Which carrier offers the fastest mobile data and coverage: 4G / 3G speed comparison

4G LTE has brought blazingly fast Internet to our mobile devices, with speeds often even higher than what home Internet connections offer. However, not all carriers are equal in their offerings, and speeds can vary hugely on different carriers. Nowadays, most major US metropolitan areas are well covered, but speeds still differ hugely and while a carrier might deliver extremely high speeds in one area, in a different area it might deliver a much slower connection.

To see what is the current reality of US carriers’ cellular data speeds, we are comparing America’s top 4 carriers: Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile. For this comparison we are looking separately at 4G and 3G speeds, as well as at latency. We have used data from the 20 largest metropolitan areas in the United States to come up with nation-wide averages (but you can also see the results per area). For the actual speeds, we are using publicly available data from OpenSignal's excellent maps. OpenSignal takes its data from over 1 million consumer devices, which is a great sample size. Here are the 20 metros we used for this comparison:
We compare the data speeds offered by the four largest US carriers: Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile New YorkLos AngelesChicagoWashington DCSan FranciscoBostonPhiladelphiaDallasMiami

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Emotion in marketing: How our brains decide which content is shareable

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This post originally appeared on the Buffer blog and has been republished with permission.

Every day it seems like we feel hundreds of different emotions

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What makes 3D mapping possible in the Project Tango smartphone? Four cameras, the specs and purpose of which we now know

"http://i-cdn.phonearena.com/images/article/53919-image/What-makes-3D-mapping-possible-in-the-Project-Tango-smartphone-Four-cameras-the-specs-and-purpose-of-which-we-now-know.jpg" alt

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In Depth: Tablet or Phone: Which should you choose?

Tablet or Phone: Which should you choose? | News | TechRadar --> Mobile version2013-12-20T16:04:00ZMagsNewsletterRSS FeedsFollow @TechradarA Future Site ▼ TechRadarmobile-phonesSearch the siteSearch term:Log inJoinLog outHomeReviewsPhonesTVsCamerasTabletsCar TechMoreComponentsAVLaptopsComputingNewsOffersToday's OffersTechRadar PhoneStoreRecycle Your MobileiPhone DealsiPad DealsDaily Phone Deal Xbox One TechRadar Pro TrendingXbox OnePlayStation 4iPad AiriPad mini 2Nokia Lumia 1520Nexus 5OS X MavericksWindows 8.1HomeNews by technologyTablet or Phone: Which should you choose?Tablet or Phone: Which should you choose?In Depth Its never simple, is it?By Thomas Thorn and John McCann 20th Dec 2013 | 14:22Comments TweetPage 1 of 3How to decide1.How to decide2.Buying a tablet3.Buying a smartphoneWhich is best for you?Related storiesWindows Phone 8.1 said to add notification center, Siri-like rivalNokia says it is working to bring Sky Go to Windows Phone beyond ItalyWindows Phone still a no go for Sky Go in UK

There will be a lot of you out there who are already rocking a smartphone and/or a tablet, but for those of your about to dip your toe into the technologic water you may be wondering if you need both or just one.

Luckily TechRadar is on hand to help you make that decision, whether it's picking up your first mobile device or perhaps it's time to upgrade and you're unsure which direction to follow.

Of course you could make things easy and plump for both a shiny new smartphone and a tablet, but they don't come and cheap and for many of us we only realistically need one or the other.

There are numerous things to consider when it comes to choosing between a phone or table, but the key questions you need to ask yourself are; who is it for, what will it be used for, how much are you looking to spend and what screen size do you fancy?

Best mobile phones in the world today

The biggest difference in phones and tablets is obviously screen size. This distinction is forever becoming more blurred as supersized smartphones begin to encroach on the 7-inch tablet market.

Looking for the best of both worlds? Then you might want to check out the 6.44-inch Sony Xperia Z Ultra or the 6-inch Nokia Lumia 1520 - there's even the 7-inch Asus FonePad which is a tablet first and foremost, but also has calling and texting abilities.

The huge Sony Xperia Z Ultra

If plans for your new device centre around watching a lot of movies, reading books and magazines or browsing the web then we'd recommend buying a tablet.

While you can do all these activities on a smartphone, the smaller screen isn't as comfortable from a visual perspective, although phones are much better for music playback thanks to their portable nature.

We'd recommend a phone for those users who spend a lot more time on the go, for those who value portability as much as functionality. Tablets are becoming ever more portable, but nothing will ever replace the ease of being able to just pop something into your pocket.

Best tablets in the world today

Phones are the better messaging devices, so if you're going to be sending a lot of texts, constantly checking your email or spending hours on instant messaging services then you'll want to lean towards a smartphone. Tablets are able to manage emails as well as run some instant messaging services, but phones win out overall here.

We love take pictures, so if you want your new mobile device to also double as a point and shoot snapper you'll once again want to be heading to the smartphone side, as they pack better cameras than tablets while also being a lot easier to carry around.

Page 1 of 3How to decide1.How to decide2.Buying a tablet3.Buying a smartphoneLastNext Stay up to date on the latest mobile news and offers TechRadar, in conjunction with Carphone Warehouse, is bringing you a whole host of amazing phone and tablet features. Make the Smart Choice and check out our news tips and tricks.

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