Delta expands WiFi access to select regional jets

Good news, frequent (and not so frequent) fliers. In addition to offering free Goggle-sponsored WiFi on its long-range flights this holiday season, Delta has announced plans to expand Gogo internet access to many of its regional jets, beginning in January. The company says that it should have this next wave of upgrades done by the end of 2011. This will definitely come as a relief to those of us who will be enjoying hours-long “regional” flights in the new year, either on Delta planes or those of its regional partners (including Shuttle America, Comair, and Atlantic Southeast). The expansion will apply only to aircraft with a first class cabin — you know, the spacious compartment you pass through before being herded into the back with the rest of us schlubs.

Delta expands WiFi access to select regional jets originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Nov 2010 21:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon hosting 4G LTE news conference tomorrow to discuss launch plans

Guess what people, Verizon’s LTE network launch is really for real and the carrier has now scheduled a news conference for tomorrow where it’ll discuss its December plans in more detail. Tony Melone, VZW’s chief tech officer, will be on hand to answer any questions beyond the already known plans for 38 metropolitan areas to get the 4G LTE treatment — accounting for a cool 110 million Americans who’ll be able to ride the lightning of faster internet speeds on the move. The event kicks off at 12PM and we’ll make sure to tune in, if only to find out what Tony’s answer is to the inevitable “what is 4G” question.

[Thanks, Henry]

Verizon hosting 4G LTE news conference tomorrow to discuss launch plans originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Nov 2010 09:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fonera SIMPL router now on sale for $49, moving quickly to telcos

Still holding tight to the “Sharing is Caring!” mantra? Not afraid in the least of handing out a few kilobytes to lost tourists down below? If so, you’re a prime candidate to own a Fon router; for those unaware, Fon’s goal is to equip the world with its 802.11n routers, and then distribute WiFi through them for all to enjoy. The device creates two WiFi signals (SSIDs), one private and one public, and for anyone who knows the pain of being desperate for just a single open hotspot, it’s a product (and mission) worth supporting. The Fonera SIMPL was introduced way back at Mobile World Congress, and while the company said it had an order for 400,000 then, that figure has risen rather significantly since. Today, it’s revealing that two million of these guys have been sold to telecommunication companies around the globe, with British Telecom, MTS-Comstar Russia, SFR France, SoftBank Japan and ZON Cable Portugal named in particular. The general idea is to provide these to customers in order to lighten the overall load for everyone else, but those looking to buy in sans help can finally do so — the SIMPL’s going for $49 / €39 right now directly through the outfit’s website and we’re confident that you’ll do the right thing.

Continue reading Fonera SIMPL router now on sale for $49, moving quickly to telcos

Fonera SIMPL router now on sale for $49, moving quickly to telcos originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Nov 2010 15:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Comcast internet down across parts of the eastern seaboard, fix on the way

Twitter’s abuzz with angry Comcast customers tonight, as internet service is down in Boston and parts of the eastern United States, a situation the company’s since confirmed at its official Twitter account. Comcast’s calling it an unexpected outage and says that “engineers are finalizing the correction” as we speak, though it’s admittedly been a couple of hours since that tweet. Meanwhile, Twitter at large seems to have figured out it’s a Comcast DNS issue, and have had some luck switching to alternate servers like Google’s at 8.8.4.4. and 8.8.8.8. Let us know if those work in comments after the break… assuming you manage to find this post in the first place given the present state of your connection.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Comcast internet down across parts of the eastern seaboard, fix on the way originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 28 Nov 2010 23:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hylas 1 satellite blasting off today, will rain down broadband from above

Europe’s about to catapult a new satellite up into orbit today, this one with the stated goal of providing broadband internet access to people in the areas hardest to reach by terrestrial connectivity means. UK startup Avanti Communications is the official name responsible for the Hylas 1, which is a funny mix of private and public investment: it’s a commercial venture, yet the British state has contributed £40 million ($63m) to its development and European Space Agency tech will be used to get that 2.6-ton antenna up beyond the planet’s atmosphere. Ultimately, though, the goal’s a good one — up to 10Mbps connections will be on offer, with plans for further satellites already on the books, which should serve to expand internet accessibility in parts of Africa and Asia as well. The next Hylas tin can will be leaving terra firma in 15 months, provided there no unknown unknowns pop up during that time to get in its way.

Hylas 1 satellite blasting off today, will rain down broadband from above originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Nov 2010 08:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon bringing 150 / 35Mbps internet to FiOS customers, enraging customers of all other ISPs

You know, we’re pretty stoked for the folks who just so happen to reside within Verizon’s relatively minuscule FiOS service footprint, but rather than hooking up those who’ve already been adequately hooked, why not spread that fiber cheer over to a few extra states? Alas, it looks as if the FiOS rollout is on an indefinite hold, but those lucky enough to have access will soon have the ability to upgrade their existing internet service to this: a 150/35Mbps option. That’s 150Mbps down and 35Mbps up, and as far as consumer-grade services in America go, it’s pretty much as good as it gets. Verizon is claiming that it’ll be available to order by consumers at the end of this year, with small businesses seeing the option shortly thereafter. ‘Course, no pricing details are mentioned, but it’s not like it matters — you’ll cash in whatever Yuletide gifts you have to in order to get this, right?

Update, Verizon pinged us with a few points — for starters new speed is available today to the majority of our FiOS customers in 12 states and the District of Columbia, with more and more to get it in due time. As for pricing? The 150/35 Mbps residential offer will be available to the majority of FiOS-eligible households, and sold as a stand-alone service starting at $194.99 a month when purchased with a one-year service agreement and Verizon wireline voice service. Not exactly a “bargain,” but like we said, you’re still finding a way to make this happen.

Continue reading Verizon bringing 150 / 35Mbps internet to FiOS customers, enraging customers of all other ISPs

Verizon bringing 150 / 35Mbps internet to FiOS customers, enraging customers of all other ISPs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Nov 2010 12:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon bringing 150/35Mbps internet to FiOS customers, enraging customers of all other ISPs

You know, we’re pretty stoked for the folks who just so happen to reside within Verizon’s relatively minuscule FiOS service footprint, but rather than hooking up those who’ve already been adequately hooked, why not spread that fiber cheer over to a few extra states? Alas, it looks as if the FiOS rollout is on an indefinite hold, but those lucky enough to have access will soon have the ability to upgrade their existing internet service to this: a 150/35Mbps option. That’s 150Mbps down and 35Mbps up, and as far as consumer-grade services in America go, it’s pretty much as good as it gets. Verizon is claiming that it’ll be available to order by consumers at the end of this year, with small businesses seeing the option shortly thereafter. ‘Course, no pricing details are mentioned, but it’s not like it matters — you’ll cash in whatever Yuletide gifts you have to in order to get this, right?

Continue reading Verizon bringing 150/35Mbps internet to FiOS customers, enraging customers of all other ISPs

Verizon bringing 150/35Mbps internet to FiOS customers, enraging customers of all other ISPs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Nov 2010 12:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon launching LTE network in December 2010 (video)

Verizon’s been talking details on LTE deployment for some time now, but even at CTIA earlier in the year, the carrier insisted that it would be the first half of 2011 before the next-gen network was active in the US of A. Now, it looks as if the engineers have been working triple-time in order to get Long Term Evolution live in the States under Big Red’s branding, as a new VZW commercial (embedded after the break) has affirmed that the first LTE waves will go public here in December 2010. Yeah, next month. Granted, there’s no information beyond the date, but at least we shouldn’t have to ponder long which devices will be first out of the gate. Here’s hoping Santa’s wish list has room for one more thing.

Continue reading Verizon launching LTE network in December 2010 (video)

Verizon launching LTE network in December 2010 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Nov 2010 09:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask Engadget: best method for getting the internet on your HDTV?

We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Troy, who clearly longs to relive the glory days of WebTV. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

“I can hardly believe I’m saying this, but I’ve got a curious desire for a good-to-great web browsing experience on my television. I know there are countless connected HDTVs out there, a few new Google TV options and the idea of using an HTPC. I’m not afraid of putting the legwork into hooking up a full-blown computer, but I’m trying to keep everything under $400 or $500, so that eliminates the high-end rigs with Blu-ray, CableCARD, and the like. I also am leaning towards the HTPC so I can have a standard user agent for viewing Hulu content, etc. Anyone in the same boat with any opinions?”

With Google TV just hitting the marketplace, you’ve got more options than ever before. Hard to say just yet if that’s a boon or not, but surely a few readers have a couple pennies each to share on the matter. Toss out yours in comments below.

Ask Engadget: best method for getting the internet on your HDTV? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Nov 2010 22:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hughes launching Jupiter satellite in 2012, may actually provide broadband internet

If you’re stuck in an area that’s not served by an existing broadband source, your options for hopping on the world wide web at a rate hastier than 56Kbps are limited. Severely limited. The go-to alternative for the past few years has been HughesNet, a satellite-based “broadband” service that offers users 2Mbps down / 300Kbps up for a staggering $120 per month. It’s definitely a last resort, and many satellite gamers have kvetched that triple-digit ping times have all but destroyed their yearning to catch a round of Counter-Strike before hitting the sack. If all goes well, however, this entire situation could be up-ended by 2012. Hughes just landed the financing it needs to launch a $400 million Jupiter satellite into orbit, theoretically giving it over 100 gigabits per second of capacity and enabling it to seriously expand its customer base. Once launched, consumers could be offered download rates as high as 20Mbps, and while that’s far from impressive, it’s definitely a step-up for those positioned in bandwidth-starved locales. Until then, it looks like you’ll still need to Photoshop your speed tests to convince yourself you’re really on a high-speed connection.

Continue reading Hughes launching Jupiter satellite in 2012, may actually provide broadband internet

Hughes launching Jupiter satellite in 2012, may actually provide broadband internet originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 08:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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