Sprint Announces Hundred City 4G LTE Upgrade

Sprint has announced the names of 100 cities that will be receiving 4G LTE in the "coming months". The announcement comes two days before Apple is expected to announce a 4G LTE capable new iPhone on Wednesday, September 12, at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.

iPhone 54G LTE

The Sprint press release names Boston, Charlotte, N.C., Chicago, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Memphis, Miami, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. as some of the "major metropolitan areas" in which Sprint 4G LTE is expected to be available soon. Both Sprint and T-Mobile have been playing catch-up with AT&T and Verizon who upgraded to 4G last summer. Sprint plans to complete its 4G LTE nationwide network by the end of 2013. Read on for a complete list of the cities expected to receive the upgrade in the near future.

Report: iPhone 5 to Support Global 4G LTE

It's pretty much a sure bet that the next iPhone will support LTE-based 4G, but what Apple lovers really want to know is if it will support worldwide 4G. According to those always wily "people familiar with the matter" and the Wall Street Journal, the iPhone 5 will be able to reach 4G speeds in parts of Asia and Europe as well. The WSJ's source did not outline any specific countries, but did add that the next generation iPhone "isn't likely to work with all carriers' LTE networks in all countries, though it wasn't clear which would be left out."

iPhone 5 concept

Apple's first device to offer 4G LTE was the iPad 3, however, it is only supported by Verizon Wireless and AT&T in the U.S., and Bell Canada, Rogers Communications and Telus Corp. in Canada. Major U.S. carriers such as Sprint and T-Mobile have been pushing hard to extend their 4G LTE networks, and it's estimated that worldwide 4G LTE will reach around 290 million people by 2015.

AT&T Unlocking iPhones Still Under Contract?

Despite an AT&T official policy to the contrary, some iPhone owners have been able to unlock their iPhones while still in a service contract with the mobile carrier. Several users described by ArsTechnica initiated the unlock process via standard procedure on the web, and were approved even though their two-year service commitment had not been fulfilled.

AT&T unlocking iPhones

AT&T started unlocking iPhones for customer accounts in good standing earlier this year. The instructions to unlock your AT&T iPhone are simple, requiring anywhere from a day to a week to take effect. After the process is complete, the unlocked iPhone can be used with SIM cards from other compatible carrier networks.

Say Goodbye to the iPhone 3GS

After three years of service, Apple is planning to retire the iPhone 3GS after next week's iPhone 5 announcement. This is according to a report in The Telegraph, which explains that Apple will discontinue the device and offer a reduced-price iPhone 4 with 8GB of storage instead.

iPhone 3GS discontinued

iPhone 3GS stocks have been running low. 9to5Mac even received word that Apple warned its Genius Bar staff about the issue. Rumor has it that some lucky customers are getting an iPhone 4 in exchange for their broken iPhone 3GS at stores that no longer have replacements on hand.

Apple to Exclusively Sell iPhone 5 Dock Connector Adapters [Rumor]

Numerous leaks and anonymous tips have all but proven the iPhone 5 and all future Apple devices will feature a 9-pin dock connector. If true, all existing iOS cables, chargers and accessories won't work without some kind of adaptor. According to iLounge's Jeremy Horwitz, Apple plans to eliminate all third-party developers by becoming the "exclusive initial vendor" of their own branded "9-pin Connector". Apple will sell the "Dock Connector Adapters" individually for $10, or three for $29.

leaked iphone 5 USB cable

Horwitz claims Apple has stopped entertaining "third-party proposals for connector-equipped accessories, making some developers worried that Apple plans to muscle them out of the market for iOS related adaptors and cables.

"Some developers fear that Apple will corner the market for both the adapters and cables, much as it did with MagSafe connectors for MacBook laptops, using licensing agreements and threats of lawsuits to prevent less expensive third-party solutions from coming to market. One source notes that Apple will reap a windfall by limiting competition in this manner, generating revenues of $100 million for every 10 million Dock Connector Adapters it sells for $10. According to the source, Apple estimates that it will sell the first 10 million Adapters by the end of 2012."

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