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Dell outs XPS 14 with optional mobile broadband, XPS 15 with Kepler graphics
Dell's XPS 13 Ultrabook has been rather lonely since it launched in early 2012, but the company is introducing two new laptops to round out the updated XPS line. Today it announced the 14-inch XPS 14 and the 15-inch XPS 15, both of which feature the same aluminum chassis as the XPS 13 and run Core i5 or Core i7 Ivy Bridge processors. The XPS 14 Ultrabook will be available in two configurations, both of which include a backlit keyboard and a 400-nit, 1600 x 900 display. The main difference between the two models is connectivity: the higher-end XPS 14 comes with integrated mobile broadband and uses Dell's NetReady "pay as you go" service to get online when Wi-Fi is out of range. Both versions come with up to 8GB of RAM and can be configured with a 500GB drive spinning at 5,400 RPM paired with a 32GB SSD or a standalone 512GB SSD, and the WWAN model comes standard with a 500GB drive with a free fall sensor on board. Another difference is graphics: the base model ships with Intel HD Graphics 4000, while the WWAN model offers an NVIDIA GeForce GT 630M GPU. Dell claims the notebook provides up to 11 hours of runtime, "the longest battery life of any Ultrabook." The XPS 14 starts at $1,099 and is available today. It just so happens that we've already taken the laptop for a full test drive: check out our review here. Next up is the XPS 15, which weighs 5.79 pounds and sports a 1920 x 1080 Corning Gorilla Glass display. The laptop includes either a DVD-RW or Blu-Ray drive and comes with up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. As far as graphics go, you get a choice of NVIDIA's GeForce GT 630M chip with 1GB of dedicated memory or GeForce GT 640M graphics with 2GB of RAM. Pricing starts at $1,299, and like the XPS 14 this laptop is available today. Check out our hands-on gallery below.
AT&T strikes a deal with Sirius XM to make 2.3GHz LTE a reality, pitches it to the FCC
AT&T has been a little more eager than usual to get spectrum after a certain big deal fell through, and we now know that Big Blue has been willing to bury a few outstanding hatchets to make that happen. The carrier has filed with the FCC to propose a deal with Sirius XM that would get its LTE-based 4G running on the 2.3GHz Wireless Communications Service (WCS) that, normally, satellite radio intersects. Rather than stay at an impasse, AT&T has agreed to a 5MHz dead zone on either end of Sirius XM's frequencies that would mitigate the risk of that Internet video stream colliding with Howard Stern. The provider still needs clearance to go ahead, and might not exactly get a resounding thumbs-up from WCS holder NextWave, which stands to lose more than a small piece of its airwave pie. An FCC all-clear would nonetheless raise the chances that AT&T keeps LTE flowing freely as subscribers pile on the network, even after the telecom behemoth conceded spectrum to T-Mobile.
T-Mobile launches new contract-free, data-only plans
Not all of us want to be locked into a long term contract with a wireless carrier. Especially when it comes to data-only devices that might not get used on a regular basis. For those that want to grab a 4G dongle or a mobile hotspot and go, without the need sign their life over, T-Mobile is launching four new pre-paid data options. The 4G passes start at $15 for 300MB over the course of a week, all the way up to 5GB for $50 over the course of a month. The plans are available on the Sonic 4G and plain ol' T-Mobile 4G mobile hotspots as well as the Rocket 3.0 laptop stick, but tablet users can also hop on the bandwagon. The Galaxy Tab 10.1, 7,0 Plus and SpringBoard are all eligible for the No Annual Contract mobile broadband passes. You can start topping off your megabytes instead of your minutes on May 20th. For more details check out the PR after the break.
Xcom Global opens international MiFi rental / service center in New York City
Serving jetsetters at LAX just wasn't enough for Xcom Global. Engadget's personal favorite when it comes to snagging international data before leaving the States is now opening up shop in the Big Apple -- a wise move for increasing its presence in a market where loads of humans are doing business in nations other than the United States. Xcom's calling its new venue a "satellite customer service center," enabling flyers to swing by before they depart JFK (or LGA, we guess) and pick up a global MiFi. Rather than being positioned within an airport, this one's located near Grand Central Station at the offices of Amnet New York on Madison Avenue, and in case you've forgotten, $12.95 per day (and up) can snag you a wireless data device capable of connecting in some 195 countries. Oh, and you can return the device to the same store or via your carrier of choice. Still trying to wrap your head around it? Have a look at our review.
FCC to dole out up to $300 million to help carriers expand service in rural areas
It seems like almost every day that we receive a press release announcing Verizon or AT&T is planning to expand its LTE coverage to three, five, eleven new markets. But in some remote pockets of the country, you'd be lucky to latch onto even a solid 3G signal. In a bid to make sure those folks in the boonies get their due, the Federal Communications Commission is establishing a fund to encourage carriers to roll out 3G and 4G service in sparser areas. All told, the agency plans to award up to $300 million to mobile operators, with funds going to the providers offering the lowest rates. The winners will be decided in a sealed, single-round auction, which opens June 27th and is set to close July 11th. As a condition for receiving the funds, carriers must agree to cover at least 75 percent of the road miles within a given census tract. While it's unclear at this early stage which mobile players will take the bait, the FCC's already signaled which parts of the country will be first in line for upgraded service -- namely, Rocky Mountain states like Utah and Idaho, along with Maine, Appalachia and upstate New York.
Clearwire's TDD-LTE rolling out in 'early 2013,' coming to NYC, SF, LA, Chicago, Seattle and more
Clearwire's hardly throwing in the towel after that whole "WiMAX" thing; instead, the outfit has its sights firmly set on bringing TDD-LTE to the masses here in America, starting with an initial rollout in early 2013. A release put out today confirms that New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle will be among the 31 cities where the company will launch the aforesaid network, though there's no breakdown on which of those metro markets will be forced to wait until "mid-2013" to get served. Speaking of, Clearwire's making no bones about the fact that "high demand hot zones" will be the ones targeted initially, and in a bid to outshine those LTE networks already live, President and CEO Erik Prusch is suggesting that his firm's 4G network "will show that not all LTE networks are created equal." Bold words, sir.
Best Buy Connect no longer accepting new activations, service to end June 1st (update: confirmed)
Remember Best Buy Connect? If so, you'll soon have a few more megabytes of humanized DDR3 freed up, as it appears that the retail giant is ready to put the kibosh on its own branded mobile broadband service nearly two years after it was first unveiled. According to the internal memo shown in the above screenshot, new activations are no longer allowed effective immediately, and the service for legacy customers will be cut off on the first of June. So why the change of heart? Apparently Connect is the victim of a reshuffling of priorities, and the company determined that it "can achieve greater growth by delivering mobile broadband support in ways other than an exclusive Best Buy-branded service." Of course, this is bound to upset more than a handful of folks who have been relying on Connect for their data needs, and the retailer isn't leaving them completely in the dark: to help smooth out the transition, all Early Termination Fees will be waived, and all customers will receive a $125 or $150 gift card via email to curb the cost of moving to a different carrier. WiMAX Connect users, additionally, will also be given the option to switch over to Clear service. We're still awaiting official confirmation from Best Buy -- as of this moment, the official website remains up and running as if it's none the wiser -- but we'll update as soon as we hear more. Update: Best Buy has now officially confirmed to us that the service will indeed be shut off on June 1st. [Thanks, Anonymous]
Video eats 4G LTE data plans fast
Verizon's and AT&T's LTE networks are so fast and so convenient that iPad owners are blowing through their data cap in a matter of hours, says a Wall Street Journal report. iPad broadband plans start at 250 MB for US$14.99 on AT&T and 1 GB for $20 on Verizon. Plans go up in increments and top out with a 5 GB plan for $50. Users watching video on their iPad can easily blow through those lower caps in a matter of minutes. Carriers advise users to switch to WiFi when possible, but many customers find the carrier's LTE network is faster and more reliable than public hotspots. Instead of struggling on a public WiFi connection, customers are abandoning WiFi and switching to LTE. Right now, there's no solution to this problem that would appease all parties. AT&T and Verizon could make customers happy by increasing broadband data buckets, but carriers are hesitant to trim their data revenue when they are trying to build out their 4G network. Customers could also pay more for a bigger plan, but most already feel they are paying enough when they shell out $30 a month for data.
Bringing wireless to the disconnected: internet tales from the South Pacific
"We only have dial-up here. You'd be shocked at the speeds. [Laughs.] But it's okay -- as long as I can send and reply to email, I'm fine with it."Those were the words spoken to me just weeks ago by the absolutely precious owner of Litia Sini Beach Resort on the extreme southeastern tip of Upolu. For those unaware, that's Samoa's most populous island (~135,000 people) -- a sliver of lush, mountainous land dropped almost perfectly in the center of the Pacific Ocean. I chuckled a bit upon hearing it, immediately realizing that I had a connection in the palm of my hand that was 20, 30, perhaps even 40 times quicker than what this business owner was relying on. She paused, as if to collect her thoughts before going into a familiar spiel about the resort's amenities, and then drew my attention to the display of her laptop. "It's still a draft for now, but this is the new tsunami evacuation plan that we're working on. Soon, we'll have this in each fale. It's taking a bit of time to get right, as the drawings are actually done in New Zealand."I nodded my head in understanding, immediately thinking that this must be in reaction to the catastrophic tsunami of September 2009, caused by a magnitude 8.1 submarine earthquake that hit barely 100 miles from the very spot I was sitting. It was the largest quake of 2009. The entire resort was leveled. Dozens upon dozens were killed. And here we were, over two full years later, and the evacuation schematics are still in "draft."
AT&T to expand LTE network to Cleveland, New Orleans and others
AT&T is set to blanket twelve new cities with LTE in the next few months. According to several press releases, AT&T will roll out LTE to parts of Ohio (Akron, Canton, and Cleveland), Louisiana (Baton Rouge and New Orleans) and Indiana (Bloomington, Lafayette and Muncie). Individual cities on this list include Staten Island, New York; St. Louis, Missouri; Naples, Florida; and Bryan-College Station, Texas. There's no concrete dates for the roll out, but AT&T does provide a timeframe of April, May and early summer. This expansion comes hot on the heels of the iPad announcement which included a 4G LTE model with AT&T's flavor of LTE (700, 2100 MHz). These 4G iPads cost US$130 more than their WiFi counterparts and can be used with a contract-free mobile broadband data plan. AT&T has three monthly plans which provide 250 MB for $14.99, 3 GB for $30.00 or 5 GB for $50.00. Unlike Verizon which bundles mobile hotspot into their plans, AT&T does not offer mobile hotspot on the iPad for now. [Via Electronista]
US Cellular reassures us of LTE plans: first tablet by March, smartphone by April
Last we heard, LTE was supposed to land on US Cellular last November, but months passed with nary a peep on the carrier's progress. Finally, a little ray of light shone from its official Twitter account as it confirmed today that high-speed mobile broadband is still on the radar, but its deployment was simply pushed back to the end of March, when we'll see the first LTE-capable tablet arrive. For those craving to have the service on something a little smaller, the company also told us to expect the first smartphone in April. And we have a pretty good idea of where: brief jaunt to US Cellular's website offers a few 4G coverage maps in select parts of Iowa, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Maine, Texas and North Carolina. We'll give US Cellular a mulligan this time -- let's just make sure it doesn't happen again, shall we?
Qualcomm's Gobi 3000 finds a home in HP laptops, delivers standard agnostic DataPass
Qualcomm's Gobi 3000 is already a big hit around these parts for its dual-mode CDMA and GSM radios, which makes staying connected much easier for serious globe trotters. Its no surprise then that HP chose that particular chip for its DataPass-enabled laptops which offer pay-as-you-go mobile broadband. For those that only need occasional access to 3G on the go or who cant stay in one country for more than a few weeks at a time DataPass and the flexible Gobi radio are a perfect match. Check out the PR after the break for a bit more of Qualcomm's gloating.
Wherever I wander, wherever I roam, LTE probably won't work
Hopes of a cross-network LTE standard were dashed months ago, when Verizon confirmed its 4G band won't overlap with AT&T's. What we didn't realize, though, was just how globally fragmented this technology is likely to become. A report by Wireless Intelligence predicts there'll be 200 LTE networks around the world by 2015, running on as many as 38 different frequency combinations. Moreover, the most common 700-900MHz spectrum range could account for just 16 percent of these networks. This stands to make carrier locking and band incompatibility on handsets even bigger hassles than they are today. And that's what's botherin' me.
AT&T's 4G LTE network is live in San Francisco
New York City by the end of 2011? How's about San Francisco by the end of December 8th? We can't say for certain that it's lit up for good ("testing," you know), but at least for now it's absolutely screaming on our LTE-equipped AT&T handsets in downtown SF. Seeing similar? Let us know how it's going for you in comments below, and feel free to stick your tongue out in the general direction of the Big Apple. (They won't see you.) Video after the break. [Thanks, anonymous]
Nokia Siemens promises better TD-LTE and CDMA coverage, no alarms or surprises
So, Nokia Siemens Networks wasn't fibbing when it said it would re-focus its efforts on mobile broadband. It's just announced a 'six pipe' radio head upgrade for time division LTE (TD-LTE) base stations that can boost capacity by 80 percent and coverage by 40 percent compared to a traditional three-sector site. Alternatively, the same replacement can be used to reduce a station's running costs, by allowing it to cover three sectors using a single radio head. As far as we're concerned, anything that recalls OK Computer is a good thing, but if it speeds up carriers' shift to LTE then it's even better. Meanwhile, for those who still want to invest in CDMA, Nokia Siemens is pushing it's 1X Advanced technology, which also promises big improvements in voice and data capacity as well as energy efficiency. Read on for more technical details in a PR double-shot.
LightSquared teams with Soundtracker, gives access to 11 million tunes on-the-go
Nothing puts a pep in our step like streaming a little LMFAO radio on our smartphone and busting out a move or two. Until, of course, we see the astronomical data charges from our personal dance party at the end of the month. Hoping to lessen the blow to our wallets while keeping the party pumping, broadband network provider LightSquared is teaming up with internet radio purveyor Soundtracker to give customers access to 11 million songs stored in the cloud. The bundle will give dancing fools a portal into the world of music from wherever they are, without having to worry about racking up the ridiculous data charges associated with streaming radio -- something we can all get down to. We assume this means the cost of bandwidth will be folded in with the subscription costs, but neither party's spilling the beans on how much that'll be. Check out the full PR after the break.
Sprint undercuts AT&T and Verizon with new Mobile Broadband data plans
Sprint just tossed some new data options our way for those of you who tend to sip gulp gigs of data each month. Under the new plans, 6GB of data will run you $49.99, while an extra 30 bucks will let you boost consumption to 12GB -- an amount exceeding Verizon's standard offering (but not the holiday LTE promo) by two gigs, while blowing away AT&T, which doesn't offer an option quite so beefy (12GB there will run you $120, after overage fees). Sprint customers with lighter use can add a 3GB plan to their tablets, mobile hotspots or USB cards for $34.99, while tablet users can opt for 1GB of data for just $19.99 per month. All plans include overage rates of 5 cents per MB for in-network usage (a whopping $50 per additional GB), while roaming will run you 25 cents per MB. All of these plans apply to data-only devices, and don't affect smartphones. Jump past the break for the full PR from Sprint.
H2O Wireless brings no-contract wireless broadband with international roaming to Best Buy, prices it into oblivion
And this, folks, is why Engadget will be first in line once the Occupy International Roaming convention gets underway. Truth is, it's not H2O Wireless' fault that its latest mobile broadband launch is priced in a way that would only appeal to those who spend their spare time printing money -- it's just the way the (crooked) industry works. Outside of picking up a rental MiFi or procuring a local SIM card from well-appointed international airports, your options for Facebooking, Google Mapping and VoIPing whilst abroad are limited. At any rate, the aforesaid company will be teaming up with Best Buy in order to deliver a no-contract mobile broadband plan that includes global roaming in 100 nations. The Worldwide Wireless Internet on-the-go package includes the USB device and H2O Broadband SIM card for $99.99, but you'll need a $30 international roaming data card in order to get -- wait for it -- ten megabytes of international data. For the big spenders, a $50 card is also available to provide 1GB of domestic data. In case we didn't make it crystal clear already, that's entirely too much for too little; we'd still recommend a local SIM upon arrival, or an Xcom MiFi if you'll be departing from the US of A. Full release is after the break, should you feel the need to explore further.
Sprint to nix 'unlimited' from mobile broadband and hotspot plans in November
We'd heard rumblings that unlimited data for Sprint's mobile hotspot plan was going the way of the dodo, but come November folks, it'll be official. Data sent and received over tethering -- not smartphone usage -- will now be measured against a 5GB cap. The same applies to mobile broadband subscribers, who will lose "unlimited" WiMax, instead having all their bits counting towards 3GB, 5GB or 10GB buckets (as seen above). Going over your allotment in either plan naturally incurs overages, which could get pricey at 5 cents per MB, and worst of all, existing unlimited plans won't be grandfathered in. So, start counting down those last few days of limitless bliss, as you weep peeping the full details that await at the source. [Thanks, Darren]
UK 4G network auction delayed, spectrum sell-off pushed back to the end of 2012
The dizzying world of 4G speeds remains a distant prospect for Britons, with telecoms regulator Ofcom deciding to delay the auction for the next generation of mobile spectrum. It was looking to sell off two potent bands of wireless network by the end of this year, but those plans have been put on hold by some legal jostling and desk-banging from UK carriers, with the British equivalent of the FCC saying it received several "substantial and strongly argued responses." The sell-off delay might not affect any launch dates for 4G (already being tested in rural parts of the UK), as the bands up for grabs still won't be available until 2013. But eventually all of this to-ing and fro-ing will test even the Brits' stoic patience.
