NetZero
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NetZero's mobile broadband now works wherever Sprint has 3G
Like the person who thinks socks with sandals is a bold fashion statement, WiMAX is a mobile technology that rarely gets invited to the cool parties anymore. NetZero, realizing that its WiMAX-powered mobile broadband needs to move with the times, signed a deal to use Sprint's 3G, and latterly 4G, to bolster -- and eventually replace -- the service. Stage one of that agreement has now gone live, enabling NetZero users to hop onto Big Yellow's EV-DO, which is more robust than Clearwire's equivalent. The only disappointment, it seems, is that you'll now have to wait until the fall before 4G services come online.
NetZero strikes deals to use Sprint LTE and Verizon 3G
We like the idea of NetZero's budget-friendly mobile broadband -- just not its use of Clearwire's small, aging WiMAX network. The provider should soon take care of that problem through new MVNO agreements with Sprint and Verizon. The five-year Sprint pact gives NetZero both LTE and EV-DO; the Verizon deal serves more as a safety net, supplying EV-DO alone for three years. Both agreements only take effect in the second quarter of 2014, but they should finally give the NetZero broad coverage and higher peak speeds that it needs to compete with more expensive rivals.
NetZero gives subscribers free data to share through Facebook, doles out friendship 1GB at a time
The classic trick to spurring early adoption of a data hotspot service is to share it with others, and NetZero has every intention of being as giving as its precursors. Its new Data Share program lets those who own of the company's WiMAX devices give away up to 1GB of data every month through Facebook, spread across five friends at 200MB each. Apart from needing NetZero hardware in a coverage area, there's no financial strings attached -- neither the sender nor the recipient needs to adopt more than the free, 200MB per month they already have just for showing up. The real dilemma is managing just who gets the data in the 4G provider's first come, first served approach to the sharing link that hits friends' social news feeds. NetZero is no doubt hoping that the ubiquity of the giveaway (and a half-off device sale during October) will put an early end to any rivalries.
NetZero launches '4G' wireless service, we go hands-on
Remember NetZero? Today the company announced that it's launching NetZero 4G Mobile Broadband, a wireless service rolling out in 80 US cities and offering value-priced monthly data plans without activation fees, contracts, commitments or overage charges. Customers can chose between two levels of service -- Lightspeed (up to 1Mbps down / 384Kbps up) to conserve data and Warpspeed (up to 10Mbps down / 1.5Mbps up) for maximum performance -- and can switch back and forth by simply logging into NetZero's website (this can take up to 15 minutes). Five monthly data plans are available: Free, $0, 200MB (limited to Lightspeed and limited to one year) Basic, $9.95, 500MB (limited to Lightspeed) Plus, $19.95, 1GB Pro, $34.95, 2GB Platinum, $49.95, 4GBTwo devices are offered -- the NetZero 4G Stick ($49.95 + shipping) is a Windows and OS X-compatible USB modem and the NetZero 4G Hotspot ($99.95 + shipping) is an eight device-capable WiFi hotspot with an LCD and a 2,200mAh battery.So far, so good -- NetZero is becoming an MVNO. Yet strangely, there's no mention in any of the PR as to which network the company is using. We test drove NetZero's new wireless service over the weekend using the WiFi hotspot and figured out that it's using Clearwire's WiMAX network. In fact NetZero's 4G Stick is identical to the Clear 4G Mobile USB modem (manufactured by Ubee), and its 4G Hotspot is the same as the Clear Spot Apollo (a rather bulky unit made by Gemtek)-- see the FCC links below and read on for our impressions after the break.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: ice castles, cardboard columns, and the Geneva Auto Show
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. This week Inhabitat showcased several jaw-dropping feats of architecture, starting with a series of amazingly complex computer-designed cardboard columns that boast between 8 and 16 million facets. We were also struck by a stunning new net-zero Solar Academy in Germany, and we showcased a Swiss chalet that is the world's first apartment building to be heated entirely by solar thermal energy. On the cooler end of the climate spectrum, a Minnesota man has created a series of soaring ice castles using water from his geothermal heating system. The Geneva Auto Show also kicked off with a bang this week as Koenigsegg unveiled its supercharged Agera R racer and SAAB rose from the ashes with a futuristic PhoeniX hybrid. We also heard big news from some of the world's most luxurious automakers as Bentley rolled out a biofuel-powered supercar that can go 200 MPH on ice and Rolls-Royce unveiled their all-electric 102 EX Phantom. Two-wheeled transportation also took a leap forward as Daymak unveiled the world's first wireless electric eBike and Los Angeles approved plans for 1,690 miles of bikeways. We also kept on the cutting edge of consumer tech with a look at the green credentials of Apple's iPad 2, and we brought you researchers' plans for a hot new breed of batteries made from "frozen smoke". Finally, we learned from a recent study that cellphone signals actually boost brain activity, and we shared a fresh new line of iPod nano watch straps just in time for spring.
