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XOHM posts

Sprint unveils WiMAX expansion cities, devices for 2009 and 2010

by Darren Murph, posted Mar 25th 2009 at 11:49AM

The XOHM label may be gone, but the potency of Sprint's WiMAX network is still kickin' in and around Baltimore. For those itching for wicked fast mobile broadband outside of The Charm City, Sprint has just unveiled a slew of expansion areas that'll get gifted in 2009 and 2010. As for the rest of this year, folks in Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Ft. Worth, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Portland and Seattle can expect Sprint 4G rollouts, while residents of Boston, Houston, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. can be on the lookout in 2010. In related news, the carrier is also taking this opportunity to reveal that it has "several new 4G devices planned for 2009 and 2010, including a single-mode 4G data card, embedded laptops, a small-office-home-office broadband modem and a tri-mode phone." Lovely.

Clearwire to produce portable WiMAX / WiFi router

by Darren Murph, posted Jan 13th 2009 at 7:04PM

We can't say a device such as this was inevitable or anything, but given how limited the adoption of WiMAX has been thus far in America, it's definitely a win for everyone involved. According to Sidecut Reports, Clearwire will soon unveil a portable WiMAX / WiFi router built by Cradlepoint (prototype pictured), which will utilize a Motorola WiMAX USB stick to enable WiFi-capable devices to gather 'round and surf on the delightfully speedy WiMAX superhighway. In other words, non-WiMAX handsets that have WiFi modules can tap into the WiMAX network (if they're in a lit locale, that is) via this device, which -- if we may say so ourselves -- is a brilliant design move. There's no word yet on when the box will ship nor how pricey it'll be, but this could be just the thing you've been looking for to replace that painfully expensive cable modem at home.

[Thanks, Jeremy]

Sprint 4G dual-mode CDMA / WiMAX modems and handsets on tap

by Darren Murph, posted Dec 5th 2008 at 5:02PM

Hang tight to that Samsung SWC-E100 ExpressCard you snatched up as one of the few early adopters in Baltimore -- that thing could one day be a serious relic (or rare eBay find). Just over a year since launching the perplexedly named XOHM WiMAX service, Sprint has decided to rechristen the whole thing Sprint 4G after its workings with Clearwire. Reportedly, the carrier will be offering up dual-mode CDMA / WiMAX modems as early as the end of this year (at least in the Charm City), while similarly equipped handsets won't be too many months behind (just like we'd heard). Kinda hurts to know you can't add a CDMA radio into that WiMAX-only card you already purchased, huh?

[Via phonescoop]

Newly-dubbed "Clear" WiMAX service hits Portland, Oregon

by Donald Melanson, posted Dec 3rd 2008 at 5:37PM

It just been a few short days since it finally closed the deal with Sprint, but Clearwire is already out there busily rebranding its newly-acquired WiMAX assets, with Portland, Oregon first to get the new "Clear" WiMAX service, which the company humbly describes as "like lightning, but faster." To get in on that, you'll have to fork over between $30 and $50 a month (for unlimited service), or ten bucks for a 24 hour pass, with Clear's own USB modem setting you back an extra $50 (a desktop modem is also available for $5 a month). Somewhat interestingly, the company is also promising to offer WiMAX-ready laptops "soon," but it unfortunately isn't providing any further details on those just yet. Hit up the link below to check the exact availability of the service, and look for it to hit Las Vegas, Atlanta, and Grand Rapids, Michigan in the not too distant future.

[Thanks, Stephen K.]

Clearwire and Sprint close deal to combine WiMAX businesses

by Darren Murph, posted Nov 28th 2008 at 7:51PM

This one's been a long time in the making, but the deal is finally done. Clearwire and Sprint Nextel have gleefully announced that the transaction to combine their next-generation wireless internet businesses is complete, and beers are on the two of 'em this evening. On the real, the agreement dictates that Sprint hand over all of its 2.5GHz spectrum and WiMAX-related assets (including XOHM) to Clearwire; additionally, Clearwire has received a $3.2 billion cash infusion from Comcast, Intel, Time Warner Cable, Google and Bright House Networks. Details beyond that are scant, though we are told that the terms "originally announced on May 7, 2008" are the ones being abided by, and the new company will retain the Clearwire name and its Kirkland, Washington headquarters.

Asus intros WiMAX-equipped M50Vm-A1WM 15.4 incher

by Samuel Axon, posted Oct 10th 2008 at 9:01PM

A new variant of Asus' M50Vm-A1 laptop -- the M50Vm-A1WM -- just showed up on Newegg and Amazon. Soulcrushingly long (mostly) alphanumeric string aside, it's a decent 15.4'' machine for its $1,399 price point, with desktop replacement specs: Intel Core 2 Duo P8400, 4GB of RAM, a GeForce 9600M with a satisfying 1GB of dedicated graphics memory, and even a numpad. What's new here is onboard WiMAX, which puts Asus on the post-XOHM launch bandwagon with Toshiba, Acer and other laptop manufacturers. This is good news for some lucky early adopters, but if you're not in one of the testing locales, you might as well continue twiddling your thumbs.

[Via ComputerMonger]

XOHM roundup: WiMAX-enabled Aspire One, speed testing

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 9th 2008 at 9:26AM

Yesterday was a pretty big day for Sprint (along with a number of laptop manufacturers), as America's had its first major glimpse at widespread WiMAX. A few other tidbits lingering from the mayhem were the obligatory speed tests -- which were decidedly average -- and what's believed to be a prototype Aspire One with inbuilt WiMAX capabilities. Said netbook was residing within an Intel-branded van, and while it wasn't made clear if Acer had any plans of bringing such a beast to the commercial realm, the folks at Laptop found the WiMAX surfing to be respectable, but not mind-blowing, as the New York Times homepage took around 15 seconds to load completely. Mr. Dave Zatz was able to pull down around 4,600kbps (and 1,519kbps up) in an impromptu speed test, while Kevin over at jkOnTheRun only managed 3,435kbps down / 1,555kbps up. As always, YMMV.

Read - Hands-on with WiMAX-enabled Aspire One
Read - XOHM Speed Test I
Read - XOHM Speed Test II

Acer launches WiMAX-enabled Aspire 4930-6862 / 6930-6771 notebooks

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 8th 2008 at 4:23PM

Hot on the heels of Lenovo comes Acer, which is somehow claiming "first!11one!" in the US market with WiMAX-enabled laptops. Introduced today in Baltimore in conjunction with the formal unveiling of Sprint's XOHM network, the Aspire 4930-6862 and Aspire 6930-6771 both include the innate ability to hop on a WiMAX network and surf at 4G speeds. As for specs, the former packs a 14.1-inch WXGA panel, 2GHz Core 2 Duo T7350 CPU, 3GB of RAM, WiFi / WiMAX capability, integrated graphics, a dual-layer DVD writer, 320GB SATA HDD, 5-in-1 card reader, built-in webcam, Windows Vista Premium and an $899.99 sticker. The larger 6930 differs only in the 16-inch 1,366 x 768 resolution panel, as everything else (price included) remains the same. Charm City residents can snatch 'em up right now at NewEgg and TigerDirect.

[Via DigitalTrends]

Toshiba intros WiMAX-packing Satellite U405-ST550W

by Donald Melanson, posted Oct 8th 2008 at 3:20PM

Well, it looks like the flood of products piggybacking on the launch of Sprint's XOHM WiMAX network isn't showing any signs of letting up just yet, with Toshiba only the latest to hop on board with its new WiMAX-ready Satellite U405-ST550W laptop. That welcome connectivity addition comes in the form of what Toshiba describes as the "first ever" combined WiFi /WiMAX module, formerly codenamed "Echo Peak," which is about the only stand-out feature among the laptop's high-end but otherwise unremarkable specs, including 4GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive, and a 13.3-inch screen with Toshiba's trademark TruBrite technology. No word on a price just yet, but it'll apparently be available "soon."

ZTE's TU25 becomes first USB modem for Sprint's XOHM WiMAX network

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 8th 2008 at 10:41AM

Not too keen on snatching your WiMAX via ExpressCard? Fret not, as ZTE's TU25 (which was leaked early last month) is fast approaching. Hailed as the only USB modem available (and certified, no less) for the launch of the XOHM network, the TU25 presumably allows users to plug it into a spare USB port, wave a magic wand and begin surfing the mobile broadband superhighway in Baltimore (and a few other places, we hear). There's a frighteningly small amount of details on this thing right now, but hopefully we'll have some of the more crucial aspects (price, release date, etc.) sooner rather than later.

Sprint XOHM WiMAX networks reportedly active in other cities

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 6th 2008 at 9:52AM

Flying out of BWI to Chicago, Boston, Dallas, Philadelphia, Washington D.C. or Northern Virginia? Make sure you pack in that SWC-E100, because we're hearing that Sprint's XOHM WiMAX networks are already live in each of those locales. According to a XOHM representative at a booth in Baltimore, the networks in each of those cities are already up, though they aren't officially supported as they're still "being tested." If any of you XOHM early adopters happen to head to any of the previously mentioned regions, bust out your ExpressCard and see if you get lucky (and then let us know how it goes).

Samsung's SWC-E100 XOHM WiMAX ExpressCard gets reviewed

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 2nd 2008 at 11:12AM

Now that Sprint's XOHM service is officially live in downtown Baltimore (and working in cars, phew!), how's about taking a look at the card that's handling the magic? Samsung's SWC-E100 ExpressCard, which was conveniently leaked by Sprint early last month, is a "simple, inexpensive" card that does a more-than-adequate job at placing you on the mobile broadband superhighway. Reviewers at PC Mag dubbed it a "solid first effort from Samsung for getting laptops onto Sprint's fast XOHM WiMAX network," and while the card "worked as advertised," the inability to work with EV-DO or any non-WiMAX protocol was sort of a downer. Furthermore, the card won't play nice with OS X and there's no external antenna port, but they do bundle a potentially important extra: a PC Card slot adapter for users with aging laptops. Bottom line? Not too shabby for $59.99 sans contract.

XOHM WiMAX tested in Baltimore, does work in cars

by Tim Stevens, posted Oct 1st 2008 at 10:23AM

XOHM is live in Baltimore, and Laptop Magazine has sent a few (slightly dazed-looking) staffers on an impromptu tour of the "Charm City" to get a feel for Sprint's new WiMAX service. Overall, they found performance to be quite good, clocking in at 3.05 Mbps down and 2.4 Mbps up. That compares very favorably to Verizon's EV-DO network, which delivered 1.43 Mbps down and 0.54 Mbps up in the same locations. Sprint's network also beats Clearwire's WiMAX down in Reno both in speed and in connectivity; testers in the Biggest Little City in the World couldn't get a signal while in a car, but those in Baltimore could, albeit at half the speed as when stationary. So, it certainly sounds like a good solution for those who need a high-speed connection on the go -- so long as they're only going to places within Baltimore, of course.

WiMAX tested in Reno, doesn't work in cars

by Nilay Patel, posted Sep 30th 2008 at 10:26AM

Sprint may have just launched the XOHM WiMAX network in Baltimore, but would-be merger partner Clearwire has been running its version of the mobile broadband service in Reno for a while, and InfoWorld went down to test it out and give us a taste of what to expect. Performance was good while not in motion, with downloads speeds around 1.5 to 2.0 Mbps and uploads hitting 275 to 325Kbps, but actually getting mobile broadband seems to be out of the question -- the system simply couldn't connect to a laptop moving in a car or on a train. That seems like a dealbreaker to us, but we'll give it a pass for now since it's so early in the game -- we'll see if Sprint can do better.

Sprint goes live with XOHM WiMAX service in downtown Baltimore

by Darren Murph, posted Sep 29th 2008 at 6:23AM

In an apparent effort to make good on its claim of having WiMAX rolling in Baltimore this month, Sprint is reportedly going live with the service in the downtown area today. There's no indication of when it'll spread XOHM throughout Charm City, but we're hearing that prices will start at $10 for a 24-hour unlimited pass and $35 for monthly service. Best of all, there won't be any contracts necessarily attached, and WiMAX-friendly laptop cards will supposedly start at around $45. For any locals able to actually find one of these so-called aircards and hop on this elusive XOHM network today, be sure and let us know how it goes.

[Via USAToday]