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Archive for the 'Los Angeles' Tag

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Sprint takes lead to get 4G wireless Internet to O.C.

March 23rd, 2010, 8:46 am by

In the race to get faster wireless Internet to Orange County, Sprint took the lead Tuesday by naming our area as one of seven new markets it plans to launch service by the end of the year.

By the end of 2010, Sprint plans to offer 4th-generation wireless service in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Miami, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City and St. Louis. It previously announced that service would also begin this year in Boston, Denver, Kansas City, Houston, Minneapolis, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

Specifically, Sprint tells me that 4G service will cover most of North Orange County and down to Irvine. At least that’s the plan through the end of 2010.

But that’s the 4G race report as of Tuesday, 8:22 a.m. The other prime contender is Verizon, which plans to launch its own version of 4G wireless Internet this year. The company hasn’t named Orange County as a target for its Long Term Evolution (LTE) service but last week said that it’s on track to launch 4G in up to 30 unnamed markets. We may hear more from Verizon, being that this week happens to be the CTIA Show, the annual wireless convention in Las Vegas.

Back to Sprint’s big news, the company is indeed the first in the U.S. to offer a fourth-generation of wireless Internet and phone service. Teaming up with Clearwire, Sprint launched its 4G service in September 2008 and it’s currently available in 25 cities nationwide.

Using a technology called Wimax, Sprint says that its wireless speeds are 3 to 6 megabits per second, which is “up to 10 times faster” than today’s existing 3G speeds of around 600 kilobits per second.

What’s the big deal? 4G service allows your phone, laptop or other portable 4G device to stream HD movies, download large files and create a home wireless Internet so you can skip slower DSL, according to Sprint.  Sprint set up a 4G site with more information for customers here: sprint.com/4G

More from the web:

Mobile Broadband: You’re Gonna Pay for the Convenience (GigaOm)

Previous 4G news:

Posted in: Cell phones • Internet • • • • • | 12 Comments »

AT&T U-verse enables caller ID on TV for O.C., L.A.

March 16th, 2010, 1:53 pm by

AT&T said today that Orange County and Los Angeles customers can now get Caller ID on their TV.

The new feature pops up a message in a corner of the TV screen for 6 seconds so viewers can decide whether the caller is worth interrupting the TV program. Customers must subscribe to both AT&T U-verse TV and U-verse Voice telephone service to get this to work.

On-screen caller ID isn’t new.  AT&T first launched the feature last November in other parts of the country. Cable companies have offered it for several years to customers who order the two related services. Verizon added it for FiOS users in Orange County in December.

The on-screen caller ID is free and it starts working automatically. The feature also pops up a message for new voice mail.

Interestingly, AT&T tosses out a statistic on how many customers are paying for Voice service: More than 67 percent of new customers for a total of 1 million, as of January.

U-verse service is only available in certain parts of certain Orange County cities. Here is the updated list of local cities: Aliso Viejo, Anaheim, Brea, Buena Park, Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Garden Grove, La Habra, La Palma, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Mission Viejo, Orange, Placentia, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana, Stanton, Villa Park, Westminster, and Yorba Linda.

More on AT&T U-verse:

Posted in: Video & TV • • • • • • • | 8 Comments »

Local BBB’s biggest complaint getter: DirecTV

March 15th, 2010, 9:04 am by

When it comes to TV or mobile phone service, consumers aren’t shy about saying what they don’t like. That’s not only true here on this blog, which made me refocus the content to cover TV and mobile heavily last year, but to the local Better Business Bureau.

The Better Business Bureau of the Southland reports that mobile phone service and TV service were the two categories with the most complaints last year (see bottom chart). But by far the top offender? DirecTV, based in El Segundo. The satellite TV service received 15,367 complaints, well above second place Federal Loan Modification Center in Northridge, which had 858 complaints.

The BBB said that DirecTV issues are related to billing disputes, early cancellation fees, inadequate disclosure about the cost of service and the inability to contact the company.

Southland BBB’s 10 companies with most complaints
  1. DirecTV – El Segundo (15,367 complaints)
  2. Federal Loan Modification Center – Northridge (858 complaints)
  3. Auto One Warranty Specialists – Irvine (686 complaints)
  4. Acaiburn.com – Ontario (633 complaints)
  5. IvoryBrites – Burbank (604 complaints)
  6. Dealer Cost Car Audio – Santa Ana (524 complaints)
  7. Acai Nutraburst – Corona (463 complaints)
  8. Specialty Merchandise Corporation – Simi Valley(380)
  9. dazzlesmilepro.com – Ontario (367 complaints)
  10. Cellular Blowout – Agoura Hills (366 complaints)

The organization — the go-to site for Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties,– also pointed out that DirecTV has faced government scrutiny for violating the Telemarketing Sales Rule and the Washington state Consumer Protection Act for “false or unfair use of the word “free,” among other issues.

The BBB named DirecTV its top 2009 Pluto Award recipient, which calls out the area Orange County and Los Angeles businesses that use “underhanded business practices and ambiguous advertising to augment their riches and defraud the American public of billions of dollars each year.”

“DirecTV is a well-known satellite service provider, and its number of complaints might not be quite so striking if you took its complaints-to-customers ratio into consideration. Nevertheless, its practices and rating prompt us to urge extreme caution in doing business with DirecTV,” warned the BBB.

DirecTV spokesperson Jade-lin Ekstedt acknowledged the issue and said that the company is working on improving the poor rating. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Cell phones • Video & TV • • • • • • • • • • | 38 Comments »

More Time Warner price increases coming? Not in O.C.

March 12th, 2010, 9:25 am by

In case you spotted today’s L.A. Times story headlined, “What?! Another Time Warner Cable rate hike?” don’t freak out. At least if you live in Orange County.

The story mentions a 4 percent rate hike that goes into effect April 1. This “follows an identical increase in January for the rest of Time Warner Cable’s nearly 2 million SoCal customers, as well as prior increases last year.” That statement plus the headline made me think that a second price hike was coming for 2010. Did I miss something?

I checked with Time Warner to verify what was going on. Company spokesman Darryl Ryan immediately called me back to say, no, this isn’t a second increase this year. This adds in the rest of Time Warner’s Los Angeles customers who didn’t get hit with the 4 percent increase in January.

2010 TV price increases

“Any price adjustments affecting your readers has already been adjusted,” Ryan said.

Whew!

Now, of course, this doesn’t explain why Time Warner had to hike our bills in the first place. But keep in mind, the cable company wasn’t the only one to raise prices this year. Cox Communications, Verizon FiOS, DirecTV and AT&T U-verse all raised their prices in recent months too. See links to those reports on the right. The same companies all raised rates last year too.

Time Warner, like all TV providers, face increasing fees from the TV channels. Most of the time, the TV providers pay the new price. Occasionally, negotiations go public when the two sides can’t agree on a new price. Most recently, Walt Disney threatened to pull ABC from Cablevision viewers on the East Coast, which meant no Oscars. In the end, the two sides made amends but cable customers missed the awards show introduction.  The U.S. Federal Communications Commission is investigating such disputes to prevent the loss of TV service to consumers in the future.

Recent Time Warner news:

Posted in: Video & TV • • • • | 6 Comments »

Verizon improves cell coverage in Foothill Ranch, Mission Viejo

January 15th, 2010, 10:43 am by

UPDATE: Verizon just told me about 4 more new cell sites in Orange County. The 4 sites were new as of November. See below...

Verizon Wireless logoMaybe it’s because AT&T just announced 6 areas in Orange County where it boosted cell reception with a new cell site. I also heard from Verizon Wireless about its recent upgrades.

For Verizon Wireless customers who live, work or drive near a neighborhood in Foothill Ranch and Mission Viejo, check your signal. It should be better after the company added two new cell sites in those cities.

The locations of the new cell sites are:

  • Foothill Ranch: 25931 Towne Centre, Foothill Ranch, which improves coverage in the City of Foothill Ranch, along both Portola Pkwy and the 241 Tool Rd.
  • Mission Viejo: Near Santiago & Live Oak Canyon. The new site provides new coverage along the terrain challenged Live Oak Canyon Road.

UPDATE: From November, Verizon said these four cell sites in Orange County are also new:

  • Anaheim Hills: Auburn – Near Cannon Rd & Via Escola. Improves coverage in the terrain area of Anaheim Hills and helps improve the handoff between MTX51 and MTX55 along Cannon Street
  • Orange: South Culver – 241 Toll Road. This site provides new coverage along 241 Toll Rd from north of the 133 & 241 interchange up to North Culver site to the north.
  • Orange: North Culver – 241 Toll Road, Orange . This site provides new coverage along 241 Toll Rd from south of the 261 and 241 interchange to the new South Culver site to the South.
  • Orange: Bronson – 1235 W. Town & Country Rd. This site improves coverage along the Garden Grove Freeway including the Mall and Medical Centers located nearby.
Eight other new Verizon sites outside of Orange County, as of January 2010, are:
  • Simi Valley: Santa Lucia – 2691 Tapo Cyn Rd, Simi Valley -Enhances coverage in the area around Tapo Cyn Rd and Alamo St
  • Victorville : Roy Rogers – 15182 El Evado Rd, Victorville – Improves coverage around the intersection of Mojave Dr and Elvado Rd
  • Wildomar: The Farm – 24240 Bundy Cyn, Wildomar -Improves coverage along Bundy Canyon Rd as well as improving coverage to the community of “The Farm.”
  • Los Angeles: Wadena – 4344 Winchester Ave, Los Angeles -Strengthens coverage along Huntington Drive as well as improving coverage for the nearby residential neighborhood
  • City of Industry: Valinda – 15920 Amar Rd, City of Industry – Improves coverage along Temple Ave and Amar Rd as well as the Industry Hills Recreation Center and Workman High School
  • San Bernardino: Cable Air – 1837 W. 11th St, San Bernardino -Improves the Cable Airport and surrounding areas
  • Highland: Patton – 3398 Highland Ave, Highland – Improves coverage in a residential neighborhood in Woodland Hills including Woodland Hills Country Club
  • Fontana: Via Larga – 11660 Sierra Ave, Fontana – Improves coverage to Sierra Ave in Fontana

Any spots in Orange County where Verizon really needs to add a cell tower to improve coverage? Leave a comment below to let them know.

More on mobile coverage around Orange County:

Posted in: Cell phones • • • • • • • • • • • • • | 14 Comments »

AT&T service ranks lowest; iPhone users don’t mind

December 1st, 2009, 3:44 pm by

Consumer Reports rates cell phone services for 2009.Who’s got the best cell phone service in the U.S.? Hands down, it’s Verizon, according to readers of Consumer Reports.

The publication just issued its annual update on mobile service and once again ranked Verizon at the top nationwide for overall service, scoring 75 points out of 100. Second place T-Mobile scored 70.

But just because both companies did better than the others doesn’t mean everyone is happy with service. According to its survey of 50,000 readers, Consumer Reports said that only 54 percent were “completely or very satisfied” with service.

While still a majority, those aren’t very good numbers for any consumer-oriented business.

“Despite ‘smarter phones,’ more flexible plans, and faster wireless networks, cell service continues to be among the lower-rated of all the services that Consumer Reports evaluates,” the organization concluded in its January 2010 issue.

Ouch! Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Cell phones • • • • • • • • • • • | 28 Comments »

AT&T improves cell reception in Westminster

November 12th, 2009, 11:19 am by

AT&T WirelessGood news for iPhone dwellers in Westminster, especially if you live near the intersection of Edinger Ave. and Newland St. AT&T added a 3G cell site near that intersection.

Why there? An AT&T spokeswoman tells me that generally, “We determine where to place cell sites on a case-by-case basis depending on a variety of factors including where subscribers are located and where better coverage is needed.”

So, if you ever notice issues with poor cell phone coverage, REPORT IT! AT&T is listening. (Here are some other tactics AT&T suggests if you’re experiencing poor reception: “Troubleshoot poor call quality.”)

Also today, the company announced that it is adding new cell sites in Santa Clarita, Long Beach and Riverside.

The new sites are part of the company’s goal to add 200 new cell sites in California this year, plus upgrade 320 others to 3G.

Related stories:

Posted in: Cell phones • • • • • • • • • | 4 Comments »

Time Warner starts O.C. “Most Wanted” TV show

September 24th, 2009, 5:42 pm by

Time Warner's SoCal Most Wanted TV show.If you were a fan of the TV show “America’s Most Wanted,” now you can watch the Orange County version.

Actually, the new show, called “So Cal’s Most Wanted” comes from Time Warner Cable and local law enforcement agencies. Several episodes are available on demand.

I watched the first one, a 9-minute episode that profiled five guys wanted for an assortment of misdeeds. One included a scary looking guy from Santa Ana. It offers up a number from the state’s Corrections Department in Santa Ana.

Time Warner Cable launches 'So Cal's Most Wanted' featuring OC and other local law enforcement departements.

The show began earlier this year in some communities. The California Department of Correction reported 43 percent of the fugitives featured were apprehended as a result of tips from viewers. But even before the Southern California edition, Time Warner ran a weekly segment called “Most Wanted” on Channel 3 News in Antelope Valley. By 2008, that program helped capture 80 percent of the profiled offenders.

The show works with law-enforcement agencies from the counties of Orange, Riverside, Ventura, Los Angeles, San Bernardino and San Diego.

“So Cal’s Most Wanted is the modern-day version of the post office ‘Wanted’ poster, but with a much broader reach,” said Time Warner Cable Executive Vice President Stephen Pagano.

To view the content tune to Channel 1 ► Local ► By SoCal’s Most Wanted, or Channel 1016.

Earlier news about Time Warner Cable:

Posted in: Video & TV • • • • • • • • • • | 12 Comments »

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