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ev-do posts

Sprint swaggers, promises to be first to release 3G Femtocell in US

by Ross Miller, posted Jul 3rd 2009 at 3:12AM

While AT&T's still claiming MicroCell will be out before the year's up, Sprint's bringing out the big words by boasting to Unstrung it'll be beating everyone to the market with its 3G femtocell solution. Company VP of device and technology development Mathew Oommen is pretty light on some of the finer details -- like actual release date, hardware supplier, pricing scheme, and pretty much every other piece of information we'd want -- but he did imply there'd be multiple options available for the CDMA EV-DO Rev. A extender, including a device more tailored for enterprise use. Look, you two can fight all you want over who gets first, but in the end, we just want our Pres and iPhones to live together and home in perfect-reception harmony -- think we can get that in time for Christmas?

[Via Slashgear]

FCC approves LTE / EV-DO hybrid gear from LG

by Chris Ziegler, posted Jun 23rd 2009 at 5:17PM

We're not sure what the LG M13 is, exactly, but we can tell you one very important thing about the mysterious device: it's awesome. We know this because the FCC has revealed some limited documentation about the recent approval, which is where we find out that it's a "Cellular / PCS CDMA / EvDO and 700MHz LTE Device." Translated, that means it'll be able to play both on CDMA networks -- take Verizon's, for example -- and also on LTE spectrum deployed in the 700MHz band, which Big Red just so happens to have recently purchased a whole lot of. This wouldn't be the first time LTE-compatible stuff from LG has garnered FCC love, but it would be the first time we've seen a device that supports both LTE and CDMA -- and considering that Verizon will have both networks operational for years (if not decades) to come, that's a pretty important feature. Any creative guesses as to what this might be, then? A modem, perhaps?

Novatel's MiFi 2200 portable EV-DO router comes to Sprint

by Darren Murph, posted May 13th 2009 at 1:09PM

What one CDMA carrier can do, another can do better, right? Eh, not quite, but they can stare each other down holding the exact same weapon, just daring each other to make the next move. Just a week after Verizon Wireless launched the MiFi 2200 portable EV-DO router, Sprint has decided to offer up the exact same product for use on its network. The battery-powered box, engineered by Novatel Wireless, enables users to connect up to five WiFi-enabled devices to Sprint's EV-DO Rev. A network, and it'll be marketed in stores as the Sprint Mobile Hotspot. According to the carrier, its unit will be the first in the US to support MiFi's GPS capabilities, allowing users to take advantage of select location and mapping applications. It should be noted, however, that Sprint's service plans differ quite significantly from those offered up by VZW. The up front cost is the same at $99 after a $50 mail-in rebate (on a two-year agreement), though the only two options for getting it connected are as follows:

$59.99 per month mobile broadband only plan (excluding taxes and surcharges)
$149.99 per month Simply Everything Plan + Mobile Broadband (phone plus device connectivity -- excluding taxes and surcharges)
Both plans include up to 5 GB per month and 5 cents per megabyte overage for the MiFi 2200. [Ugh, disgusting.]
Available in early June.

[Via phoneArena]

Continue reading Novatel's MiFi 2200 portable EV-DO router comes to Sprint

Verizon debuts MiFi 2200 portable EV-DO router

by Paul Miller, posted May 6th 2009 at 6:40PM

It was hardly a secret 'round these parts, but Verizon Wireless is finally ready to confess to that MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot we've heard so much about. Like the Novatel unit it's based on, the device harbors 802.11b/g and EV-DO Rev. A radios, and can share a 3G Verizon connection with up to five different WiFi devices simultaneously. Battery life is pegged at four hours of active use, and 40 hours of standby on a single charge. Data plans include a $40 monthly subscription for 250MB and 10 cents per MB overages, or $60 for 5GB and half the overages price. If you want to forgo the subscription and pay full-price for the MiFi, you can pick up a 24 hour "DayPass" for $15 -- any way you slice it, you'll be paying good money for the privilege of using the thing. The MiFi 2200 itself hits stores May 17th, and will run you $100 after a $50 rebate.

Motorola's A4500 world phone caught in the FCC covered in Verizon tattoos

by Ross Miller, posted Apr 29th 2009 at 1:32AM

We don't have a formal unveiling for Motorola's Verizon-bound A4500 world phone just yet, but an operation manual and some snapshots of its dress rehearsal from the FCC should suffice in the interim. From what we glean, it supports CDMA for VZW's network and quad-band GSM for SIM-packing Vodafone customers and other overseas roaming needs. No points for design originality (Q9, anyone?), but it does boast a wealth of good features including two megapixel camera, EV-DO, stereo Bluetooth, 2 megapixel camera, Windows Mobile (presumably 6.1), and a biometric fingerprint reader on the back of the phone. Not that we expected you to be eagerly anticipating this one, but we'd venture to say a cameo in the FCC means it's on track for release some time in the near future.

[Via Phone Scoop]

Sprint debuts 2-in-1 AirCard 402 mobile broadband card

by Donald Melanson, posted Apr 21st 2009 at 4:31PM

It's not exactly for everybody, but we have a sneaking suspicion that Sprint's new Sierra Wireless AirCard 402 mobile broadband card -- first spotted last month -- will make at least a few multiple laptop owners out there very, very happy. As you can see above, this one can function happily as an ExpressCard one moment and a PC Card the next, with each providing the same dual-band CDMA connectivity and support for EV-DO 1xRTT, Rev. 0, and Rev. A, along with all the other standard features and software you'd expect from a mobile broadband card. Perhaps the best news, however, is the price, which at $99.99 (after $180 instant savings and a $50 mail-in rebate), is pretty much in line with Sprint's other plan old ExpressCard options.

Mobile data card growth slows dramatically in Q4 2008

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 14th 2009 at 10:02AM

Who woulda thunk it? A global recession leads to belt tightening, and belt tightening leads to fewer mobile data card sales. According to a new report from ComScore, that's exactly what happened at the tail end of last year, where WWAN card growth slowed to just 5 percent compared to 28 percent in Q4 2007. Still, carriers can't grumble too loudly -- after all, at least it grew. In fact, PC data card adoption rose 63 percent overall in 2008, and if any of these 4G services can see rollouts of significance, we suspect 2009 will show equally positive numbers. The reality is that mobile data is still priced far too high for the average Joe or Jane to stomach; most mobile broadband plans run upwards of $50 per month and require a two-year contract to get a free or cheap card, and unless one is planning to be on the road an awful lot, buying in just doesn't make sense when times are tough. In other words, cut us a break on these mobile data rates, operators -- it's what Uncle Sam would want.

[Via mocoNews]

Second version of HTC Cedar graces FCC with its presence

by Chris Ziegler, posted Apr 10th 2009 at 12:39PM

Remember how the portrait QWERTY Cedar garnered FCC approval a little while back? Yeah, well, forget that ever happened. Actually, don't -- it's a totally valid approval -- but that was the Cedar "200," and now we're seeing a Cedar "100" come rolling through. It's really common for HTC to create multiple versions of the same basic device using the same codename, differentiating them only with different three-digit numbers on the tail end, and that appears to be the case here; both versions of the Cedar are CDMA, so we could be looking at models for Sprint and Verizon, for example. Kinda puts the damper on the "why doesn't [insert carrier here] get any good phones?" complaint for just a moment, doesn't it?

Motion brings Verizon WWAN, SSD, other upgrades to C5 and F5 tablet PCs

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 1st 2009 at 12:01AM

It's been a solid tick since Motion Computing overhauled its F5 Slate PC, but all that's changing (seriously) today. As you can tell, the device now sports a freshened look with a black exterior to "better withstand dirty and dusty mobile work environments." Additionally, the C5 tablet is joining in for the rest of the upgrades, which include inbuilt support for Verizon Wireless' EV-DO network, Intel's WiFi Link 5300 series 802.11a/g/n, Core 2 Duo CPU options, improved battery life, a 64GB SSD option and an external battery charger for hardcore field users. The Motion F5 gets going at $2,699, while the C5 starts up at $500 less; both machines are shipping now to the company's network of resellers and distributors, and the release can be peeked in full just after the break.

Gallery: Motion brings Verizon WWAN, SSD, other upgrades to C5 and F5 tablet PCs

Continue reading Motion brings Verizon WWAN, SSD, other upgrades to C5 and F5 tablet PCs

ZTE completes EV-DO Rev. B VoIP call on CDMA2000 system

by Darren Murph, posted Feb 27th 2009 at 1:39PM

It seems like just yesterday that Big Red was firing up its EV-DO Rev. A network in America, and already we're seeing signs of life with Rev. B. In all honesty, though, we've known about the next iteration of EV-DO (and the next-next, for that matter) for years now, but said Chinese carrier has just completed what it calls the world's first EV-DO Rev. B VoIP call on its CDMA2000 system. In other words, this is the first time a CDMA carrier has achieved a 9.3Mbps download rate and 5.4Mbps upload rate. The lovely part of this is that ZTE can upgrade from Rev. A to Rev. B without any additional hardware, thus paving the way for a quick commercialization in Q3 2009. Huzzah!

Man charged $28,000 for using data card, Slingbox to watch football game

by Ross Miller, posted Feb 24th 2009 at 7:31AM

While waiting for a Caribbean cruise liner to set sail from the Port of Miami last November, a Chicago native with an AT&T wireless card and Slingbox decided to catch the Bears vs. Lions football game on his laptop. The end result? A $28,067.31 bill from for international data charges, despite the ship never leaving the harbor. Apparently the card was picking up a signal it shouldn't have, and while the bill was eventually dropped to $290.65 after a considerable number of calls to customer service, let that be a warning to mobile users traveling on the fringe of international roaming areas -- and in case you were wondering, the Bears ended up winning 27 to 23.

[Via The Register]

Sony bringing Gobi WWAN module to VAIO Z, TT and P

by Darren Murph, posted Feb 16th 2009 at 12:24PM

Hey, you! VAIO P modder! Hold up on that HSDPA hack just a minute -- er, on second thought, you should probably proceed, 'cause Sony isn't about to take back your current machine when this Gobi-equipped model ships. Quite curiously, Sony has announced here in Barcelona that its VAIO Z, VAIO TT and VAIO P laptops will soon be embedded with Qualcomm's Gobi, which provides both EV-DO Rev. A and HSDPA support on a single module. As it stands, Sony's US model VAIO P only supports Verizon Wireless' mobile broadband network, which should leave a pretty bitter taste in the mouths of early adopters. There's no mention at all of when Sony plans to start shipping these oh-so-connected machines (nor if they'll be coming to US shores), but we're hoping it's sooner rather than later.

Update: In order to address some understandable confusion with this release, Sony has provided the following response: "All of the P Series shipped to date come equipped with Gobi mobile broadband technology and the instant-mode option, but certain feature deployment varies region by region. As such, the mobile broadband feature is exclusively supported by the Verizon Wireless network for all US customers." In other words, all existing VAIO P units (even US models) have the Gobi chip -- it's up to you to hack away that Verizon lock and get down to business, though.

Fujitsu adds AT&T 3G to slew of LifeBooks, promises EV-DO in Q2

by Darren Murph, posted Feb 5th 2009 at 8:29AM

Evidently Fujitsu's decision to offer its LifeBook U820 convertible mini laptop with integrated 3G has been a raging success; otherwise, we're a bit uncertain as to why it would share the love with four other siblings. Starting right about now, WWAN lovers can order up a LifeBook T5010, T1010, P1630 and / or T2020 with built-in support for AT&T's BroadbandConnect HSUPA network. For those who like to live on the CDMA side of life, the outfit is planning to add EV-DO support in Q2 of this year, though we're not told which carrier will be selected to carry that torch.

Gallery: Fujitsu adds AT&T 3G to slew of LifeBooks, promises EV-DO in Q2

Clearwire's $150 dual-mode WiMAX / Sprint CDMA modem launches Sunday

by Thomas Ricker, posted Dec 17th 2008 at 1:33AM

Yup, it's true, the dual-mode CDMA / WiMAX modem is real and will be sold by ~~Clearwire~~ Sprint starting December 21st. The $150 device (after $50 rebate and two-year Sprint contract) is a first to function on both Sprint's EV-DO network and Clearwire's nascent mobile WiMAX service currently supporting Baltimore's collection of kitschy beauty salons. So yeah, the modem is of limited interest until Clearwire can build-out its network in 2009, starting with Portland in early January.

HP's Mini 1000 offers Qualcomm Gobi WWAN chip as option

by Darren Murph, posted Dec 8th 2008 at 3:04PM

We knew good and well HP's Mini 1000 netbook had a thing for integrated 3G, but we never knew it played both sides of the proverbial field. After noticing not two, but three WWAN options on the CTO pages at HP, jkOnTheRun wrote in to figure out what was going on. In sum, those uncomfortable with choosing a dedicated AT&T or Verizon WWAN module can opt for an alternative that handles both networks -- and at no extra cost. HP has confirmed that the $199 option is indeed the two-faced Qualcomm Gobi, which theoretically allows you to use mobile broadband services from AT&T and Verizon if you happen to either relocate or have subscriptions with both. Now, if only the WWAN option wasn't >50% of the purchase price, we might actually consider it.