Your smartphone will be faster in 2016, just not insane 5G fast

Enlarge Image

Here is Ericsson's 5G demo "phone."Stephen Shankland/CNET

We've all been there. You pull out your smartphone to check out the trailer for "Batman v Superman," and the loading icon spins. And spins.

Sometimes, the cellular network just can't keep up with your voracious appetite for Facebook updates, Snapchat messages and streaming video. Don't worry, though, the carriers are working on it.

You may have heard rumblings of 5G. In 2016, you're going to hear a lot more about it. It's the next generation of wireless technology, and it promises to make the current 4G LTE connection feel like you're standing still. How fast is it? Downloading -- not just streaming -- the movie "Guardians of the Galaxy" would take seconds with 5G, as opposed to minutes with 4G.

It's the latest hook that carriers plan to trot out as the wireless war for your wallet continues. This year saw intensifying competition as carriers cut prices, offered iPhones for pennies and threw more data at you. Next year could see more of the same, with renewed promises for better, faster service.

In the mix will be a discussion of 5G. Verizon Wireless plans to hold field tests next year, and AT&T has said it will be involved in the technology's development. Telecom gear makers such as Ericsson and Huawei are boasting of speeds that surpass anything you can get from a physical connection. But here's some advice to anyone who may potentially get caught up in next year's hype: Don't buy into it.

"It's a lot of hot air," said Roger Entner, a consultant for Recon Analytics.

The truth is that full-blown deployment of 5G isn't expected until 2020, when everyone in the industry can agree what the technology actually looks like. While early entrants like Verizon plan to offer some form of commercial deployment in 2017, chances are you won't be able to access it then.

Fortunately, there are a few other tricks the carriers will be using to amp up your connection speed or, at the very least, liberate you from a data traffic jam.

Adding more highways

Brace yourself for a little wonkiness. The industry's favorite catchphrase going into 2016 is "carrier aggregation," which is the technical term for tying multiple bands of spectrum. It's like adding another highway to allow for more cars, and then raising the speed limit so they can go even faster.

You could see a boost in speed with next year's network improvements.Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

This will enable your mobile device to access higher speeds from the networks. While carriers shy away from giving specific speed figures given the various factors, Entner said consumers on average could see a 20 percent bump once carrier aggregation is in play. The result: Photos download faster and movies stream with less buffering.

No. 4 US carrier Sprint, which has struggled with a reputation for poor service, goes further along that ledge. In markets where it uses the new technology, speeds jump 30 percent to 40 percent, according to Gunther Ottendorfer, head of technology for the carrier.

"You ain't seeing nothing yet," he said.

Borrowing Wi-Fi radio waves

Along the same lines as carrier aggregation is a technology called LTE-U. The U stands for unlicensed, as in the unlicensed spectrum employed by your Wi-Fi router. Under LTE-U, carriers would use that unlicensed spectrum as another highway to allow more traffic to your smartphone.

"The nice thing is that highway is quite big," said Michael Murphy, chief technology officer of Nokia Networks' North America business. T-Mobile said it plans to work with the industry to support LTE-U. In terms of using Wi-Fi, Verizon and AT&T will more broadly roll out Wi-Fi calling, which allows customers with spotty cellular coverage to make calls on a more reliable Wi-Fi network. AT&T said the feature, already available at T-Mobile and Sprint, is available on the latest iPhone. AT&T said it plans to add it on other devices soon. Verizon will push Wi-Fi calling to some Samsung smartphones starting this week, with more to come next year.

Back to 5G

While you won't see a 5G network next year, there will be a lot of work going on behind the scenes.

The effort going into upgrading networks, such as with carrier aggregation, is setting the foundation for the move to 5G. Companies like Verizon will also consult with industries, including agriculture and heavy machinery, to get their feedback on how a 5G network should work for them.

Emerging tech, such as virtual reality, could stand to benefit from the technology as well. First, there needs to be a common set of standards that everyone can work with, though, including how the hardware will talk with the networks.

"When we're designing a new system and architecture, we are stretching tech as far as we can," said Sheila Burpee Duncan, who works with Ericsson's business unit radio team. "That's why we need to try out the tech early."

Want Better Grades? Keep Away From Phones, Suggests Study

If you intend to score higher marks in exams, then the best solution is to tuck your phone away in a locker where it can't distract you, says a new study from the London School of Economics.

Although many parents want to be connected to their children, teachers complain the devices are nothing less than a distraction. Some schools already have bans in place.

For the study, researchers Richard Murphy and Louis-Philippe Beland at the London School of Economics looked at the test scores of 130,000 students in 91 British schools, according to Christian Science Monitor.

The schools had a variety of cellphone policies, which the researchers compared to test scores for 16-year-old students.

"We found the impact of banning phones for these students equivalent to an additional hour a week in school, or to increasing the school year by five days," the researchers noted.

The researchers found that students' scores increased 6.4 percent when schools banned phones. And the effects were more palpable in case of underachieving students whose test scores increased 14 percent.

"The results suggest that low-achieving students are more likely to be distracted by the presence of mobile phones, while high achievers can focus in the classroom regardless of the mobile phone policy," as per the study.

Murphy and Beland's study reinforces that distraction is detrimental to students' test scores, and since smartphones are the latest preoccupation, better keep them away.

What We Learned About Your Next Smartphone at MWC 2015

BARCELONA, Spain –– How many phones are on display here at the Mobile World Congress, the year’s biggest exhibition of smartphones? I’m not cruel enough to make an intern count for me, but I know that it’s a very big number. 

The most important smartphones of the year (that don’t start with a lowercase ‘i’) are released here and basically every non-Cupertino-based smartphone maker uses this annual event to show off their latest handsets. Taken as a whole, MWC provides major hints about what smartphone manufacturers are emphasizing in their products, and what customers can expect in their future purchases.

After taking in four days of product introductions, marketing pitches, smartphone demos, and flan, the Yahoo Tech team has put together this cheat sheet of important and surprising features emerging on the newest phones. 

This is what you can expect from your smartphone in 2015 and beyond:

1. You’ll definitely be able to pay with it

The iPhone, of course, is now a bona fide credit card replacing machine, storing card information and enabling contactless payments at select stores. Now Samsung has jumped into the game in a much bigger way: Its recently introduced Galaxy S6 comes with Samsung Pay, a new payment app that works wherever credit cards are accepted. It features technology that is able to mimic the swipe of the credit card, no special device installation necessary. It will work at about 90 percent of retailers in the U.S., according to Samsung, versus about 10 percent for Apple Pay.

Elsewhere, a Google executive announced a forthcoming revamp of its Android-based payment system called Android Pay, which should make its way to many smartphones and Android apps by the end of the year. Whether you actually input your credit card into your smartphone is up to you, but the option will certainly be there.

2. The camera on the front will take great selfies

(Photo: WSJ. The ZTE’s front camera is so good that it can unlock your phone by scanning your eyes)

Smartphone makers have definitely taken notice of the Selfie phenomenon. Both HTC and Samsung made a point to tout the brilliance of their front-facing cameras at their phone unveilings this year; every other smartphone maker here, from Sony to Huawei to LG, is also showing off improved selfie cameras.

The front-facing camera used to be an afterthought, an add-on, a nice-to-have feature. Now it is essential, and phone makers are devoting serious resources to improving it. Better invest in some good face wash, because your selfies are going high-def and soon. 

3. It won’t be made with plastic

(Photo: WSJ)

The Galaxy S6, at long last, is made from glass and metal, ending a longstanding complaint among tech geeks about how cheap the plastic backs of Samsung devices felt. That phone now looks and feels premium, and walking around, it’s striking just how high-quality other phones feel, too. Chinese phone makers from Huawei to Xiaomi to Lenovo all impressed with substantial and well-designed devices, and Sony and LG now both make beautiful and premium phones. The Age of Plastic in high-end smartphones is officially over.

A question: What material will Apple use to distinguish its phones now? 

4. Watch out for wireless charging

After years of near hits and promises, wireless charging might just hit the mainstream this year. Samsung made a big deal about the wireless charging capabilities of its Galaxy S6; it will be able to charge on both the Qi and Powermat standards, which currently split device makers.

Whether the Galaxy S6 will be large or successful enough to convince other smartphone makers –– like, I don’t know, Apple –– to outfit their own devices with wireless charging capabilities remains to be seen. But the world’s most popular Android phone can now wirelessly charge without a case. And the world’s largest furniture maker, IKEA, is now selling furniture that can wirelessly charge devices. Could this be the year that “cord cutting” starts to refer to energizing our gadgets?

5. More curved screens are coming

(Photo: The curvy LG G Flex 2. Via CNET)

Maybe not to your next smartphone, but definitely to your local smartphone store. As curved screens become cheaper and more reliable to produce, more smartphone makers are going to include them on their devices. Samsung’s Galaxy S6 Edge, for example, features a curved screen, as did recently unveiled mid-range devices from LG. A Chinese smartphone company called ZOPO was showing off a cheaper curved screen phone called the ZOPO TOUCH, and even BlackBerry, that stalwart of traditionally boring devices, teased a curved phone for later this year. 

6. You might just buy a selfie stick for it

(Photo: Reuters)

God knows they’ll be available. These selfie-taking accessories may have seemed like a joke or sign of the apocalypse when you first heard about them, but they have slowly entrenched themselves in both international and American culture. Selfie sticks were all over the show floor, both in the booths of exhibitors and in the hands of attendees and journalists. LG even tweaked one of its phones for cleaner selfie stick integration.

The selfie stick has moved beyond fad and into legitimate cultural artifact territory. Also: They’re pretty cheap and fun! Try one, no one’s judging you. 

7. It will probably run Android or iOS

There are plenty of alternatives to the dominant Android and iPhone operating systems here, though none of them appear ready to compete in a meaningful way. Windows Phone feels like an afterthought for Microsoft, which seems more focused on a successful Windows 10 launch. BlackBerry appears more eager to get its security apps on Android and iOS than it does to its own, devoting much of a 90-minute press conference to just that; it also unveiled 4 new phones, none of them world-beaters. Competing operating systems from Firefox and Ubuntumay one day grow into worldwide players; 2015 is probably not their year.

That leaves the iPhone and companies like Samsung, HTC, Motorola, LG, Sony, and more, all of whose best-selling phones run Android. If you’re buying a smartphone this year, it will likely come from one of those two groups. And, hey, great news: most Selfie Sticks work with both. 

Is the smartphone 'kill switch' really bad for business in California?

• Richard Nieva 
   @richardjnieva
 



Sen. Mark Leno and San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon introducing the "kill switch" bill in San Francisco in February

When 17 California senators voted last week against a new law that would require that antitheft software be included on every smartphone sold in the state, many of them said the legislation would be bad for business in California.

But it's hard to get them to elaborate as to why they think that. Fourteen of the senators who voted down the bill either did not return calls or emails requesting comment or said they were unavailable for comment when asked for specifics about the business harm. Of the three senators who commented on their vote, one said he voted against the bill because he would rather see the issue addressed on a federal level, another said smartphone makers are addressing the issue already with new technology, and the third implied that mandating the software would push companies to leave the state.

SB962, introduced by state Sen. Mark Leno and sponsored by San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon, asks that device makers including Apple and Samsung put so-called "kill switch" technology on every smartphone and have the switch automatically turned on when people buy a phone. A kill switch lets users lock the phone if it is stolen, making it inoperable.

Smartphone theft has reached "epidemic" proportions, Leno says. One in every three robberies in the United States involves the theft of a mobile device, according to the Federal Communications Commission. On Gascon's home turf of San Francisco, over half of thefts involve phones or tablets. Across the bay in the city of Oakland, that number jumps up to more than 75 percent.

Consumer Reports says that about 1.6 million Americans were the victims of smartphone theft in 2012, and replacements of lost and stolen mobile devices that year cost an estimated $30 billion.

But the measure pits the bill's supporters against the wireless-telecom industry, which argues that kill switch software leaves phones vulnerable to hacking.

"Our members work hard every single day to help consumers prevent theft and protect their information. As evidenced by our proactive initiatives, we will continue our efforts, and any suggestion to the contrary is false," said Jamie Hastings, vice president for external and state affairs at the CTIA.The industry softened its stance last month when the CTIA, a trade organization that represents the mobile-telecom companies, announced a commitment to make the the antitheft software standard on all phones from participating device makers and carriers -- including Apple, Samsung, Google (which makes the widely used Android mobile operating system), AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile -- though ultimately the choice to include the software would be voluntary for the companies.

Under the CTIA's voluntary commitment program, the kill switch features would come automatically turned off by default -- a position that riles Leno and government regulators. They argue that requiring a customer to turn on the antitheft feature defeats its purpose, since the intent of the law is to send a message to would-be thieves that stealing an inoperable phone would be useless. The bill's supporters have said the wireless industry's resistance has to do with money, specifically losing business from insurance partners.

Carriers have business ties with insurance firms, selling plans to customers in case phones are stolen or damaged. And some people say that by potentially discouraging theft, kill switch legislation would make consumers less likely to shell out for such plans. In December, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who has also been at the forefront of the kill switch issue with Gascon, accused the carriers of being too closely tied to the CTIA and the insurance company Asurion. And Leno agrees the situation raises questions.

"There's an inherent conflict of interest," Leno told CNET.

Mandating companies 'to death'?

One of the oft-repeated points of the debate is that over-regulating tech companies -- which pay taxes in the state and have been an undeniable boon to the local economy -- would drive them out of California. "We want to mandate them to death, so they move in flocks to other states," Republican Senate Leader Robert Huff, said while arguing against the bill at the state capitol in Sacramento on April 24.

The No. 1 and No. 2 largest smartphone makers in the world, Samsung and Apple, already offer antitheft software to users of their devices. In September, Apple added "activation lock," a feature that makes it harder for someone to use a stolen iPhone. The program requires a user's Apple ID and password before they can turn off the phone's location tracking or reactivate a locked phone. Last month, Samsung, maker of the popular Galaxy smartphone line, launched "reactivation lock," which prevents a locked phone from being made operable again, even through a factory reset.

"They are well on their way and probably will not need any regulation at all," Sen. Jean Fuller, one of the 17 senators who voted against the bill, told CNET after the vote last week.

There's an inherent conflict of interest.

Sen. Mark Leno

While the law would regulate only phones sold in California, Apple sells phones worldwide, Huff noted last week. This might force the company to sell two versions of the iPhone: One with the kill switch software turned on, and another that requires the customer to enable it. It's unclear if Apple would do that or just have the software turned on for its entire inventory of phones, but pressure from carriers and their insurance partners may cause the company to go with two versions.

Apple did not return a request for comment.

Besides the CTIA, other organizations opposed to the bill are the California Chamber of Commerce and the California Retailers Association, which don't think the software will be much of a deterrent against theft. Because people might be using a phone they purchased outside of California, thieves wouldn't necessarily think twice about grabbing a device. The Chamber of Commerce and Retailers Associations declined requests for interviews, and instead pointed to a written position on the measure, endorsed by both associations. It says, in brief, that the mandate is unnecessary and "risks distracting industry's focus on rapid deployment of security solutions."

"The Republicans in particular just ape the line of the California Chamber of Commerce," said Leno. "Everything they don't like is a job killer. Every raise in the minimum wage is a job killer, even though more jobs are created. It's not backed by any fact. It's just rote pronouncements."

If the concern is that businesses might abandon California, the question becomes whether any of the tech companies have made specific threats to leave the state because of the bill. "It is extremely rare for any companies -- particularly those that are publicly owned -- to make public statements about their future intentions with respect to relocation," William Bird, communications director for Republican Senate leader Robert Huff, said in an email. Huff, who also voted against the bill, was unavailable for comment.

Bird said a handful of companies have left California just since the beginning of this year, including Occidental Petroleum and Toyota, which announced earlier this week it would move most of its US operations from Torrance, Calif., to Plano, Texas. It's not certain if regulation played a major role in the companies' decisions to move.

Sen. Anthony Canella, a Republican, also voted down the kill switch bill but for reasons not having to do with business, his press secretary said. Canella thinks the issue should be addressed on a federal level, instead of each state trying to adopt its own individual law. A separate bill, the Smartphone Theft Prevention Act, was introduced in the US Congress in February and would address the issue on a federal level. But that bill, which also calls for customers to be able to remotely make data on a phone inaccessible if stolen, is still in committee, making its way through the legislative process.

Leno points out that the wireless industry initially lobbied hard against bills that outlaw texting while driving, until it became law in California in 2008. Now the four national carriers are big supporters of the "It can wait" campaign. That campaign urges drivers to refrain from texting. "They've seen the light," said Leno. "Unfortunately, how many people had to die before that?"

Are Smartphones Bad for Your Kids?

Last week I wrote three stories for Yahoo Tech about kids and mobile phones. One was about the right age to buy a child a smartphone; another was about a mobile device designed for pre-kindergartners; and the third covered tips on how to protect these insanely expensive gizmos before they break.

(Derek Olson/Flickr)

I was pretty sure these posts would get a strong reaction, but I didn’t know how strong. My inbox filled with emails, many of them angry. Some readers thought I was being sexist, while others accused me of endangering children’s health. Some people were mad that I suggested a child should carry a phone of any kind; others wanted to rush out and buy one for their kids.

I got so many emails that I felt compelled to share some of the best ones here.

Hold the phoneNot surprisingly, a handful of readers took exception to my argument that kids should have some kind of wireless communication device, whether it’s smart or not. Becky W., for example, is one of many who are quite emphatically anti-smartphone (capitalization is all hers):

“KIDS! don’t need smartphones. Any one under the age of paying for their own phone only needs a cheap pay-as-you-go phone for emergencies. Parents that spend their hard earned money for these stupid ‘smartphones’ need to grow a pair and just tell their kids NO!”

Surprisingly, some of the readers opposed to giving kids phones are kids themselves. Fourteen-year-old Rosemarie M. lays waste to the theory that all teenagers crave the latest and greatest i-devices. She doesn’t have her own phone and doesn’t see the need for one.

“With Wii’s and Nintendo DSi’s and tablets, is a phone really necessary? Its just like ‘Hey these kids don’t have a smaller screen in front of their faces that could contact people so let’s get our 8 year olds smartphones.’ Don’t parents see the danger of them possessing a phone? Did we all forget about Talking Angela? We found one app that can spy on us, and I’m pretty sure there are many more. I personally will never get my kids phones until they are 17+ (if phones are still a thing).”

First, a quick clarification: The Talking Angela iPhone app does not secretly take photos of kids or steal their personal information — that’sjust a hoax that spread across Facebook about a year ago. Still, that doesn’t mean phone spyware doesn’t exist, or that 8-year-olds should carry iPhones.

Meanwhile, Elisa C. did not weigh in on whether kids should own phones, but asked why I kept referring to children in my post as “her” or “she.”

“I was wondering why you wrote your article with a clear and consistent gender reference calling out girls over and over again? Boys have texting, sexting, overage and utilization issues as much as girls. There is power in the written word and as a writer you have the opportunity to reinforce gender-based stereotypes or to help break through them.”

First, no gender stereotyping was intended. My son is just as addicted to his phone as his younger sister, though a bit clumsier with them (he’s broken three). I used “she” because the plural is incorrect, and “he or she” is awkward. To my mind, using “she” is no more or less sexist than using “he.” 

FiLIP bustersMy post about the FiLIP watch (“A Mobile Phone for 4-Year-Olds. Seriously.”) generated the most responses of any Modern Family story to date. Some readers even seem to think I invented the thing. Sadly, I did not.

(myfilip.com)

To recap, the FiLIP device fits on a small child’s wrist, helps locate your child, and lets you designate up to five numbers that he can call, but it won’t let the kid dial 911.

Several readers suggested that the FiLIP phone sounded like an excellent solution for their elderly relatives, especially those suffering from dementia. I don’t see why not, provided that their arms are thin enough to wear the device (I can only fit three of my fingers into the non-adjustable wristband). However, FiLIP is planning to come out with a larger model later this year.

But not everyone is sold on the idea of outfitting kids or elders with mobile phones of any kind. Ellie M., founder and chair of the California Brain Tumor Association (CABTA), responded to my article about the FiLIP with this:

“Great article. Our government and industry are completely ignoring that wireless radiation is a WHO class 2b human carcinogen. The AAP has spoken out about this along with excellent INDEPENDENT scientists worldwide.

Losing a child in a mall is indeed frightening. Losing them to leukemia or brain cancer is beyond comprehension. Hope this device dies before it kills!”

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has indeed asked the FCC to reconsider its guidelines for how much wireless radiation is safe for kids as well as adults. But according to the National Cancer Institute, there’s no conclusive evidence that cellphone use increases the risk of cancer, though it says more research is needed.

Most of the health concerns revolve around the proximity of the phone’s wireless antenna to the skull. That’s not an issue with the FiLIP, which is worn on the wrist and doesn’t come very close to a child’s head. And have you ever seen a tween or teen use a phone? Ninety percent of the time they’re texting, not talking.

It’s entirely plausible that wireless communications technology will have serious unforeseen health repercussions. So has every other technology we’ve adopted since the discovery of fire. And, as with every new technology, only you can decide whether the benefits are worth the risk for yourself or your kids.

You don’t want your kids to play with fire, but you do want to teach them how to handle it safely. Same goes for tech. 

Repair despairIn an ironic twist, two days after I posted a story about how to protect these wildly expensive gadgets (“Six Things You Need to Do Right Now to Protect Your Kid’s Smartphone”), my 17-year-old son dropped his Samsung Galaxy S4 and smashed the screen.

(Ralph von der Heyden/Flickr)

It was uninsured. (We don’t actually own that phone — it’s a loaner — so we didn’t purchase an extended warranty for it.) And no, he did not have a protective cover on it. His mother had given him an OtterBox case, which he neglected to put on.

We said, “OK, Captain Butterfingers, if you want that smartphone, you’re paying for the repairs.” So we sent him to our local CPR Cell Phone Repair shop, whose CEO, Jeremy Kwaterski, had told me fixing a broken screen would typically cost between $35 and $175.

The estimate for fixing the Galaxy S4? A shocking $299. (We also got an estimate for fixing a Nokia 1020 he had smashed awhile back — $249.) Painful? You bet. But this strongly suggests that if you own an expensive phone, you’ll do better by getting damage insurance from a company like SquareTrade or Protect Your Bubble instead of paying out of pocket for repairs.

Finally, reader Steve F. offers a word of caution to parents whose children bring them broken dumb phones and ask for smartphone replacements.

“I have noticed that [with] my 6th grade daughter (my third of five), who now has email due to online school collaboration, her friends advise each other on how to best break their non-smart phone in hopes of getting upgraded. Sneaky, these kids.”

Sneaky, indeed.