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TechBits: Verizon iPhone; Foursquare update; FCC pilot programs(Canadian Press DataFile Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Testing firm: Verizon iPhone loads Web pages fine NEW YORK _ The Verizon iPhone loads Web pages just as fast as AT&T's version of the phone, even though Verizon's network has lower data speeds, a phone testing firm reported. Verizon Wireless started selling Apple Inc.'s phone in February, as the first carrier to do so in the U.S. after AT&T Inc. Verizon uses an older network technology with data speeds lower than AT&T's. Testing firm Metrico Wireless said Monday that data downloads on the Verizon iPhone turned out to be half as fast as those on AT&T's network. However, because Web pages load just as fast, users may not notice the difference, except when downloading large files. Verizon Wireless is widely thought to have a more reliable network than AT&T, and Metrico's testing bore that out. But the firm's vice-president of information products, Rich McNally, said the difference in terms of calls that dropped or didn't go through weren't big. He didn't reveal the exact percentages. Metrico tested the Verizon iPhone's performance with 4,000 calls and 10,000 Web page downloads in New York, Seattle, Washington, Baltimore, Chicago and Dallas, McNally said. In a minor surprise, the Verizon iPhone turned out to be less reliable than the AT&T version when downloading a file in a moving vehicle, McNally said. Its failure rate was 10 per cent higher in that situation. When stationary, the Verizon iPhone had a 10 per cent better success rate for uploads, as compared to the AT&T phone. Consumer Reports has criticized AT&T's iPhone 4 for being susceptible to the ``death grip'' _ holding it a certain way can reduce the signal strength. It recently said the Verizon phone is vulnerable to the same phenomenon, despite a redesign of the antenna. Metrico's results have no bearing on the ``death grip'' issue, because the phones it tests are attached to measuring equipment, not held by humans. _ Peter Svensson, AP Technology Writer Check in lately? Foursquare revamps its app NEW YORK _ Foursquare, the smart phone service that lets you ``check in'' to restaurants, bars and wherever else you want to tell friends you're at, is trying to help you discover new places. A new version of its application will include a new button, ``explore,'' which replaces the current ``tips'' section. Foursquare co-founder Dennis Crowley said the idea is to find things near you, including the unexpected. So Foursquare might recommend a new burrito joint based on your check-in history, or on what your friends like. A new search function, meanwhile, lets you type in keywords such as ``margaritas outside'' or ``date night'' and get suggestions for where to go. The update, available for iPhones and Android phones Wednesday, will also let businesses offer new types of incentives, or ``specials.'' Businesses can already offer deals or discounts to loyal customers or new visitors. For example, a bar can offer its ``mayor'' _ that is, the person who has checked in the most times _ happy-hour prices at all times, a free appetizer or a drink special. The update brings three new types of specials, bringing the total to seven. ``Swarm specials'' will let places offer special deals if a ton of people _ say, 50 or 500 _ check in all at once. ``Flash specials'' are quick-hit deals _ such a free drink to the first 10 people to show up at a restaurant at a certain time. ``Friends specials'' are just that, deals you get when you bring a few extra guests to a venue. Foursquare has also revamped its leaderboard, which lets users compete with one another by scoring points for check-ins. The current app has one, but it wasn't easily found and many people simply forgot about it. The new leaderboard is displayed prominently on your Foursquare profile. Besides competing with friends, it lets you compete against your own high score. The goal is to reward you for checking in, even if you have little chance of becoming the ``mayor'' of your corner coffee shop. So now you'll get points for all kinds of activities, such as trying out new types of restaurants or visiting a place with a group of friends. Two-year-old Foursquare has nearly 7.5 million users worldwide and adds about 35,000 new people each day. This has made it more difficult for users, especially those in densely populated areas, to reach the coveted ``mayor'' title. _ Barbara Ortutay, AP Technology Writer Online: http://blog.foursquare.com Schools to get US$9M to support wireless off campus WASHINGTON _ Government officials are handing out US$9 million to help schools extend wireless Internet connections beyond the classroom. The Federal Communications Commission announced Wednesday that 20 pilot projects will receive government funding to pay for wireless broadband connections for laptops, smart phones and other mobile devices, which students will be able to take with them after the school day ends. The program is intended to give students _ including those from low-income families who may have no other Internet service at home _ access to homework assignments, study guides, digital textbooks and other educational resources outside of regular school hours. Called Learning On-the-Go, the program will reach nearly 35,000 students across 14 states in the 2011-2012 school year. It will be paid for through the government's E-Rate program, which funds Internet access in schools and libraries and until now has never been used to pay for off-campus connections. E-Rate is one of four programs that make up the Universal Service Fund, the federal program that subsidizes telephone service in poor and rural areas through a surcharge on long-distance bills. The projects that will be funded include programs that will pay for laptop connections for elementary and secondary school students in New Orleans, wireless cards for high school boys from low-income households in Philadelphia and smart-phone access for students with Attention Deficit Disorder or Asperger's syndrome in Canton, Ohio. The money will go to projects in Colorado, Pennsylvania, New York, Florida, Ohio, Georgia, Texas, Michigan, North Carolina, Louisiana, Alabama, California, New Mexico and Iowa. _ Joelle Tessler, AP Technology Writer (c) 2011 The Canadian Press |