Hasta La Gadget!

It’s not the biggest of pictures — the PPCGeeks forum poster says he shot this with his Touch Pro 2 — but what we’re looking at is allegedly the HTC EVO 4G. Wish we could have a better look, but who knows, maybe some lucky contest winner in the next few weeks will have a decent DSLR handy.

[Thanks, Rigo]

HTC EVO 4G found loitering in Sprint store originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 01 May 2010 19:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You know what they say about Sprint Premier, the carrier’s VIP program for loyal customers: membership has its privileges. Actually, that’s the tagline for something completely unrelated, but we think it certainly applies here — especially now that we’ve learned that Premier peeps have been invited to apply to win an EVO 4G before the superphone’s general release. It’s not as simple as dropping your name in a hat, though: you’ve got to tell Sprint in at least 150 words what you can do “really fast,” presumably with the goal of making the judges laugh, cry, and generally love you. Ten winners will be notified on May 18 that they’ve been selected, at which point you’ll get a phone, a year of free service, and a job as a blogger on an official Sprint site about your experiences with the handset through August 31 (hopefully using a contest management system that’s compatible with Eclair’s not-always-awesome browser). What’s more, four of those ten will get “long summer weekend” trips to a Sprint 4G-enabled city; it’s not Venice by any stretch, but hey, the EVO’s the important thing here, right?

[Thanks, nickb]

Sprint contest promises ten lucky jerks HTC EVO 4Gs before everyone else originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Apr 2010 14:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oh sure, we’ve seen the occasional big city train get their own WiFi / WiMAX installation, but when a state like New Mexico steps up and does it, we take notice. The New Mexico Rail Runner, which travels some 95 miles between Santa Fe and Albuquerque, is now lit with WiMAX along the entire route, and the service is being provided gratis for all who ride. Better still, the New Mexico Mid-Region Council of Governments has no intentions of ever charging patrons in order to recoup the $2.4 million investment. We’re told that users can expect download rates of up to 6Mbps and upload speeds nearing 4Mbps, and we’re desperately hopeful that other states will take notice and attempt to get with the program. America’s already way behind most every European nation when it comes to rail travel, but toss a “free WiMAX!” sign on the door and you just might coax these car-lovin’ Yanks into going mass transit.

[Thanks, Ben]

New Mexico Rail Runner train gets lit with WiMAX, sets a good example originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Apr 2010 12:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Clearwire has made it crystal clear that it isn’t taking a “WiMAX or die” approach to 4G — and frankly, it couldn’t afford to, considering that the infrastructure suppliers and hardware manufacturers could easily continue their trend toward shunning the next-gen underdog. What’s interesting, though, is that the company now appears to be taking a very active role in developing an LTE-based standard that could supplant WiMAX in its 2.6GHz spectrum should the need arise. Along with Motorola, Huawei, ZTE, Cisco, Nokia Siemens, Alcatel-Lucent, and — surprise, surprise — Clearwire partner Sprint, the company is asking the 3GPP to define a standard for running TD-LTE in the 2.6GHz slot. Unlike the more commonly-used FD-LTE — the standard Verizon is using, among others — TD-LTE operates unpaired, meaning it can operate in slimmer chunks of spectrum than its counterpart. Asking for a standard is clearly a far cry from actually building out a network, but it’s interesting to note that Clearwire and Sprint alike both have their eyes firmly fixed on an LTE-based technology if the WiMAX industry packs it in.

Sprint, Clearwire among companies asking for TD-LTE standard in WiMAX spectrum originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 18:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Clearwire on Monday expanded its 4G mobile broadband service into Houston, Texas. The company’s Clear WiMAX offering is now available throughout the greater Houston area, Clearwire said. John Smith has been named general manager for the Houston market.

“Clear is thrilled to bring to Houston residents, businesses and visitors an Internet experience similar to what they’re used to having at home or the office, anywhere around town or on the go,” Smith said in a statement.

Much of the coverage will overlap with the 4G network being rolled out with Sprint, which has assumed an ownership stake in Clearwire.

Clear prices typically run $30 per month for home Internet service, and $40 per month for mobile Internet, or $10 for a day pass with a WiMAX-enabled device. For a limited time, users in Houston can get mobile Internet for $15 per month for two months after a $50 service credit and a two-year contract if they sign up online at www.clear.com. Other bundles start at $55 per month.