Acer readying Aspire 5920 with built-in WiMAX

When WiMAX isn't showing up on store shelves in Bosnia, it's integrating its way into laptops, with Acer only the latest to offer the mobile broadband option as a built-in feature, in this case in an updated version of its Aspire 5920 laptop. What's more, according to InfoWorld, the laptop will apparently be sold through Sprint and other companies along with WiMAX service "in a manner similar to the way mobile phones are sold along with service packages," although any further details on that are unsurprisingly a bit light at the moment. There's also unfortunately no further word on the specs to the laptop itself, although those details are promised to be coming when Acer officially launches the laptop, which "could" come by the end of the year.

[chadow @ Apr 21st 2008 11:35AM]

Hmm.... I have the previous version of the 5920G, and it has a SIM card slot in the battery compartment. My 3G AT&T card fits right in it, I wonder if this was something actually planned for the older version that never was put in effect.

[gordon @ Apr 21st 2008 8:11PM]

Yeah, me too.

I put my 3G orange sim in a few weeks back in the hopes that something might happen - pixies, fairies, some kind of bizarre world in which Ballmer shouts 'Developers' into everyone's dining rooms in a Brave New World-esque manner - but nothing happened. I was disappointed.

Guess I'll have to stick to using the old mobile as a modem, then.

[kuade @ Apr 21st 2008 11:36AM]

WiMax is the future! *I hope* Ugly laptop too, see the volume pot on the front? Reminds me of my Casio walkman....

[Gaz @ Apr 21st 2008 1:00PM]

They are very big laptops but actually I think they look quite nice in the flesh, the diagonal lines remind me of an Atari ST

[Andrew @ Apr 21st 2008 11:37AM]

I'm not really sure it makes sense to build wimax into the current generation of laptops given the extremely limited availability. Maybe in a year or so, but for the current gen most customers in available markets will purchase expansion cards.

http://pixblix.com

[Mark @ Apr 21st 2008 11:40AM]

wimax is dead.

[Esat Dedezade @ Apr 21st 2008 11:44AM]

You mean in the same way digital downoads are dead?

In both scenarios, they WILL be the future, just not yet due to general user technology limitations.

Thats no reason to pronounce them dead.

[Chebwa @ Apr 21st 2008 12:08PM]

I don't see WiMAX being huge, either... I think it' come down to some other form of wireless broadband in the future. But it's not going to be WiMAX.

[justin @ Apr 21st 2008 11:42AM]

I think the big question is, "will there be a Sprint store to sell this product in?"

[Gaz @ Apr 21st 2008 1:03PM]

When it works on Mars, I am interested!

[webon @ Apr 21st 2008 11:45AM]

Hey ACER the 90' called they want their design back

[zshift @ Apr 21st 2008 7:00PM]

I second that. I work at bestbuy, and when we first got these several months ago (same design, not same model), I thought it was a manager playing a joke and bringing in some old laptop. then i saw that it had hd-dvd and an 8600m gt and i couldn't figure out why acer would bring the beige back.

[Shinigami @ Apr 21st 2008 11:46AM]

Somebody! Tell Acer to move those audio ports to side!!!

Build-in wi-fi is great, I think build-in wi-max will be nice as well when wi-max will spread.

[Brian @ Apr 21st 2008 5:28PM]

Pretty worthless. By the time Sprint gets it's act together with WiMax, they will be out of business.

[Richard Lai @ Apr 21st 2008 12:22PM]

"unfortunatlye"

[HunterXI @ Apr 21st 2008 12:43PM]

But I wonder... how much PAMUK does it have?

[Moo2 @ Apr 21st 2008 10:05PM]

not 100%

[Ricardo @ Apr 21st 2008 1:05PM]

Lots of built-in ugliness too...

[Nick Santella @ Apr 21st 2008 4:57PM]

If they make this in black it would be an amazing laptop to go with Bell Wi-Max service :)

[John Polivka @ Apr 21st 2008 7:29PM]

This news report is in error, possibly with the news source.
Acer and other manufacturers are developing access devices which will work on WiMAX networks, such as Sprint’s XOHM.

Their device is not being sold by Sprint, and it will not be tied to any Sprint service plan. The source may be referring to other providers and their service plans.

Sprint XOHM will indeed have subscriptions, versus traditional contracts, based on the customer and not the device. In traditional telecom, each device is a customer.
We will accomodate multiple devices under each customer, in home and away subscription packages, though details have yet to be announced.

[The_Doctor @ Apr 22nd 2008 4:07AM]

I find this very interesting, as my current ISP is LSBC which is WiMAX. I would love to see this implemented asap