Hasta La Gadget!

AT&T’s failed acquisition was the best thing to ever happen to T-Mobile. As a consequence of the failed merger, the fourth place wireless carrier received AWS spectrum in over 100 markets, a cash payout in the billions and an extensive roaming agreement with Ma Bell. All of which pushed the last place carrier into a stronger competitive standing. Now, as it nears the completion of a merger of its own devising with MetroPCS, the operator’s gearing up to make good on its LTE promise. Starting today, an over-the-air update will begin rolling out to existing Galaxy Note II handsets that enables the previously dormant LTE radio. Which, if you’ve been keeping close tabs on Magenta’s LTE plans, falls right on schedule with its previously announced 2013 deployment timeline.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, T-Mobile

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Was that late April launch date for the Galaxy S 4 a little too vague for you? Well, fortunate British readers, you get something a little more specific. The UK’s only LTE network, EE has stated that it will start selling Samsung’s new Galaxy, both online and in its bricks and mortar establishments, starting April 26th. It’s keeping quiet on the prices, matching those other UK carriers for the time being, but we’re sure prices will appear ahead of any preorder page — that’s set to go live on March 28th.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung

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Softbank is releasing a new Sharp Android 4.1 smartphone – AQUOS PHONE Xx 203SH – with 4.9 inch big HD display (1,280 x 720 dots).
It is built on IGZO, an LC technology Sharp invented, which provides high energy-saving performance, meaning you can use the phone for 2 full days without recharging, and it has a vivid high-def display so quality is not compromised.
It’s compatible with the SoftBank 4G communication network and the phone has high communication speed. 1.5GHz Quad …

You’ve only got so many options when it comes to home Internet. Don’t like the folks who own the Internet-pipes in your neighborhood? Too bad. Well, FreedomPop is aiming to put another option on the table: a $89 4G router with free data built right in. More »

LTE smartphones all but locked to specific carriers because they don’t support the profligate array of 4G frequencies in use could be a thing of the past, with Qualcomm promising its new RF360 radio chipset will play happily across 40 different bands. The Qualcomm RF360 Front End Solution can cope with all 40 of the different LTE frequenties carriers have deployed around the world, in addition to older HSPA+ and EVDO connections for when you’re outside of fledgling 4G coverage. Meanwhile, Qualcomm also promises that phones and tablets using the RF360 will be faster than their regular counterparts, as well as potentially smaller.

That’s down to a selection of chips that are actually up to 50-percent smaller than the current models, despite adding in far more band support. Power consumption has also been reduced, with Qualcomm claiming up to a 30-percent saving, while heat output is also cut.

Radio performance takes advantage of Qualcomm’s new dynamic antenna matching tuner (QFE15xx), which is the first ever to be able to automatically adjust the antenna performance depending on environmental constraints and how the user is actually holding the device. Effective not only for 4G use but 2G/3G, across the 700-2700MHz bands, the new tuner works alongside an integrated power amplifier and antenna switch that’s easier to install and accomodate on tight circuit boards.

Finally, there’s the RF POP QFE27EE, a stacked chipset combining a multiband power amp and antenna switch, the SAW filters, and duplexes. It will be interchangeable, too, allowing for manufacturers to choose between creating devices that work on a smaller subset of LTE frequencies – such as for specific carriers or regions – or a broad, global-roaming LTE implementation.

The huge increase in frequencies selected by 4G carriers worldwide has broken the market for devices down into an array of incompatible phones. Handsets like the iPhone 5, for instance, come in three different variants – outwardly identical, but with differing radio and antenna implementations – suited to different sets of networks, and the expectation that 3G device users had of being able to simply swap SIM cards and get up and running on a different carrier no longer applies.

For Qualcomm and manufacturers, meanwhile, the new RF360 radio is a way to simplify production: now a single SKU can be offered – potentially tailored by software and RF POP selection to suit the whims of carrier lock-down – rather than multiple iterations of the same device. The first products to use the RF360 Front End Solution will show up in 2013.

Qualcomm banishes LTE fragmentation with global RF360 radio: roaming ahoy! is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
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