The UpStream

If you have watched television or Hulu over the past few weeks, you know Verizon has been touting the size of its 4G LTE network and the fact that it is larger than the other 3 networks combined. Sprint plans to close that gap over the next few months, but it won't be as easy as they thought.

In preparation for the launch of the iPhone 5, the first handset from Apple to support LTE despite the technology being standard last year, Verizon and AT&T have spent time setting up new markets with LTE hardware. After Verizon's latest round of pre-iPhone 5 LTE launches, they now claim to cover more than 75 percent of the US population with their LTE network. That doesn't mean they are done, though. In a statement, Verizon regional president Jonathan LeCompte said,

We will continue expanding and enhancing our 4G LTE network across the country to provide our customers with the best wireless experience possible and enable them to take advantage of the innovations that are being brought to market through 4G LTE technology.

Verizon isn't the only company expanding its LTE coverage. Hit the break to see what AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile are doing.

In typical Apple form, on launch day everyone goes crazy and stands in line for a phone with "innovative" technologies from two years ago. Immediately after the climactic event, the Kool-Aid wears off and everyone realizes the problems that exist with the product. However the good news is that Apple and their fans will claim that the problem is with you, like in the instance of you holding the iPhone 4 in the most incorrect way possible: normally. Plus, we can't forget earlier this year when the new iPads were getting so hot that they could cook your eggs. Apple didn't officially respond to that one but I will go ahead and attempt a response I feel will suit the problem.

We have heard reports of the new iPad burning the skin on users' thighs. Because the temperature is hot enough to cook eggs, we suggest instead of using it on or near your body, to instead replace your conventional stove with the new iPad and cook your entire breakfast on its metallic back. Apple ensures that all of our products maintain the highest standards in quality, technology and stainless steel culinary surfaces.

So, now that we're all caught up on how the process works, let's bring the latest product into the picture, the iPhone 5. The latest Apple gadget came out this week and the masses flocked to the company for their next fix. The same applies to the iPhone 5 as described in the scenario above, so of course there is a problem with this iPhone as well. However it is not antenna issues or overheating. Instead, our good friends over at Foxconn have saved Apple consumers everywhere of having to use the device and put their own dings and scratches on it. Included in the $600 price tag this year is what I am calling "pre-established technology wear and tear." You heard right, users all over the world have reported that their iPhone 5 box looks like it was "dropped from 10 feet and dented" and that their kind-of-smartphone already has minor scratches, dents and dings on it.

For more on this new craze of having manufacturers mess up your phone so you don't have to and what Apple users are saying about it, click the break.

It would appear that Seth MacFarlane, creator of Family Guy, American Dad, Ted and more, likes sleeping as little as I do. To prove it, he has pitched and gotten approval for a new series for FOX. Unlike his current series, this one will be live-action instead of animated. Apparently the fun of producing Ted inspired him to try a long-term live-action project.

He will be working with long-time MacFarlane writers Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild, who will write and executive produce the project with MacFarlane. The pair has been working on Family Guy since 2005, and are currently executive producers on that series as well. They were also co-writers on Ted, so they have certainly proven themselves to take on this project.

So, what is the series about? It revolves around 2 30-something, successful guys whose father ends up living with them. This is the kind of scenario that MacFarlane and team thrive on, and FOX knows it. For now, FOX has green-lit a put pilot for a multi-cam series for now, but it isn't often that a pilot pitched by MacFarlane isn't picked up, so we can probably expect to see this series next season.

So, do you think Seth MacFarlane can pull off a live-action television series or should he stick to animation? Let us know in the comments.

PlayStation Mobile, Sony's answer to Xbox Live on Windows 8 and Windows Phone, seems to have arrived, and with some limited details. Last mentioned at E3 2012, seemingly in passing and not out of interest, there was little information presented in their 2.5 minute presentation. All we left knowing was that HTC was going to support the platform. What we didn't know was exactly what would be available and when it would launch.

This week, Sony finally decided to answer those questions for us. First, we now know that the platform will launch on October 3rd. It will be available on PlayStation-Certified devices, like the announced HTC partnership, and PlayStation Vita. So, what exactly is PlayStation Mobile? Sony describes it like this:

PlayStation Mobile is a brand new platform for tablets and smartphones that offers PlayStation-like experiences on a number of different mobile devices.

So, it is a unified PlayStation experience across multiple mobile platforms. That sounds vaguely familiar: Xbox Live on Windows Phone and Xbox Live on Windows 8, or Apple's Game Center anyone?

So, it is an established concept, sure. How does Sony, who has been losing ground in the gaming realm, going to differentiate itself? Hit the break to find out.

Not to be outdone by Nokia's Windows Phones, HTC has unveiled a pair of handsets that can truly compete in the growing anti-Android movement. Like Nokia, the handsets come in high- and mid-grade varieties, and, as the WinPho 8 handsets seem to be going, they are very colorful.

The high-end handset, the Windows Phone 8X, has all of the features you have come to expect from HTC. It has a 4.3" screen, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 16GB and storage and an 8MP camera. The list of features that sets this phone apart from the rest of the Windows Phone 8 field so far is just as long. First, the handset has got an ultra-wide front camera lens, allowing for larger photo area without having to get the phone farther away. It's perfect for those self-shots, like those looking up Facebook pictures. The handset also incorporates a variety of colors, similar to the Nokias, but not the same palette. In fact, the colors that have been chosen, again matching the OS color scheme, really make these handsets pop in a great way.

Also, not to be outdone by Nokia partnering with Monster for new headphones, they have included Beats Audio for the first time. If you have handled a device with Beats Audio included, such as the HP TouchPad or HTC Sensation, you know how incredible the sound is. Since those early devices, the quality of the implementation has improved, ensuring deep sounds stay deep.

Does the 8X seem too big of a phone, or maybe the unannounced price is too high? Hit the break to find out about the smaller, 8S, and to see pictures of the handsets.

If you would have asked me before today if Apple's Ping service was still around, I would have laughed and told you "no." After their awful attempt at a social platform had severe amounts of spam and malicious code plaguing it since it debuted two years ago, I was in shock when I heard it was still around and people were still using it. However, the sheep will always need to be milked, so I suppose it isn't too surprising.

At any rate, shortly after E3 we were told Apple would finally be killing off what life Ping had left, however they did not say when. Luckily, that question was answered this week as Apple announced it is ending the social service on September 30th. Last month, CEO Tim Cook even said,

We tried Ping, and I think the customer voted and said 'This isn't something that I want to put a lot of energy into.'

Well, there you have it then. Remnants of Ping have already escaped from the Internet and all that is left is a Ping link on the iTunes client that tells you it's going away in just a few days. Facebook Music never worked on the platform, your privacy (or lack thereof) was worse than whatever Zuckerberg could possibly come up with on his worse day and, let's just be honest here, Apple isn't a very "social" company anyway. Actually Zuckerberg now is going to be working with Apple and Facebook will insert its way into every asset of the new iTunes software, analyzing each note of every song you have in your library to tell the world of your infatuation with Selena Gomez. You will now also be able to use the Facebook "like" and "share" options for each song in the iTunes catalog.

Is anyone sad that they won't be able to use their favorite iTunes feature anymore? Nobody? Yeah, we kind of had the same sentiment. So Ping is done. Perhaps this is the beginning? I guess it's off to Spotify we go, where you can be social and listen to music without the fruit looking over your shoulder. It's okay, play that latest song by the Jonas Brothers.