Hasta La Gadget!

In spite of its pretty healthy (and growing) WiMAX footprint, Clearwire’s been saying for at least a year now that it’s seriously technology-agnostic — undoubtedly a bid to assuage investors’ fears that WiMAX could end up losing the 4G race in light of LTE’s global momentum. Well, it’s finally more than mindless fluff for an earnings call, because the company’s getting real with both FDD and TD-LTE trials in Phoenix starting this Fall running through early 2011 that will allegedly push downlink speeds as high as 20Mbps and “showcase unique advantages” of Clearwire’s “vast” reserve of spectrum. They’ll also be testing LTE’s ability to coexist with WiMAX in the same band, presumably in a bid to show that it can migrate down the road without leaving its existing customers high and dry. These guys are still a long way off from committing to LTE for the long haul, but it’s a sign that they definitely mean business — and a sign that Sprint could end up falling in line with Verizon and AT&T after all. Follow the break for the press release.

Continue reading Clearwire puts its money where its mouth is, announces LTE trials for later this year

Clearwire puts its money where its mouth is, announces LTE trials for later this year originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 19:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

The pool of choices for WiMAX hotspots continues to expand, and thanks to the FCC, we now know of another up-and-comer. The Rover Puck — trademarked by Clearwire and previously unheard of — joins the ranks Sprint’s Overdrive and its various rebrandings by providing pocketable 4G WiFi service. Unlike its predecessors, however, we finally have a new, more aerodynamic form factor. There isn’t much to the glean from the user manual at this point, and the oft-referenced Rover website still isn’t live — a WHOIS lookup reveals it was last updated via GoDaddy on July 2008 with no other details disclosed. So, until we get some word from the official news pipelines, a plethora of external / internal photos and user manual screenshots are only a mouseclick away.

Rover Puck WiMAX hotspot gets FCC’d, traction on ice subject of fierce debate originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 21:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

It’s not like you couldn’t snag an Overdrive from Sprint or an IntelliGo from Time Warner Cable, but if you’re dead-set on nabbing your WiMAX gear directly from Clearwire, we’ve good splendiferous news to share. The 4G-only Spot 4G and 3G / 4G Spot 4G+ (which is just a rebadged Overdrive, shown here) were up for pre-order prior to today, but now both are available in-store and online nationwide. In case the prices have slipped your mind, the Spot 4G will run you $99.99 (or $4.99 per month on a lease) with service plans starting at $40/month, while the Spot 4G+ goes for $224.99 (or $5.99 per month on a lease) with service plans starting at $55/month. Surf on, surfers.

Continue reading Clearwire ships Spot 4G and Spot 4G+ WiMAX portable hotspots

Clearwire ships Spot 4G and Spot 4G+ WiMAX portable hotspots originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 22:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Remember that cute-as-a-button 3G / 4G dual-mode WWAN stick that Clearwire outed a few days back? That little guy just made its way over to the Sprint side of things, giving folks yet another option when it comes time to pull the trigger on a device to get you onto the WiMAX superhighway. The Sierra Wireless-built 250U is available now through Business Direct and Business Solutions Partners followed by full channel availability by mid-July, with this bugger being the first in Sprint’s arsenal to offer native dual-mode support in OS X as well as twin antenna ports. Naturally, Windows machines are also compatible, and the minuscule design sure makes it more attractive than those prone-to-snapping alternatives. It’s available for precisely nothing so long as you sign a two-year data plan.

Continue reading Sprint ships dual-model 3G / 4G 250U USB WWAN modem, invites Mac to the party

Sprint ships dual-model 3G / 4G 250U USB WWAN modem, invites Mac to the party originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Jun 2010 10:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Lookin’ for yet another avenue to hop on the 4G superhighway? Fret not, as Clearwire has just doled out a trio of new products intended to help you do just that. Prior to today, you had only a smattering of options to actually tap into Clear’s WiMAX network, but the Clear Spot 4G (WiMAX only), Clear Spot 4G+ (dual-mode with 3G / 4G support) and Clear 4G+ Mobile USB stick have all arrived to give choosy moms more choices. The prior two are simply mobile broadband hotspots (think MiFi, but for 4G), with the 4G+ offering support for Sprint’s 3G network if you happen to leave one of those few WiMAX zones already lit. The USB stick is particularly interesting, as it’s the first dual-mode device hawked by Clear that’s fully compatible with Apple OS X. The Clear Spot 4G will be made by InfoMark and available to purchase for $99.99 next month; those who hate committing can also lease one for $4.99 per month. The Sierra Wireless-built Spot 4G+ (a rebadged Overdrive; shown left) demands a hefty premium for that 3G support, with an MSRP of $224.99 (or least for $5.99 per month) and a similar July ship date. The 4G+ Mobile USB stick (shown right) will support OS X 10.5.x and 10.6.x (along with Windows, of course), and can be snapped up today for $114.99 or leased monthly for $5.99. Head on past the break if you’re thirsty for more.

Continue reading Clearwire intros new WiMAX mobile hotspots, Mac-friendly 3G / 4G USB WWAN modem

Clearwire intros new WiMAX mobile hotspots, Mac-friendly 3G / 4G USB WWAN modem originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Jun 2010 10:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Clear  | Email this | Comments