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Verizon's Pantech and LG LTE modems leak out in ad form
Verizon's promised a 38-city LTE launch by the end of the year, and it looks like things are ramping up -- we were just sent this ad for the LG VL600 and Pantech UML290 4G USB modems. We've seen the VL600 at the FCC and in the wild before -- it's a dual-mode CMDA / LTE modem that'll work pretty much anywhere Verizon has coverage, while the UML290 has a note about global capability "coming soon," so we'd assume there's a GSM radio tucked in there as well. Both sticks look like they're pretty huge, which isn't uncommon for first-gen hardware like this, but we're hoping that rumored third Novatel stick is LTE-only and a bit slimmer. We'll see, we'll see.
Motorola shows off world's first TD-LTE USB dongle
Though frequency division LTE has won the hearts and minds of most of the Western world's carriers, TD-LTE is emerging as a potential force to be reckoned with in the long-term 4G picture on account of its comparably low deployment cost and the fact that it can used in smaller contiguous blocks of spectrum, while still seamlessly handing off to and from FD-LTE airwaves. Motorola -- probably owing in part to its strong presence in China -- seems to be at or near the forefront of TD-LTE development, reinforcing its standing this week with the news that it's developed the world's first USB modem capable of running on compatible networks. Moto's demonstrating an HD video wall, remote monitoring apps, and (naturally) high-speed internet browsing at a TD-LTE showcase in Shanghai, an event that even some North American bigwigs might be paying close attention to. Fragmentation of 4G technology is always a cause for concern, but if this ultimately means we can use spectrum that otherwise wouldn't be prime enough to upgrade, we're all for it.
AT&T USBConnect Turbo and Velocity are carrier's first LG and GPS modems, respectively
Location-based services have finally melted our brains to the point where we're completely useless without immediate and constant access to Google Maps or a reasonable facsimile -- we couldn't fold a paper map if we tried, and even if we could, we'd spend an hour looking for the pulsing blue dot. That's why we're so delighted to hear that AT&T has finally outed its very first GPS-enabled USB modem, the USBConnect Velocity from Option, that includes a so-called Option GPS Control Panel for injecting your whereabouts into popular services like Yahoo and Bing (Google, curiously, isn't mentioned). The other newbie to the lineup is the USBConnect Turbo -- AT&T's very first modem from LG -- with an "ergonomic design" and versatile connector for even the most awkward ports (MacBook, we're looking straight at you). Both devices will be available on the 7th of the month; the Turbo will be free on contract after rebate while the Velocity comes in at $29.99.
Japan certifies its first LTE device, LG says 'whoa, ours?'
In a country whose carriers' phone lineups are dominated by domestic giants like NEC, Sony, Sharp, and Fujitsu, you wouldn't necessarily think that the road to 4G would begin elsewhere -- strangely, though, South Korea's LG has garnered the honor of becoming the first company to have an LTE device certified by Japan's TELEC, a necessary, FCC-like step to getting cellular equipment deployed in those parts. NTT DoCoMo, which intends to launch commercial LTE service later this year, is undoubtedly stoked to hear that the LD100 external modem is the lucky recipient of TELEC's seal of approval (following FCC certification last year, coincidentally), meaning the carrier now has the green light to use it in trials. Considering that TeliaSonera's already beaten DoCoMo to the punch with a live, customer-facing LTE network, are the days of being shocked and awed by Japan's mobile tech drawing to a close, or are we just witnessing a little fluke here?
Sprint Overdrive dual-mode WiMAX / EV-DO mobile hotspot leaks into the wild (update: $50 U301 on contract?)
Move over, MiFi -- this Sprint Overdrive dual-mode WiMAX / EV-DO mobile hotspot that just hit our inbox has taken over as our new object of broadband desire. Our tipster says internal training on the Sierra-built device has already begun, and that the unit itself features a microSD slot, support for location services, and has a 100-foot Wi-Fi range -- but sadly we don't have pricing or availability deets to share yet. We're hoping we find out more at CES -- and we'd bet that new dual-mode U301 WiMAX modem that leaked a couple weeks ago makes an appearance as well. Fingers crossed. Update: The same tipster that sent us the information to start with is back with a few tidbits on the U301. According to the anonymous individual, that USB modem will be launching in February for $49.99 on contract. Also on the horizon? A WiMAX home desktop modem with a special price plan of its own.
Sprint puts out fact sheet for dual-mode U301 WiMAX modem, release imminent?
So Sprint just published an official fact sheet for a U301 USB modem with support for both WiMAX and EV-DO -- it's not accompanied by any press release or product page on Sprint's online store, but we can only assume this means that a release is around the corner. Of course, the dual-mode capability alone doesn't set it apart -- the carrier's existing U300 model already handles those duties with aplomb -- but what seemingly sets the U301 apart is its support for Mac OS. We'd just as soon they'd release drivers for the U300, but failing that, alright, fine, we'll take a new modem. If we're sustaining over 3Mbps down, we'll take a lot of carrier and manufacturer abuse, actually.
T-Mobile Tap and webConnect Jet now available
Looking for a cheap full touch handset or a USB stick with 3G capability for T-Mobile? Heck, why not both? The self-branded Tap intro'd last month has now hit retail, bringing a 2 megapixel cam, GPS, stereo Bluetooth, and a choice of two hunger-inducing colors for $79.99 on contract. Coming alongside the Tap is the webConnect Jet USB modem, which can find its way into your shopping cart for as little as zero dollars -- $50 less than the older webConnect it slides next to in the lineup. Drop Android onto that feisty little Tap, sell it for the same price, and we're pretty sure we'd have a winner on our hands -- next year, perhaps? Read - webConnect Jet Read - T-Mobile Tap (Berry) Read - T-Mobile Tap (Midnight Blue)
AT&T intros USBConnect Lightning for 7.2Mbps service
When you're rolling out a new 7.2Mbps upgrade to your network, it naturally helps if you've got some compliant hardware in the stable -- so to that end, AT&T has announced its USBConnect Lightning from Sierra Wireless today. Apart from 7.2Mbps downlink capability, the new model's little more than a run-of-the-mill USB stick so there's not a lot to say about it, though it features a trick swiveling USB connector that should make the thing more likely to work with unusual (and unusually tight) port configurations. It'll be available on November 22 for free after rebate on contract, just in time for service launches in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and Miami expected by the end of the year.
LG gets mysterious AWS LTE device through FCC
If this strange, rather unhelpful FCC label diagram looks vaguely familiar, that'd be because it's in the same product family as another LTE-compatible device submitted by LG to the FCC not long ago: the M13 with EV-DO compatibility. In fact, we'd venture to guess that this newly-passed M4 is basically the same thing as the M13, merely swapping 700MHz LTE and EV-DO for AWS LTE alone, which is the spectrum range that MetroPCS -- which has aggressively committed to rolling out LTE as soon as next year -- will need. LG's been meticulous about making sure it doesn't say anything specific enough in the FCC documentation to let us lay folk nail down exactly what it is, but there are brief mentions of connectivity via USB, so it's conceivable were looking at some sort of data modem here. Either that, or... you know, it's a piece of base station or test equipment that we'll never even come close to seeing in the flesh.
Nokia's RD-3 modem boldly boasts LTE, and no, you can't have one
Nokia makes out its just-announced RD-3 data modem to be the dream of every road warrior: global GSM / EDGE, global HSPA, global LTE -- a twenty-plus year heritage of technologies in the GSM family tree compressed into a single device, powerful enough to get you service from a dusty GPRS cell site in some of the world's harshest landscapes or Verizon's LTE trials in Boston and Seattle just the same. The only problem is that you can't have it. The RD-3 is instead being reserved for carriers and infrastructure firms building out LTE networks around the globe as they march toward commercial availability in 2010, at which point Nokia (and others) will presumably have newer, better modems available for us lay folk to enjoy. In the meanwhile, though, it's alright: go ahead and drool.
Verizon announces AD3700 global modem from ZTE
So here's some interesting insight into the wild, rough-and-tumble world of wireless product launches: Verizon announced ZTE's AD3700 USB modem today, a product that gained FCC approval over five months ago, which means it's probably been getting a trial by fire on Verizon's test labs since then. You've gotta figure that ZTE was working on the prototype for many months before FCC approval, so all told, this launch is probably a culmination of a solid year of work, cash, blood, sweat, and tears. Don't you feel obligated to buy it now? Anyhow, the modem runs $79.99 after a $50 rebate when it launches on the 14th, which is actually a really solid deal considering that it'll do EV-DO in the States and HSPA around the world for 3G service no matter where your job or your whimsical vacation travel habits might take you.
FCC filing foretells ExpressCard data modem for T-Mobile subs?
It's great that T-Mobile's actively selling its 3G data network -- which still has that new-network smell, may we add -- to laptop users, but it won't be maximally useful until they've got both USB and ExpressCard options on the shelf. They've got the USB bit out of the way -- so turning our attention to the ExpressCard side, it seem that Option's GlobeTrotter Express 442 might be in the works (the 441 is pictured here, but the 442 is identical in appearance). This versatile piece covers fully four different WCDMA bands with up to 7.2Mbps HSDPA on the downlink and 5.76Mbps on the up, making it very, very useful no matter what country you might take the card to (of course, roaming charges are another matter altogether). No word on whether T-Mobile is actually planning on stocking the 442, but we're encouraged to see it pass the FCC's testing with AWS on board, so we'd venture to say it's a strong possibility. [Via Cell Phone Signal]
Verizon's global 3G modem from ZTE spotted in FCC
We've known for some time that Verizon is fixated on dominating the global roaming market in the US -- or, at the very least, catching up to AT&T -- and to do that, they're going to need hardware capable of taking advantage of the very best speeds that those wild and majestic foreign lands have to offer. In other words, no EV-DO-only modem is going to cut it, and an EV-DO modem with a sprinkling of EDGE on the side is a consolation prize that's going to get frequent world travelers irked after a little while. To that end, we just witnessed this brick of a USB modem pass through the FCC bearing Verizon branding, the A3700 from ZTE. Name a frequency or wireless technology, the A3700 probably has it; in addition to EV-DO, it's got GSM / EDGE and HSPA, so your bases are pretty well covered wherever you happen to be (hell, it even has North America-friendly HSPA 850 / 1900 in there, though Verizon wouldn't dream of letting you stray from its own airwaves when you're stateside). Enticing, yes -- but considering that this is one of the ugliest modems we've seen in recent memory, you'd better really need that roaming capability when it gets around to launching.
Nokia to launch HSPA modems in early 2009 -- take that Intel
After failing to reach terms with Intel to put Nokia's HSDPA data chip inside Santa Rosa laptops back in early 2007, Nokia is going it alone. Tapio Markki, Nokia's vice president for hardware platform components, told Reuters that Nokia will ship its first HSPA "Internet stick" (we presume that means USB and PC Card formats) in early 2009. Nokia would not provide price, only that its modems would be primarily sold through operators or bundled with services. More data is more better as they say in Espoo. No, really.Update: It looks like the stick in question is the CS-10 announced last week at Nokia World which you can check out on the Nokia site.
Sony Ericsson brings its first HSPA ExpressCards to the table
They're lagging a bit behind the competition in the dog-eat-dog world of high speed data cards, but one of Sony Ericsson's two models has a little trick up its sleeve that should still manage to win over a customer or three. The EC400 and EC400g both support the full HSPA suite -- HSDPA and HSUPA, that is, offering up to 7.2Mbps down and 2.0Mbps up -- on the 850, 1900, and 2100MHz bands, while GPRS and EDGE are supported on 850, 900, 1800, and 1900. Here's where it gets interesting, though: the EC400g adds an integrated GPS receiver, a feature occasionally seen on CDMA cards but pretty unique in the GSM camp. Both should be available in mid 2008.
Sony Ericsson ushers in 21st century with MD300, first 3G USB modem
The cold war separating Sony Ericsson from North American 3G has been slowly melting as of late -- first with handsets, and now with modems. The MD300 isn't just Sony Ericsson's first 3G USB modem, it's also Sony Ericsson's first laptop modem of any sort to support UMTS and HSDPA on the 850 and 1900MHz bands. As USB modems go, it seems to be a pretty typical offering -- though it'll conveniently auto-install drivers on Windows machines, and it's not every day that you see a device like this offered in both "luxury black" and "metallic silver" shades. Who knew a modem could be a fashion accessory? Look for it in the first quarter of next year.
Updated AT&T availability dates!
Like pretty much everything else in life, carriers' launch dates tend to slip, sometimes to the extreme (oh, come on, you can't tell us you've never procrastinated to the point where you couldn't make a due date!). To that end, we've gotten an updated look at AT&T's expected drop dates, and it seems like the wait has gotten a little longer for a few of the more anticipated handsets in the pipe. Some devices like the red version of the Nokia 6555 have slipped a couple weeks, while others -- the lowly Samsung A127 comes to mind -- have actually moved up. The Pantech Duo has also been pushed out from October 9 to the 30th, possibly to give the just-launched Tilt a little breathing room in the spotlight. Click on for the full list![Thanks, Kal-El]Update: A second source is telling us that the Duo is still tracking for shipment "on or about" the 9th. Of course, the proof is in the pudding -- but either way, at least we'll be getting our Duo on before the month's out.
The Huawei E270: fantastic enjoyment with HSUPA uplink
Calling its E270 HSUPA modem "fantastic enjoyment" is strictly Huawei's own terminology here, but at two glorious megabits per second of upload speed (albeit theoretical) and up to 7.2Mbps on the downstream, well... "fantastic enjoyment," indeed. Granted, it'll be at least another year before we really start to to see widespread deployments of HSDPA's heir apparent -- which leaves the download speeds untouched from HSDPA while boosting the uploads significantly -- but we're glad to see manufacturers already have their eyes squarely on the prize for getting equipment prepped in the pipeline. Huawei says its E270 is also the world's first USB modem for HSUPA, surely bringing smiles to the faces of the expansion slot-challenged among us, and the tri-band 3G / quadband 2G radios should be enough to spread the love worldwide. No word on launch plans, but with the requisite networks necessary to take advantage of that juicy hardware far from in place, let's not put the proverbial cart before the proverbial horse.
