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Validas study finds Verizon smartphones consuming more data than iPhones
You know how we've good reason to believe that Verizon Wireless is at least mulling the switch to capped / tiered data plans? Yeah. An independent Validas research report has found that, between January and May of this year (pre-AT&T caps), Verizon's stable of smartphones collectively averaged more data consumption per month that Apple's iPhone. Of course, this quite literally compares an Apple to every smartphone on Verizon save for BlackBerries, but given how much squalling we've heard from Ma Bell about this rampant iPhone data usage, we're pleased to see a few facts that spin things the other way. The company's full report is due out in September, but investigation of over 20,000 wireless bills found that VZW smartphones "are consuming more wireless data than AT&T iPhones by a ratio of roughly 1.25:1," with the average Verizon user eating up 421MB per month and the average iPhone user consuming 338MB per month. It also points out that "nearly twice as many Verizon Wireless smartphone users are consuming 500MB to 1GB per month compared to AT&T iPhone users." You learn something new everyday, right?
Public safety agencies want D Block for themselves, FCC still seeking auction
The 700MHz 'D Block' has been the subject of much debate over the past few years, primarily because the FCC's master plan to auction it off -- yet require the winner to open up the waves for public safety use on command -- didn't exactly pan out. Post-failure, the agency made clear its plans to host up another auction or two in order to accomplish the same goal via slightly different means, but now public safety entities are coming forward with a healthy amount of opposition. Rob Davis, head of the San Jose Police Department, puts it bluntly: "If they auction this spectrum, we've lost it forever." These public safety officials also have allies in Congress, with many worried that auctioning off the spectrum may lead to an inability to accurately wield bandwidth in a hurry if needed during a national emergency. The FCC plan also alleviates the cost issue, but public advocates have a solution there as well -- they say that if given the 'D Block' outright, they could "lease excess airwaves to commercial carriers since they would not always need all of it." Of course, that's a pretty big assumption about the willingness of carriers to lease space, and we suspect a lot more back-and-forth will go on here in the coming months. Oh, the drama.
Sprint clears 35MHz of spectrum for future use, wonders if it's alone in the world
You know that "National Broadband Plan" that the world keeps yapping about? Sprint's down with it, and has been since before it ever existed, apparently. Based on a glowing press release outed this week by the carrier, it has just wrapped up a five year initiative to free 35MHz of highly valuable spectrum needed for future broadband expansion. After spending a cool $750 million from 2005 to 2010, the company has now cleared 35MHz of broadcast auxiliary service (BAS) spectrum across the country, though there's obviously some ways to go before Obama has 500MHz of cleared spectrum at his disposal. As it stands, Sprint has transitioned the broadcast auxiliary services to a new, more efficient spectrum plan in the 2GHz frequency band, and while the exact hows and whens have yet to be laid out, we're hearing that this could provide access to "faster, cheaper broadband services" in the future. Huzzah?
T-Mobile webConnect Rocket 2.0 USB WWAN modem now on sale
Timely, no? In concert with its HSPA+ expansion, T-Mobile USA has decided to come clean with that webConnect Rocket 2.0 that we peeked a few weeks ago courtesy of a leaked presentation slide. Said device isn't drastically different than the original, offering a mildly overhauled design and "a new rotating swivel USB form factor." The bigger news is the expanded platform support, with this bugger now playing nice with Windows 7, XP, Vista and any version of OS X since 10.4. It's up for grabs right now via the source link if you're in the mood for those so-called "4G speeds," with an on-contract stick costing absolutely nothing and a no-strings-attached version running $199.99. Update: We've updated the post with a new image of the actual device, though it's not quite ready for primetime on T-Mobile's site just yet. When it hits, it'll run $49.99 on contract, with the 1.0 version going for zilch on contract.
Verizon launching $80 5GB prepaid data plan next month, FiveSpot too?
At present, Verizon only offers prepaid mobile broadband in buckets ranging from 100MB up to 1GB at prices from $15 to $50. Problem is, 1GB goes by in about two seconds if you're YouTubin' your way through a layover in Atlanta, enjoying a little too much Hulu and Pandora, or torrenting a few ISOs (perfectly legal ones, of course) -- so to that end, we're hearing that a 5GB option will be launching on August 23 for a breathtaking $80. Presumably, it'd be good for 30 days from the date of purchase the same as the current 1GB plan, though we don't know that from the information we have. Sounds a little ridiculous to us, but we suppose that's the price of contract freedom on a top-tier network these days. On a related note, we're now hearing that the FiveSpot mobile hotspot we told you about is lined up for a late August launch as well, though we don't have an exact day, and it'll be officially replacing the MiFi -- makes sense. If you already have a MiFi and you don't do much international travel, it doesn't seem like there's a compelling reason to upgrade, but globetrotters are definitely going to want to check this out. [Thanks, RBF]
T-Mobile webConnect Rocket 2.0 leaks out, brings along Mac support and microSDHC slot
T-Mobile's webConnect Rocket has only been delivering "4G speeds" to users in search of mobile internet for a handful of months now, but already the company looks to have a successor on deck. If a pair of leaked slides are to be believed, the webConnect Rocket 2.0 is mildly overhauled version of the original USB WWAN modem, capable of delivering HSPA+ speeds on both PC and Mac platforms. There's also a nifty microSDHC slot for loading up to 16GB of storage, but outside of that, little else is known. We're still waiting patiently for a price and release date to come our way, but in the meantime, feel free to slam the brakes on that impending Rocket 1.0 purchase.
How-to: resize your SIM, change your APN, and drink the sweet nectar of mobile freedom
Myriam Joire (tnkgrl) was born wearing combat boots and holding a keyboard; moments later she picked up a soldering iron. She's been stomping, typing and hacking ever since. In her regular series, she'll share her tips, tricks, and mods on everything from phones to netbooks -- and be sure to catch her weekly on the Engadget Mobile podcast. Things used to be simple: you either had a CDMA device with no SIM, or a GSM device with a SIM. If your GSM device was unlocked you could swap SIMs between carriers, and if was locked, you could swap SIMs between accounts on the same carrier. Basically, an unlocked phone meant mobile freedom. At first, the only complication was the different frequencies used for GSM in different parts of the world, which was remedied with quadband radios. Then 3G was introduced, with different frequencies used by different carriers in the same geographic area, like North America. Today, this proliferation of bands makes it difficult to build universal radios, and makes it less appealing to switch carriers. In fact, the only phone that currently supports all 3G frequencies used in North America is the upcoming pentaband Nokia N8. The second obstacle was the introduction of special data plans, either requiring additional service layers (such as BlackBerry or Sidekick plans) or restricting the types of devices permitted as the iPhone and iPad plans do. What used to be as simple as changing APNs is now a Kafkaesque nightmare, complete with nasty "you are using the wrong data plan and we are going to send you a bill" text messages from carriers. Strike three was the micro SIM (also known as the 3FF SIM), popularized by Apple's iPad and the iPhone 4. This smaller form-factor SIM is electrically compatible with the standard SIM we all know and love -- and as such, it's easy to convert a standard SIM into a micro SIM and vice-versa (but still, it's one more hurdle standing in the way of happiness). Let's dive in and take a look at how it's done.
TWC rebadges Sprint Overdrive, offers it as IntelliGo mobile 3G / 4G hotspot
And then, there were three. Three ways to snag an Overdrive, that is. Months after Sprint issued the original 3G / 4G mobile hotspot, Clear came along and introduced a rebadged version of the same thing. Now, Time Warner Cable (who is also in cahoots with Sprint and Clear) is following suit by tossing its logo on the all-too-familiar device and christening it the IntelliGo. Functionally, it's the same as ever -- there's a built-in battery that'll provide 3G / 4G mobile internet to a smattering (read: five) of nearby devices via WiFi, a microSD slot and USB connectivity. The difference here, though, is that it'll run you $49.99 on a two-year contract, and the fee will "vary by region." Speaking of regions, it'll be available wherever Road Runner Mobile is offered, which means Texas, North Carolina, Hawaii and Kansas City for now.
TeliaSonera gears up to ship first dual-mode LTE / 3G USB WWAN modem
Care about Samsung's GT-B3730? Probably not... but what if we told you that that very device is the planet's first commercially available dual-mode LTE / 3G WWAN modem? Now that we've got your attention, you may be interested in knowing that overseas operator TeliaSonera -- hailed as the first carrier on the planet to fire up an LTE network and make it available to Joe and Jane last year -- is just about ready to start shipping the aforesaid Samsung. As of now, the only way to hop onto their LTE superhighway is with a 4G-only modem, and while it had promised a two-faced stick in the second quarter of 2010, we're elated to finally put a face to a promise. The primary downside is that there's no current way for the USB modem to switch from LTE to 3G (or vice-versa) on the fly; instead, you'll need to kill the connection and start a new one when you leave / enter a 4G zone. Purportedly, the stick will play nice with both Windows and OS X, and it can hit real-world download rates as high as 80Mbps and upload rates of 16Mbps. Suddenly, a relocation to Sweden seems altogether more inviting, no?
Best Buy Connect mobile broadband service launching soon
We've been hearing wind of a new mobile broadband service coming next month from Best Buy for a few days now, and it looks like the company went ahead and spilled the beans in its own Sunday flyer. The service offers a variety of tiers ranging from a contract-free 250MB per month for $30 all the way up to 5GB monthly on a 24 month contract for $60 a month. Interestingly, 5GB monthly contract-free costs the same $60 monthly -- you just get the $35 activation fee waived. At this point we don't know what the hardware looks like, but we're told Sprint is providing those bits and bytes wirelessly and that this new service will work with 4G. The employee news image after the break indicates that Connect will be launching on July 11 in all but 75 of the company's stores. Sometimes living out in the country is a drag. Update: We got a note from Shaun indicating that there will actually not be any modems offered by Best Buy for this service, rather it will only be offered on GOBI-equipped laptops. Additionally, Shaun indicates the service will not work with 4G, but that's contrary to some earlier intel we received, so hopefully BBY goes ahead and clarifies all this soon enough. [Thanks, Jameil and Tyler]
Sprint ships dual-model 3G / 4G 250U USB WWAN modem, invites Mac to the party
Remember that cute-as-a-button 3G / 4G dual-mode WWAN stick that Clearwire outed a few days back? That little guy just made its way over to the Sprint side of things, giving folks yet another option when it comes time to pull the trigger on a device to get you onto the WiMAX superhighway. The Sierra Wireless-built 250U is available now through Business Direct and Business Solutions Partners followed by full channel availability by mid-July, with this bugger being the first in Sprint's arsenal to offer native dual-mode support in OS X as well as twin antenna ports. Naturally, Windows machines are also compatible, and the minuscule design sure makes it more attractive than those prone-to-snapping alternatives. It's available for precisely nothing so long as you sign a two-year data plan.
FCC's Spectrum Task Force makes first snatch-and-grab, kidnaps up to 90MHz from satellite band
Even if you're the Federal Communications Commission, freeing up half a gigahertz of wireless spectrum isn't an easy task, but things become easier when you have top men on the job. The FCC's freshly deputized Spectrum Task Force may have just proven its worth, by shifting up to 90MHz from mobile satellite services to cellular broadband. To placate those who might be opposed to the measure, the FCC says it "remains firmly committed" to rural, emergency and government satellites, plus points out precedents like the SkyTerra LTE deal in March... but interestingly the Task Force neither mentions support for commercial satellite uses, nor which companies stand to gain the freed spectrum this time. Full press release after the break.
Clearwire intros new WiMAX mobile hotspots, Mac-friendly 3G / 4G USB WWAN modem
Lookin' for yet another avenue to hop on the 4G superhighway? Fret not, as Clearwire has just doled out a trio of new products intended to help you do just that. Prior to today, you had only a smattering of options to actually tap into Clear's WiMAX network, but the Clear Spot 4G (WiMAX only), Clear Spot 4G+ (dual-mode with 3G / 4G support) and Clear 4G+ Mobile USB stick have all arrived to give choosy moms more choices. The prior two are simply mobile broadband hotspots (think MiFi, but for 4G), with the 4G+ offering support for Sprint's 3G network if you happen to leave one of those few WiMAX zones already lit. The USB stick is particularly interesting, as it's the first dual-mode device hawked by Clear that's fully compatible with Apple OS X. The Clear Spot 4G will be made by InfoMark and available to purchase for $99.99 next month; those who hate committing can also lease one for $4.99 per month. The Sierra Wireless-built Spot 4G+ (a rebadged Overdrive; shown left) demands a hefty premium for that 3G support, with an MSRP of $224.99 (or least for $5.99 per month) and a similar July ship date. The 4G+ Mobile USB stick (shown right) will support OS X 10.5.x and 10.6.x (along with Windows, of course), and can be snapped up today for $114.99 or leased monthly for $5.99. Head on past the break if you're thirsty for more. %Gallery-95571%
How-to: stay connected while traveling internationally
It's a harsh reality that every avid traveler faces, and unless you're fortunate enough to have been born in a generation where you're not expected to check your inbox every half-hour, glance over Twitter updates every 7.23 minutes seconds and tell the world where you're at this very moment via Foursquare, you've probably found yourself wondering how on Earth you're going to remain connected once your swipe that passport and leave the comfy confines of a native network. Staying connected while traveling abroad is no easy task, and while the internet may feel ubiquitous to tech-savvy smartphone owners who remain planted within the borders of their home nation, the world wide web suddenly becomes a whole lot less easy to track down once you plop down on foreign soil. Looking to splurge on a little international travel this summer, but can't figure out how you're going to (affordably) upload those Twitpics and YouTube videos once you get there? Fret not, young jetsetter -- we've got the keys to keeping you connected whilst overseas just beyond the break.
WiMAX-equipped ThinkPad Mini 10 visits FCC
Submitted in late April and available for public consumption today, here's an exciting little FCC disclosure from Lenovo. It's that mysterious ThinkPad Mini 10 creature we've been seeing prowling the Australian outback, this time showing up as a test mule for Lenovo's new WiMAX module. The antennae in this submission are likely headed for retail inside things like the almost identical X100e and the rest of Lenovo's US line. We're liking this trend of seeing netbooks and subnotebooks leaving the factory with WiMAX already integrated, but do beware the price premium that'll come attached. Lenovo already asks for $150 extra to stick a Gobi 2000 3G chip in a ThinkPad X100e, we don't expect the 4G option to be any less dear, but we can at least expect it soon(ish). [Thanks, Vance]
iPhone OS 4.0 beta 4 includes AT&T tethering option
See that screen there? That's from the minty fresh beta 4 of iPhone OS 4.0, which was just released to developers moments ago. Unless our eyes are badly mistaken, that's an option to setup internet tethering on AT&T, something that WWAN warriors have been waiting for since... oh, forever. We're downloading the new build as we speak, and we'll let you know if we find anything out. Oh, and don't get your hopes up too high -- AT&T proclaimed that it was "still waiting on better network performance" before enabling iPhone tethering just three weeks ago. Update: There's a video of the screens after the break, just in case your belief was temporarily suspended for any reason. Thanks, Jerish! Update 2: Well, this is interesting -- we just updated an iPhone 3GS in Chicago, and we're not seeing the tethering option. We're guessing this is a glitch or just a mismatched carrier setting file, since so many others are seeing it, but we'll do some digging and see what's up. Update 3: Okay, we've got it sorted -- all it took was a quick network settings reset. Thanks, Gray! [Thanks, Pete]
Cellphones purportedly used more now for data, Gossip Girl blasts than calls
Ever notice how easy it is to find mobile plans with unlimited minutes these days? Yeah, it's because they're about as valuable as pea coats in the dead of summer. With more and more consumers disconnecting their landlines in favor of using their cellie for everything, the art of communicating via voice is also becoming lost. According to "government and industry data" cited in a New York Times report, the growth in voice minutes used by consumers has "stagnated," with 2009 being the first year ever in which the "amount of data in text, email messages, streaming video, music and other services on mobile devices [in the US] surpassed the amount of voice data in cellphone calls." Dan Hesse, Sprint's head honcho, even chimed in with this nugget: "Originally, talking was the only cellphone application; now it's less than half of the traffic on mobile networks." We also learned that the average length of a mobile call was just 1.81 minutes in 2009, a drop from the 2.27 minutes per call seen in 2008, with many individuals feeling that other communication methods (email, SMS, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) were far less invasive of someone's time, being that they could respond to those messages at their convenience. Of course, on the Upper East Side (where all the richies use Verizon dumbphones, apparently), we get the impression that yakking away about a cornucopia of drama is still the hotness.
Panasonic gifts Toughbook CF-T8 and CF-52 with much-needed spec bump
We've witnessed Panasonic update its Toughbook C1 and H1 Field earlier in the year, but two of the line's long-standing stalwarts have been hobbling along on last year's latest and greatest for far too long. Today, all that changes. Panny announced that the Toughbook CF-52 and business-minded Toughbook CF-T8 were both seeing long-overdue refreshes today, with the former being equipped with a 2.53GHz Core i5 processor, 2GB of RAM on the baseline model and up to a 250GB shock-mounted hard drive with quick release. It's also packing WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, internal 3G (from Gobi, so it rolls both ways) and a magnesium alloy case that's immune to basic bumps, bruises, shocks and splatters. As for the 12.1-inch CF-T8? That one's getting served a 1.6GHz Intel Core 2 CPU, Windows 7 Professional, Bluetooth 2.1 and a battery good for some eight hours of use. Both machines are available now across the pond, with special bundles including your own personal David Hasslehoff knockoff to parade around with for the day.
Sierra Wireless AirCard 890 does 7.2Mbps on AT&T, slides into PC Card or ExpressCard slots
Talk about being flexible. Sierra Wireless' newest 7.2Mbps-capable AirCard (the 890, if you're curious) obviously isn't content with fitting into just one slot. Rather than forcing users to choose between compatibility with PCMCIA (PC Card) or ExpressCard, this particular WWAN card actually fits into both... but not at the same time, naturally. It's the first DataConnect card on AT&T's network to boast a 2-in-1 form factor, and moreover, it touts integrated GPS functionality for use with location-based services. 'Course, you won't be using one of these with your shiny new 15-inch MacBook Pro (smart move on that SD-for-ExpressCard swap, Steve-o), but everyone else can procure one starting May 5th for $49.99 after mail-in rebate and a new two-year DataConnect contract of at least $35 a month.
New Mexico Rail Runner train gets lit with WiMAX, sets a good example
Oh sure, we've seen the occasional big city train get their own WiFi / WiMAX installation, but when a state like New Mexico steps up and does it, we take notice. The New Mexico Rail Runner, which travels some 95 miles between Santa Fe and Albuquerque, is now lit with WiMAX along the entire route, and the service is being provided gratis for all who ride. Better still, the New Mexico Mid-Region Council of Governments has no intentions of ever charging patrons in order to recoup the $2.4 million investment. We're told that users can expect download rates of up to 6Mbps and upload speeds nearing 4Mbps, and we're desperately hopeful that other states will take notice and attempt to get with the program. America's already way behind most every European nation when it comes to rail travel, but toss a "free WiMAX!" sign on the door and you just might coax these car-lovin' Yanks into going mass transit. [Thanks, Ben]
