lighter weight.

“We will continue to make every effort to provide the most powerful, well-designed and productive mobile device to customers” Don-Joo now says, though it seems Samsung only has pricing left to differentiate the Galaxy Tab 10.1.

[via SlashGear]

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IN Media unveils new Tablet PC 7 packing Android

Posted: 07 Mar 2011 02:29 AM PST

IN Media has announced that it has a new tablet PC that will be heading to market soon if all goes well. The company doesn’t offer up an image of the new tablet for us to check out, but it does give most of the specs of the tablet though.

The Tablet PC 7 will have support for entertainment and gaming applications and will support business apps as well. It will pack in a camera, WiFi, and a removable SD card for more storage when needed. The tablet will also feature Bluetooth for connectivity with other peripherals and accessories. The tablet will run Android 2.2.

In Media CEO Dr. Nick Karnik said, “We are allowing users to migrate from Laptops and Netbook PCs to the more robust applications supported on the Tablet running Android 2.2. The Bluetooth keyboard capability provides a smooth transition.” In Media reports the tablet will sell for $199 and will ship in April.

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Samsung Galaxy Pro QWERTY candybar confirmed, coming to Three [Video]

Posted: 07 Mar 2011 01:24 AM PST

Samsung has outed its latest Galaxy family smartphone, though this time it’s half touchscreen and half physical keyboard. The Samsung Galaxy Pro has a 2.8-inch touchscreen above a QWERTY ‘board, running Android 2.2 Froyo on an 800MHz processor.

Around the back there’s a 3-megapixel camera, while inside there’s confirmed WiFi (but presumably Bluetooth and GPS as well). Samsung has installed what looks to be a tweaked version of TouchWiz, and the Galaxy Pro will apparently also have the Social Hub Premium pre-loaded.

No word on pricing or specific availability, though we already know at least one carrier readying to offer the Galaxy Pro. UK network Three says the smartphone is “coming soon” and offers the following video to tide you over.

Click here to view the embedded video.

[via SlashGear]

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Sprint to launch EVO line of Tablets and 3D Phones

Posted: 06 Mar 2011 11:59 PM PST

The talk of the town this weekend is that Sprint is rumored to be launching a new tablet based on the EVO line of Android handsets. The EVO View is likely to come with a dual core Tegra 2 dual core processor and could be a CDMA version of the HTC Flyer. In addition, Sprint is looking to add 3D to it’s next generation EVO cellphones which will be aptly named the EVO 3D. And it may even run on 4G.

It seems that speed and dimension are currently the buzz words in the Android universe as everyone seems to be adapting the dual core platform and tossing in 3D in some of the handsets to boot, although 3D seems interesting, it’s rather a dubious “fins” features for cell phones. Tablet’s on the other hand could benefit from that third dimension if content becomes more prevalent. You can bet that if the handset is 3D, that it may also have two rear facing cameras for 3D photos and videos. We’ve seen that recently in the LG Optimus.

Look for the announcements to come at CTIA later this month.

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Samsung to announce QWERTY in Android’s Galaxy

Posted: 06 Mar 2011 11:47 PM PST

Samsung is looking to add a QWERTY Android phone to it’s Galaxy line of phones during CTIA this month. The news is that the new phone will have a “candy bar” design much like BlackBerry, running Android 2.2 (Froyo). But it seems more likely that Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) would be more practical. The design is rumored to be a bit wider than the Samsung Galaxy S and is geared for a higher end clientele. Possibly aimed at Blackberry’s business models?

BlackBerry has traditionally been the king of business phones in both private and government circles. Even the President was reluctant to give up his BlackBerry. But then came Android and suddenly corporations could see the possibilities. And many are now letting employees provide their own phones which they can then modify with IT software and some are dual user mode designs. So for Samsung to add an Android QWERTY, makes us wonder if they’re kicking BlackBerry while it’s down and taking it’s lunch money.

We’ll see when the phone is announced at CTIA later this month.

[via Samsung Hub]

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JD Power: Verizon has best call quality nationwide …

Posted: 06 Mar 2011 11:15 PM PST

In it’s most recent study on call quality, consumer polling firm JD Power has found that Verizon Wireless provides the best call quality nationwide than any other mobile carrier. T-Mobile, who’s slogan is “get more,” was voted as consistently “below average.” The study gauged customer satisfaction with wireless carriers and measured factors such as dropped calls, failures to connect, voice quality, echoes, static and late arriving text messages.

Verizon scored the highest, or was tied for the highest, in five of the six areas. Sprint and AT&T jockeyed for second place in the customer satisifaction survey with T-Mobile bringing up the rear in all categories. But regardless of it’s high marks, the reality that JD Power found was that even with smartphone usage rising, the overall call quality is plateauing, and the more people burden the networks with ancillary cellphone usage, the greater the quality is liable to drop.

J.D. Power and Associates Reports:

Overall Wireless Call Quality Momentum Halts Due to Shifts in Wireless Call and Data Usage Patterns

Verizon Wireless Ranks Highest in Wireless Call Quality Performance in Five Regions1

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.: 3 March 2011 – Shifts in wireless phone usage, including smartphone and texting use, as well as an increase in the percentage of wireless calls being made and received inside buildings, has led to a halt in overall call quality improvement, according to the J.D. Power and Associates U.S. 2011 Wireless Call Quality Performance StudySM-Volume 1 released today.

The semiannual study measures wireless call quality based on seven problem areas that impact overall carrier performance: dropped calls; static/interference; failed call connection on the first try; voice distortion; echoes; no immediate voicemail notification; and no immediate text message notification. Call quality issues are measured as problems per 100 (PP100) calls, where a lower score reflects fewer problems and higher call quality. Call quality performance is examined in six regions: Northeast; Mid-Atlantic; Southeast; North Central; Southwest; and West.

The study finds the percentage of wireless calls made indoors has increased considerably during the past eight years-to an average of 56 percent in 2011 from 40 percent in 2003. During this time frame, the proportion of wireless calls made from homes increased most notably, averaging 35 percent in 2011, compared with 25 percent in 2003. Among wireless calls made outside of buildings, the greatest decrease has occurred among calls made in vehicles, which has declined to 20 percent in 2011 from 37 percent in 2003. Typically, wireless calls placed indoors result in slightly more problems, on average, than calls placed outdoors.

However, among wireless customers who use data-intensive devices such as smartphones or who have high texting activity, problem rates are higher than the industry average. Problem rates among users of smartphones average 13 PP100, while problem rates average 14 PP100 among heavy texters. These shifts in usage patterns have slowed the historic improvement in call quality, which steadily improved between 2003 and 2009. However, during the past two years, there has not been a significant change in overall call quality performance across the industry.

“The performance gap has definitely lessened between indoor and outdoor calls, and the increase in frequency of calls placed indoors suggests that many customers today are quite confident in their carrier’s wireless network,” said Kirk Parsons, senior director of wireless services at J.D. Power and Associates.

According to Parsons, as this trend continues, it will be critical for wireless carriers to improve coverage for indoor locations. Additionally, increased adoption of smartphones and wireless tablets may continue to compromise the quality of network service, with connection issues holding particularly high potential for problems.

For a 13th consecutive reporting period, Verizon Wireless ranks highest in the Northeast region. Verizon Wireless achieves fewer customer-reported problems with dropped calls, initial connections and interference, compared with the regional averages. Verizon Wireless also ranks highest in the Southeast, Southwest and West regions, and ranks highest in the Mid-Atlantic region, in a tie with AT&T.

In the North Central region, U.S. Cellular ranks highest for a 11th consecutive reporting period. Compared with the regional average, U.S. Cellular has fewer customer-reported problems with dropped calls, failed initial connections, interference and delayed notification of text messages.

Additional study findings include:

* Wireless usage patterns continue to evolve, as fewer calls are being made or received and customers are using their devices more often for text messaging, which increasingly is the preferred method for communication. The study finds that wireless customers receive 161 text message notifications per month, on average-17 more than six months ago (144) and nearly 65 percent more than just two years ago (98).
* PP100 scores continue to be higher among smartphone customers than among traditional handset customers-13PP100 vs. 11PP100. However, problem rates for traditional handsets have risen, compared with those reported six months ago (an increase of 9 PP100, on average).
* Among the top 27 U.S. markets, average PP100 scores are lowest among wireless customers in the Cincinnati and Pittsburgh metro areas (6 PP100), and highest among wireless customers in the Washington, D.C. metro area (18 PP100).

The 2011 Wireless Call Quality Performance Study-Volume 1 is based on responses from 26,019 wireless customers. The study was fielded between July and December 2010.

For more information on customer satisfaction with wireless service, wireless retail sales, cell phone handsets, customer care, prepaid wireless service and business wireless service, please visit JDPower.com.

1Verizon Wireless ranks highest in the Northeast, Southeast, Southwest and West regions, and also ranks highest in the Mid-Atlantic region, in a tie with AT&T.

[via Engadget]

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