Hasta La Gadget!

Care about Samsung‘s GT-B3730? Probably not… but what if we told you that that very device is the planet’s first commercially available dual-mode LTE / 3G WWAN modem? Now that we’ve got your attention, you may be interested in knowing that overseas operator TeliaSonera — hailed as the first carrier on the planet to fire up an LTE network and make it available to Joe and Jane last year — is just about ready to start shipping the aforesaid Samsung. As of now, the only way to hop onto their LTE superhighway is with a 4G-only modem, and while it had promised a two-faced stick in the second quarter of 2010, we’re elated to finally put a face to a promise. The primary downside is that there’s no current way for the USB modem to switch from LTE to 3G (or vice-versa) on the fly; instead, you’ll need to kill the connection and start a new one when you leave / enter a 4G zone. Purportedly, the stick will play nice with both Windows and OS X, and it can hit real-world download rates as high as 80Mbps and upload rates of 16Mbps. Suddenly, a relocation to Sweden seems altogether more inviting, no?

TeliaSonera gears up to ship first dual-mode LTE / 3G USB WWAN modem originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Jun 2010 07:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lookin’ for yet another avenue to hop on the 4G superhighway? Fret not, as Clearwire has just doled out a trio of new products intended to help you do just that. Prior to today, you had only a smattering of options to actually tap into Clear’s WiMAX network, but the Clear Spot 4G (WiMAX only), Clear Spot 4G+ (dual-mode with 3G / 4G support) and Clear 4G+ Mobile USB stick have all arrived to give choosy moms more choices. The prior two are simply mobile broadband hotspots (think MiFi, but for 4G), with the 4G+ offering support for Sprint’s 3G network if you happen to leave one of those few WiMAX zones already lit. The USB stick is particularly interesting, as it’s the first dual-mode device hawked by Clear that’s fully compatible with Apple OS X. The Clear Spot 4G will be made by InfoMark and available to purchase for $99.99 next month; those who hate committing can also lease one for $4.99 per month. The Sierra Wireless-built Spot 4G+ (a rebadged Overdrive; shown left) demands a hefty premium for that 3G support, with an MSRP of $224.99 (or least for $5.99 per month) and a similar July ship date. The 4G+ Mobile USB stick (shown right) will support OS X 10.5.x and 10.6.x (along with Windows, of course), and can be snapped up today for $114.99 or leased monthly for $5.99. Head on past the break if you’re thirsty for more.

Continue reading Clearwire intros new WiMAX mobile hotspots, Mac-friendly 3G / 4G USB WWAN modem

Clearwire intros new WiMAX mobile hotspots, Mac-friendly 3G / 4G USB WWAN modem originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Jun 2010 10:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ever notice how easy it is to find mobile plans with unlimited minutes these days? Yeah, it’s because they’re about as valuable as pea coats in the dead of summer. With more and more consumers disconnecting their landlines in favor of using their cellie for everything, the art of communicating via voice is also becoming lost. According to “government and industry data” cited in a New York Times report, the growth in voice minutes used by consumers has “stagnated,” with 2009 being the first year ever in which the “amount of data in text, email messages, streaming video, music and other services on mobile devices [in the US] surpassed the amount of voice data in cellphone calls.” Dan Hesse, Sprint’s head honcho, even chimed in with this nugget: “Originally, talking was the only cellphone application; now it’s less than half of the traffic on mobile networks.” We also learned that the average length of a mobile call was just 1.81 minutes in 2009, a drop from the 2.27 minutes per call seen in 2008, with many individuals feeling that other communication methods (email, SMS, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) were far less invasive of someone’s time, being that they could respond to those messages at their convenience. Of course, on the Upper East Side (where all the richies use Verizon dumbphones, apparently), we get the impression that yakking away about a cornucopia of drama is still the hotness.

Cellphones purportedly used more now for data, Gossip Girl blasts than calls originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 May 2010 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Talk about being flexible. Sierra Wireless‘ newest 7.2Mbps-capable AirCard (the 890, if you’re curious) obviously isn’t content with fitting into just one slot. Rather than forcing users to choose between compatibility with PCMCIA (PC Card) or ExpressCard, this particular WWAN card actually fits into both… but not at the same time, naturally. It’s the first DataConnect card on AT&T’s network to boast a 2-in-1 form factor, and moreover, it touts integrated GPS functionality for use with location-based services. ‘Course, you won’t be using one of these with your shiny new 15-inch MacBook Pro (smart move on that SD-for-ExpressCard swap, Steve-o), but everyone else can procure one starting May 5th for $49.99 after mail-in rebate and a new two-year DataConnect contract of at least $35 a month.

Continue reading Sierra Wireless AirCard 890 does 7.2Mbps on AT&T, slides into PC Card or ExpressCard slots

Sierra Wireless AirCard 890 does 7.2Mbps on AT&T, slides into PC Card or ExpressCard slots originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Apr 2010 07:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hear that, kids? Tony Melone — Verizon Wireless’ Senior VP and CTO — confirmed to us during a one-on-one meeting after the company’s CTIA roundtable discussion that every last one of its data-only LTE WWAN devices (aircards, MiFi-type products and USB data sticks, for example) would also support 3G. Not too surprising given the natural ties between the two technologies, but it’s still refreshing to hear that every 4G data-only product that launches (at least initially) on VZW will also be able to hop onto the company’s 3G network if you just so happen to break away from an LTE area. Can’t say that for a smattering of existing WiMAX products. In related news, Tony also affirmed that Verizon would be “interested” in getting a smartphone on its LTE network that could double as a mobile hotspot, exactly how the Palm Pre Plus does now (but on 3G, obviously). As for pricing when it comes to LTE data rates? Tony wouldn’t give us any indication of the carrier’s plans, but if it’s anything similar to whispers we’ve heard in the past (not to mention rates already seen through Clearwire), it’ll probably be at least marginally more expensive than what you’re paying today for third-generation access.

Verizon Wireless: ‘all’ 4G WWAN devices will support 3G, too originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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