Apple Seeds Second Beta of iOS 9.3.2 to Public Beta Testers

Apple today released the second beta of an upcoming iOS 9.3.2 update to public beta testers, just a day after seeding the second iOS 9.3.2 beta to developers. iOS 9.3.2 beta 2 comes just over a month after the public release of iOS 9.3 and three weeks after the release of iOS 9.3.1, a followup bug fix update. iOS 9.3.2 has been in testing since April 6.

Beta testers who have signed up for Apple’s beta testing program will receive the iOS 9.3.2 update over-the-air after installing the proper certificate on their iOS device.

Those who want to be a part of Apple’s beta testing program can sign up to participate through the beta testing website, which gives users access to both iOS and OS X betas.

iOS 9.3.2, as a minor 9.x.x update, focuses primarily on performance improvements and under-the-hood bug fixes to address issues that have been discovered since the release of iOS 9.3. We don’t know all of the fixes that will be included, but significant Game Center bug appears to have been fixed in the first beta, while iOS 9.3.2 beta 2 added the ability to use Low Power Mode and Night Shift simultaneously. No other outward-facing changes or immediately apparent bug fixes have been discovered in the first two developer betas.

Related Roundup: iOS 9
Tag: iOS 9.3.2
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Apple Seeds Second Beta of tvOS 9.2.1 to Developers

Apple today provided developers with the second beta of an upcoming 9.2.1 update to tvOS, the operating system designed to run on the fourth-generation Apple TV. tvOS 9.2.1 is a minor update that comes one month after the launch of tvOS 9.2, a major update that introduced a range of features from Bluetooth keyboard support and dictation to Siri search for the App Store and app folders.

tvOS betas are more difficult to install than beta updates for iOS and OS X. Installing the tvOS beta requires the Apple TV to be connected to a computer with a USB-C to USB-A cable, with the software downloaded and installed via iTunes or Apple Configurator. Those who have already installed the first tvOS 9.2.1 beta will be able to update to the second beta over the air.

As a minor 9.x.x update, tvOS 9.2.1 likely focuses on bug fixes and performance updates to address issues discovered since the release of tvOS 9.2. No new outward-facing changes were found in the first tvOS 9.2.1 beta, but should any new features pop up in beta 2, we will list them below.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Tag: tvOS 9.2.1
Buyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Neutral)
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10 signs it’s time to get a new phone – CNET

For some, the sign it’s time to get a new phone is when Tim Cook takes to the stage in September and announces a new iPhone is upon us. Or when Samsung unveils its latest Galaxy phone for Android.

If you aren’t on anything resembling a regular upgrade cycle, then your aging phone may be dropping some none-too-subtle hints that it’s time put it out to pasture and buy a new phone.

Here are 10 signs it’s time to get with the times:

1. The touch screen is slow to respond

If your phone has started to register your taps and swipes as suggestions and not commands, responding to some while ignoring others, it’s time to upgrade to a phone that listens to you and cares about you.

2. Your busted-up screen is a hazard

Worse than a slow phone is a cracked phone. You may have grown accustomed to your smashed display to where you barely notice the intricate spider-web pattern of cracks, but a crisp new screen is certain to delight your senses. Or just your eyes.

Matt Elliott/CNET

3. The battery life doesn’t get you to lunch

You have enough going on each day without needing to schedule a recharge for your phone. Unless you’re watching YouTube and movies all day on a recent-model smartphone, you can reasonably expect to leave the house with it each morning to return at the end of the day without ever stopping to recharge its battery.

4. Your phone decides it’s suddenly time to shut down (again)

Do you know what’s worse than constantly running out of battery? The random shutdown. And the only thing less fun than the random shutdown is the random shutdown followed by your phone taking its sweet time powering back up. Or refusing to turn back on until a point in time of its choosing. Get a new phone and gain some predictability in your life.

5. Your photos and videos look like they were shot through a screen door

Along with a new phone comes a better camera. Stop capturing grainy, low-resolution moments and start collecting crisp, clear, high-resolution memories.

CNET Networks

6. Good morning! You’re still out of storage space

Even tiny, low-resolution photos can begin to accumulate and occupy a big chunk of an old phone. Move to a new phone and you’ll have, at minimum, 16GB of storage at your disposal. Then again, with a high-resolution camera on that phone taking high-resolution photos and videos, you may need tips on how to survive with a 16GB phone.

Sarah Tew/CNET

7. You flip open your phone to answer calls

If this applies to you, I’m also going to guess you maintain a Geocities page.

Sure, you’ve perfected the one-handed, wrist-snap maneuver to answer your flip phone, but you’ll soon come to enjoy the swipe-to-answer gesture of a modern cell phone, along with its many other benefits.

Alcatel

8. Plugging in headphones is an art

Getting audio through your earbuds begins by plugging them in and gently twisting the headphone jack. Sometimes, it’s a slight pull that gets the audio through. If that sounds familiar, the jack decided to retire early and your only option — if your old phone has it — is to use Bluetooth headphones.

Sarah Tew/CNET

9. No can understand what you’re saying

Maybe it was water damage or just old phone fatigue, but your friends have stopped accepting your calls. Your only options for getting your voice heard — should you decide to actually call someone — are to plug in your headphones or use the speakerphone. Otherwise you’ve basically resorted to text messaging.

10. 3G < 4G

What if I told you a 4G or LTE phone can deliver content up to 10 times as fast as your aging 3G phone? And not to rub it in, but just wait until you see the rumored speeds of the soon-to-come 5G network. Depending on how old your current phone is and the coverage in your area, when you upgrade to a new-and-improved phone you may also upgrade to a new-and-improved network.

CNET

If you are kicking the tires on a new phone, be sure to check out CNET’s smartphone buying guide to help you find the right one.

What’s the best TV streaming service? – CNET

Amazon has spun out its Amazon Prime Video service into a standalone monthly subscription, just like Netflix and Hulu currently offer.

Instead of paying a flat $100 fee every year for Amazon Prime (which includes free two-day shipping on most items, cloud storage, streaming music and video), you can opt to pay $8.99 monthly to watch movies and TV shows from Amazon’s catalog.

Amazon’s looking to compete with its two biggest streaming rivals, Netflix and Hulu, both of which offer similarly-priced monthly plans. However, Amazon’s monthly option seems to be the weakest deal since it’s cheaper to just buy a year Prime membership than pay the monthly fee.

With Amazon’s new plan, we wanted to check in on all of the streaming services available to see what they offer now and for how much.

Streaming showdown

*Showtime is owned by CBS, which is the parent company of CNET.

Netflix

Netflix is a strong contender for movies and killing it lately with plenty of original shows. It’s also completely commercial-free and available in hundreds of countries.

Basic plan:

• $8.99, £5.99, AU$8.99 per month
• Can stream on only one screen at once
• Does not include HD video

Standard plan:

• $9.99, £7.49, AU$11.99 per month
• Stream on two screens at once
• HD video

Premium plan:

• $11.99, £8.99, AU$14.99 per month
• Stream on up to four screens at once
• Ultra HD video

(Note that if you’re a long-time Netflix subscriber, your pricing may differ from what you see. Be aware that will change soon, though.)

Hulu

The big draw of Hulu is that you can watch the newest episodes of current shows the day after they air on broadcast. It’s good way to keep up with current TV without cable. The downside is that unless you pay more, you’ll see commercials. Sadly, Hulu is not available outside the US.

Free plan:

• No cost, but you’ll see commercials

Limited commercials plan:

• $7.99 per month
• Fewer commercials than free TV
• HD video, where available

No commercials plan:

• $11.99 per month
• No commercials, except on select shows
• HD video, where available

Showtime add-on:

• Additional $8.99 per month for Showtime content, including “Homeland” and “Masters of Sex.”

Amazon Prime Video

Amazon’s making a name for itself with original shows like “Transparent” and “The Man in the High Castle” and if you’re into older HBO shows like “The Sopranos,” it’s also a good pick. Sorry Australians, Amazon Prime Video is not available for you.

• $8.99, £5.99 per month or included with a $99, £79 one-year Prime Membership
• HD video
• Commercial-free
• Watch on up to two screens at once.

Streaming TV ServicesCreate line charts

SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive review – CNET

The Good The new SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive is super compact, very speedy when working with a computer and adds up to 128GB of storage to your iPhone or iPad. Its mobile app can back up data from your mobile device effectively and play back content well.

The Bad The drive can’t hold files larger than 4GB and doesn’t support popular audio soundtrack formats. It shortens the mobile device’s battery life.

The Bottom Line The new SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive is a good way to add storage to your iPad but it’s not a huge step up from its predecessor.

Visit manufacturer site for details.

View full gallery

The new iXpand Flash Drive from SanDisk

Josh Miller/CNET

Unlike many Android phones and tablets, iPhones and iPads don’t have expandable storage. You’re stuck with the 16, 64, 128 or 256GB that are built in to the Apple device you buy. Unless you get an iXpand Flash Drive, that is.

The new iXpand Flash Drive is the smaller and faster version of the clever iPhone/iPad accessory that came out in late 2014. It’s a thumbdrive that works with either a regular USB port on a computer, or a lighting port on an Apple mobile device. When connected to an iPhone or an iPad, you can use a free app, called iXpand Drive, to playback content stored on the drive — a wide variety of video, audio and document files — or back up the phone’s photos and contacts.

As a thumbdrive, the iXpand performed well in my testing with the sustained copy speed, via USB 3.0, of around 50MB/s for writing and around 90MB/s for reading, a huge improvement from just 11MB/s and 13MB/s, respectively, with the previous version. Thanks to its smaller design, the new iXpand Flash drive can also clip to an iPad without getting in the way too much. And in testing, the iXpand Drive app worked well for both data backup and media playback.

But the improvement ends there; the new iXpand still has a few flaws. First, it doesn’t have its own battery (the old version does), and in my trial, while backing up my photos on the drive, my iPhone 6S’ battery drained much faster — about 1 percent of battery life every 4 minutes. Also, anyone with a trove of ill-gotten videos should be forewarned: the iXpand Drive mobile app doesn’t support some popular sound encodings, such as DTS or AC3. This means many “ripped” video files will play without sound. (The old version of the drive used to support these sound encodings but no longer does now after required firmware upgrades.)

On top of that, the new iXpand drive retains a major drawback found in the previous version. It needs to be formatted in the archaic FAT32 file system to work with the mobile app. (You can format it in other file systems, such as NTFS or exFAT, but then it can only work as a regular thumbdrive.) FAT32 can hold single files of just 4GB or less. Since most feature-length HD movies require more than 4GB to store in a digital format, there are many movies you can’t bring with you using the iXpand.

In all, if you want fast copy speed, the new iXpand is a good choice at the suggested price of $49.99, $69.99 $89.99 and $129.99 for 16GB, 32GB, 64GB and 128GB, respectively. But if you want better battery life, the previous version is the way to go.

LG G5 Battery Life review

While its past G-series flagships have been small evolutionary upgrades on previous handsets, this year LG revolutionised its flagship with a modular-toting battery-replaceable metal design.

Yet, change doesn’t always mean for the better, and while there’s a lot of great things going for the LG G5, the redesign of the LG G5 means the battery has shrunk slightly from 3000mAh unit packed inside the LG G4 and LG G3 to a 2800mAh unit, which is still removable. Do the efficiencies of a new processor and Doze Mode in Marshmallow deliver enough to satisfy the power-hungry, or does the G5 fall short?

• LG G5 Review
• Feature Focus: LG G5 camera
• Feature Focus: LG G5 modules and peripherals
• Feature Focus: LG G5 CAM Plus

LG G5 Battery vs the LG G3

How does the LG G5 battery life stack up to the competition? Join us to find out in this, our LG G5 battery life review.

In the review below, we’ve compared the data from our LG G5 testing versus both versions of the Galaxy S7 and also compared it to Google’s flagship, the Nexus 6P. In the graphs below, (E8890) and (SD820) denote the Exynos and Snapdragon versions of the Galaxy S7 respectively.

WiFi Browsing Test

To kick off our testing, we charged the LG G5 to full, removed the charger and ran our custom WiFi browsing test tool at full brightness until the battery drained to 0. We then recharged the phone, and recorded the Screen on Time recorded by the Android OS. During the test, the LG G5 was placed 3 metres from the WiFi router it was connected to and syncing of accounts and data had been switched off.

In this test, the LG G5 scores an average Wi-Fi browsing battery life of 5 hours and 34 minutes. By way of comparison, this is lower than the Snapdragon powered Galaxy S7 (6 hours 30 minutes), the Exynos Galaxy S7 (6 hours 48 minutes) and the Nexus 6P (6 hours 37 minutes).

Video Playback Test

From WiFi browsing to video playback and again, we tested from full to empty. Looping the same 5-minute video over and over on each of these handsets, we ran the test at 50% brightness and then recharged the phone to get the screen on time listed by the Android OS. During the test, each device was put in airplane mode to prevent any syncing or connections preventing the video from playing.

In this test, the LG G5 scores a video playback battery life score of 10 hours and 2 minutes, which, while respectable again, does pale in comparison to the competition. Interestingly, the LG G5 continues the trend started in the first test of offering approximately 15 to 20% lower battery life than the Snapdragon powered Galaxy S7, which has a battery that is approximately 7% larger and scores 11 hours and 52 minutes.

Standby Test

Our third and final test involves testing the longevity of each handset, as an indicator of the maximum standby life. Each smartphone was charged to full and WiFi was turned on with the same set of apps syncing data and notifications (11 apps in total). After exactly 24 hours, the remaining battery life was measured and this data used to extrapolate the total potential battery life.

Standby testing is somewhat subjective as it will vary slightly between devices, even with the same set of apps syncing. In actual usage, standby time can vary widely but with the limited testing we’ve conducted, we can see the LG G5 achieves a standby battery life of 9 days and 4 hours. This is again, slightly lower than the Snapdragon Galaxy S7 but higher than the larger battery inside the Google Nexus 6P.

Real world usage

Testing under these conditions isn’t always indicative of day-to-day usage, where variables such as network coverage, usage of other apps and more, can all impact the actual battery life offered by a smartphone. To this effect, does the battery life live up to its billing above?

From a couple of weeks’ worth of usage, I’d say the battery life is somewhat on par with the data captured in our testing. Standby time is pretty good and with low usage, you can easily expect the G5 to last between two and three days. The real trouble comes with medium to heavy usage, where the battery life is somewhat of a let down. The maximum we’ve achieved is 4 hours’ screen on time, which is average compared with the 5-6 hours offered by the Galaxy S7. In fact, with the much more affordable Xiaomi Mi 5 able to also score between 5 and 6 hours, the G5’s battery is quite disappointing in actual usage.

Quite interestingly, the LG G5 does seem to offer 20 percent lower battery than the Snapdragon powered Galaxy S7, despite the battery only being 7 percent smaller. Whether this is down to Samsung’s per-app battery saving feature in TouchWiz is unclear but the data certainly provides food for thought and is something to keep in mind if trying to decide between these two smartphones.

Wrap Up

The first thing to note when considering the data above is that we’re using an T-Mobile US branded LG G5, and the few preloaded apps may have a small impact on battery life. That being said, there’s no denying that, although you can swap the battery inside the LG G5, it certainly isn’t on par with other flagships.

LG G5 in video:

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For heavy users in particular, the battery life may be a concern and for anyone but a light user, we’d probably suggest keeping a spare battery. And there in lies the G5’s biggest advantage – although a lot of smartphones do support quick charge, the fastest way to go from an empty battery to a full one is by swapping it out.

Consider that a removable battery is almost an extinct beast and the LG G5 is even more impressive for the heavy user; LG deserves plaudits for sticking to its guns about offering a removable battery and as long as you don’t mind splashing out for a spare battery, the LG G5 battery life won’t be a concern.

Will the update to Android N in a few months offer significant battery life advantages? What do you think of the LG G5 battery life and if you have one, what battery life have you experienced? Let us your findings in the comments down below!

HTC 10 Ice View case and Hi-Res earphones review

HTC took the wraps off of their latest flagship offering last week, with the company hoping for the HTC 10 to once again return the glory they once enjoyed. If you’ve already taken a look at our comprehensive review, you will know that we do think very highly of HTC’s latest effort, and while it may not be the perfect 10 the company is hoping it to be, it certainly comes close.

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The HTC 10 is now up for pre-order and will be making its way to consumers in the early days of May. If you have decided to pick up the HTC 10, you may also be interested in a couple of accessories that are on offer as well, to help you get the best experience the device has to offer. Here is the review of the Ice View case and the Hi-Res earphones!

HTC 10 Ice View case

As good as the unibody metal construction of the HTC 10 looks, the metal does prove to be quite slippery, and an extra layer of protection from accidental bumps and drops may be necessary. That is where the HTC Ice View case comes into the picture, which is a variation, or rather, an evolution of the Dot View case that was available with the HTC One M8 and One M9.

Installing the case is as simple as ever, and all you have to do is slip the phone into the main part of the flip cover, and the case will be available in different options, to maintain the color of the device. Granted, you are going to be covering up the beautiful design of the phone, but the protection that you get for the back, front, and sides, means that you will at least be able to keep the device in pristine condition.

As far as the handling experience in concerned, the case does add a little bit of girth the already somewhat wide smartphone, making it slightly difficult to use with one hand. The front face that protects the display is easy to flip open, but to get a good ergonomic feel will probably require you to either fold it all the way back, or tuck it under one of your fingers. This case isn’t particularly thick, but, as mentioned, the 10 is wider than what you may be used to, and adding the case might just exacerbate the handling experience.

As expected, the case comes with the appropriate and precise cuts for access to the the charging port and headphone jack at the bottom and top respectively, and the front-facing speaker above the display is also exposed, allowing for its use even when the flip face is closed. Speaking of having the front face closed, the device still allows for some limited usability in this case. Double tapping on the front when holding up the phone brings up a lock screen of sorts, providing you with information such as the time, weather updates, and notifications. Swiping up on the notification icon will also give you more information related to it as well.

You will also have access to music player controls, but the most interesting addition this time around is the ability to access the camera application with the front face closed. You basically get to use the regular motion gesture on the case to launch the camera and you get to see everything through the semi-transparent face quite well. Granted, in broad daylight situations, the glare will be enough that you won’t be able to see the viewfinder, but in most other circumstances, it may come in handy.

The main problem is that the cover does tend to blur the entire viewfinder, so accessing the granular controls available in the Pro mode will be quite difficult. However, if you just want to take a shot quickly, you can do so without opening the flip cover. The other issue is that you will have to open the front face to take selfies, which is disappointing, and a cutout for the front-facing camera would have been useful.

All said and done, the design and features of the Ice View case does allow for a very unique perspective for what is a smart cover for the HTC 10. The Ice View case can be bought directly from the HTC website for $49.99.

Buy the Ice View case now

Hi-Res earphones

One of the marquee features of the HTC 10 is the audio experience that this device provides, and to take best advantage of it, HTC also has its own Hi-Res earphones on offer. They do have the look of high-end earbuds or an in-ear monitor, starting with the silicone tips that sit very comfortably in the ear. Other sizes of the tips are included in the box as well, so you won’t have a problem finding something that best fits your needs. A single button is found on the right earbud, that also houses a microphone for taking calls. Answering calls using these earphones has been a pretty good experience, with their being no complaints with regards to clarity or volume from either end of the call.

Of course, the real fun begins when using these earphones to watch videos, and even more so when listening to music. The BoomSound enhancement settings will require you to answer a few questions initially to set up your audio profile, and you are then ready to go. Listening to pretty much any music makes for an enjoyable experience, and this pair is leaps and bounds better than any bundled earphones you may have got with your previous smartphones.

It is in the low-end that these earphones do a great job. The mids are pretty good, and the highs could use a touch more clarity, but when using these earphones at the highest volumes, you really will feel like you are standing in a club, and does so without muddying the lower-end. You certainly be hearing much distortion, and at high volumes, BoomSound really does earn its name. Of course, if you already own a pair of high-end headphones, earphones, or in-ear monitors, you will be able to enjoy a fantastic experience as well, but it is great to see a first-party accessory being made to take advantage of what has been one of the best audio experiences we’ve had on a smartphone so far.

Specifications:

• Driver Unit: 13mm, Dynamic
• Diaphragm: PEEK
• Frequency Response: 10-40kHz
• Sensitivity: 106 dB/mW
• Impedance: 35Ω (at 1kHz)
• Cord Type: OFC, Y-type
• Power Handing Capacity: 100 mW

Features:

• Hi-Res audio certified
• Large 13mm dynamic driver for stronger bass and richer treble
• Aerospace-grade ultra thin (8μm) PEEK diaphragm delivers more powerful sound
• Ergonomically designed to fit your ear comfortably
• Double the sound range (10Hz-40kHz)

Pricing information for the Hi-Res earphones haven’t been released as yet, and while very select markets will have a pair of these earphones available in the box when picking up the phone, the US isn’t included in that list. If you don’t already have a great set of headphones available, you should definitely consider these made by HTC that really enhance the audio experience available with the HTC 10.

What do you think of the HTC 10 and is it the smartphone for you? Would you buy any of these accessories? Check out our full HTC 10 review and let us know your thoughts on the phone and the cases in the comments below!

Next: HTC 10 pricing and availability

LG G5 se briefly appears online in Russia

The LG G5 se has been rumored before, with some saying that it would be a smaller version of the LG G5. After appearing online in Russia, it doesn’t appear as though the size rumors played out to be true, but it does have downgraded internals. It won’t have the Snapdragon 820 processor, and instead will sport the Snapdragon 652. Another notable difference is that it is said to be a 3G phone, even though the processor has an integrated LTE modem.

From PhoneArena:

Officially announced in Russia, the LG G5 se (H845) is nothing more and nothing less than a slight hardware downgrade of the original meant to bring the handset’s price down for more sensitive markets like Russia, Latin America, and possibly other countries. The only differences between it and the regular LG G5 are the processor (lower-spec’d Snapdragon 652 rather than the premium-tier Snapdragon 820), the amount of RAM memory (3GB vs 4GB), and curiously enough – LTE support.

Aside from the internals, the G5 se has the same Quad-HD display, support for the ‘Friends’ modules, and other features that are included on the regular G5. It is not clear as to where the LG G5 se will be available, we will have to wait for official word from LG on that.

Micromax Canvas Spark 2 Plus offers Marshmallow for just ₹3,999

Micromax, India’s leading handset brand, has announced the latest addition to its Canvas Spark series of affordable smartphones. The Canvas Spark 2 Plus is the first smartphone from the vendor to run Marshmallow out of the box, and it’s available for just ₹3,999.

Micromax has sold more than 1.5 million units in the Canvas Spark series over the last 12 months with the Canvas Spark 1, Canvas Spark 2, and Canvas Spark 3. Today’s offering is the company’s most affordable device in the lineup thus far, and is aimed at first time smartphone users.

Commenting on the new launch, Shubhajit Sen, Chief Marketing Officer, Micromax, said:

A large number of consumers are still using feature phones or a second hand phones, which provide immense scope and potential for them to upgrade to affordable smartphones. With the launch of the Canvas Spark 2 Plus, we are offering first time users, with a smooth transition at a wallet-friendly price. Our objective is to convert feature phone users into smartphone users, and synthesize technology and affordability in for this device.

Micromax Canvas Spark 2 Plus Specifications

The Canvas Spark 2 Plus includes Indus, which supports 10 regional languages allowing users to type, chat or change the menu of their phone in their preferred language. One can swipe right to translate or left to transliterate their messages in the language they want to communicate in.

Priced at ₹3,999 ($60) and available in three colors — metallic grey, copper grey, and champagne gold — the Canvas Spark 2 Plus will go on sale on Snapdeal starting tomorrow, April 22.

Verizon reports $32.2 billion in revenue, nets 640,000 postpaid additions in Q1 2016

Verizon has announced its Q1 2016 earnings with $32.2 billion in total operating revenue coming in, of which $22 billion came from the wireless end of the business. The carrier was also able to add 640,000 postpaid net additions, which is a low-volume quarter for them. Customer retention remained solid at Verizon, with its retail postpaid churn as low as 0.96%, a huge improvement year over year.

The carrier notes some of the other wireless highlights as:

• The percentage of phone activations on installment plans grew to 68 percent in first-quarter 2016, compared with 67 percent in fourth-quarter 2015. The company expects this percentage to grow to 70 percent in second-quarter 2016. About 48 percent of postpaid phone customers are on an unsubsidized pricing plan, and service revenue declines are expected to flatten when this base exceeds 50 percent. Verizon expects the decline in service revenues to slow throughout the year and ultimately turn positive by the end of 2017.
• The composition of the 640,000 retail postpaid net adds was strong: Verizon added 452,000 4G smartphones to its postpaid base in first-quarter 2016. Due to declines in 3G and basic phones, postpaid phone net adds were a negative 8,000. Tablet net adds totaled 507,000 in the quarter.
• Verizon ended first-quarter 2016 with a total of 73.8 million smartphones. This is 85 percent of the total phone base, with 4G devices more than 81 percent of the retail postpaid connections base.
• Growth in 4G device adoption is driving increased data and video usage. Approximately 92 percent of Verizon’s total data traffic is on the LTE network. Overall data traffic on LTE has increased by approximately 50 percent year over year.

Overall it seems as though it was a solid quarter for the carrier as it posted $1.06 in earnings per share, which is up from the same quarter last year.