broadbandconnect
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AT&T adding $35 3GB plan, cutting 5GB plan to $50 for LaptopConnect devices
We're still mourning the untimely death of unlimited data, but the good news is that carriers are still playing with plan pricing to figure out what the market will bear -- and in at least some cases, it's for the cheaper. AT&T's on the verge of revising its 5GB LaptopConnect plan (the type of plan you use on USB modems and MiFis) down from $60 to $50 per month with overage now $10 per 1GB rather than $0.05 per MB previously -- $50 per GB. Additionally, the old 200MB plan for $35 is being replaced with a "promotional" 3GB plan at the same price (also with $10 per 1GB overage), though no expiration date has been put in place just yet. The changes dovetail conveniently with the recent tethering / mobile hotspot boost to 4GB, and might even suggest a boost in AT&T's confidence over its network as it starts upgrading to HSPA+ nationwide. [Thanks, Amg]
Fujitsu adds AT&T 3G to slew of LifeBooks, promises EV-DO in Q2
Evidently Fujitsu's decision to offer its LifeBook U820 convertible mini laptop with integrated 3G has been a raging success; otherwise, we're a bit uncertain as to why it would share the love with four other siblings. Starting right about now, WWAN lovers can order up a LifeBook T5010, T1010, P1630 and / or T2020 with built-in support for AT&T's BroadbandConnect HSUPA network. For those who like to live on the CDMA side of life, the outfit is planning to add EV-DO support in Q2 of this year, though we're not told which carrier will be selected to carry that torch.%Gallery-43872%
Fujitsu Lifebook with AT&T BroadbandConnect appears, several people really excited
As if Fujitsu's U820 wasn't interesting enough already, news that it can now be customized and purchased with AT&T BroadbandConnect should be enough to convince you that it's... uh interesting. Fujitsu's site gives you two options for packing your U820 with integrated HSDPA -- a Vista Home Premium version for $1199, and one with Vista Business for $1499. It looks you'll be forced to go with the 120GB hard drive if you want the 3G, since neither the 60GB hard drive nor the 64GB SSD are available with the configuration. These little dudes appear to be shipping now: try to contain yourselves.[Via Pocketables]
Samsung intros two new Q1 Ultra UMPCs: one with Vista Business, one with HSDPA
The next-generation Q1 Ultra may be due next year, but Sammy's trying to squeeze every bit of life it can out of the current iteration with two new flavors. Announced today, the Q1U-CMXP boasts an integrated HSDPA 3G cellular modem, while the Q1UP-V is a Q1 Ultra Premium featuring Vista Business. As for the former, it includes just about every connectivity option you could wish for: 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, Ethernet and a WWAN modem that connects to the AT&T Broadband Connect network; outside of the one new feature, however, the specifications are the same as the standard Q1 Ultra XP model that was launched in May of 2007. Both newcomers (if you can call 'em that) are available as we speak for $1,499 and $1,449 in order of mention.
Sprint discontinuing Broadband Direct
If you're one of the few who signed up for the much-loved, hard-to-get, line-of-sight-only Sprint Broadband Direct service, it looks like the party is over -- Sprint's telling customers it's shutting the service down "as the result of a recent FCC action" on June 30 or July 31, depending on the market. BB Direct was only ever offered in a handful of cities and wasn't heavily promoted recently, but once you mounted the 14-inch diamond-shaped antenna on your roof, you basically got ADSL-class service -- which makes Sprint's offer to switch users to EV-DO with a hike in pricing pretty lame all around. Let's hope that huge Clearwire deal will provide comparable WiMAX services to take the sting off soon.[Thanks, Gerson]
AT&T offers **free Option GT Ultra and GT Ultra Express HSUPA cards (**must sell soul)
Check it data fans, AT&T just announced a pair of new HSUPA LaptopConnect cards from Option. The GT Ultra goes type II PCMCIA while the GT Ultra Express is, you guessed it, destined for ExpressCard34 slots. Both cards are tri-band UMTS/HSPA 850/1900/2100MHz and quad-band GPRS/EDGE capable for BroadbandConnect speeds of about 600Kbps to 1.4Mbps on the way down or 500Kbps to 800Kbps back up the tubes. Those bands should get your suit connected in some 140 countries spanning the US, Europe, Japan and Korea. The cards are Mac and PC compatible and will set you back $50 0$ (for a limited time starting tomorrow) plus a two year contract of at least $60 per month. After you mail-in the appropriate rebate forms of course... which you'll probably forget to do.
Cingular 3G option appears on Lenovo's ThinkPad page
We're still not really sure what's taken Lenovo so long to make good on pushing out Cingular 3G options in their beloved ThinkPad line (well, yes we are -- could be anything from hardware to network optimization to Verizon exclusivity -- but is simply most likely the lack of HSDPA rollout), but from the looks of things Lenovo's finally about to launch some laptops with Cingular BroadbandConnect. If it's anything like their Verizon option it'll cost you a bit of cash (about $250 for EV-DO, anyway), but all we know for now is that there's at least one page on Lenovo's site advertising a ThinkPad T60 for a cool $1,900 (not counting the $200 mail-in rebate they're serving up). Hey, these laptops aren't for mere amateurs, so consider yourself warned; you didn't exactly expect the baseline model to come in real cheap, now did you? [Thanks, Dale]
