Hasta La Gadget!

Boy, it sure has been a fun ride for Samsung Droid Charge fans. Since the beginning of this month, said LTE phone’s been plagued by a rather silly bug: its mobile hotspot feature only works if you set the date to some time in May. Thankfully, Verizon has now released an update that’ll bring the device back in time for some hassle-free hotspot action, so that TARDIS of yours can be stowed away for now. Also added in the package is a whole stash of enhancements here and there, including boosted battery life during voice calls, better browser performance, new email folder structure, improved GPS performance, and many more goodies. As usual, anticipating owners can keep an eye out for the OTA update notification, but feel free to chill in May if you’re enjoying the vacation.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Droid Charge update brings personal hotspot back in time, adds improvements originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Jun 2011 23:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wondering why your barely-out-of-the-box Droid Charge is already getting a software update? Wonder no more, as it’s merely a tweak for Samsung’s Media Hub application that disables downloads over 3G. It’s kind of a shame, really, as that means if you don’t live in an LTE market you’ll need to be tied to a WiFi hotspot to get your multimedia there, but Verizon claims it’s a compromise to “ensure quality and speed.”

Meanwhile, Verizon’s other LTE handset is getting an additional boon — the carrier’s extending its free wireless hotspot offer through June 15th for the HTC Thunderbolt, after which you can expect to pay $20 a month for the WiFi tethering privilege. Enjoy it while it lasts, folks.

Samsung Droid Charge gets minor update to Media Hub, Verizon extends free Thunderbolt hotspot offer originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 May 2011 04:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve covered a number of mobile hotspots in the past and they are basically all the same. Some of the better ones have displays or microSD card readers, but at the end of the day they don’t tend to vary much from one another. Typically things come down to two factors: carrier and price. It […]

We saw this little guy back at CES in January and then last month heard it wouldn’t be long before it started retailing around the good old US of A. That day has now come, with Verizon officially kicking off sales of its first LTE MiFi device, the 4510L. It’s not cheap, at $100 on contract (with a $175 ETF, to boot) or $270 when bought by its lonesome. Still, if you can afford it, this Novatel-produced gadget will turn the nearest Verizon airwaves (4G or 3G, it can handle both) into familiar 802.11b, g or n WiFi signals, which your laptop, smartphone, tablet, or LAN rig can then gobble up with gay abandon. It’s capable of serving as a mobile hotspot for up to five devices at a time, and promised LTE speeds range between 5Mbps and 12Mbps on the downlink and 2Mbps to 5Mbps when uploading. Check out the press release after the break or the source link to get your own.

P.S. — Verizon has also tweeted a promise that it’ll be launching LTE service in “a mess of new cities and towns” on Thursday.

Continue reading Verizon brings out LTE-riding MiFi 4510L, asks for $100 on a two-year contract or $270 without

Verizon brings out LTE-riding MiFi 4510L, asks for $100 on a two-year contract or $270 without originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 09:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Don’t ya just love it when a plan comes together? As expected, T-Mobile has confirmed that its 4G Mobile Hotspot will be hitting stores tomorrow. The ZTE-sourced sliver of plastic and OLED will be T-Mo’s first such device and, with its HSPA+ radio, clocks in at 21Mbps, while an SD card slot means it can provide up to 32GB of wireless storage. You can read more about it from our hands-on, or just go get your own tomorrow for $79.99 — after the requisite rebate and contract negotiations, of course.

T-Mobile 4G Mobile Hotspot hitting stores tomorrow, just as expected originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Apr 2011 11:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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