Hasta La Gadget!

Remember that mysterious HTC A9292 with WiMAX rumored for Sprint a few days back? Well, take a seat, folks — we think we’ve got the lowdown on it here from a trusted source, and it’s a bit of a monster:

• Codename is “Supersonic” — a name we’ve heard at least once before.
• Feels a lot like you’d expect an Android-powered HD2 to feel thanks to a 4.3-inch non-AMOLED display and a svelte shell. (For reference, the HD2 is 11mm thick, but we don’t have exact dimensions here.)
• It’s got a kickstand on the back. This wouldn’t be a first for HTC; the Imagio on Verizon has one, for example.
• Runs Android 2.1 with HTC’s Sense UI.
• Our tipster saw it in white; production devices could be available in different colors, of course, but white seems like it’d be an intriguing choice for a phone of the HD2’s size and shape.
• The phone’s software stack is buggy enough right now to suggest that we’re not looking at a release any time soon, but we don’t have details on the projected launch window.
• It’s fast — Snapdragon fast, it seems, though our tipster can’t confirm the processor under the hood.

We know 2010’s just begun, but between all this noise and the promise of a legitimate 4G radio on board, let’s be real — we’re already looking at a very, very early contender for smartphone of the year. Let’s not run into any major roadblocks between here and retail, alright, guys?

HTC ‘Supersonic’ to ring in WiMAX on Sprint, Android-style originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 17 Jan 2010 22:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Clear might be busy bringing WiMAX to as many places as it can, but it looks like that won’t include smartphones — like that just-rumored HTC device for Sprint — anytime soon. That word comes from Phone Scoop, who reportedly confirmed directly with Clear that it doesn’t expect to see any WiMAX-equipped smartphones until at least the end of 2010. The company did say that it expects to see more WiMAX phones available in 2011, however, and that any “phone-type device” that uses WiMAX would use either VoIP or Sprint’s CDMA network for voice calls. Not surprisingly, Clear didn’t drop any hints about exactly who those WiMAX phones might come from.

Clear says not to expect any WiMAX smartphones before end of 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 09 Jan 2010 05:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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By and large, LTE is LTE — it’s just fast wireless, really, and there’s not a lot to see. You know you want it, and you really don’t need to be convinced. Amazingly, though, Samsung managed to impress us at Verizon’s 4G demonstration area today with its three-pack of LTE-enabled devices, including a modified photo frame, ST1000 digicam, and a MID called “Pioneer” which we’re told is little more than a Mondi with LTE swapped in place of WiMAX. Unlike some of the other demos we saw in the booth, Samsung was using actual integrated LTE chipsets — the real deal, not a concept of what kind of stuff you could see in an LTE-connected world — and if it weren’t for the conspicuous “LTE” logo atop the ST1000, we would’ve been none the wiser. With the camera, you could instantly beam photos straight to the frame, and the Pioneer allowed you to shoot live video displayed immediately on the frame, all using an LTE base station as an intermediary. This stuff isn’t as fanciful as it seems — Verizon intends to have a couple dozen markets operating in 2010, and these are all examples of the kinds of things we could see if only Big Red decides to make it financially reasonable for us. Check out some pictures of the system in action in our gallery below, because let’s be honest: unless you’re lucky, odds are good this is the closest you’re getting to a live 4G network in the next few months.

Samsung’s LTE-equipped cameras, MIDs, and photo frames shill for Verizon originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Jan 2010 09:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We saw the Sprint Overdrive 3G / 4G mobile hotspot leak out last week, and now it’s official — Sprint just announced it here at CES. It’s pretty much what you’d expect: the Sierra Wireless-built box connects to Sprint’s WiMAX network and shares that connection with up to five devices over WiFi — and if the 4G connection drops, it’ll seamlessly switch to EVDO. You’re looking at $99 after a $50 rebate with a two year $59/mo service agreement when it goes on sale January 10 at Best Buy and Sprint stores. Looks like the MiFi just got shown up, eh?

Sprint Overdrive 3G / 4G router officially announced originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 23:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Some crazy stuff is going down in Vegas — fancy that, right? Netgear is doing its darnedest to make its own scene with the introduction of three new items here at CES, so we won’t waste any time in breaking ’em down. Up first is the now-available $249 Digital Entertainer Express (EVA9100), which incorporates the media prowess found in the EVA9150 in order to give users instant access to “Blu-ray quality digital video up to 1080p, MP3s and high-resolution digital photos from PCs, Macs or NAS devices.” Portals to YouTube, Flickr and RSS feeds will be readily available, and the free trial of PlayOn will provide access to Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Video On Demand, BBC iPlayer and CBS.

Next, we’ve got the $179.99 DGN2200M wireless router (available in April), which actually pulls double duty as an 802.11n-enabled DSL modem and a WWAN modem. Hailed as the only wireless-N product on the retail market with dual WAN capabilities, this one can get users online via a 3G or 4G USB dongle whenever they leave their home broadband connection. Finally, the $159 Powerline 200 AV+ Adapter (XAV2501) — which will ship early next month — enables homeowners to create a 10/100 Ethernet connection from any ordinary electrical outlet that already supports a powerline network. This one’s also a HomePlug AV-certified device, so it should have no issues pushing through data at up to 200Mbps. We’ll be scouring the show floor for a little hands-on action, so stay tuned!

Continue reading Netgear intros EVA9100 media streamer, DGN2200M WiFi / WWAN modem and more at CES

Netgear intros EVA9100 media streamer, DGN2200M WiFi / WWAN modem and more at CES originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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