May 26

Engadget Labs: The best mobile broadband carrier in America

Posted in: att, cdma, Features, hspa, mobile broadband, mobile internet, MobileBroadband, MobileInternet, review, reviewed, Sprint, t-mobile, Today's Chili, us, usa, verizon, Verizon Wireless, VerizonWireless, wwan

When T-Mobile finally decided to join the 3G data card bandwagon earlier this year, we figured it prudent to grab a few sticks from the likes of T-Mob, Sprint, Verizon Wireless and AT&T in order to see which carrier provides the most bang for the buck in the mobile data arena. And trust us, it’s about more than just uplink and downlink rates in 2G / 3G regions these days — it’s about figuring out which operator provides the coverage you need at the price you can afford, all while dodging those precarious overage charges and finding yourself out of luck when traveling overseas. Join us after the break as we delve into the deep, murky realm that is mobile broadband, and prepare to have your every preconceived notion about this stuff utterly destroyed.

Gallery: Mobile Data Card Shootout

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Engadget Labs: The best mobile broadband carrier in America originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 May 2009 16:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 25

AT&T prepping Option and Sierra Wireless modems for HSPA+ launch

Posted in: att, Features, Today's Chili, usb

We know that HSPA+ (also known as HSPA Evolution, depending on who you ask and which side of the bed they got up on that morning) is in the mix for AT&T ahead of LTE, and in order to make that launch a successful one, good data cards are a must. It looks like two of the cards coming out of the gate later this year will be the Option 393 — an unassuming USB modem with a retractable plug and integrated microSD reader — and the Sierra “Triple Lindy,” a dual form factor ExpressCard in the same vein as the AirCard 402. The 393 will top out at 14.4Mbps down and 5.76Mbps up, while the Triple Lindy really burns rubber with 21.1Mbps down and 11.5Mbps up. Of course, all those speeds are purely theoretical — but if we can even average 10 to 15 percent of that in real life, we’re in good shape.


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AT&T prepping Option and Sierra Wireless modems for HSPA+ launch originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 May 2009 15:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 20

ATT Considering Cheaper Data for Smartphones, Including iPhone

Posted in: Apple, att, carrier, cellphone, iPhone, smartphone, Today's Chili, Wireless

att
AT&T is contemplating offering cheaper data plans for its smartphones, including the iPhone.

The telecom company is thinking about offering a limited data package, which would cost less than its current unlimited data plans. For example, AT&T currently offers iPhone 3G users an unlimited data plan priced at $30 per month.

“Right now we continue to study what is the best thing that is available, not just from an iPhone point of view, but what you can do to stimulate additional demand,” Ralph de la Vega, the head of AT&T Mobility, told Reuters.

Clearly, AT&T is aiming to attract frugal consumers unwilling to pay the monthly rates of a smartphone. With a voice plan and unlimited data plan combined, the least an iPhone customer can pay is about $70 per month. Thus, a reduced, limited data plan is targeting those who feel that’s too much to pay for a phone.

While this may sound like good news, we’re skeptical a reduced, limited data plan would benefit consumers. By default, the iPhone automatically connects to the internet to check your e-mail, among other activities, even when it’s asleep. Thus, you’d have to frequently turn the internet connection on and off to avoid surpassing whatever limit AT&T imposes so as not to pay additional charges. And if you’re not careful, you could easily end up shelling out well over the $30 you’d normally pay for an unlimited data plan.

A better way to reduce monthly data costs? I like TechCrunch writer MG Siegler’s suggestion: Get rid of those text-messaging (SMS) fees. Text messages are indeed data, and yet we pay additional fees (e.g., at least $5 per month for 200 texts for the iPhone 3G) just to send them — so AT&T’s unlimited data plan isn’t truly an unlimited data plan. Lump unlimited text messaging into the unlimited data plan, and there you have it — a less expensive smartphone package.

Of course, we doubt AT&T would ever do that. Text messages cost nearly nothing for telecom companies, so might as well keep making consumers pay for nothing. Cruel world, isn’t it?

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Photo: Jason-Morrison/Flickr


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May 07

Study finds that Lockheed Martin needs to stop disposing of hard drives with top secret data intact

Posted in: security, Today's Chili

With all of those crazy defense contracts Lockheed Martin has goin’ on, you’d think the company would have its act together as far as the need to hold down its data goes — but according to The Daily Mail, this may not be the case. Researchers at BT’s Security Research Center have found an overwhelming amount of sensitive data on hard drives purchased through computer fairs and auctions as a part of a recent study, including: bank account details, medical records, and confidential business and financial data. Although many organizations were found to be at fault, the most troubling (sensational) instance included test launch procedures for Lockheed Martin’s THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) missile defense system, found on hardware purchased from eBay. Also on the same disk were security policies, blueprints, and employees’ personal info. When asked for a comment, a spokesman for the company stated that “Until Lockheed Martin can evaluate the hard drive in question, it is not possible to comment further on its potential contents or source.” It looks like we’re not getting to the bottom of this one any time soon, but in the meantime: if any defense contractors have any questions on the subject, we’ll be happy to help.

[Via Slashdot]

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Study finds that Lockheed Martin needs to stop disposing of hard drives with top secret data intact originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 May 2009 16:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 27

Axxana Phoenix backup system promises to withstand earthquakes and other disasters

Posted in: security, Today's Chili

It’s not exactly for everybody, but those looking to spare no expense when it comes to protecting their data may want to strongly consider adding Axxana’s elaborate Phoenix backup system to their shopping list (just below the Bond villain hideout and above the robot army). At the heart of the system is the Phoenix Black Box pictured above, which houses an SSD array that stores your essential data, and packs both WiFi and 3G connectivity to let you retrieve it even if the box itself is inaccessible — which it may well be, considering that it’s designed to withstand earthquakes, floods, and other disasters (including shocks up to 40 Gs and temperatures up to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit). Of course, the system also gets paired with a remote backup service for an added layer of protection, and you’ll have access to a full range of management tools to keep an eye on your data at all times.

[Via OhGizmo]

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Axxana Phoenix backup system promises to withstand earthquakes and other disasters originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mar 07

Verizon’s global 3G modem from ZTE spotted in FCC

Posted in: Today's Chili, usb, verizon, Verizon Wireless, VerizonWireless, vzw

We’ve known for some time that Verizon is fixated on dominating the global roaming market in the US — or, at the very least, catching up to AT&T — and to do that, they’re going to need hardware capable of taking advantage of the very best speeds that those wild and majestic foreign lands have to offer. In other words, no EV-DO-only modem is going to cut it, and an EV-DO modem with a sprinkling of EDGE on the side is a consolation prize that’s going to get frequent world travelers irked after a little while. To that end, we just witnessed this brick of a USB modem pass through the FCC bearing Verizon branding, the A3700 from ZTE. Name a frequency or wireless technology, the A3700 probably has it; in addition to EV-DO, it’s got GSM / EDGE and HSPA, so your bases are pretty well covered wherever you happen to be (hell, it even has North America-friendly HSPA 850 / 1900 in there, though Verizon wouldn’t dream of letting you stray from its own airwaves when you’re stateside). Enticing, yes — but considering that this is one of the ugliest modems we’ve seen in recent memory, you’d better really need that roaming capability when it gets around to launching.

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Verizon’s global 3G modem from ZTE spotted in FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 07 Mar 2009 08:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 11

Data tethering is a go on Palm Pre

Posted in: palm, palm pre, PalmPre, pre, Sprint, Today's Chili

There are many things the Pre can do. Tragically, swallow a microSD card whole (or otherwise) is not one of them, which is kind of unfortunate considering that only 7.4GB of the integrated 8GB will be available to the user — but it turns out that tethering, thankfully, is. Newly-published tech specs on Sprint’s site reveal that you’ll be able to use your little EV-DO Rev. A monster as a modem both over Bluetooth and USB cable — something the Pre’s arch nemesis cannot so far (at least, not in any official capacity). Whether this helps push AT&T and Apple over the edge remains to be seen, but in the meantime, we’ll be pushing close to a megabit per second upstream, thank you very much.

[Via PreCentral]

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Data tethering is a go on Palm Pre originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Feb 2009 21:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 30

T-Mobile dude promises more ‘G series’ phones this year

Posted in: Android, t-mobile, Today's Chili

In an interview with FierceWireless, T-Mobile USA’s senior VP of engineering and operations (and newly-minted chairman of 3G Americas’ board) Neville Ray has slipped a couple juicy morsels in the process of talking up his carrier’s ongoing 3G rollout. Besides mentioning that T-Mobile wants to double its 3G footprint in 2009, Ray says that “we will be launching more G series phones and other products… in the coming weeks and months.” If we had to guess, this probably (hopefully) has something to do with that HTC Sapphire we’ve seen floating around lately. What’s more, you’ll see T-Mobile start to ramp up peripheral support this year — gotta monetize that multi-billion-dollar network somehow — with a modem launch. All told, these guys still have a long way to catch up in the 3G race with Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint — but if you want bleeding-edge Android stuff, looks like they’ll continue to be your best bet for a while.

[Via TmoNews]

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T-Mobile dude promises more ‘G series’ phones this year originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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