Epic Games

Epic Games Inc, based in Raleigh, NC and established in 1991 as "Epic Mega Games", is a developer of cutting-edge computer and video games. The company is best known as the creator of hit PC 3D action games Unreal and Unreal Tournament, both award-winning blockbuster hits having each sold more than 1 million units each. Epic is also well known as creator of the Unreal Engine which it has licensed to several major game developers. Prior to their 3D success, Epic Games was well known for the hit shareware games Jill of the Jungle, Jazz Jackrabbit and Epic Pinball.

Company Info:
Website:	http://www.epicgames.com
Address:	620 Crossroads Boulevard
	Cary, NC 27518

List of Epic Games Games:

Will be provided soon.

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Tablet Review: Acer Iconia W700

The Acer Iconia W700-6465 ($999.99 list) is a Windows 8 slate tablet, eschewing the traditional keyboard and clamshell design in favor of a screen-only form factor for enhanced mobility.

The W700, one of the first Windows 8 slate tablets, shows some of the true potential of the Windows 8 interface. Though the W700 comes with a wireless Bluetooth keyboard, it's really meant to be used as a tablet for the person who has to do work around the house, a college campus, or on the job. It's certainly capable of all that, though you may make a couple of sacrifices in performance in return for that portability. It's one of the best arguments for a first-generation Windows 8 slate tablet.

The good: The Acer Iconia W700 can work as a tablet or a small desktop, and it has a high-res screen and excellent battery life.

The bad: The non-adjustable stand limits viewing angles, and you'll need an external mouse or touch pad for efficient Windows navigation.

The bottom line: One of the only Core i5 slate-style Windows 8 systems we've seen, the Acer Iconia W700 asks few compromises for full-time use, but the design isn't for everyone.

Few systems have had as polarizing an effect in the CNET offices as the Acer Iconia W700. Some felt this full Windows 8 touch-screen tablet and keyboard combo looked ridiculous, or was unwieldy for everyday use. Others liked that it has an Intel Core i5 processor and a full 1,920x1,080-pixel display for a not-inexpensive, but still reasonable, $999.

The truth is somewhere between these two poles. At first glance, the W700 looks a mess, but at the same time, it's hard not to like. For me, the aesthetics of the tablet and its unique side-sliding stand offer a hint of retro-futurism, and I likened it to a leftover "Space: 1999" prop. But, I mean that as a compliment -- too many laptops, tablets, and accessories follow the same overused design cues.

Using a touch-screen slate with an Intel Core i5 CPU makes a world of difference over models that attempt to get away with a low-power Intel Atom processor, and over the not fully baked Windows RT as well. For the most part, this is a combo creation/consumption machine, capable of doing nearly anything a traditional laptop or desktop can.

There are a few caveats, however. You'll want an external mouse or touch pad -- the W700 includes a wireless keyboard but no external pointing device, and man does not live by touch screen alone. Also, the 1080p resolution is overkill for an 11.6-inch display. In the Windows 8 UI view, everything scales fine, but going back to the desktop view is hard on the eyes.

The Acer Iconia W700 is one of only a handful of Core i5-or-better slates we've seen with Windows 8, and when docked, it feels like a mini all-in-one desktop, although the small screen size means it's a stretch to call this your main productivity machine. An add-on mouse or touch pad is practically required for serious use, especially as Windows 8 is, hype aside, still not a fully satisfying tablet-only experience.

Specification:	Acer Iconia W700
Price as reviewed	$999
Processor	1.7GHz Intel Core i5-3317U
Memory	4GB, 1,600MHz DDR3
Hard drive	128GB
Chipset	Intel HM77
Graphics	Intel HD4000
Operating System	Windows 8
Dimensions (WD)	11.6 x 7.5 inches
Height	0.47 inches
Screen size (diagonal)	11.6 inches
Weight	2.1/2.7 pounds (screen/adapter only)
Category	Ultraportable / Hybrid

Design, features, and display
 

People have an immediate reaction when seeing the Acer Iconia W700 for the first time. I will admit that I liked it -- it was different than the cookie-cutter Windows 8 hybrids I had seen so far, and the look was bold. But some of my colleagues have been less impressed, and they're not entirely wrong.

The W700's main unit is a thick, fairly heavy slab-style tablet. By itself, it's innocuous enough, if chunky for anyone that's used to an iPad. The docking stand might best be described as a bracket. It's L-shaped and covers most of the bottom and right-side edges of the system. The tablet slides into the bracket dock from the right side, connecting via USB 3.0 and AC power plugs on the left edge of the tablet.

The dock itself has three USB 3.0 ports and a power pass-through, but note that the tablet's single USB port is both used and covered by the dock. If you have anything plugged into the tablet, you'll have to remove it and plug it into the dock instead.

The tablet slides into the dock securely, but removing it is a two-handed -- and slightly awkward -- procedure. The dock's angle is not adjustable, which is a negative, as it's not at quite the right angle for close-up use -- and as this is a small 11.6-inch screen, I suspect you'll be up close more often than not.

There is, however, a second option for setting up the docking stand, which is to remove the kickstand portion, rotate the entire setup 90 degrees counterclockwise, and reinsert the kickstand into a second slot. This allows you to set the system up in portrait mode. Again, there's only one screen angle, and frankly, Windows 8, for all its tablet/touch skills, is really set up for landscape mode over portrait.

The included keyboard looks and feels a lot like Apple's wireless keyboard, from the white key faces against silver to the rounded top edge. It connects via Bluetooth, so it'll work with the tablet whether it's plugged into the docking stand or not. The keys are slightly deeper than Apple's similar wireless keyboard, but also a bit clackier. Nonetheless, it's overall a perfectly good keyboard experience. 

One thing you don't get with the W700 is any kind of pointer interaction hardware. There's no bundled mouse, and no touch pad built into the tablet, dock, or keyboard. For full-on tablet use, that may be fine, but to set this up as a mini desktop computer, you'll probably want a wireless mouse. I went with a slightly different setup, plugging in an external touch pad from Logitech, which worked especially well with Windows 8 gestures.

The display is both a highlight and a bit of a head-scratcher. The 11.6-inch display has a native resolution of 1,920x1,080 pixels, which is impressive and makes this feel like a very high-end machine. At the same time, it's simply too high a resolution when in the traditional desktop mode. Text and images are tiny and finger-based navigation is more difficult than usual. The Windows 8 UI screen (the tile-based setup formerly known as Metro) scales according to its resolution automatically, so there's no issue there.

Sound was predictably thin, even more so than on most laptops. There are no external speakers built into the dock, but it does have channels cut into it that line up with the two speaker grilles, which are on the bottom edge of the tablet. 

Connections, performance, and battery life
 
There's a bit of juggling that goes on with the W700's ports. A single USB 3.0 port on the tablet itself is useful, but that port gets eaten up by the docking stand when connected, which means you'll have to unplug any accessories and reconnect them to the dock. On the plus side, the dock has three USB 3.0 ports. A Mini-HDMI port on the tablet is accessible even when the system is docked, but there's no SD card slot, which may be a deal breaker for some.

Despite its slate-based design, the internal components of the W700 are virtually indistinguishable from your average Windows 8 ultrabook. There's a very common 1.7GHz Intel Core i5-3317U CPU, a 128GB SSD, and 4GB of RAM. That's not a great setup for $999, but the unique design may make up for that.

In our benchmark tests, the Iconia W700 performed similarly to other Core i5-3317U Windows 8 laptops and convertibles, or a little behind. It's well-suited for everyday use, from HD video streaming to social media, to working on office tasks. You're much more likely to run into hurdles dealing with the slightly wonky nature of Windows 8 on a tablet than you are with any sort of processor limitations.

The internal graphics are limited to Intel's basic HD 4000 GPU, which is to expected in something so small and portable. Gaming is always touch-and-go on HD 4000 systems -- some newer games work well, others do not. To test the W700's abilities as a portable game machine, I connected a Microsoft game pad via USB and launched Skyrim. Knocking down the resolution to 1,600x900 pixels and turning detail levels down to low, the game was playable, if a bit choppy.

Checking the Windows 8 app store, only a handful of non-shovelware games were available, none of which looked to be particularly taxing. I flipped through a few that felt very iPad-like, including Jetpack Joyride and Dredd vs. Zombies (a top-down shooter), and found that the W700 can easily handle tablet-style games.

One of the biggest surprises about the W700 is its battery life. On our video playback battery drain test, the system ran for a very impressive 7 hours and 19 minutes. That's especially impressive, considering the high-res screen, and the relatively small amount of internal space that needs to hold the display, components, and battery.

Acer includes a one-year parts-and-labor limited warranty. While navigating Acer's online service and support sections has been a hit-or-miss experience over the years, the product page for this configuration benefits from a clean layout that points directly to support links. The support phone number, not as clearly labeled, is 866-695-2237.

Conclusion
 
There have been no shortage of opinions about the Acer Iconia W700 around the CNET office. Some disliked its retro-looking docking stand, and are dubious about the efficacy of a standalone Windows 8 slate. I took a warmer view, appreciating the unconventional design of the tablet-stand-keyboard setup, and crediting the W700 with excellent battery life and decent performance. The hardware passes the test; whether Windows 8 does likewise as a tablet-based operating system is another question altogether. 

Source:

Acer, Cnet

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Game Review: Sparta God Of War for Android

Introduction:
Your Majesty! Your people needs you!
Xerxes, the king of Persia has amassed his darkness forces against Greece! Your solemn duty is to defend Greece at all costs! We will make our stand at Thermopylae, where we will engrave in eternity the bravery and name of SPARTA!

What's New

What's in this version:
version 1.04
Game crashed on some device fixed.
Tapjoy offerwall enabled.
Fixed that sometimes can't receive coins when succeed an offerwall mission or iap purchased.
version 1.03
Fixed white screen on some device, especially the screen size 320*240,480*320
version 1.02
In-app purchased bug fixed.
Some devide force close bug fixed.

Description:

My King, fight against the monsters! Let’s kick their ass!
☆Your Majesty! Your people needs you!
Xerxes, the king of Persia has amassed his darkness forces against Greece! Your solemn duty is to defend Greece at all costs! We will make our stand at Thermopylae, where we will engrave in eternity the bravery and name of SPARTA!
☆Features
100 levels
More Spartan types (Another historic hero characters)
8 skills (4 active, 4 passive)
RPG style level-up system
Fantasy history game
Automatic hack & slash
Combination of strategy + defense
Defend your own camp and destroy enemy’s

Screenshot Apps:

Source:
Google Play,

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NY subway arrival times: in new iOS app shows

For the first time, New York City's Metropolitan Transportation Authority has release an iOS app that shows train arrival times on seven subway lines.

New York City's Metropolitan Transportation Authority finally joined the smartphone era today by releasing an iOS app showing train arrival times for seven subway lines.

Available for the iPhone, the iPod Touch, and the iPad, MTA Subway Time will display train arrival times for 156 stations on the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 lines and the S shuttle line. Though officially in a test version for the time being, the app will use the same arrival times shown on station countdown clocks and on the MTA's Web site.

"The ability to get subway arrival time at street level is here," said MTA Chairman and CEO Joseph J. Lhota in a statement. "The days of rushing to a subway station only to find yourself waiting motionless in a state of uncertainty are coming to an end."

According to the statement, the app can handle up to 5,000 incoming requests per second. The information comes from a feed that can be accessed by developers for other mobile operating systems.

Though the MTA has existing apps for bus arrivals and the drive times on its bridges and tunnels, this is the first time that the country's busiest transit agency has developed an app for subway service.




Source:
Cnet

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SIM (Subscriber identity module)

A subscriber identity module or subscriber identification module (SIM) is an integrated circuit that securely stores the international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) and the related key used to identify and authenticate subscribers on mobile telephony devices (such as mobile phones and computers).

A SIM is embedded into a removable SIM card, which can be transferred between different mobile devices. SIM cards were first made the same size as a credit card (85.60 mm × 53.98 mm × 0.76 mm). The development of physically smaller mobile devices prompted the development of a smaller SIM card, the mini-SIM card. Mini-SIM cards have the same thickness as full-size cards, but their length and width are reduced to 25 mm × 15 mm.

A SIM card contains its unique serial number (ICCID), international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI), security authentication and ciphering information, temporary information related to the local network, a list of the services the user has access to and two passwords: a personal identification number (PIN) for ordinary use and a personal unblocking code (PUK) for PIN unlocking.

History:

The SIM was initially specified by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute in the specification with the number TS 11.11. This specification describes the physical and logical behaviour of the SIM. With the development of UMTS the specification work was partially transferred to 3GPP. 3GPP is now responsible for the further development of applications like SIM (TS 51.011) and USIM (TS 31.102) and ETSI for the further development of the physical card UICC.

The first SIM card was made in 1991 by Munich smart-card maker Giesecke & Devrient, who sold the first 300 SIM cards to the Finnish wireless network operator Radiolinja.

Design:

There are three operating voltages for SIM cards: 5 V, 3 V and 1.8 V (ISO/IEC 7816-3 classes A, B and C, respectively). The operating voltage of the majority of SIM cards launched before 1998 was 5 V. SIM cards produced subsequently are compatible with 3 V and 5 V. Modern cards support 5 V, 3 V and 1.8 V.

The microcontrollers used for SIM cards come in different configurations. The typical ROM size is between 64 KB and 512 KB, typical RAM size is between 1 KB and 8 KB, and typical EEPROM size is between 16 KB and 512 KB. The ROM contains the operating system of the card and might contain applets where the EEPROM contains the so-called personalisation, which consists of security keys, phone book, SMS settings, etc., and operating system patches.

Modern SIM cards allow applications to be loaded when the SIM is in use by the subscriber. These applications communicate with the handset or a server using SIM application toolkit, which was initially specified by ETSI in TS 11.14. SIM toolkit applications were initially written in native code using proprietary APIs. In order to allow interoperability of the applications, Java Card was taken as the solution of choice by ETSI.

Data:

SIM cards store network-specific information used to authenticate and identify subscribers on the network. The most important of these are the ICCID, IMSI, Authentication Key (Ki), Local Area Identity (LAI) and Operator-Specific Emergency Number. The SIM also stores other carrier-specific data such as the SMSC (Short Message Service Center) number, Service Provider Name (SPN), Service Dialing Numbers (SDN), Advice-Of-Charge parameters and Value Added Service (VAS) applications. (Refer to GSM 11.11)

SIM cards can come in various data capacities, from 32 KB to at least 128 KB. All allow a maximum of 250 contacts to be stored on the SIM, but while the 32 KB has room for 33 Mobile Network Codes (MNCs) or "network identifiers", the 64 KB version has room for 80 MNCs.[citation needed] This is used by network operators to store information on preferred networks, mostly used when the SIM is not in its home market but is roaming. The network operator that issued the SIM card can use this to have a SIM card connect to a preferred network in order to make use of the best price and/or quality network instead of having to pay the network operator that the SIM card 'saw' first. This does not mean that a SIM card can only connect to a maximum of 33 or 80 networks, but this means that the SIM card issuer can only specify up to that number of preferred networks, if a SIM is outside these preferred networks it will use the first or best available network.
ICCID

Each SIM is internationally identified by its integrated circuit card identifier (ICCID). ICCIDs are stored in the SIM cards and are also engraved or printed on the SIM card body during a process called personalization. The ICCID is defined by the ITU-T recommendation E.118 as the Primary Account Number. Its layout is based on ISO/IEC 7812. According to E.118, the number is up to 19 digits long, including a single check digit calculated using the Luhn algorithm. However, the GSM Phase 1 defined the ICCID length as 10 octets (20 digits) with operator-specific structure.

The number is composed of the following sub parts:

Issuer identification number (IIN)

Maximum of seven digits:

Major industry identifier (MII), 2 fixed digits, 89 for telecommunication purposes.
Country code, 1–3 digits, as defined by ITU-T recommendation E.164.
Issuer identifier, 1–4 digits.

Individual account identification

Individual account identification number. Its length is variable, but every number under one IIN will have the same length.

Check digit

Single digit calculated from the other digits using the Luhn algorithm.

With the GSM Phase 1 specification using 10 octets into which ICCID is stored as packed BCD, the data field has room for 20 digits with hexadecimal digit "F" being used as filler when necessary.

In practice, this means that on GSM SIM cards there are 20-digit (19+1) and 19-digit (18+1) ICCIDs in use, depending upon the issuer. However, a single issuer always uses the same size for its ICCIDs.

To confuse matters more, SIM factories seem to have varying ways of delivering electronic copies of SIM personalization datasets. Some datasets are without the ICCID checksum digit, others are with the digit.

As required by E.118, The ITU regularly publishes a list of all internationally assigned IIN codes in its Operational Bulletins. The most recent list, as of June 2012, is in Operational Bulletin No. 1005

International mobile subscriber identity (IMSI)

SIM cards are identified on their individual operator networks by a unique International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI). Mobile network operators connect mobile phone calls and communicate with their market SIM cards using their IMSIs. The format is:

• The first three digits represent the Mobile Country Code (MCC).
• The next two or three digits represent the Mobile Network Code (MNC). Three-digit MNC codes are allowed by E.212 but are mainly used in the United States and Canada.
• The next digits represent the Mobile Subscriber Identification Number (MSIN). Normally there will be 10 digits but would be fewer in the case of a 3-digit MNC or if national regulations indicate that the total length of the IMSI should be less than 15 digits.

Authentication key (Ki)

The Ki is a 128-bit value used in authenticating the SIMs on the mobile network. Each SIM holds a unique Ki assigned to it by the operator during the personalization process. The Ki is also stored in a database (termed authentication center or AuC) on the carrier's network.

The SIM card is designed not to allow the Ki to be obtained using the smart-card interface. Instead, the SIM card provides a function, Run GSM Algorithm, that allows the phone to pass data to the SIM card to be signed with the Ki. This, by design, makes usage of the SIM card mandatory unless the Ki can be extracted from the SIM card, or the carrier is willing to reveal the Ki. In practice, the GSM cryptographic algorithm for computing SRES_2 (see step 4, below) from the Ki has certain vulnerabilities that can allow the extraction of the Ki from a SIM card and the making of a duplicate SIM card.

Authentication process:

• When the Mobile Equipment starts up, it obtains the International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) from the SIM card, and passes this to the mobile operator requesting access and authentication. The Mobile Equipment may have to pass a PIN to the SIM card before the SIM card will reveal this information.
• The operator network searches its database for the incoming IMSI and its associated Ki.
• The operator network then generates a Random Number (RAND, which is a nonce) and signs it with the Ki associated with the IMSI (and stored on the SIM card), computing another number known as Signed Response 1 (SRES_1).
• The operator network then sends the RAND to the Mobile Equipment, which passes it to the SIM card. The SIM card signs it with its Ki, producing SRES_2, which it gives to the Mobile Equipment along with encryption key Kc. The Mobile Equipment passes SRES_2 on to the operator network.
• The operator network then compares its computed SRES_1 with the computed SRES_2 that the Mobile Equipment returned. If the two numbers match, the SIM is authenticated and the Mobile Equipment is granted access to the operator's network. Kc is used to encrypt all further communications between the Mobile Equipment and the network.

Location area identity

The SIM stores network state information, which is received from the Location Area Identity (LAI). Operator networks are divided into Location Areas, each having a unique LAI number. When the device changes locations, it stores the new LAI to the SIM and sends it back to the operator network with its new location. If the device is power cycled, it will take data off the SIM, and search for the prior LAI. This saves time by avoiding having to search the whole list of frequencies that the telephone normally would.

SMS messages and contacts

Most SIM cards will orthogonally store a number of SMS messages and phone book contacts. The contacts are stored in simple "name and number" pairs: entries containing multiple phone numbers and additional phone numbers will usually not be stored on the SIM card. When a user tries to copy such entries to a SIM the handset's software will break them up into multiple entries, discarding any information that is not a phone number. The number of contacts and messages stored depends on the SIM; early models would store as few as five messages and 20 contacts while modern SIM cards can usually store over 250 contacts.[citation needed]

Formats

SIM cards have been made smaller over the years; functionality is independent of format. Full-size SIMs were followed by mini-SIMs, micro-SIMs, and nano-SIMs. SIMs are also made to be embedded in devices.

The first to appear was the full-size or 1FF (1st form factor), the size of a credit card (85.60 mm × 53.98 mm × 0.76 mm). It was followed by a version of the same thickness but 25 mm long by 15 mm wide, with one of its corners truncated (chamfered) to prevent misinsertion. It is known as a mini-SIM or 2FF (2nd form factor). The next version was the micro-SIM or 3FF (3rd form factor), with dimensions of 15 mm × 12 mm.

The mini-SIM card has the same contact arrangement as the full-size SIM card and is normally supplied within a full-size card carrier, attached by a number of linking pieces. This arrangement (defined in ISO/IEC 7810 as ID-1/000) allows such a card to be used in a device requiring a full-size card, or in a device requiring a mini-SIM card after breaking the linking pieces.

The later 3FF card or micro-SIM cards have the same thickness and contact arrangements, but the length and width are further reduced as above.

In early 2012, the nano-SIM or 4FF (4th form factor) was introduced, which measures 12.3 × 8.8 × 0.67 mm and reduces the previous format to the contact area while maintaining the existing contact arrangements. A small rim of isolating material is left around the contact area to avoid short circuits with the socket. The 0.7 mm thickness of the nano-SIM is about 15 percent less than its predecessor. 4FF can be put into adapters for use with devices taking 2FF or 3FF SIMs.

SIMs for M2M applications are available in a surface mount SON-8 package which may be soldered directly onto a circuit board.

The micro-SIM was developed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) along with SCP, 3GPP (UTRAN/GERAN), 3GPP2 (CDMA2000), ARIB, GSM Association (GSMA SCaG and GSMNA), GlobalPlatform, Liberty Alliance, and the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) for the purpose of fitting into devices otherwise too small for a mini-SIM card.

The form factor was mentioned in the December 1998 3GPP SMG9 UMTS Working Party, which is the standards-setting body for GSM SIM cards, and the form factor was agreed upon in late 2003.

The micro-SIM was created for backward compatibility. The major issue with backward compatibility was the contact area of the chip. Retaining the same contact area allows the micro-SIM to be compatible with the prior, larger SIM readers through the use of plastic cutout surrounds. The SIM was also designed to run at the same speed (5 MHz) as the prior version. The same size and positions of pins resulted in numerous "How-to" tutorials and YouTube video with detailed instructions how to cut a mini-SIM card to micro-SIM size with a sharp knife or scissors. These tutorials became very popular among first owners of iPad 3G after its release on April 30, 2010, and iPhone 4 on June 24, 2010.

The chairman of EP SCP, Dr. Klaus Vedder, said

"With this decision, we can see that ETSI has responded to a market need from ETSI customers, but additionally there is a strong desire not to invalidate, overnight, the existing interface, nor reduce the performance of the cards. EP SCP expect to finalise the technical realisation for the third form factor at the next SCP plenary meeting, scheduled for February 2004."

The surface mount format provides the same electrical interface as the full size, 2FF and 3FF SIM cards, but is soldered to the circuit board as part of the manufacturing process. In M2M applications where there is no requirement to change the SIM card, this avoids the requirement for a connector, improving reliability and security.

Developments

When GSM was already in use the specifications were further developed and enhanced with functionality like SMS, GPRS, etc. These development steps are referred as releases by ETSI. Within this development cycles the SIM specification was enhanced as well: new voltage classes, formats and files were introduced. In GSM-only times, the SIM consisted of the hardware and the software. With the advent of UMTS this naming was split: the SIM was now an application and hence only software. The hardware part was called UICC. This split was necessary because UMTS introduced a new application, the Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM). The USIM brought among other things security improvements like the mutual authentication and longer encryption keys and an improved address book.

"SIM cards" in developed countries are today usually UICCs containing at least a SIM and a USIM application. This configuration is necessary because older GSM only handsets are solely compatible with the SIM [application] and some UMTS security enhancements do rely on the USIM [application].

Source:

Wikipedia

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3G Network

3G, short for third Generation, is a term used to represent the 3rd generation of mobile telecommunications technology. Also called Tri-Band 3G. This is a set of standards used for mobile devices and mobile telecommunication services and networks that comply with the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 (IMT-2000) specifications by the International Telecommunication Union. 3G finds application in wireless voice telephony, mobile Internet access, fixed wireless Internet access, video calls and mobile TV.

Several telecommunications companies market wireless mobile Internet services as 3G, indicating that the advertised service is provided over a 3G wireless network. Services advertised as 3G are required to meet IMT-2000 technical standards, including standards for reliability and speed (data transfer rates). To meet the IMT-2000 standards, a system is required to provide peak data rates of at least 200 kbit/s (about 0.2 Mbit/s). However, many services advertised as 3G provide higher speed than the minimum technical requirements for a 3G service. Recent 3G releases, often denoted 3.5G and 3.75G, also provide mobile broadband access of several Mbit/s to smartphones and mobile modems in laptop computers.

The following standards are typically branded 3G:

• The UMTS system, first offered in 2001, standardized by 3GPP, used primarily in Europe, Japan, China (however with a different radio interface) and other regions predominated by GSM 2G system infrastructure. The cell phones are typically UMTS and GSM hybrids. Several radio interfaces are offered, sharing the same infrastructure:

• The original and most widespread radio interface is called W-CDMA.
• The TD-SCDMA radio interface was commercialised in 2009 and is only offered in China.
• The latest UMTS release, HSPA+, can provide peak data rates up to 56 Mbit/s in the downlink in theory (28 Mbit/s in existing services) and 22 Mbit/s in the uplink.

• The CDMA2000 system, first offered in 2002, standardized by 3GPP2, used especially in North America and South Korea, sharing infrastructure with the IS-95 2G standard. The cell phones are typically CDMA2000 and IS-95 hybrids. The latest release EVDO Rev B offers peak rates of 14.7 Mbit/s downstream.

The above systems and radio interfaces are based on spread spectrum radio transmission technology. While the GSM EDGE standard ("2.9G"), DECT cordless phones and Mobile WiMAX standards formally also fulfill the IMT-2000 requirements and are approved as 3G standards by ITU, these are typically not branded 3G, and are based on completely different technologies.

A new generation of cellular standards has appeared approximately every tenth year since 1G systems were introduced in 1981/1982. Each generation is characterized by new frequency bands, higher data rates and non backwards compatible transmission technology. The first release of the 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard does not completely fulfill the ITU 4G requirements called IMT-Advanced. First release LTE is not backwards compatible with 3G, but is a pre-4G or 3.9G technology[citation needed], however sometimes branded 4G by the service providers. Its evolution LTE Advanced is a 4G technology. WiMAX is another technology verging on or marketed as 4G.

Overview:

The following common standards comply with the IMT2000/3G standard:

• EDGE, a revision by the 3GPP organization to the older 2G GSM based transmission methods, utilizing the same switching nodes, base station sites and frequencies as GPRS, but new base station and cellphone RF circuits. It is based on the three times as efficient 8PSK modulation scheme as supplement to the original GMSK modulation scheme. EDGE is still used extensively due to its ease of upgrade from existing 2G GSM infrastructure and cell-phones.
• EDGE combined with the GPRS 2.5G technology is called EGPRS, and allows peak data rates in the order of 200 kbit/s, just as the original UMTS WCDMA versions, and thus formally fulfills the IMT2000 requirements on 3G systems. However, in practice EDGE is seldom marketed as a 3G system, but a 2.9G system. EDGE shows slightly better system spectral efficiency than the original UMTS and CDMA2000 systems, but it is difficult to reach much higher peak data rates due to the limited GSM spectral bandwidth of 200 kHz, and it is thus a dead end.
• EDGE was also a mode in the IS-135 TDMA system, today ceased.
• Evolved EDGE, the latest revision, has peaks of 1 Mbit/s downstream and 400 kbit/s upstream, but is not commercially used.
• The Universal Mobile Telecommunications System, created and revised by the 3GPP. The family is a full revision from GSM in terms of encoding methods and hardware, although some GSM sites can be retrofitted to broadcast in the UMTS/W-CDMA format.
• W-CDMA is the most common deployment, commonly operated on the 2,100 MHz band. A few others use the 850, 900 and 1,900 MHz bands.
• HSPA is an amalgamation of several upgrades to the original W-CDMA standard and offers speeds of 14.4 Mbit/s down and 5.76 MBit/s up. HSPA is backwards compatible with and uses the same frequencies as W-CDMA.
• HSPA+, a further revision and upgrade of HSPA, can provide theoretical peak data rates up to 168 Mbit/s in the downlink and 22 Mbit/s in the uplink, using a combination of air interface improvements as well as multi-carrier HSPA and MIMO. Technically though, MIMO and DC-HSPA can be used without the "+" enhancements of HSPA+
• The CDMA2000 system, or IS-2000, including CDMA2000 1x and CDMA2000 High Rate Packet Data (or EVDO), standardized by 3GPP2 (differing from the 3GPP), evolving from the original IS-95 CDMA system, is used especially in North America, China, India, Pakistan, Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Europe and Africa.
• CDMA2000 1x Rev. E has an increased voice capacity (in excess of three times) compared to Rev. 0 EVDO Rev. B offers downstream peak rates of 14.7 Mbit/s while Rev. C enhanced existing and new terminal user experience.

While DECT cordless phones and Mobile WiMAX standards formally also fulfill the IMT-2000 requirements, they are not usually considered due to their rarity and unsuitability for usage with mobile phones.

Detailed breakdown of 3G systems:

The 3G (UMTS and CDMA2000) research and development projects started in 1992. In 1999, ITU approved five radio interfaces for IMT-2000 as a part of the ITU-R M.1457 Recommendation; WiMAX was added in 2007.

There are evolutionary standards (EDGE and CDMA) that are backwards-compatible extensions to pre-existing 2G networks as well as revolutionary standards that require all-new network hardware and frequency allocations. The cell phones used utilise UMTS in combination with 2G GSM standards and bandwidths, but do not support EDGE. The latter group is the UMTS family, which consists of standards developed for IMT-2000, as well as the independently developed standards DECT and WiMAX, which were included because they fit the IMT-2000 definition.

History:

3G technology is the result of ground-breaking research and development work carried out by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in the early 1980s. 3G specifications and standards were developed after fifteen years of persistence and hard work. The technical specifications were made available to the public under the name IMT-2000. The communication spectrum between 400 MHz to 3 GHz was allocated for 3G. Both the government and communication companies unanimously approved the 3G standard. The first pre-commercial 3G network was launched by NTT DoCoMo in Japan in 1998, branded as FOMA. It was first available in May 2001 as a pre-release (test) of W-CDMA technology. The first commercial launch of 3G was also by NTT DoCoMo in Japan on 1 October 2001, although it was initially somewhat limited in scope; broader availability of the system was delayed by apparent concerns over its reliability.

The first European pre-commercial network was an UMTS network on the Isle of Man by Manx Telecom, the operator then owned by British Telecom, and the first commercial network (also UMTS based W-CDMA) in Europe was opened for business by Telenor in December 2001 with no commercial handsets and thus no paying customers.

The first network to go commercially live was by SK Telecom in South Korea on the CDMA-based 1xEV-DO technology in January 2002. By May 2002 the second South Korean 3G network was by KT on EV-DO and thus the Koreans were the first to see competition among 3G operators.

The first commercial United States 3G network was by Monet Mobile Networks, on CDMA2000 1x EV-DO technology, but this network provider later shut down operations. The second 3G network operator in the USA was Verizon Wireless in July 2002 also on CDMA2000 1x EV-DO. AT&T Mobility is also a true 3G UMTS network, having completed its upgrade of the 3G network to HSUPA.

The first pre-commercial demonstration network in the southern hemisphere[dubious – discuss] was built in Adelaide, South Australia by m.Net Corporation in February 2002 using UMTS on 2,100 MHz. This was a demonstration network for the 2002 IT World Congress. The first commercial 3G network was launched by Hutchison Telecommunications branded as Three or "3" in June 2003.

Emtel Launched the first 3G network in Africa.

By June 2007, the 200 millionth 3G subscriber had been connected. This is only 6.7% of the 3 billion mobile phone subscriptions worldwide. In the countries where 3G was launched first – Japan and South Korea – 3G penetration is over 70%. In Europe the leading country for 3G penetration is Italy with a third of its subscribers migrated to 3G. Other leading countries for 3G use include UK, Austria, Australia and Singapore at the 20% migration level. A confusing statistic is counting CDMA2000 1x RTT customers as if they were 3G customers. If using this definition, then the total 3G subscriber base would be 475 million at June 2007 and 15.8% of all subscribers worldwide.

Adoption:

3G was relatively slow to be adopted globally. In some instances, 3G networks do not use the same radio frequencies as 2G so mobile operators must build entirely new networks and license entirely new frequencies, especially so to achieve high data transmission rates. Other delays were due to the expenses of upgrading transmission hardware, especially for UMTS, whose deployment required the replacement of most broadcast towers. Due to these issues and difficulties with deployment, many carriers were not able to or delayed acquisition of these updated capabilities.

In December 2007, 190 3G networks were operating in 40 countries and 154 HSDPA networks were operating in 71 countries, according to the Global Mobile Suppliers Association (GSA). In Asia, Europe, Canada and the USA, telecommunication companies use W-CDMA technology with the support of around 100 terminal designs to operate 3G mobile networks.

Roll-out of 3G networks was delayed in some countries by the enormous costs of additional spectrum licensing fees. (See Telecoms crash.) The license fees in some European countries were particularly high, bolstered by government auctions of a limited number of licenses and sealed bid auctions, and initial excitement over 3G's potential.

The 3G standard is perhaps well known because of a massive expansion of the mobile communications market post-2G and advances of the consumer mophone. An especially notable development during this time is the smartphone (for example, the iPhone, and the Android family), combining the abilities of a PDA with a mobile phone, leading to widespread demand for mobile internet connectivity. 3G has also introduced the term "mobile broadband" because its speed and capability make it a viable alternative for internet browsing, and USB Modems connecting to 3G networks are becoming increasingly common.

Patents:

It has been estimated that there are almost 8,000 patents declared essential (FRAND) related to the 483 technical specifications which form the 3GPP and 3GPP2 standards. Twelve companies accounted in 2004 for 90% of the patents (Qualcomm, Ericsson, Nokia, Motorola, Philips, NTT DoCoMo, Siemens, Mitsubishi, Fujitsu, Hitachi, InterDigital, and Matsushita).

Even then, some patents essential to 3G might have not been declared by their patent holders. It is believed that Nortel and Lucent have undisclosed patents essential to these standards.

Furthermore, the existing 3G Patent Platform Partnership pool has little impact on FRAND protection, because it excludes the four largest patents owners for 3G.

Features:

Data rates

ITU has not provided a clear definition of the data rate users can expect from 3G equipment or providers. Thus users sold 3G service may not be able to point to a standard and say that the rates it specifies are not being met. While stating in commentary that "it is expected that IMT-2000 will provide higher transmission rates: a minimum data rate of 2 Mbit/s for stationary or walking users, and 384 kbit/s in a moving vehicle,"[20] the ITU does not actually clearly specify minimum or average rates or what modes of the interfaces qualify as 3G, so various rates are sold as 3G intended to meet customers expectations of broadband data.

Security

3G networks offer greater security than their 2G predecessors. By allowing the UE (User Equipment) to authenticate the network it is attaching to, the user can be sure the network is the intended one and not an impersonator. 3G networks use the KASUMI block cipher instead of the older A5/1 stream cipher. However, a number of serious weaknesses in the KASUMI cipher have been identified.

In addition to the 3G network infrastructure security, end-to-end security is offered when application frameworks such as IMS are accessed, although this is not strictly a 3G property.

Applications of 3G:

The bandwidth and location information available to 3G devices gives rise to applications not previously available to mobile phone users. Some of the applications are:

•     Mobile TV
•     Video on demand
•     Video Conferencing
•     Telemedicine
•     Location-based services
•     Global Positioning System (GPS)

Evolution:

Both 3GPP and 3GPP2 are working on extensions to 3G standard that are based on an all-IP network infrastructure and using advanced wireless technologies such as MIMO. These specifications already display features characteristic for IMT-Advanced (4G), the successor of 3G. However, falling short of the bandwidth requirements for 4G (which is 1 Gbit/s for stationary and 100 Mbit/s for mobile operation), these standards are classified as 3.9G or Pre-4G.

3GPP plans to meet the 4G goals with LTE Advanced, whereas Qualcomm has halted development of UMB in favour of the LTE family.

On 14 December 2009, Telia Sonera announced in an official press release that "We are very proud to be the first operator in the world to offer our customers 4G services." With the launch of their LTE network, initially they are offering pre-4G (or beyond 3G) services in Stockholm, Sweden and Oslo, Norway.

Source:

Wikipedia

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