XG will ship first xMAX VoIP handsets before end of year
XG Technology just took one baby-step closer to reality by announcing that their first consumer VoIP handset will be delivered before the end of the year. These dual-mode handsets will feature XG’s own proprietary xMAX chips, the ol’ tried-n-true WiFi, and a bit of old fashioned Ethernet jacks for straight-up tethered VoIP calling. No, not WiMax son, xMAX -- XG's high-data-rate wireless solution which recently pumped a 3.67Mbps signal some 18 miles using a mere 35 milliwatts of power on FCC approved equipment. Best of all, it did this in the unlicensed 900MHz band, meaning (some) governments won’t need to allocate a dedicated spectrum swath to get this service off the ground. However, don’t expect to see these Stateside, at least initially. According to Rick Mooers, Chairman and CEO of XG, they will launch internationally first to avoid the wrath of the US telecoms lobby who might see xMAX as a threat. With developing nations screaming for some low-cost ubiquitous bandwidth on the quick, we can only hope (it’s not mentioned) that these handsets double-up as data modems too. XG is being real shy with offering up any mock-ups of their announced handsets (that's an engineering test box pictured at right) so we’re guessing they’ll carry some bulk, making them less than appealing to the US market (en masse, anyway). Yeah XG, we’re calling you out – prove us wrong and drop some pics, mkay?
