Clearwire intros new WiMAX mobile hotspots, Mac-friendly 3G / 4G USB WWAN modem
By Darren Murph 
posted June 17th 2010 10:01AM
posted June 17th 2010 10:01AM
Clearwire Offers More Ways to Connect to CLEAR 4G Service with Three New Devices; Adds 4G/3G Modem for Macs and PCs
* New CLEAR 4G and 4G+ Personal Wi-Fi Hotspots plus 4G/3G Mobile USB Extend Unlimited 4G Data Plans to More Mobile Devices
* New USB Modem Brings National 4G/3G Service to Apple Laptops and PCs
* CLEAR's Uncapped Mobile Broadband Experience Available For Netbooks, Notebooks, Gaming, Entertainment, Social Media and Numerous Other Devices and Services
KIRKLAND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Clearwire Corporation (NASDAQ:CLWR), a leading provider of wireless broadband services, today announced the upcoming availability of three new products that will extend the potential for super-fast speeds and unlimited 4G usage plans to the millions of mobile devices available today.
"In today's on-the-go world, everyone deserves fast speeds and the usage they want at a fair price – without constantly checking their usage or worrying about their end-of-month bill"
The latest suite of devices, the CLEAR SpotTM 4G, CLEAR Spot 4G+, and the CLEAR 4G+ Mobile USB, bring new 4G connectivity possibilities to a wide range of Wi-Fi-enabled laptops, netbooks, smartphones, and other connected devices – without the worries or hassles of tiered or capped usage plans.
The CLEAR Spot 4G offers the speed and flexibility of a personal Wi-Fi hotspot, simultaneously connecting multiple Wi-Fi devices at 4G speeds, while the CLEAR Spot 4G+ adds the option of allowing users to easily and securely use nationwide 3G coverage when outside the 4G coverage area. In addition, the CLEAR 4G+ Mobile USB modem is the first dual-mode mobile USB from CLEAR to deliver 4G and nationwide 3G Internet coverage to the MacBook and MacBook Pro along with other non-Mac devices.
"In today's on-the-go world, everyone deserves fast speeds and the usage they want at a fair price – without constantly checking their usage or worrying about their end-of-month bill," said Dow Draper, vice president of product development for Clearwire. "These new devices offer today's mobile user, and the millions of Wi-Fi products in use across the country, even greater access to CLEAR's fast and affordable 4G service."
With CLEAR® super-fast mobile Internet service, users can experience average mobile download speeds of 3 to 6 mbps with bursts over 10 mbps*, using Clearwire's 4G network. Unlike service plans from traditional wireless carriers which cap data usage, CLEAR offers unlimited 4G usage plans that do not require long-term service contracts. In most markets, unlimited 4G coverage from CLEAR starts at $30 for the home, while unlimited mobile plans start as low as $40. Bundled services such as Home and On-The-Go and Home and Voice plans start at $55 per month. CLEAR service is currently available in dozens of cities, in areas of the United States where approximately 51 million people live. A detailed map of service availability can be found at www.clear.com/coverage.
The New CLEAR Mobile Hotspots and USB
CLEAR Spot 4G
The CLEAR Spot 4G is a personal mobile hotspot allowing users to easily and securely share unlimited super-fast Internet access anywhere CLEAR has coverage simultaneously with up to eight Wi-Fi-enabled devices, including laptops, smartphones, and portable gaming devices. The CLEAR Spot 4G is manufactured by InfoMark and will be available for purchase at $99.99 or for a $4.99 monthly lease. It can be preordered today at www.clear.com/spot and will be available nationwide at CLEAR stores and authorized dealers in July.
CLEAR Spot 4G+
The CLEAR Spot 4G+ allows power users and road warriors alike to stay connected across the U.S. by automatically switching from 4G and connecting to Sprint's 3G nationwide network outside the 4G coverage area. The CLEAR Spot 4G+ enables users to securely share the connection with up to five Wi-Fi-enabled devices all at the same time. The CLEAR Spot 4G+ is manufactured by Sierra Wireless and will be available to purchase for $224.99 or to lease for $5.99 per month. It can be preordered today at www.clear.com/spot and will be available nationwide at CLEAR stores and authorized dealers in July.
CLEAR 4G+ Mobile USB (Series S)
Clearwire already offers two 4G-only USB modems for Mac users, but today introduced the company's first dual-mode 4G/3G modem available for Mac users, the CLEAR 4G+ Mobile USB. When not in the 4G coverage area, the modem will automatically switch to the Sprint 3G network to provide more ubiquitous data connectivity around the country. The 4G+ Mobile USB is compatible with MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops using Mac OS X Versions 10.5.x and 10.6.x. The new USB also supports netbooks and notebooks running Windows XP SP2, Vista and Windows 7, all in 32- and 64-bit versions. The new 4G+ Mobile USB is manufactured by Sierra Wireless.
The 4G+ USB can be purchased for $114.99 or leased monthly for $5.99. It is available today at www.clear.com/4Gplus-usb and in stores in Atlanta, Dallas, Hawaii and Harrisburg, Lancaster, Reading and York, PA. The CLEAR 4G+ Mobile USB will be available in all 4G markets beginning July 1st.
For more information about CLEAR, visit www.clear.com. Company information about Clearwire is available at www.clearwire.com.
That USB modem looks HUGE!
I hope it's really not as big as it looks
@GenericMessage Huge and really ugly. That looks like a mid-90's USB hub.
@GenericMessage Well does the USB plug look overly large? Its a pretty safe frame of reference to judge the size. Which by my accounts would make it appear saucer hanging off the end is quite large. The existing 4G sticks are just a bit wider and thicker than a USB plug.
@KAL326
or just use the EVO
@rutter9 It's very small It's not huge, It looks huge because Engadget blew it up..
@GenericMessage It is less than 2" in diameter. Full specs for the new devices can be found on CLEAR's blog - http://theclearblog.com/new-4g-devices
I wish they would work on expanding the network more. My EVO would be much, much better if WiMax/4G was in more places!
@jayroc80 trust me that makes two of us. I heard late August for Miami, but Im not holding my breath. Thankfully I have WiFi most places I go.
@CadmarHuxtable Where did you see they might be rolling it out in late August?
That's a overdrive Engadget. Some basic researching would of told you that
@DefPoet Doesn't the post say "a rebranded Overdirve"?
@O
Maybe some basic researching would have told him that.
We have clear and it's horrible. I will watch a netflix movie, and will have full quality, then they will throttle me and I end up watching a grainy picture.
@F86 Pilot
Really? I have Clear in Philadelphia and and so far it has been working great. The internet is fast, I am able to stream videos without an issue, and Netflix on my 360 has been working great.
@F86 Pilot
Sounds like Netflix is compressing you not Clear throttling you. If Clear were throttling you the picture would be choppy not grainy.
@F86 Pilot
First poster is right...for all their talk of 4G its really not that great.
I had it here in Raleigh, NC and it was a terrible nightmare. And when I went to return it (Before it was too late mind you) the lady tries to get me to keep it for another 14 days as a trial basis.
Well it didn't improve in those 14 days and so I returned it and went back to TWC for internet. They're not perfect mind you but at least the pages load a lot faster than they ever did with Clear. And I can still download a good album in a relatively decent amount of time.
@F86 Pilot I have the overdrive and it's great. 6-7mbps here in Houston at least.
@BrookLynnsFinest You are comparing 4G which right now gets capped at 10 Mbps to Road Runner which right now gets capped at 15 Mbps?
In other news a Corvette is faster then a Camaro.
@ArhcAngel netflix is smarter than that. If you're bandwidth goes down it lowers the video quality.
@ArhcAngel
You must be new to Silverlight streaming. When internet speed goes down, quality goes down in order to avoid choppiness.
@ArhcAngel
tad604 is right. On the netflix streaming on xbox, it reduces your picture quality to play the movie w/o buffeting.
Those rental prices are GREAT though - would anybody really buy one at this stage? In a year, there'll be so much more choice in this area...
This is what I was waiting for. I think the EVO is a great phone but with the 4G+ I can use any device that has Wifi and a VOIP app for voice.
So they took the Overdrive and slapped the Clear logo on it?
Get your a** in gear, Clearwire, and roll out 4G in Manhattan (NYC)!!!!
"4g"? ... 2mbps average by most accounts? what a joke
@obobo Not sure what accounts you're talking about, but I average 3.5-4.5 mbps.
Clear has yet to offer support for Linux. So it's still a no go for me.
@gigarath
I am not sure if this helps, but in the new Linux kernel, there is support for Wimax devices. I have not read what devices are supported yet, so it might be worth the research time. Cheers
@gigarath
Also, the new Overdrive device connects via Wifi - so as long as your computer has Wifi it shouldnt be an issue.
Looks like a Ring phone.
I am in my 4th day of having CLEAR service at home in kansas city ... it's been flawless so far. with my motorola wimax home modem i get 5-6.5 mb per second wired to my my router and 3-3.5 mb per second attached wirelessly to the old belkin G router.
I have ordered an internal miniPCI Intel Centrino WiMax/Wifi N card for my laptop so i can get their on the go service.
so far i am diggin the CLEAR service.
@darthgault Try adjusting the MTU settings on your router to 1400 from the standard 1500. This may help increase throughput over wireless with your Clear modem.
I have Clear using the USB modem that was available when I got the service a few months back. It is 4G only. So if I get this new 4g/3g version, will I be able to "roam" and get 3G service where there's no 4G, or will Clear prevent that from happening unless I change plans? I thought that was the product differentiator between Sprint's access plans and Clear's plans.
Since I'm only paying $25
@ano2k2 Dual mode does cost more than 4G alone so you will have to upgrade your plan if you want to go with the new dual-mode device.
Great, now how about a service that doesn't require me to call in an outage report every other day for weeks at a time?
Please?
I think Clear has a bright future... I recently moved and a friend let me borrow is Overdirve for several days untill I was able to get my cable/internet hooked up... the Overdrive worked flawlessly... very impressive device!
it's not unlimited!!! 3G Cap 5GB. the price per MB is very reasonable though at 0.05c
CLEAR Internet+
Enhance your 4G coverage in your city and across the nation with CLEAR Internet +. Enjoy high-speed internet anywhere in CLEAR coverage plus nationwide 3G coverage.
CLEAR Internet + details:
* Nationwide coverage
* Works on the CLEAR 4G + 3G networks
* Auto switches to 3G coverage when 4G isn’t available7
4G Mode
* Unlimited usage in 4G coverage area1.
* Download speeds up to 6.0 Mbps5
* Upload speeds up to 1.0 Mbps5
3G Mode
* 5GB/month cap in 3G mode ($0.05 for each additional MB or fraction thereof per month)
* Download speeds between 600 Kbps and 1.4 Mbps
* Upload speeds between 350 and 500 Kbps.
@iPaul
3G is limited to 5 gig, but the 4G has no cap.
Clear's 4G service is absolutely fantastic in Dallas. I work as a contractor helping to install/commision the sites, and i am able to beam live skype video over 4G to the folks in the office. I absolutely love it.
You guys are all about this Clear/Clearwire stuff, but you don't realize that this service is actually horrible. You think you have problems with AT&T, just wait until you get Clear. I had it for a year or so and it was horrible. Service down for a couple hours every day. When it is up its slower than dial-up. I'm not the only one too. Doing a google search will show lots of other horror stories.
In theory, the service LOOKS great. But you're setting everyone up for disappointment by talking this service up.
Anyone have Clear in Charlotte? TWC keeps upping my rates but I don't really have any other options currently
Leased
(or least for $5.99 per month)
Three questions: 1does this device (wifi hotspot) ,work I rural areas?2how much does the unlimited mobile version cost per month?3 how much does the device itself cost again?
@Be All Beast It will work wherever CLEAR has coverage- just visit their website and look at the coverage maps. While you are there you can also find plan and device prices quite easily.
@Be All Beast Check Sprint.com for 3G coverage in the rural areas. If they show coverage, Clear can provide you the service.