Nov 01

Novatel celebrates sale of 3 millionth MiFi Intelligent Mobile Hotspot with an intelligent rager

Posted in: hotspot, minipost, mobile hotspot, MobileHotspot, router, Today's Chili
Today marks a momentous occasion for Novatel Wireless, because shipments of its MiFi Intelligent Mobile Hotspot have now surpassed the 3 million mark. The company confirmed the milestone in an announcement yesterday, and took a moment to look back on how far their router has come since it was first introduced in 2009. Since then, Novatel has launched its family of MiFi devices with 25 operators across the world and is looking to build upon its record. For now, though, just grab a bottle of bubbly and join the PR party, after the break.

Continue reading Novatel celebrates sale of 3 millionth MiFi Intelligent Mobile Hotspot with an intelligent rager

Novatel celebrates sale of 3 millionth MiFi Intelligent Mobile Hotspot with an intelligent rager originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Nov 2011 07:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 21

Sprint to nix ‘unlimited’ from mobile broadband and hotspot plans in November

Posted in: mobile broadband, mobile hotspot, MobileBroadband, MobileHotspot, mobilepostmini, plans, Sprint, Today's Chili

We’d heard rumblings that unlimited data for Sprint’s mobile hotspot plan was going the way of the dodo, but come November folks, it’ll be official. Data sent and received over tethering — not smartphone usage — will now be measured against a 5GB cap. The same applies to mobile broadband subscribers, who will lose “unlimited” WiMax, instead having all their bits counting towards 3GB, 5GB or 10GB buckets (as seen above). Going over your allotment in either plan naturally incurs overages, which could get pricey at 5 cents per MB, and worst of all, existing unlimited plans won’t be grandfathered in. So, start counting down those last few days of limitless bliss, as you weep peeping the full details that await at the source.

[Thanks, Darren]

Sprint to nix ‘unlimited’ from mobile broadband and hotspot plans in November originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Oct 2011 07:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 27

Windows Phone 7.5 ‘Mango’ update begins rolling out today

Posted in: breaking news, firmware update, FirmwareUpdate, hotspot, mango, Microsoft, mobile hotspot, MobileHotspot, mobilepostcross, refresh, software update, SoftwareUpdate, Today's Chili, update, windows phone, windows phone 7, WindowsPhone, WindowsPhone7, Wp7

It’s raining Mango, Hallelujah! Windows Phone 7.5 is now officially ready to get pushed to existing devices, and in a big way. Taking lessons Microsoft learned from the update debacle that was NoDo, the company’s eager to do a much more efficient (and quick) job of rolling out its latest revamp. While Redmond didn’t offer any exact details on which phones would be the lucky recipients right away, it’ll be keeping the masses posted through its “where’s my phone update” page. If your handset is listed, hook it up to your computer, load the Zune client and there should be a lovely message waiting for you. As always, don’t feel too discouraged if your device isn’t available right away, since these rollouts have a habit of taking a bit of time to get to everyone.

In addition to the rollout, the Web Marketplace will also make its debut, giving Windows Phone users the opportunity to do what Android users already enjoy — the ability to surf for apps online and have them downloaded directly on the phone with no sideloading required. There’s one bit of sad news to relay to anyone that already has a Windows Phone, however: Microsoft confirmed to us that Internet Sharing — the long-awaited mobile hotspot functionality — will not be available for existing devices. There’s no word on if this will be offered through a future update or if it’s a permanent deal, but at least it’s only a single thorn in an entire rose garden of good news.

Windows Phone 7.5 ‘Mango’ update begins rolling out today originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Sep 2011 13:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 26

T-Mobile Sonic 4G Mobile HotSpot bringing OLED display, HSPA+ connectivity this October

Posted in: 4G, hotspot, hspa, mobile hotspot, mobile internet, MobileHotspot, MobileInternet, mobilepostmini, t-mobile, t-mobile usa, T-mobileUsa, Today's Chili, wwan

It feels like just yesterday that we saw T-Mobile’s original 4G Mobile HotSpot at CTIA (our review is here), and already the purgatory-presiding US carrier is ushering out a successor. Alongside the Galaxy S II and Amaze 4G, the Sonic 4G Mobile HotSpot is being revealed at Mobilize, and it’s hailed as the carrier’s fastest ever in the category. Predictably, it’ll enable five WiFi devices to hop onto T-Mob’s HSPA+ 42 network, and there’s a microSD card slot for handling file transfers. The wow factor comes courtesy of the embedded OLED indicator display, which shows signal strength, number of devices connected, number of unread text messages, connectivity to the internet, battery level and network connection type. Lips are zipped on pricing, but it’ll be available at your nearest Magenta retailer next month.

Keep up with our Mobilize 2011 coverage here!

T-Mobile Sonic 4G Mobile HotSpot bringing OLED display, HSPA+ connectivity this October originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Sep 2011 14:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 21

Sprint reportedly capping its mobile hotspot plans October 2nd

Posted in: hotspot, mobile hotspot, MobileHotspot, mobilepostcross, Phones, Sprint, tablets, Today's Chili, wifi
If Sprint’s myriad policy changes are part of the company’s strategy update, perhaps we’re not looking forward to October 7th’s event after all. The latest bout in a series of gut-punching cost-cutting moves is the elimination of “unlimited” in the Now Network’s $30 mobile hotspot add-on; according to a leaked employee memo uncovered by SprintFeed, October 2nd is the dreadful date in which all users who have the add-on (sorry Sprintsters, there’s no grandfathering) will be given a limit of 5GB, and any overage will be charged five cents per MB. It appears that only phones will be affected, leaving tableteurs safe for now. So if you’re currently using the hotspot feature, enjoy the last few solid days of sweet downloading while you can.

Update: To clarify, this change will only be affecting users who have the mobile hotspot add-on; as the screenshot confirms, on-phone data use (as well as dedicated mobile broadband packages) will remain unlimited.

Sprint reportedly capping its mobile hotspot plans October 2nd originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Sep 2011 18:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 11

Refresh Roundup: week of September 5, 2011

Posted in: 4G, droid, firmware, firmware update, FirmwareUpdate, gingerbread, honeycomb, HTC, htc sense, HtcSense, lte, mobile hotspot, MobileHotspot, mobilepostmini, motorola, refresh, rom, roundup, samsung, Screenshots, sense, Software, software update, SoftwareUpdate, Sony Ericsson, SonyEricsson, Today's Chili, update, verizon, Verizon Wireless, VerizonWireless, vzw, windows phone, WindowsPhone, Wp7, xperia

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging to get updated. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it’s easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don’t escape without notice, we’ve gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery from the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

Official Android updates

  • Verizon was spitting out new refreshes left and right this week, as we saw Gingerbread begin to roll out as OTA downloads on the Motorola Droid 3, HTC Droid Incredible, and — get this — even the Motorola Droid 2 R2-D2 edition. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
  • Interestingly enough, Android 2.3 for the Droid 2 Global was already getting pushed out, but was pulled just a couple days later after a Microsoft Exchange encryption issue was discovered. We’ve been told the updates will resume “soon.” [via Droid-Life]
  • Finally, Verizon also pushed out one other software upgrade — this time on its 4510L LTE MiFi. (Thanks, Matt)
  • HTC continues to expand its bootloader unlock tool to more phones, region by region. This week the company enabled support for the EVO 3D in Canada and Europe. [via Phandroid]

Unofficial Android updates / custom ROMs / misc hackery

  • The Motorola Droid 3 and Droid X both now have access to an SBF — System Boot File — to act as a safeguard for anyone who manages to brick their phones. [via Droid-Life (1) and (2)]
  • Recently we heard about the Honeycomb ROM for the HTC Flyer getting leaked by MoDaCo, but no screenshots were available at the time. This week, however, someone successfully grabbed a few images to share with the world (shown in the above image). The ROM appears to run on Android 3.2 with HTC Sense 1.1 for tablets as the featured UI. [via AndroidBugle — thanks, Dennis]
  • Let’s talk a little more about leaked Sense ROMs. We’ve already seen Sense 3.5 working on the Desire HD, and now we have another device to add to the list: the EVO 4G. [via XDA]
  • The first kernel for unlocked bootloaders on the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 is now waiting for your download, so head over to the link for instructions. [via XDA]
  • If you’ve been waiting and hoping for CyanogenMod 7 on your HTC Sensation or EVO 3D so you can shed the Sense UI, that time may be very close at hand. According to a member of the CyanogenMod team, an early alpha build for both devices may be available by the end of this weekend, so keep an eye out. [via Phandroid]

Other platforms

  • Two new unofficial ROMs — one for Windows Phone Mango and another for NoDo –are now available for the Samsung Omnia 7. The Mango ROM improves the device’s radio, camera drivers and motion sensors, in addition to a few other enhancements. [via WPCentral]

Refreshes already covered this week

Refresh Roundup: week of September 5, 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 11 Sep 2011 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 09

ZTE Sprint International Mobile Hotspot does CDMA in US, GSM abroad

Posted in: cdma, hotspot, mobile broadband, mobile hotspot, MobileBroadband, MobileHotspot, networking, Sprint, Today's Chili, wifi

We love mobile wireless hotspots, and we especially love when they work internationally — which until today, has left Sprint’s CDMA/WiMAX devices out of the mix. This latest variant gives some love to the world traveling crowd, however, with domestic support for EVDO Rev A, and international support for GSM/GRPS/EDGE as well as WCDMA/HSDPA/HSUPA. There’s no word on what you’ll expect to pay for your data abroad, but Sprint does include an “unlocked SIM” in the box, along with international power adapters. A built-in display indicates battery life and connectivity, so you know when the device is ready to beam the web to up to five WiFi devices on CDMA, or a single device while roaming on GSM. Available now, the hotspot will run you $50 after a $50 rebate and with a two-year contract, provides a range of up to 130 feet, and can pump out a wireless signal for up to four hours (sadly WiMAX is not supported). Jump past the break for the lowdown from Sprint.

Continue reading ZTE Sprint International Mobile Hotspot does CDMA in US, GSM abroad

ZTE Sprint International Mobile Hotspot does CDMA in US, GSM abroad originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Sep 2011 12:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 07

Iridium AxcessPoint turns your satellite phone into a mobile hotspot

Posted in: hotspot, mobile hotspot, MobileHotspot, Today's Chili, wifi

Iridium AxcessPointHello there traveler. Have you discovered that you sorely miss being connected to the internet while wandering the desert or adrift at sea? Sure, you could buy a satellite modem, but after dropping a cool grand on a satellite phone you’re probably not looking to break the bank just to check your e-mail. Iridium’s new AxcessPoint may be just what you’re looking for. Sure, the $200 asking price for this deck-of-cards-sized device isn’t exactly chump change, but it’s far cheaper than other solutions. Simply plug it into a compatible Iridium phone and you’ve got an instant mobile hotspot. Yes, the speeds are going to be of the sub-dialup variety and you’ll have to fork over $1 for every minute of data used, but it’s a small price to pay for being able to check your latest Groupon offers while floating in the middle of the Sargasso Sea. Check out the PR after the break.

Continue reading Iridium AxcessPoint turns your satellite phone into a mobile hotspot

Iridium AxcessPoint turns your satellite phone into a mobile hotspot originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Sep 2011 13:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 04

Refresh Roundup: week of August 29, 2011

Posted in: 4G, Android, droid, firmware, gingerbread, Google, honeycomb, HP, LG, lte, mobile hotspot, MobileHotspot, mobilepostmini, motorola, nexus s, NexusS, refresh, rom, roundup, samsung, Software, Sprint, t-mobile, Today's Chili, touchpad, verizon

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging to get updated. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it’s easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don’t escape without notice, we’ve gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery from the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

Official Android updates

  • The biggest update we saw this week was a widespread push of Android 2.3.3 to the Motorola Droid 2. This one is done OTA, so simply go into your settings menu and check for updates to see if it’s there. (thanks to everyone who sent this in)
  • While we saw a rollout of Android 2.3 to a select few LG Optimus Ones in June, we’re hearing reports that the update’s now getting pushed out again to a few more regions. This refresh must be done manually through LG’s updater tool, so you’ll definitely want to check to see if your phone is one of the lucky recipients. [via PocketNow]
  • US Cellular took to its Facebook Page to let customers know it’s working on revamping the Samsung Mesmerize to Gingerbread at some point, though no official date or timeframe was given aside from “as soon as possible.” [via AndroidCentral]
  • HTC announced the arrival of Android 2.3 for the Thunderbolt and Droid Incredible this month, via its Facebook page. [via AndroidCommunity]
  • In fact, some users have already reported getting Gingerbread for the Incredible, and we suspect the rollout will be complete no later than the end of the month, to fulfill the company’s promise. [via Phandroid]
  • Gingerbread is in the plans for the Motorola Milestone 2, and according to the company the refresh will begin rolling out in early Q4. [via MyDailyGadget]
  • The Samsung LC11 LTE mobile hotspot is getting a new build, EF07, that appears to improve its handling of multiple devices and congested WiFi locations. It also adds security patches and new protocols. [via Verizon]
  • An update for the Droid 3 was apparently available to soak testers and leaked online, but was pulled from Motorola servers shortly thereafter. It appears to add video chat support in GTalk and adds a new radio that’s supposed to save battery life. The via link still has the update available for anyone interested. [via Droid-Life]

Unofficial Android updates / custom ROMs / misc hackery

  • The root method used on most Motorola Android devices has been employed to root the Droid Bionic before it’s even been released. [via Droid-Life]
  • LG has released the kernel source for its Gingerbread build of the Optimus S. [via AndroidCentral]
  • The HTC Dev site expanded its support for the bootloader unlock tool this week, now encompassing all versions of the Sensation — including T-Mobile’s. [via AndroidCentral]

Other platforms

  • SPB Shell 3.0 is now available for Symbian^3 devices. It brings a fresh 3D-style UI to the OS, and can be yours for $15. [via IntoMobile]

Updates already covered this week

Refresh Roundup: week of August 29, 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 04 Sep 2011 10:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 31

HTC pushes a Windows Phone through FCC, Mango launch close at hand?

Posted in: hotspot, HTC, mango, mobile hotspot, MobileHotspot, Today's Chili, windows phone, WindowsPhone, Wp7

Phones approved by the FCC are seldom so upfront about the OS they run on, but HTC decided to go against the status quo in its latest filing to the government agency. A quick perusal of the FCC filings show a handset tested for 850 / 1900 GSM — standard 2G bands for AT&T and T-Mobile — and no WCDMA frequencies in the US. There’s one detail in the docs, however, that stands out like a sore thumb: this device, the HTC PI39110, is listed as a Windows Phone. What’s more, the paperwork also mentions the inclusion of a “WiFi hotspot,” which likely is the mobile hotspot feature confirmed to be supported by Mango. HTC hasn’t announced any devices that run on the updated OS yet, but this particular gem could very well be the long-rumored Eternity. While it probably won’t make its way to the US, this is at least a solid indicator that Windows Phone 7.5 is coming soon to more parts of the globe.

HTC pushes a Windows Phone through FCC, Mango launch close at hand? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 16:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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