Items tagged with 4G
When it comes to smartphones and wireless data services, 4G is definitely one of the hottest features today. And while various wireless service providers are touting their 4G networks and upcoming plans for 4G, there are still a relatively small number of smartphones that actually support 4G technology and can take full advantage of the speed boost and other advantages 4G provides. The latest 4G device from T-Mobile is the Samsung Galaxy S 4G. This phone works on T-Mobile's HSPA+ 4G network, which uses a different technical standard than Sprint or Verizon Wireless' 4G networks. According to T-Mobile, the Samsung Galaxy S 4G is the wireless carrier's first smartphone that is capable of delivering...
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Starting tomorrow, the Samsung 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot from Verizon Wireless will be available for purchase in stores. If you can’t wait, you can order it online today. The hotspot will cost for $99.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement on a 4G Mobile Broadband plan. With the hotspot, you’ll be able to share your Verizon Wireless 4G LTE connection with up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices. Verizon Wireless says you can expect download speeds of 5 to 12 Mbps and upload speeds of 2 to 5 Mbps in 4G Mobile Broadband coverage areas. Verizon Wireless And Samsung Deliver The 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot Running on the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Network, the Samsung 4G LTE...
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One of the persistent criticisms of the Motorola Atrix and HTC Inspire is that the devices don't deliver anything like the wireless speeds AT&T claims they're capable of. AT&T has been coyly playing cat and mouse over the question of whether or not its phones consistently deliver "4G" speeds but has finally admitted that it had capped the phones' upload speeds. An April update to remove the limitation is currently in the works. One of the major problems of communicating such differences and limitations is that there's no industry-standard definition on what 4G is (or isn't). Service providers are allowed to use the "4G" designation provided that the next-generation service offers...
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The year is 2001. Alas, videoconferencing hasn't replaced the home phone (and neither Dave nor Hal have embarked on a manned mission to Jupiter). Instead 2G wireless networks, running at 0.006 MB/second, are the best Earth has to offer. Fast forward one decade and 4G LTE networks are the rage, promising speeds of up to 100 Mbps (and reliably delivering on average 7-9 Mbps). This is just one of the stats that document the amazing decade in the U.S. wireless industry put together by services provider Nexius to celebrate its 10-year anniversary. The company crafted an infographic that shows staggering growth in the last ten years. [PDF]. Here are a few snapshots: By 2011, everybody and their grandmothers...
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When we reviewed the Nexus S 4G, we said we wish the phone would be available through additional channels (at the time, it was an unlocked phone that had T-Mobile service sold through Best Buy). Now, our wish has been granted: Today, Sprint and Google announced plans to bring the Nexus S 4G from Google to Sprint this spring. The phone will still be manufactured by Samsung and will feature Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). Other specs include a 1GHz Samsung application processor, a Super AMOLED touchscreen, 4-inch Contour Display, a 5 megapixel rear-facing camera and camcorder and front-facing VGA camera. First Pure Google 4G Device with Android 2.3 in the U.S., Nexus S 4G from Google and Samsung, Coming...
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T-Mobile and Samsung announced the T-Mobile Sidekick 4G by Samsung. This new Android-powered smartphone combines many of the features Sidekick users have come to love (including a hardware keyboard) with the faster speeds available on T-Mobile's HSPA+ 4G network. The new T-Mobile Sidekick 4G is capable of delivering theoretical peak download speeds of up to 21 Mbps, making it one of T-Mobile’s fastest smartphones . Hardware specs include a 3.5-inch touch screen display with a “pop-tilt” hinge, a five-row QWERTY keyboard, a 1 GHz Cortex A8 Hummingbird processor, and a VGA front-facing camera. The T-Mobile Sidekick 4G by Samsung will be powered by Android 2.2 (Froyo) and is expected...
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HTC's upcoming Thunderbolt smartphone is hot, and many people are wondering when they'll be able to get their hands on Verizon Wireless and HTC's latest 4G device. Although the companies haven't announced an official launch date, all signs point to March 17. Currently, Verizon Wireless has a page on its website that says the device will "strike soon." Now, a leaked email and an HTC regional sales manager's tweet (the account has since been deleted) claim the smartphone will finally be available on March 17. On Facebook, HTC has confirmed that an official release date will be announced soon saying, "There is a lot of excitement about the first Verizon LTE device, the HTC ThunderBolt. HTC and Verizon...
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It’s been reported that the hot new Motorola ATRIX 4G smartphone has been hit by slow data speeds. As some owners have discovered, the upload speeds on the ATRIX 4G when using the phone’s HSUPA radio is slower than one would expect. Now, AT&T is admitting to some of the data slowdowns, though it is doing so in a roundabout sort of way. In response to many customer complaints as well as a Better Business Bureau inquiry, AT&T says it is not capping the ATRIX 4G’s data speeds. However, the wireless provider did say it is performing testing on the service in preparations for when the company actually turns on the higher speed service. In other words, it sounds like although...
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Sprint continuously brags about its flagship 4G Android phone the HTC Evo. It is a great piece of hardware, but it is also a relatively large device with a premium price tag. Enter the HTC Evo Shift, currently Sprint's least expensive Android 4G phone. The Shift runs Android 2.2, includes a slide-out keyboard and is noticeably smaller than the EVO and Sprint's other slide-out 3G/4G phone, the Samsung Epic (see specs below). The Shift is also priced at $150 (with a two-year contract and mail-in rebate) compared to $199 for the HTC Evo and the Samsung Epic. It is a responsive, well performing smartphone that we liked in many ways. But, in exchange for the slide-out keyboard and lower price, it...
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HTC vowed to be the first phone manufacturer to 4G. It achieved that goal when it launched the HTC EVO 4G through Sprint as well as the myTouch 4G and G2 for T-Mobile. Now it appears HTC is at it again. HTC's site doesn't provide many details about its next 4G phone, simply saying "On January 6th, HTC will be the first to 4G. Again." Although no details can be confirmed until the announcement, we're guessing HTC is hinting at a 4G LTE phone for Verizon Wireless. Rumor has it the phone will be known as the HTC Thunderbolt. This phone is said to have a 4.3-inch touchscreen and run on Android. Although few details are available at the moment, comparisons are already being drawn between the HTC Thunderbolt...
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MetroPCS launched its unlimited, no annual contract 4G LTE service in the Boston, New York City and Sacramento metropolitan areas. With this launch, MetroPCS' 4G LTE services are now available in nine metropolitan areas. MetroPCS also plans to expand its 4G services into more metropolitan areas later this year and early 2011. Users can connect to MetroPCS' 4G LTE network using the Samsung Craft with a monthly rate plan starting at $55 including taxes and regulatory fees. The Samsung Craft features a 3.3-inch AMOLED display, a 2GB microSD card pre-loaded with Paramount Pictures' Star Trek - The Future Begins, slide-out QWERTY keyboard, Samsung's TouchWiz user interface, a 3.2 megapixel camera...
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Just a week after Verizon Wireless launched its high-speed LTE (long-term evolution) network, the wireless carrier is already having problems. It's been reported that owners of the LTE modems have discovered a handoff lag any time the modems switch from an LTE connection to Verizon Wireless' more widespread 3G network. As a result of this lag, the modem holds on to its 3G connection for a while even after it has entered an LTE area. On the upside, testers have found that Verizon Wireless' LTE network is living up to the hype and speed promises—reaching download speeds up to 20Mbps and upload speeds up to 5Mbps, provided the area is relatively uncrowded. The problems tend to arise when you...
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Recently, we told you about Sprint's plan to expand its tablet offerings, including plans to introduce a tablet with WiMAX service sometime next year. Not content to let Sprint steal all the thunder, T-Mobile wants its customers to know it has plans to release a 4G tablet sometime next year as well. "T-Mobile is working closely with the majority of our OEM partners to deliver 4G products by integrating HSPA+ into roadmaps in 2011 as the dominant global standard," the company said in a statement. "Consumers will continue to see HSPA+ fuel future innovation in a variety of mobile consumer electronics from smartphones and tablets to emerging devices. T-Mobile will continue to be at the forefront...
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In the past week, we've seen high-profile executives from HP and Apple leave their companies. Now, we've gotten word that Sprint will also be losing one of its top product development veterans. Earlier this week, a spokeswoman from Sprint confirmed that Kevin Packingham, senior vice president of product and technology development, will be leaving Sprint on August 16. Packingham has worked for Sprint since 1999. He is leaving Sprint to become the CEO of another venture which is based out of Kansas City, Mo. Further details have not been released. Over the past three years, Sprint has struggled to compete in the wireless market and has lost subscribers ever since it acquired Nextel in 2005. In...
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With LTE coming soon from Verizon Wireless, Sprint and Clear are both going on a full-out assault to get WiMAX into as many hands as possible while they still have an edge on time. On nearly a weekly basis now, we're seeing many new 4G markets introduced and even more 4G hardware to choose from. Sprint has just this week issued a new 4G USB modem (works with 4G only), in the U1901. This dongle is a small, simplistic device that works with Windows 7, Vista, XP and OS X (10.5 and 10.6), and when you're in a 4G zone it can provide throughput of up to 10x faster than Sprint 3G. The company suggests that this modem is ideal for "companies wanting to deliver high-bandwidth solutions to workers on-the-go...
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Now this is how you expand your horizons. Clearwire, a company that has provided 4G WiMAX services to select areas in America for the past years and months, is considering a somewhat different approach in the future. Rather than just sticking with WiMAX, they may actually dip into another form of 4G: LTE. LTE is generally considered to be the 4G wireless protocol with the most industry support. In the long run, it's likely that more carriers will push LTE than WiMAX, and Verizon Wireless is already promising a huge rollout by next year. The company has just announced quite publicly that they will be conducting 4G LTE technology trials, which should showcase wireless speeds of 20-70 Mbps. That's...
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Slowly but surely, Clearwire is becoming more and more of a household name. It wasn't long ago that only the hardcore wireless followers knew what Clearwire was, but now that this particular device is on store shelves, we suspect a lot of Apple users will be peering over just to see what the buzz is all about. The new iSpot is an interested, if not limited, device. It's the first 4G HotSpot that is actually only suitable for use with iPad, iPod touch and iPhone. That's right. Just those 3 devices are allowed to be used on the iSpot. There's a MAC address check that can tell what kind of device is attempting to connect over Wi-Fi, and unless it's one of those, the device simply will share its...
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Recently, the FCC approved the first handset that will use LTE (long-term evolution) 4G technology. Although Sprint may have been the first to launch a WiMAX phone earlier this year with the HTC EVO 4G, MetroPCS is hoping to be the first carrier to launch the first handset in the United States with LTE 4G technology on board. Earlier this year, MetroPCS announced its first LTE 4G wireless handset in the form of the Samsung SCH-r900 in March. Now this phone has been approved by the FCC. Although FCC approval doesn't mean the phone will be available soon, MetroPCS has said that it hopes to launch the LTE handset sometime this summer. MetroPCS hasn't provided an update in recent months on the progress...
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WiMAX is still a fledgling service in America. Even though Sprint and Clearwire have invested tons of money in the 4G service, it's still spotty at best and only available in a few locations. But as with anything, it grows in time, and there's no better way to really grow than to get your service in the faces of consumers. And there's hardly a better way to get in the faces of consumers than to get into Best Buy. Best Buy and Clearwire just unveiled a new relationship that will enable the big box retailer to sell 4G services to consumers, which could lead to a sharp increase in mind share and market share. The service will actually be branded by Best Buy as "Best Buy Connect," with the services...
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T-Mobile USA has taken some heat recently for suggesting that their HSPA+ network offers "4G speeds" when it's really only 3.5G, but that's not stopping the carrier from expanding as hard as they can in order to prove the pundits wrong. Recently, the company announced the continued expansion of its mobile broadband network to more than 85 million Americans. And without any hesitation, T-Mobile suggests that it's "the most pervasive network to offer 4G speeds in the country." Regardless of the details, there's no doubt that T-Mobile's mobile broadband network is certainly fast, and now they're on track to deliver HSPA+ speeds in 100 major metropolitan areas with backhaul in place, covering 185...
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Are you looking for a way to deliver 4G connectivity to your laptop, netbook, smartphone, or other connected device? The new CLEAR Spot 4G and CLEAR Spot 4G+ mobile hot spots are now available from Clearwire. The CLEAR Spot 4G lets you connect up to eight Wi-Fi enabled devices to the CLEAR network for high-speed Internet access. The CLEAR Spot 4G+ gives you greater connectivity, letting you connect to CLEAR's 4G network or Sprint's 3G nationwide network outside of the 4G coverage area. The CLEAR Spot 4G+ supports up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices simultaneously. Clearwire Announces Nationwide Availability of 4G/Wi-Fi Personal Mobile Hot Spots CLEAR Spots Now Available in CLEAR Retail Stores, from...
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Time Warner Cable and Sierra Wireless are teaming up to offer a new dual mode mobile hotspot device called IntelliGo. IntelliGo is available on Time Warner's 4G network with Road Runner Mobile. IntelliGo lets up to five devices simultaneously connect to the Time Warner Cable 4G Mobile Network and a nationwide 3G network for internet access. Time Warner boasts of speeds up to 6Mbps on its 4G network. IntelliGo features a LCD screen that displays battery life and internet connection status information, built-in GPS capability, a microSD slot for shared storage, and up to four hours of active battery life. Time Warner Cable Introduces IntelliGo by Sierra Wireless and Road Runner Mobile™ 4G...
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