Items tagged with 4G
Another 4G smartphone on Sprint? Yep, and we get the idea that Sprint will be milking that 4G headstart as much as possible over the next few months. With the HTC EVO 4G still firmly in the spotlight, Samsung is introducing America's 2nd 4G smartphone, though Sprint does point out that this is the first in the US with a slide-QWERTY keyboard and AMOLED touch screen. The screen on this new Epic 4G isn't nearly as large as the EVO 4G, but for those who strongly prefer real keyboards to virtual ones, it's a no-brainer. Basically, the Epic 4G is a Galaxy S smartphone with a QWERTY keyboard, complete with a front-facing camera, 4" Super AMOLED display, access to Samsung's Media Hub, DLNA support,...
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It's a broadband world, and the rest of us are just trying to catch up. LTE is all set to become a widely adopted 4G technology once Verizon Wireless begins to roll it out later this year and in 2011, but for now, it's WiMAX or nothing if you're in need of 4G. The HTC EVO 4G is the country's first 4G smartphone, but if you're in no need of a new phone, Clearwire has a bunch of new products that are all designed to your get your notebook (or any other Wi-Fi device) onto these 4G waves. The company already has a few WWAN modems and mobile routers on the market, but they have yet to reveal a 4G/3G dual-mode modem that's compatible with OS X, and of course, having more options for surfing at 4G is...
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Today marks the day that the HTC EVO 4G from Sprint goes on sale nationwide. As the first combination 3G/4G phone to hit the market, we don't have to tell you this is a big deal. With the phone, Sprint is launching an integrated ad campaign that includes TV, print, online and direct-mail elements that highlight Sprint as the first national carrier in America with a 4G phone and 4G network. Some of the highlights of the EVO 4G that you'll see in the ads include the ability to stream live video to the Web, the phone's mobile hotspot capability which lets you connect up to eight Wi-Fi enabled devices to the Internet, and more. “Sprint is leading the evolution to 4G and this campaign reinforces...
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Apple doesn't ship their iPad with a case of any kind. In fact, the Apple-branded iPad case is a stiff $40, so there's a good chance that iPad owners are looking for cheaper alternatives. Sprint, of all companies, hopes that you'll give their accessory shop a look before making a final decision. It's definitely not like Sprint to market cases, but we have to admit, this one is pretty funny. It's called the 4G Case, and while it's obviously designed to hold your iPad, there' a front pocket there for something else. Something else being an Overdrive. The Overdrive is a portable 3G/4G (WiMAX) WWAN modem, which can connect to Sprint's 3G or 4G network (if you're in range), and then allow up to five...
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Intel and Samsung have been working together for years on various projects, one of which includes WiMAX. Both are supporters of the standard, and both have lent loads of money, time, effort and research into moving it forward. But as we all know, no existing technology is ever good enough to hang around forever, and the next best thing is always waiting in the wings. In this case, we're talking about WiMAX 2.Intel recently confessed that they were working closely with both Samsung and Motorola (among others, possibly) to develop the next-generation of WiMAX, a standard that would best 4G and hopefully take things faster than where they are today. As nice as Clear's service is, which operates...
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It's a digital world we live in, and increasingly so, living without the Internet is becoming a difficult scenario. For those who rely on being connected day in and day out, there's hardly a better invention in the past decade than mobile broadband. WWAN cards, however, are generally stuck to one machine at a time, enabling just you and you alone to surf while your special someone or co-workers sits there with 404 errors. Nexaira is hoping to change that, particularly for small businesses. Nexaira Wireless has just announced the launch of their 3G/4G SOHO router, enabling an office full of eager workers (or just your family) to connect to a single 3G or 4G cellular data connection. Basically,...
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Samsung Mobile has really taken advantage of their floor time at the CTIA wireless show in Las Vegas. Following the release of the Wave S8500 and the Galaxy S, the company introduced the second 4G phone to debut at the show. The SCH-r900 won't run on the WiMAX network that Sprint and Clearwire use; instead, it will run on the LTE network that is still at least 7 or 8 months away from being initialized. The company is calling this phone one of the firsts, and that is indeed the case. What's interesting is that the phone wasn't announced for Verizon or any other major carrier; instead it will go to MetroPCS, a smaller carrier that definitely doesn't make the news often for securing phones before...
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Is there anything better than bringing home a new ThinkPad? Is there anything better than mobile broadband? We guess the answer is yes in both circumstances, as now you can get a Lenovo ThinkPad with both 3G and 4G support. Announced this week during America's largest wireless trade show, the ThinkPad is gaining 3G and 4G support courtesy of Sprint, which is the only cell carrier in America that currently offers both 3G and WiMAX. We also learned this week that Sprint's 4G services are soon expanding to dozens more cities across the country, and given that ThinkPad notebooks are generally used in business, we're sure that road warriors who stay in touch with their office while traveling will...
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This year's CTIA show in Las Vegas is all about what's next: 4G. What's interesting is that most carriers don't even have 3G figured out; AT&T's 3G network still isn't robust enough to handle bursts of traffic in major cities, and yet the mobile world seems set on moving on to WiMAX, LTE, neither, or both. Clearwire is the major provider of WiMAX in the U.S. today, and there's no surprise to see the company making a number of major announcements at America's largest wireless show. Throughout 2010, Clearwire plans on expanding their footprint in a big way. New markets that will see 4G service include Los Angeles, Miami, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Salt Lake City, and those...
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Sprint's 4G network is continuing to expand, but even the company realizes that you won't always be in an area with 4G speeds. To help meet the needs of users everywhere, Sprint announced a new combination 3G / 4G USB modem. As the second dual-mode 3G/4G USB device available from Sprint, the Sprint 3G/4G USB U301 provides access to 4G wireless speeds whenever available and 3G speeds in most other places. The new modem is compatible with both PCs and Macs. Advanced Features of the U301 Include: GPS enabled supporting Sprint Navigation, BlackBerry Maps and other GPS applications when using the Sprint 3G Mobile Broadband Network Employs 3G/4G wireless technology authentication and identification...
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We've heard a lot about 4G technologies in recent years. For most of us, however, the promise of faster mobile broadband is not likely to become reality in the short-term. Customers in Stockholm, Sweden and Oslo, Norway are another story: Today, TeliaSonera launched commercial 4G services in these cities. With the launch of 4G/LTE (Long Term Evolution) service in Stockholm and Oslo, customers will be able to enjoy services that require fast transmission speed and capacity such as advanced web TV broadcasting, extensive online gaming, and web conferences. 4G is the fastest mobile technology available on the market today with speeds up to ten times higher than today's 3G offerings. A competing...
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Not long ago, Verizon Wireless launched an aggressive ad campaign against the iPhone. That doesn’t mean Verizon is completely moving on and has no interest in the iPhone, however. During Verizon’s third-quarter earnings conference call yesterday, Verizon’s chief executive Ivan Seidenberg said his company would be interested in selling the iPhone. “We obviously would be interested at any point in the future that they would be interested in having us as a partner,” Seidenberg said. “This is a decision that is exclusively in Apple’s court.” Meanwhile, Verizon will focus on the handsets it does offer, most notably its new line of smartphones including RIM’s new BlackBerry Storm 2 and the upcoming...
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Verizon Wireless' CTO Tony Melone revealed a few more details concerning the company's plans for deploying its next-generation 4G network based on the LTE (Long Term Evolution) standard. According to Melone, the rollout will take place on a large scale, rather than in a traditional market-by-market rollout over the course of a few years. As Melone put it, the rollout "will be as close to all-at-once as possible." Melone also noted that the company is on schedule with its plans to deliver LTE wireless technology. "We want to give our customers a significant footprint," and won't "tease," them he said, with trial deployments. Verizon's first LTE rollouts are slated for next year. Although specific...
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Clearwire seems to be keeping its options open. It's been just days since news broke about a possible global WiMAX roaming agreement between Clearwire and a pair of international carriers, and now the company's CEO is stating that he would be open to the possibility of switching fourth-generation, or 4G, wireless technologies down the road if that helped the company. Currently, Clearwire's 4G network operates on WiMAX technology. Given that most of the world seems to be headed to a different 4G standard called LTE, the fact that Clearwire is keeping its options open could be a good thing. Clearwire and majority backer Sprint Nextel have already staked their claim to offering the first 4G wireless...
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One of the biggest troubles today when it comes to using a cell phone abroad is global roaming. For one, it's really expensive. Second, only phones with GSM technology can be used in many overseas nations. But you know, 4G could change all of that.As WiMAX backers deal with the immense amount of support garnered by rivaling LTE (Long-Term Evolution), the battle for 4G is really heating up. Clearwire, a seller of WiMAX services in America, has just reached out to a pair of international carriers to land a deal that could be instrumental in catapulting WiMAX on a global scale.The memorandum of understanding (MOU) with WiMAX operators UQ Communications of Japan (UQ) and Yota of Russia identifies...
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LTE, or Long Term Evolution, isn't looking to be very "long term." The next generation mobile broadband protocol, or 4G, isn't even being deployed commercially yet, and already the European Commission is looking to spend some big bucks in order to research the next-next big things.Starting on New Year's Day 2010, the EU will release right around $25 million in order to research "ultra high-speed" mobile internet, which it hopes will act as the underpinning on the next generation of mobile services. Details are pretty vague about what it hopes to accomplish by doing this, but given the size of the investment, we suspect it's not just doing this on a whim. EU Telecoms Commissioner Viviane Reding...
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There’s a good chance residents of Boston and Seattle will have a new high-speed wireless broadband option before the end of this year—Verizon Wireless recently announced plans to test its 4G wireless broadband service in these cities. The new wireless data service promises speeds that are five to 10 times faster than the service used today by popular handsets such as Apple’s iPhone. While today’s 3G networks are adequate for checking email or surfing the web, they’re not fast enough for high-quality video or real-time video gaming. Simply put, 3G services can’t match the speed of a hard-wired connection such as what is offered by telephone and cable TV providers. 4G services are set to change...
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Sprint’s taking full advantage of the head start it has with 4G, having just announced plans to launch and market 4G technology in an additional 17 cities in the U.S. yet this year. The additional market will join the previously announced markets of Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Portland, Philadelphia, and Seattle. The new additions for 2009 include: Abilene, TexasAmarillo, TexasAustin, TexasBoise, IdahoBellingham, Wash.Charlotte, N.C.Corpus Christi, TexasGreensboro, N.C.Killeen-Temple, TexasLubbock, TexasMaui, HawaiiMidland-Odessa, TexasRaleigh, N.C.Salem, Ore.San Antonio, TexasWaco, TexasWichita Falls, Texas. In addition to the aforementioned cities, Sprint plans...
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The world of mobile broadband routers just got a lot more interesting. With Sprint recently announcing ten new markets in which Clearwire's CLEAR WiMAX will be distributed, the introduction of this device couldn't possibly be more timely. Sprint's Personal Hotspot PHS300S and Cradlepoint's MBR-1000 Broadband Router for business are both being launched today, hot on the heels of the Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 intelligent mobile hotspot. Unlike the latter, which supports data transfers as high as 3G, the new duo also supports 4G, or WiMAX. Both devices can tap into Sprint's EV-DO Rev A. network or the expanding Clearwire WiMAX network, whichever is available. From there, the PHS300S can beam out...
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Clearwire's WiMAX service has been a lumbering giant for well over a year now, as what started out at a few WiMAX hotspots in a few random cities has now grown into a service that's available to a variety of locations across the country. We're still a long, long ways out from having a truly nationwide 4G mobile data network, but the engineers at Clear are doing their best to expand as quickly as possible.In a release issued today, Clearwire Communications has announced the official launch day of CLEAR 4G service in Boise, Idaho; Bellingham, Wash.; and eight markets throughout Texas, including: Abilene, Amarillo, Corpus Christi, Lubbock, Midland/Odessa, Killeen/Temple, Waco and Wichita Falls....
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It's hard to say if netbooks are completely to thank (we're guessing they only deserve some of the credit), but mobile broadband is booming. And when we say "booming," we mean "93% year-on-year growth." According to Informa Telecoms & Media’s latest World Cellular Data Metrics report, which takes a close look at non-voice mobile revenues and usage, there were over 225 million mobile broadband subscribers across all technologies (3G, 4G, WiMax, HSUPA, etc.) at the end of March '09, which represents a staggering 93% increase since last year's report.The report notes that WWAN usage is highest in Asia-Pacific with over 90 million subscribers, while growth is most notable in Latin America (385%...
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My, how the tables have turned. The bickering from mobile carriers over the inclusion of Wi-Fi on higher-end devices is still fresh in our minds, as just a few years back many companies viewed it as a rival to 3G, and thus, a rival to mobile data revenues. Today, however, things have shifted dramatically. It's not really the data network that's profitable any more, but the applications and such downloaded for one's phone. Of course, it matters not what kind of data network is used when an app is purchased, it only matters that the app is purchased and some of that revenue goes the carrier. In the case of Apple's App Store, none of the revenue from application sales goes to AT&T, which gives...
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