Hasta La Gadget!

Really, Verizon? Play up the global roaming features of your new-but-not-unexpected Wireless Fivespot, only to strangle it with GlobalAccess plans that top out with 200MB of international data? Thanks, but no thanks. For those still interested in the new WWAN modem for domestic use (psst… the MiFi 2200 is a better deal), this ZTE-built device is the first in VZW’s stable to offer global data access. That’s due to having both a SIM card slot (for GSM roaming) and a CDMA radio inside, and as with the aforesaid MiFi, it’ll handle up to five simultaneous WiFi connections. The unit itself will run $99.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate and a two-year agreement, and Verizon’s providing both postpaid and prepaid domestic data plan options: $39.99 per month gets you 250MB with a $0.10 overage, while $59.99 nets you 5GB and a $0.05/MB overage (the prepaid details reside after the break). Where it really gets ludicrous is GlobalAccess — customers traveling abroad have the choice of two plans, a $129.99/month option with 5GB in the US / Canada and 100MB elsewhere, or a $219.99/month alternative that simply adds an extra 100MB on the international end. That’s $90 for an extra 100MB. We’ll spare you the chore of stressing over all of this and point you to Xcom Global — trust us, if you’re touching down in a foreign land for over an hour, you’ll need close to 100MB just to digest the inbox explosion from being in the air 14 hours.

Continue reading Verizon gets official with Wireless Fivespot mobile hotspot, touts awful global roaming plans

Verizon gets official with Wireless Fivespot mobile hotspot, touts awful global roaming plans originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 15:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Look out, WiMAX — LTE is blazing a path, and it’s one that leads directly to the market you’re aiming for. Shortly after launching its first commercial LTE market in Sin City, MetroPCS has just lit up its second in the Dallas / Fort Worth area of Texas. Monthly plans start at $55 per month (including all taxes and fees), and as with customers in Vegas, DFW users will also be looking at the dual-mode Samsung Craft ($299 in contract-free form) in order to take advantage. The carrier has reiterated that it hopes to launch even more LTE markets “later this year and in early 2011,” which means that your 3G phone is getting more antediluvian by the minute.

Continue reading MetroPCS fires up another LTE market: Dallas / Fort Worth, Texas

MetroPCS fires up another LTE market: Dallas / Fort Worth, Texas originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 14:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What’s this? The best of both worlds, wrapped neatly into one elegant mobile router? Sure looks that way, as Netgear‘s HBR1210 looks to have support for HSPA+ mobile networks as well as traditional 802.11n WiFi for the home. Based on the FCC filing (which seems down at the moment), there’s a foursome of gigabit Ethernet jacks, a SIM card slot, an external antenna port and a chassis that looks to be around 9.8- x 7.9-inches. In other words, we wouldn’t expect a Rover here, but we suppose “mobile” can mean lots of things to lots of people. We’ll keep you posted once an official release date and price falls into our lap.

Netgear’s HBR1210 HSPA+ / 802.11n mobile router pings the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Sep 2010 03:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Okay, so maybe that’s a stretch, but there’s no question that Huawei’s newest mobile hotspot is indeed a looker. Blessed with a silver and black motif as well as a subtle 1-inch color OLED for providing status information at a glance, the new E583C follows in the footsteps of the E585 and Vodafone’s R201. Functionally, it’s fairly predictable, offering a 3.5G HSPA connection to up to five devices over WiFi and a sixth via a direct USB connection. There’s support for Windows, Mac and Linux platforms, with a promise of hitting upwards of 5.76Mbps (up) and 7.2Mbps (down). Huawei’s also tossing in a microSD card slot, and if you aren’t turned on by MiFi-esque mobile routers, the newly introduced E173u USB modem just might do the trick. Catch ’em later this month in Hong Kong for HK$1,380 ($177) and HK$498 ($64), respectively.

Continue reading Huawei’s E583C mobile hotspot: looks so good, you’ll wish it weren’t portable

Huawei’s E583C mobile hotspot: looks so good, you’ll wish it weren’t portable originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Aug 2010 03:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The 700MHz ‘D Block‘ has been the subject of much debate over the past few years, primarily because the FCC’s master plan to auction it off — yet require the winner to open up the waves for public safety use on command — didn’t exactly pan out. Post-failure, the agency made clear its plans to host up another auction or two in order to accomplish the same goal via slightly different means, but now public safety entities are coming forward with a healthy amount of opposition. Rob Davis, head of the San Jose Police Department, puts it bluntly: “If they auction this spectrum, we’ve lost it forever.” These public safety officials also have allies in Congress, with many worried that auctioning off the spectrum may lead to an inability to accurately wield bandwidth in a hurry if needed during a national emergency. The FCC plan also alleviates the cost issue, but public advocates have a solution there as well — they say that if given the ‘D Block’ outright, they could “lease excess airwaves to commercial carriers since they would not always need all of it.” Of course, that’s a pretty big assumption about the willingness of carriers to lease space, and we suspect a lot more back-and-forth will go on here in the coming months. Oh, the drama.

Public safety agencies want D Block for themselves, FCC still seeking auction originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 08:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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