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RevA posts

To proceed another five miles, TXT 'DESIGN FLAW' to your Reva electric car

by Tim Stevens posted Sep 9th 2009 at 9:02PM

Not long ago a motorcycle with a fuel gauge was basically unheard of and even "low fuel" idiot lights were rare. Riders used advanced (and generally inaccurate) mathematics to calculate remaining mileage and, when the engine inevitably sputtered, switched over to a reserve tank that would let them nervously motor along a few more miles. Reva, an Indian company set to start shipping electric cars next year, plans to resurrect that most irritating sequence of events in their two-door NXR -- albeit with a modern spin. Now, instead of reaching down and turning a dial to get to that precious extra juice, drivers will need to call or text Reva HQ. Some overworked customer service agent will then remotely activate the "reserve battery," which surely doesn't even exist, to give a bit of extra range. We pity the fool who runs out of charge somewhere outside of cell range, but not quite as much as the designer who pitched this terrible idea.

Sprint swaggers, promises to be first to release 3G Femtocell in US

by Ross Miller posted Jul 3rd 2009 at 3:12AM

While AT&T's still claiming MicroCell will be out before the year's up, Sprint's bringing out the big words by boasting to Unstrung it'll be beating everyone to the market with its 3G femtocell solution. Company VP of device and technology development Mathew Oommen is pretty light on some of the finer details -- like actual release date, hardware supplier, pricing scheme, and pretty much every other piece of information we'd want -- but he did imply there'd be multiple options available for the CDMA EV-DO Rev. A extender, including a device more tailored for enterprise use. Look, you two can fight all you want over who gets first, but in the end, we just want our Pres and iPhones to live together and home in perfect-reception harmony -- think we can get that in time for Christmas?

[Via Slashgear]

Alltel kicks off EV-DO Rev. A deployment

by Chris Ziegler posted Jun 23rd 2008 at 4:37PM

With LTE a few years out yet, Alltel needs something to get it over the 3.5G hump -- and seeing how it's presently a CDMA carrier, you can pretty much guess where this is going. Sure enough, Verizon's newest partner in crime has announced that the rollout of its EV-DO Rev. A upgrade is now underway, promising a bump in downlink speeds from 400-700kbps on the existing Rev. 0 network to somewhere between 600kbps and 1.4Mbps. Uplink speeds are where Rev. A really shines, though, blazing as much as ten times faster than it did before -- 800kbps on a good day with bursts of up to 1.8Mbps. Two data cards are being offered to take advantage of the service -- one from Huawei and one from UTStarcom -- while compatible handsets currently include the HTC PPC6800 and Touch. The rollout is targeted for "select markets" right now -- Charlotte, New Orleans, Phoenix and Tampa among a total of 18 -- with overall EV-DO coverage continuing to expand as well; Alltel's targeting 82 percent of its footprint to be upgraded by year's end.

Verizon launches Kyocera KPC680 EV-DO Rev. A ExpressCard

by Darren Murph posted Nov 20th 2007 at 7:15PM

Still waiting around to hop on the Rev. A highway? Although last week would've been a swell time to do so, now's not too bad either, and Verizon Wireless customers have yet another option at their fingertips. The Kyocera KPC680 ExpressCard is available now for anyone interested, and enables BroadbandAccess users to reach average download speeds of 600kbps to 1.4Mbps and upload speeds that range from 500kbps to 800kbps when situated in a Rev. A area. Additionally, this thing sports a "breakthrough" (ahem) antenna design that "moves the antenna away from the device as it is opened, providing greater sensitivity, dual external antenna ports for signal flexibility and a compact form factor." Get yours now for just $49.99 after a mail-in rebate and throwing your John Hancock on a two-year agreement.

Verizon intros Sierra Wireless AirCard 595U EV-DO Rev A USB modem

by Darren Murph posted Aug 16th 2007 at 4:38PM

BroadbandAccess customers, meet Sierra Wireless' AirCard 595U EV-DO Rev A USB modem, which is (almost) finally available to you through Verizon Wireless. Designed for use with your USB port, this EV-DO Rev A modem can also be connected through the included docking cradle, and even comes bundled with VZAccess Manager software. Additionally, the device boasts an internal, removable battery to "ensure there is always enough power support to handle peak or fringe area transmission requirements," and should be available for those interested on August 30th for $179.99 -- after you mail back a pesky rebate and sign your name to a two-year agreement, that is.

Verizon's entire EV-DO network leaps to Rev. A

by Darren Murph posted Jun 29th 2007 at 1:10PM

In what's likely yet another futile attempt to steal some limelight from that other national carrier today, Verizon has finally enhanced "100-percent" of its EV-DO network to Revision A technology. Of course, some locales have been enjoying the Rev. A niceties since February, but now Verizon users coast-to-coast (those under an EV-DO umbrella, that is) can stop feeling envious and start enjoying the higher speeds. Interestingly enough, this news comes just days after the company lowered its BroadbandAccess rates and merely hours after throngs of AT&T users reported their EDGE speeds skyrocketing for no apparent reason. Verizon subscribers in EV-DO areas can now expect average download speeds of nearly 600kbps to 1.4Mbps, while uploads will top out somewhere between 500kbps and 800kbps.

'All' Panasonic Toughbooks certified for Verizon's EV-DO Rev. A network

by Darren Murph posted Jun 20th 2007 at 6:31AM

It's not like you couldn't get connected to an EV-DO network on a Toughbook before, but Panasonic and Verizon Wireless are making things uber-easy on us all by certifying "the full line" of rugged lappies for connectivity with Verizon's EV-DO Rev. A. Yep, the Toughbook 30, 19, T, W, and Y series of machines have now been admitted into The Network, which means that you can potentially download a presentation while surviving a hail storm at up to 1.4Mbps and send in your corrections whilst dodging tree limbs at up to 800kbps. The Verizon WWAN treatment will require users to purchase the Sierra Wireless embedded MC-5725 PCI Express card and VZAccess software, but the oh-so-important pricing information was casually omitted.

[Via Slashphone]

Sprint's PPC-6800 dubbed the Mogul?

by Darren Murph posted May 10th 2007 at 8:32AM

It's bad enough that nearly every HTC handset that makes its way into a carrier's lineup inevitably gets rebadged and renamed, but this one's sure to make you scratch your head. Just hours after hearing that the handset is likely to miss its May launch by a few months, we've now caught wind of an interesting teaser site that leaves little doubt about what phone is behind the silhouette. Interestingly, the Sprint, HTC, and Qualcomm sponsored site boldly states that the pictured device is not the PPC-6800, but rather the Mogul. It then continues on by insinuating that this 007-esque gizmo can handle just about any mission you task it with, but fails to provide any concrete information beyond that. Hey, you've got to find some way to keep interests piqued until October, eh?

Verizon announces Novatel V740 EV-DO Rev. A ExpressCard

by Paul Miller posted Mar 15th 2007 at 10:24AM

We heard tell of this little guy last month when Apple let the model number out amongst newly supported WWAN products -- so what's this Verizon V740 card got going for it other than explicit Mac support? Well, EV-DO Rev. A, of course. Built by Novatel, the V740 is here to replace the V640 in ExpressCard/34 duties for Verizon, with beefier bandwidth and a dearth of aesthetic changes. The card will be hitting retail on March 30th, and looks to be going for $110 with two years of service -- cheaper than Sprint's EX720 offering, but Verizon will get you in the end with those hefty data charges.

Novatel's Merlin EX720 launches on Sprint's Rev A network

by Darren Murph posted Feb 9th 2007 at 10:46AM

Hot on the heels of Novatel giving a bit of Rev A love to Verizon with the USB720 comes the company's tailored-for-Sprint version of the adapter, the Merlin EX720 ExpressCard. Nothing too special here, aside from its ability to hit up Sprint's Rev A EV-DO network for average upload speeds of 300 to 500Kbps and download rates topping out around 1.4Mbps. Interestingly, it does tout Assisted GPS (A-GPS) location-based capabilities, which should allow users to locate nearby "restaurants, gas stations, banks, etc." without having to input their current address. The card itself will play nice with Windows 2000, XP, and Vista, and even Mac OS X users won't have a problem utilizing the Merlin on their shiny MacBook Pro, and if all goes as planned, you should see these cards popping up in Sprint retail channels in just a few weeks.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Verizon and Novatel launching USB720 Rev A modem tomorrow

by Paul Miller posted Feb 1st 2007 at 11:50AM

Again, Verizon isn't really all about the surprises today, with an inconspicuous Rev A launch, and now the release of this USB720 Rev A modem from Novatel more or less right on target, but there ain't nothing wrong with that. Sure, they're playing catch-up to Sprint on this front as well, but everybody's gotta start somewhere, and Verizon has picked tomorrow to start handing out these USB modem dongles. And by "handing out" we of course mean charging $150 to people who sign up for a new two-year customer agreement, and $200 to the one-year types. Plus you'll need to pick up an unlimited data plan for all those gigabytes you'll be pulling, which will run you $60 a month on top of an existing $40 voice plan, or $80 a month all by its lonesome. Not cheap by a long shot, but just think of all those neat things Verizon wants you to do with that bandwidth, like ~~blaze through torrents~~, ~~make p2p Skype calls~~, ~~share your connection with friends~~ and email your mom! The modem will be available immediately on line and in B2B channels, to be followed by a retail launch on the 20th.

Verizon launches EV-DO Rev A network

by Paul Miller posted Feb 1st 2007 at 11:01AM

It wasn't much of a secret, we saw last week that Verizon's USB720 EV-DO Rev A dongle was slated for a February 1st release, and it makes sense that Verizon would be launching a network to feed the fat wireless pipes to it on the same day, but all the same we're quite relieved to hear Verizon Wireless is finally doing the Rev A thing all official-like -- after being all sneaksy about it up until now. The locations look to be the same ones we were rumoring earlier, at least for the most part: Massachusetts, including Boston and its suburbs; Richmond and Hampton Roads, Virginia; Chicago and its suburbs; Gary Indiana; Salt Lake City along with other cities in Utah; and Florida throughout Verizon's existing broadband network. There are already websites that have been tracking Verizon's subtle spread of Rev A across the country, and it seems like Verizon, while maybe not in a position to challenge the 66 million people currently covered by Sprint's Rev A network, wanted to wait until it got dang close to launch. Verizon expects your connection speeds -- for those of you lucky enough to live in Florida or one of the other metro areas -- to be about six times faster, with average download speeds of 450-800kbs, and upload speeds of 300-400kbps. The word on the street is that that download speed estimate is a tad conservative, while the upload speed mark is fairly optimistic, but we're sure you get the idea.

[Via Mobiledia]

Verizon's USB720 EV-DO Rev A dongle plays catch-up to Sprint

by Paul Miller posted Jan 27th 2007 at 10:02PM

Sprint's been pushing its Novatel U720 Rev A USB modem for a couple months now, but we suppose it's not too terribly late for Verizon to join in with its own rebadged unit, the USB720. Not a lot of surprises here, the two units are fairly identical, straight down to the USB y-cable to boost reception. Verizon does win some points for including Mac support out of the box, whereas Sprint just got that a couple of weeks ago, but the $130 post-rebate pricetag (Sprint's U720 goes for $50 after rebate) isn't helping the USB720 out, especially considering those hefty Verizon data rates. Of course, none of this is official yet -- we're going off of what look to be leaked internal documents -- so perhaps Verizon will loosen up a bit on the pricetag before it starts selling these for reals. Purported launch dates are February 1st for B2B, and February 15th for retail.

Verizon's EV-DO Rev. A network launches Friday?

by Chris Ziegler posted Dec 12th 2006 at 5:45PM

Sprint may have beaten big ol' Red this time around, but Verizon's not about to let a little friendly rivalry get them down. Rumor has it that the nation's largest CDMA carrier begins rolling out its EV-DO Revision A network this Friday, starting with ten cities (Sacramento and Salt Lake City among them) and a little data card we like to call the Sierra Wireless AirCard 595. Like Sprint's Rev. A launch, Verizon customers lucky enough to get their hands on the requisite equipment should see a substantial improvement in upstream speeds (we're guessing 300-400kbps) with a more incremental boost in the opposite direction. Pricing for the AirCard 595 should start at $150 on a two year agreement, topping out at $270 commitment-free.

[Thanks, htckid]

Update: GigaOM now reports a Verizon official as stating that it already has a handful of markets running EV-DO Revision A as is, and while they intend to launch a Rev. A-capable card in the near future (almost certainly the previously mentioned AirCard 595), it will not be announcing the launch of the network in an official capacity until it takes a significant number of additional markets live. Of course, official announcement or no, customers might be able to take advantage of some turbocharged wireless data in the near term just as soon as that AirCard starts shipping.

Sprint launches first EV-DO Rev. A network

by Donald Melanson posted Oct 24th 2006 at 2:01PM

Sticking to its word, Sprint has lit up its first EV-DO Revision A mobile broadband network today, covering San Diego to start with 20 additional markets set to launch before year's end. The upgraded Sprint Power Vision network boosts real-life upload speeds to the 300-400 kbps level, kicking the current 50-70 kbps transfer rates back to 1995 where they belong. Observed download speeds also get a shot in the arm, albeit a more modest jump to 450–800 kbps, up from 400-700 kbps. While San Diegans get all the bragging rights for the time being, folks in New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and seventeen other markets can rest easy knowing that they'll be able to bask in some Rev. A goodness by the end of the year -- check the link below for the complete list. And if you're not on that list, Sprint says it should have its network completely upgraded by the third quarter of 2007.