Samsung pays Qualcomm $1.3 billion to secure wireless licenses

Samsung and Qualcomm have wrapped up a cross-licensing deal with ten figures of US currency in it, which will permit the Korean giant to continue producing 3G- and 4G-enabled wireless devices for the next 15 years. In exchange, Samsung is letting Qualcomm make use of its own 57 patents on mobile technology and splashing out a further $1.3 billion as a down payment. Further royalty payments are involved, but not detailed, but just as a reference point, that’s more than the new Dallas Cowboys stadium and its ultra-huge scoreboard cost to build. The move is a renewal of the two companies’ current arrangement and Samsung has boldly claimed the terms of the new contract are more favorable to it, but we get the feeling the champagne will be flowing in San Diego this week.

[Via MobileTechWorld]

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Samsung pays Qualcomm $1.3 billion to secure wireless licenses originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LTE Connected Car redefines the ‘mobile’ in mobile broadband (video)

If you think cellphones have become overbearingly complex, look away now. A partnership of tech companies and content providers, known as the ng Connect Program, has revealed a prototype “LTE Connected Car,” which, as you might surmise, combines 4G mobile broadband connectivity with a bunch of cloud-sourced facilities, such as video on demand, audio libraries, and multiplayer gaming. It can also serve as a Wi-Fi hotspot, connect directly to home automation or monitoring systems, and probably cook you scrambled eggs if you ask nicely. A Toyota Prius serves as the guinea pig for this new concept, and we’ve got video of the whole shebang after the break.

Read – ng Connect Program Puts Connectivity in the Fast Lane with the LTE Connected Car Concept Vehicle
Read – ng Connect Program Reveals the Long Term Evolution (LTE) Connected Car

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LTE Connected Car redefines the ‘mobile’ in mobile broadband (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint lights up WiMAX in NC, Chicago and Dallas, launches subsidized Mini 10

Don’t you just love it when a plan comes together? Or better yet, when a leaked roadmap doesn’t get delayed in the slightest? After months upon months of waiting, broadband-lovin’ citizens in the North Carolina Triangle and Triad will be celebrating alongside DFW residents and Chicago natives as Sprint’s 4G WiMAX service rolls into town. As of right now (that’s today, junior), consumers in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, High Point and Charlotte, NC; Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas and Chicago, Illinois can roll into a Sprint store and snag a U300 3G / 4G WWAN modem on a $69.99 monthly data plan. We’re told that San Antonio and Austin will get lit up later this month, while Honolulu and Maui, Hawaii; Salem, Oregon and Seattle, Washington will join the fray before 2010. Oh, and did we mention that Palm’s favorite carrier finally snagged itself a WWAN-equipped netbook? ‘Cause the Dell Mini 10 is available starting today for $199.99 at select Sprint stores in the metropolitan Baltimore area.

Update: Looks like Sprint changed “Baltimore” to “Bay Area.” Odd.

Read – Sprint WiMAX in the Triangle
Read – Sprint WiMAX in the Triad
Read – Sprint WiMAX in Charlotte, NC
Read – Sprint WiMAX in Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX
Read – Sprint WiMAX in Chicago, IL
Read – Sprint’s first netbook is Dell Mini 10

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Sprint lights up WiMAX in NC, Chicago and Dallas, launches subsidized Mini 10 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM to offer $500 Autonet Mobile WiFi option in select vehicles

First came Cadillac (naturally), and now some of General Motorsother remaining brands are finally scratching the WiFi itch. Beginning next month, Buick, Cadillac, GMC and Chevrolet dealers will all begin offering up Autonet Mobile‘s $499 WiFi router as a dealer-installed option, though it’s on you to pony up the $29 (or more) it takes to get said device online month in and month out. As always, you’ll also get a docking station to take it from one GM vehicle to another, though (at least initially) it’ll only be offered in SUVs, crossovers and trucks, which are whips most likely to be used by internet-addicted families. ‘Course, those looking to do a little retrofitting need only head to gmextras.com to snap one up themselves, but don’t say you heard it from us.

[Via Autoblog]

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GM to offer $500 Autonet Mobile WiFi option in select vehicles originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Clearwire and Sprint slinging WiMAX to NC, HI and TX in November / December

We knew Clearwire would be snaking its 4G services to select markets in North Carolina, Hawaii and Texas before the year’s end, but it’s always reassuring to hear a corporation come right out and affirm that those leaked dates are still solid. What’s interesting about the latest announcement is that both Clearwire and Sprint will be offering 4G in these same cities under their own brands, even though the signals and towers used will be the same. Starting next month, WiMAX will officially land in Greensboro and Raleigh, North Carolina (Charlotte is already lit up, despite these companies’ claims) and Austin; Dallas/Fort Worth; San Antonio, Texas. In December, the companies will get things fired up in Honolulu and Maui, two areas where we’re certain techs from Sprint / Clearwire are more than eager to go “test things out.” So, now that this has all panned out, how’s about another leak sheet for 2010 rollouts?

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Clearwire and Sprint slinging WiMAX to NC, HI and TX in November / December originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung and TeliaSonera bringing LTE to vikings in 2010

Scandinavian folks tend to be a pretty cheerful bunch during the summer, and now Swedes and Norwegians will have reason to smile through the cold dark winters as well, with Samsung announcing an agreement to provide TeliaSonera with “mobile broadband devices for commercial service next year.” This agreement relates to Sammy’s Kalmia 4G USB modem and adds to the Swedish operator’s LTE push, which already counts Ericsson and Huawei among the contracted hardware providers. So that’s 100Mbps mobile broadband, coming to a snow-covered nation near you within the next dozen months or so. All we would ask of our viking friends now is that they remember their world-conquering ways of the past and start spreading that goodness globally. Come on, it’s our right! Full press release after the break.

Continue reading Samsung and TeliaSonera bringing LTE to vikings in 2010

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Samsung and TeliaSonera bringing LTE to vikings in 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 09:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell’s 15.4-inch Vostro 1520 gets AT&T 3G option

The Round Rock powerhouse has definitely worked with the lads and ladies at AT&T before, but never before has the company’s bargain-priced Vostro 1520 been available with WWAN. Until today, of course. Starting right now, users interested in picking up the 15.4-inch rig can add an AT&T 3G module for $125, though you should know that Dell forces you to purchase the $109 NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GPU (256MB) upgrade alongside of it. If you’re down with a two-year DataConnect 5GB plan, the Vostro 1520 with AT&T 3G can be ordered up for as low as $633, and we’re also told that a slew of other Inspiron, Latitude, Precision and XPS devices should be receiving similar treatment in short order.

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Dell’s 15.4-inch Vostro 1520 gets AT&T 3G option originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Novatel announces new phase of MiFi Developer Program, Eye-Fi gets a mention

We already know that you love your MiFi — after all, who wouldn’t be into a mobile hotspot that can easily slide into your rear pocket? But are you ready to adore it even more? Novatel Wireless has just announced the second phase of its MiFi Developer Program, which seeks to bring all sorts of apps and added functionality to an already heralded device. As the story goes, the dev program provides a set of APIs and tech support to those interested in expanding the abilities of the MiFi, and while the possibilities are obviously limitless (or close to it), we’re already hearing of a Nomadesk inclusion that will provide a web UI to access cloud storage when online via the MiFi. Then there’s also the Eye-Fi mention, which seems to let you upload photos from your SD card to your hotspot even when a 3G tower is nowhere to be found; once the MiFi gets back in range, it handles the uploading from there. Strangely, we’re seeing reports that all this fanciness won’t work with Sprint or Verizon’s MiFi, though Novatel’s own release says nothing of the sort. Whatever the case, guard your heart here just in case the allegations are true.

[Via jkOnTheRun]

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Novatel announces new phase of MiFi Developer Program, Eye-Fi gets a mention originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 21:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Netgear 3G Mobile Broadband Wireless Router unboxing and impressions

Originally announced at CES this year, Netgear’s 3G Mobile Broadband Wireless Router just recently started making its way into stores. Essentially, the MBR624GU enables your USB WWAN stick to become an internet source for multiple computers, handhelds or any other device that understands WiFi. You simply plug your USB WWAN modem into the rear of the unit (or into the bundled USB dongle), fire it up, and connect via WiFi or Ethernet. Sounds good in theory, right? Follow us past the break for a few impressions on how this admittedly promising device performed in the real world.

Continue reading Netgear 3G Mobile Broadband Wireless Router unboxing and impressions

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Netgear 3G Mobile Broadband Wireless Router unboxing and impressions originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Sep 2009 20:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Comcast could serve TV over WiMAX, inflate your bill even higher

Think you’re good at turning down the upsell? Try saying no to adding WiMAX to your home internet service for the low, low price of whatever Comcast wants to charge. Thanks to a multi-billion dollar tie-up with Clearwire, Comcast has been offering WiMAX-based internet services in a few markets, but now that On Demand Online is a go, it makes sense to think that the operator would use that as leverage to get people hooked. For those unaware, ODO enables Comcast pay-TV subscribers to watch a vast array of programming from any internet connection, which of course means that any ole 3G / 4G data connection would work just as well as Comcast’s own. Oh, and while mobile TV is pretty good — and we’re going to let Comcast finish — watching HDTV at home with a DVR is definitely the best scenario of all time.

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Comcast could serve TV over WiMAX, inflate your bill even higher originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 17:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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