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NTT DoCoMo readies first dual-mode HSDPA, LTE femtocell for December
LTE's frequent gotcha has been indoor coverage: as it often relies on high frequency ranges outside of the US, the signal can drop off quickly at home or in the mall. There have been LTE femtocells before to fill in the gaps, but NTT DoCoMo claims to have the first mini cell site that would cover our needs much more thoroughly. The Japanese carrier's new base station run simultaneous 112.Mbps LTE and 14.4Mbps HSDPA (sorry, no HSUPA upload speeds) on the 2GHz band to keep 3G data and voice working side-by-side with 4G, piping both through a wired broadband connection; there's no need to sacrifice the basics or legacy support just for a better LTE signal. NTT DoCoMo plans to sell the dual-mode femtocell to local homeowners, offices and stores in December. Sadly, there's no immediate word of plans for femtocells that support networks abroad, although the technology's existence gives us hope that we'll see it spread to other providers -- and that black holes in cellular coverage will be distant memories.
European Commission clears 2GHz bands for LTE use by 2014, claims 4G pipes wider than the US
European LTE deployments might just be getting started, but the European Commission is already trying to head off any bandwidth problems at the pass. The organization has ordered that 120MHz of normally 3G-only spectrum around the 2GHz band has to be reusable for LTE and other 4G networks by June 30th, 2014. Once the airwaves loosen up, the Commission sees its home continent having an advantage over an LTE-happy US: it expects to have as much as 1GHz of spectrum available for 4G, or potentially twice as much as what Americans might claim. Officials are also mulling plans to repurpose extra slices of 2GHz spectrum that haven't even been used for 3G and could offer that much more headroom. While an edge over the US in bandwidth might not last after policy changes, it's hard to complain if the EC move leads to future smartphones whose downloads stay speedy.
Motorola's RAZR i: benchmarking Intel's first 2GHz Medfield smartphone
Motorola were quick to tell us that we're testing on pre-release RAZR i here -- software updates may arrive before the device does, but these figures below should give you a good estimate at what the 2GHz Intel processor can do. We've pitched it against the US-bound Droid RAZR M, with a capable dual-core Snapdragon S4 clocked at 1.5GHz, and ZTE's Grand X IN, which houses Intel's 1.6MHz Medfield Z2460 and Android ICS. Motorola Droid RAZR M Motorola RAZR i ZTE Grand X IN Quadrant 4,944 4,125 2,710 Vellamo 2,442 1,906 1,550 SunSpider 0.9.1 (ms) 1,951 1,062 1,355 AnTuTu 6,364 6,175 N/A GLBenchmark Egypt Offscreen (fps) 56 41 N/A CF-Bench 9,392 2,973 873 SunSpider: lower scores are better So what do all these numbers mean? Well, Intel's 2GHz processor is pretty capable. Although the RAZR i only bests the RAZR M on SunSpider browser performance (something that Intel's been focusing on with its mobile hardware), it's a substantial score difference. Otherwise, the Europe-bound RAZR skates pretty close, if behind the RAZR M's benchmarks. There's a hiccup on the CF-Bench score, something that we also noted on the Grand X IN. While both the ZTE and Motorola devices are running Android 4.0, there's still a tangible difference in these early benchmarks -- perhaps testament to both Motorola and Google's proximity and the debut of Intel's faster 2GHz Medfield processor. We'll be testing out those power-saving promises from the chipmaker over the next few days.
Motorola RAZR i: hands-on with the 2GHz Android phone (video)
While we've seen similar things from the RAZR M already -- and even reviewed it -- we reckoned those 2GHz Intel internals and HSPA-only radio inside the RAZR i (as well as European availability) warranted another tour of the hardware. In summary, there's decently bright, if a little jaggy, 4.3-inch AMOLED screen, with a water resistant coating covering the already hardy Kevlar backing. There's space for microSD expansion, and thanks to that tiny bezel, it's a phone that very happily resided in the palm of our hand. Some Intel assistance has added a new 10-frame burst mode, and also sped up the boot-time of the camera app itself, not forgetting that this RAZR model has a dedicated camera button on the side. We're booting up our benchmark toolkit to assess how Intel's processor fares, but until the final scores are revealed, take a look at our hands-on video after the break. Update: We've added our initial benchmarks -- check them here. %Gallery-165704%
Google Nexus 7 overclocked to 2GHz, punches well above its weight
The stock Nexus 7 peaks at a 1.3GHz clock speed when it's at full burn. That's certainly good enough for the $199 price tag, but eager adopters have just hit a new record in trying to wring out even more of a bang for the buck. Courtesy of a custom Elite kernel from XDA-Developers' Clemsyn, the Tegra 3 in the mini tablet will scale all the way to a heady 2GHz. You'd be right in suspecting that it leads to some dramatic speed boosts: the Nexus 7 at this pace can put a Transformer Prime to shame in common benchmarks, let alone most smartphones. Reaching the loftier heights of performance does require nerves of steel, however. The Elite kernel is very much a rough build that the creator doesn't yet trust with the public, and NVIDIA's processor is already known to get toasty under significantly added stress. There's hope a refined kernel will make for a safer venture into unknown territory. If you can't wait to throw at least some caution (and the warranty) to the wind, though, hit the second source link for code that will reach a slightly less melt-prone 1.8GHz.
MetroPCS and T-Mobile want Dish to give up half of its wireless spectrum, worry about AT&T and Verizon swooping in
Dish Network might not start up its LTE-based 4G network until as late as 2016, but that hasn't stopped MetroPCS and T-Mobile from jointly telling the FCC that the would-be carrier needs to make some concessions for small carriers to rest easy. Both of the complaints have a common proposal that would see Dish give up 20MHz of its 40MHz space in the 2GHz range to prevent the satellite giant from using its abundant airwaves as part of a cash grab: MetroPCS and T-Mobile are worried Dish will just try for a "windfall" and sell the spectrum it doesn't need to AT&T or Verizon. While it's not asking for a sell-off, the Rural Cellular Association is still jittery about concentrations of power and wants the FCC to make Dish hit certain build-out targets, offer roaming at wholesale rates and require FCC approval for any roaming deal that would go to Big Blue or Big Red. The big carriers' advocacy group, the CTIA, is unsurprisingly against build-out demands as "unduly burdensome." FCC officials have been silent by comparison, although the agency has encouraged spreading spectrum around and proposed its own expansion requirements. You'll likely see smartphones with 2GHz frequencies at some point in the future -- it's just a matter of whether Dish or someone else slaps its logo on top.
FCC weighs Dish 4G network and 700MHz interoperability (updated)
Let's temper our excitement -- the FCC is merely considering these proposals at the moment but, if either are adopted, it could permanently change the mobile broadband landscape. First up, the commission is considering reassigning the 2GHz band from MSS (Mobile Satellite Service) to AWS (Advances Wireless Service). If adopted, the new rules would clear the way for Dish to launch its LTE network and enter the 4G market. It will also irk AT&T, which has been trying to tie up the spectrum following the collapse of the T-Mobile merger, most likely because the carrier hoped to use the 2GHz band itself.Secondly, and perhaps even more important, is a proposal that would place new interoperability rules on the 700MHz spectrum used by both Verizon and AT&T for their LTE service. Until now concerns over interference have kept most 700MHz devices from being able to hop between the different blocks of spectrum. This is a particularly big issue for small and rural carriers which own some chunks of real estate in the band, but lack the buying power to convince big OEMs to make handsets for their networks. Obviously, there's still some haranguing to do before either of these proposals become law and you can bet AT&T will do its best to derail both efforts. Still, it's a good sign to see the FCC even taking up the issues. You can watch the entire debate at the source link.[Tower photo via Shutterstock]Update: As one of our tipsters has pointed out, it appears that the interoperability rules would only apply to the lower 700MHz band occupied by AT&T, not the upper band used by Verizon. Alas, that means we won't have Big Red and Ma Bell playing nice with their LTE anytime soon.[Thanks, Karen]
Dish CEO denies talk of asset sale, commits to nationwide network
A new service trademark, a 67-page FCC application and a recently redefined brand? These are not the marks of a company looking to lend itself to the altar of M&A. After plunking down over a billion dollars on acquired spectrum, Dish appears dead set on launching its own wireless network, despite rumors of an impending asset sale and a regulatory hold up. In an interview at this week's CES, CEO Joe Clayton put to rest speculation that the satco was looking to place itself or its airwaves on the auction block, saying it was definitively "not part of [the company's] strategy." Regardless, that planned, nationwide LTE network is still a ways off for the pay TV provider, as its 2GHz holdings are still pending the Commission's approval. If and when the outfit gets the greenlight, expect a full buildout in three years time.
Tenuous rumor pegs iPad 3 CPU as a dual-core 2GHz part
Treat this one as pure speculation, because frankly, that's what it is. A "high-ranking official" at Samsung let slip that the company is "planning to release a 2GHz dual-core CPU-equipped smartphone by next year." This means that Samsung, one of the world's biggest chip manufacturers and a significant Apple supplier, will be pushing out a new, likely ARM-based, 2GHz dual-core processor in the near future. The speculation is that, since Samsung manufactures Apple's A4 and A5 processors, which power the current crop of iDevices (regardless of present litigation), there's potential for a new Apple-branded processor -- the A6 if you like -- based on the 2GHz dual-core chip. The current Cortex-A9-based Apple A5 sports a dual-core 1GHz configuration, so frankly, a 2GHz variant isn't too much of a stretch, but who knows. The iPad 2 clips along at a lightning pace with its current A5; an iPad 3 sporting a dual-core 2GHz chip that has "the data processing capabilities of a regular PC, " is mighty enticing. Just don't mention battery life. [via Yahoo! News]
Samsung promises a dual-core 2GHz smartphone 'by next year'
Are you ready for a scorching-fast future? Samsung sure is, as today the Maeli Business Newspaper reports "a high-ranking" company official has disclosed Samsung's intention to deliver a dual-core smartphone that runs at 2GHz. That's 2GHz for each core, not the specious 1GHz multiplied by two mathematics that Sanjay Jha likes to dabble in. ARM already has a dual-core Cortex-A9 design capable of scaling such speed heights, which is most probably the basis on which Samsung is building its future processor on. The report goes on to state that Samsung will consider selling the chips separately, so you wouldn't necessarily have to buy a Samsung-branded handset in order to have what's being described as desktop-class performance in the palm of your hand. Man, just as we prepared one dual-core comparison chart, here comes the next next big thing.
Intel's Core i7-2630QM Sandy Bridge CPU spotted inside an HP dv6 in Singapore
HP's disregard for Intel's officially scheduled Sandy Bridge launch continues today, with the news that Singaporean malls are already stocking Pavilion dv6 laptops with the new Core i7 silicon lurking within. It's the same quad-core i7-2630QM chip that popped up on a dv7 spec sheet not too long ago -- it runs at 2GHz by default, but dynamic overclocking and disabling of cores can take that up to the 2.8GHz mark. Keeping it company inside HP's 15.6-inch laptop are 4GB of RAM and AMD's Radeon HD 6570M GPU. The entire machine is described as indistinguishable, in terms of construction, from HP's current crop of dv6s, leaving the precious internals to justify a price of 1,899 Singapore dollars (about $1,460). [Thanks, Wayne]
Motorola wants a 2GHz Android by year's end, so do we
Looks like we didn't get the full dish from Sanjay Jha's bout of loquaciousness this morning. It turns out Moto's chief of handsets has also expressed his company's intention to bring the world its first 2GHz smartphone and to do so on an aggressively accelerated roadmap. By the end of the year, Sanjay? Yes please. Another Moto exec is cited as saying NVIDIA Tegra will be providing the graphics prowess, Flash 10.1 will be fully supported, and a gyroscope will accompany HD video recording and output on the dreamy spec sheet. We wouldn't invest all of our trust in the conveniently anonymous exec's promised specs, but that 2GHz number comes straight from the top -- let the countdown begin.
ARM's Cortex-A9 beats Atom N270: too bad it's not 2008
ARM's doing some chest thumping today by revealing a 2GHz clock speed on its dual-core Cortex-A9 processor. The move is meant to remind manufacturers that ARM can scale beyond its traditional smartphone strong-hold and into netbook territories currently dominated by Intel. ARM's even handing out benchmarks showing the Cortex A9 out performing Intel's single-core 1.6GHz Atom N270 -- a processor launched back in 2008. Of course, Intel already ships a dual-core Atom 330 processor with its low-power Pineview processor set to launch on the near-horizon. It's also worth remembering that Windows 7 won't run on ARM so future Cortex A9 smartbooks will have to settle for Windows CE, Android, or perhaps, Google's Chrome OS if you ask politely. ARM is licensing its Cortex A9 speed- and power-optimized technology today with delivery in the fourth quarter of 2009. [Via PC World, thanks Ian]
Intel's Core i7 'Clarksfield' CPUs for laptops launching late September?
Taiwanese rumor-rag, DigiTimes, has a knack for sniffing out insider information from within Taiwan's MoBo manufacturing cartel. So it's worth paying attention when it claims to have the latest launch schedule for Intel CPUs. Up first is a trio of laptop-based Clarksfield CPUs -- 2GHz Core 2 Extreme XE, 1.73GHz Core 2 Quad P2, and a 1.6GHz Core 2 Quad P1 –- ready to make their debut sometime around the end of September or October. These processors should carry the Core i7 brand to keep things as confusing simple as possible and would be a suitable match for a Q4 refresh of the MacBook Pro or Dell XPS laptop, for example. At the low end of the rumored schedule are a pair of Celeron SU2300 and Celeron 743 CPUs for ultra-thin laptops with an expected announcement coming at the end of September. Intel's also pegged with plans for desktop-based Lynnfield CPUs and P55 chipsets to be announced between September 8-11. The first announcement is set for early August -- if Intel starts making a fuss about its new Xeon procs for servers at that time then we'll have a pretty good idea as to the validity of DigiTimes' claims.
