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Cricket LTE goes live in Tucson, introduces the Huawei Boltz
Leap Wireless, the Cricket folks, told us we can expect to see LTE service go live in Tucson before the end of the year -- and by golly, they were bound and determined to do it. Sure 'nuff, the prepaid carrier is now ready to match wits against MetroPCS as it brings its first 4G market and device live with just ten days remaining in 2011. At least 90 percent of Tucson will be able to enjoy the faster speeds, with nearby Nogales, AZ receiving some expansion love sometime in 2012 and at least two-thirds of its countrywide network benefiting from the next-gen service within the next two to three years. Its first LTE device is the Huawei Boltz -- also known as the Huawei E397 in other parts of the world -- and can be bought for $150 with no contract. Eventually, Leap says, the lineup will be expanded to include smartphones and tablets. Now, let's talk pricing: two data plans of 5GB each are available, with $50 getting you download speeds of 3Mbps and $60 offering you 6Mbps. Granted, this is nothing compared to the ultra-fast speeds you see on Verizon and AT&T's LTE networks at the moment, but it's a start.
Verizon LTE: no roaming, even if you want to
Several companies are hopping on the LTE bandwagon, but it's turning out to be more isolating an experience than we hoped. According to PCMag, a Verizon spokesperson confirmed that its fourth-generation broadband network won't be compatible with other carriers in the US. As it turns out, Big Red and AT&T each own a separate block of 700MHz spectrum with only a fraction of overlap, leaving little room for phones on both networks to mingle with one another. There's not much hope for roaming on MetroPCS or LightSquared, either, as their waves of LTE run at 1700MHz and 1500MHz, respectively. This smattering of frequencies means it'll be near impossible to get roam on other companies' 4G networks nationally. What's worse, the ITU has approved twelve bands for LTE use around the world, so don't count on a wide selection of global devices -- and you thought sorting through international 3G was bad, didn't you? We're still a long way from learning our LTE roaming fate, but it appears the largest carrier in the US won't make the journey any easier on us.
Kingston planning to reveal DDR3 HyperX RAM at Computex
Last last year, Kingston unveiled its then-blazing fast HyperX DDR2 RAM modules, and just as you're finally paying those couple of 2GB kits off, the same company is apparently planning to up the ante. Reportedly, Kingston is looking to reveal its 512MB / 1GB DDR3 1500MHz HyperX and DDR2 800MHz low latency memory modules at Computex, which should play nicely with Intel's DDR3-friendly Bearlake chipset. The DIMMs are expected to be "nearly twice as fast (over 20Gbps) as today's highest speed DDR2 counterparts," and the lower voltage (1.5v compared to 1.8v) claims to provide a "more efficient memory solution for both mobile and server platforms." Of course, pricing and availability deets weren't fleshed out just yet, but the second week in June isn't too far away.[Via Gizmag]Update: Despite statements to the contrary, Kingston pinged to say it's not debuting any SSD drives at Computex! The nerve!
