UsbModem
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AT&T Beam is a USB LTE modem with built-in LCD, due May 10th for $20
With the onset of MiFis, smartphone hotspots and other methods of tethering your computer to the 'net, USB modems aren't exactly the most popular devices on the block anymore. It doesn't mean they're not desirable to business folk, however, so most carriers keep at least one or two in their lineup. AT&T just introduced the Beam, its latest dongle from Sierra Wireless, which offers the usual LTE domestically (700/AWS) along with tri-band HSPA+ (850/1900/2100) and quad-band GSM / EDGE. The key feature here is its built-in 96x64 black-and-white LCD panel, which displays signal strength, data usage and other stats. Finally, it offers mobile hotspot capability, GPS and microSD card support (up to 32GB), and will work on Win 8 / RT laptops and tablets. Dimension-wise, it weighs 1.91 ounces and measures a stout 1.97 x 2.58 x 0.46 inches (50 x 65.5 x 11.7mm). If that fits your purposes, the Beam can be all yours starting May 10th for $20 and a two-year commitment.
ZTE touts world's first FD-LTE and TD-LTE mobile hotspot and USB modem
You likely know the uncomfortable feeling when family members refuse to talk to each other, and such is the case with FD-LTE and TD-LTE -- two similar but incompatible LTE technologies that've gained traction across the globe. Now ZTE is looking to play peacekeeper with its MF820S2 USB modem and MF91S mobile hotspot, each which speak fluently in both LTE languages. While Marvell was the first to accomplish this feat with its modem chipset, ZTE's two globetrotting products are the first we're aware of that are ready for retail shelves. That said, both units seem best suited for users based in China, as the fallback technologies include only TD-SCDMA and EDGE. ZTE's USB modem is said to provide up to 68Mbps connectivity over TD-LTE networks and up to 100Mbps over the FD-LTE counterpart, whereas the mobile hotspot wields a 2,300mAh battery. As always, you'll find the full PR after the break.
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.
H2O Bolt promises unlimited 4G internet for $50, pretends it's never heard of Clear
It's not everyday that an MVNO decides to offer up unlimited data courtesy of Clearwire's WiMAX network, but H2O's latest entrant known as Bolt makes us wish the practice were far less frequent. The $50 no-contract service essentially replicates Clear's own offering at the very same price point that's been available to customers for years. Furthermore, both companies share Best Buy as their most significant retail channel. Now, for whatever reason, H2O's Bolt Flash (the $100 USB modem) and Bolt Spider (the $150 mobile hotspot) will sit side-by-side Clear's own offerings at the big box retailer, where it'll be up to those in Smurf shirts to explain the difference -- there's none. You'll find the PR after the break, but if you're living in Detroit, Phoenix, Indianapolis, Louisville, New Orleans, Memphis or Albuquerque, none of this even remotely matters. Frustrating, isn't it?
Novatel U679 Turbo Stick delivers 4G LTE to Bell laptop customers for $60, with 3-year contract
Do you live in one of Bell's LTE markets and own a laptop? Do you wish your machine could hitch a ride on the Canadian carrier's 4G waves? Well sir or ma'am, may we submit for your consideration, the Novatel U679 Turbo Stick -- an LTE USB modem that can hit a maximum speed of 75Mbps. (Though, generally you're looking at between 7Mbps and 14Mbps.) When LTE is unavailable, the U679 falls back on 42Mbps, dual-carrier HSPA+ or plain ol' 21Mbps HSPA+. You can pick one up today for just $60 with a three-year contract, but those with a fear of commitment will have to plunk down $120 to avoid being locked into a service contract. If you've still got questions, might we suggest peeping the PR after the break.
Verizon data charges leak continues, $30 tethering for 4G customers
The scan above purports to show a Verizon customer brochure that will appear in stores next Thursday, revealing nothing beyond the detailed leaks we've already reported but at least providing some reassuringly crinkled corroboration of the salient details. New customers will barred from the happy land of unlimited data, and will instead have to cough up tiered monthly fees ranging from $10 for 75MB up to $80 for 10GB, plus an extra $20 for tethering rights. In a separate turn to this tale, we hear that customers who want to tether to a 4G handset will have to pay $30 per month to keep Big Red happy. This might come as a shock if you've been living it up on the free tethering offer that ends next week, but we had a strong inkling it was coming. Besides, it's not all bad: those 30 bucks will get you unlimited data on the fastest LTE network around, whereas the $20 crew must make do with a mere 2GB monthly. [Thanks, Verizon Guy]
Nova Media's iCON 461 USB modem is unlocked for globe-trotting commitmentphobes
Unlocked 3G modems aren't something you see everyday. Sure, Zoom has been hawking the dongles for some time, but they're primarily of the tri-band variety -- Nova Media's iCON 461 does those one better by going quad-band and throwing in GPS for good measure. The globe-trotting "3G surfstick" supports 7.2Mbps HSPA on the 850, 900,1900, and 2100 bands (that would include AT&T here in the ol' US of A) and can handle EDGE at 850, 900, 1800, and 1900MHz (hello, T-Mo). In addition to a slot for your GSM SIM there's also a place to stick a microSD card, in case you need someplace to store that leaked copy of David Comes to Life. The iCON 461 comes in two versions: Mac-compatible with launch2net Premium for €179 (about $248), and Windows-friendly with uCan Connect for €149 (roughly $215).
T-Mobile flips on 42Mbps HSPA+ across 55 markets, launching Rocket 3.0 modem stick tomorrow
Fellow road warriors, we bring you good news: starting today, T-Mobile customers across 55 markets -- including Chicago, Detroit, Honolulu, Pittsburgh, Miami, and many more -- will have immediate access to a faster HSPA+ "4G" network. This means anyone with compatible devices can achieve theoretical download speeds of up to a whopping 42Mbps, as opposed to just 21Mbps from the good ol' days. But of course, only time will tell whether this upgrade will deliver its promise -- you may recall that even AT&T's LTE demo last week delivered "realistic" download speeds of up to just 28.9Mbps, when in theory it should be capable of hitting up to 100Mbps. Anyhow, if you want to soldier on and be a guinea pig an early adopter, then help yourself to ZTE's Rocket 3.0 USB modem stick starting tomorrow -- the entry price is $99.99 after a $50 mail in rebate, but tied to a two-year broadband plan of 2GB or higher; or you can opt for the contract-free price of $199.99. Hit the press release after the break for the full list of activated markets.
T-Mobile blesses contract-averse with Rocket 4G modem and better data plans
If you're waiting impatiently for the ability hook your laptop in to T-Mobile's blazingly fast 42Mbps HSPA+ network, you are going to have hold tight just a little bit longer. But here's some good news to tide you over: the 21Mbps capable Rocket 4G USB stick is here, and available starting April 17th with new prepaid data plans for those who prefer not to chain themselves to a two-year contract. The $30, 30-day plan will jump from 300MB to 1GB, and the $50 plan will be bumped from 1GB to 3GB. It's not as flashy as the 4G Mobile Hotspot nor as fast as the 42Mbps Rocket 3.0, but it's priced at a reasonable $59.99 -- and controlling the destiny of your mobile broadband soul must be worth something.
ZTE gets tight with T-Mobile, launches Rocket 3.0 modem and 4G Mobile Hotspot for HSPA+
T-Mobile's 42Mbps HSPA+ coverage is expanding and expanding, and ZTE is helping to bring it back down to earth. The company has launched two new wireless devices especially for the T-Mo's 42Mbps service, the first being the Rocket 3.0, a USB modem that's due this spring. The second is the simply titled 4G Mobile Hotspot, the same we got a little quality time with earlier, which beams out WiFi connectivity for up to five devices at one time. If you can't handle all that speed, ZTE also has the Jet 2.0 and Rocket 4G, both of which top out at 21Mbps. All should be available in the next few weeks, and all should help you get your bits on from anywhere.
T-Mobile Jet 2.0 HSPA+ modem lifts off March 23rd?
Two rumors do not make a USB dongle, but things certainly seem to add up -- one leaked document told us T-Mobile would get its first 21Mbps HSPA+ WWAN modem in March, and now a second one (once again courtesy of TmoNews) pegs the T-Mobile Jet's "value-conscious" successor for the 23rd of this month. Of course, if that first document was correct, there are faster 42Mbps modems just around the corner. Your call.
T-Mobile's upcoming HSPA+ WWAN offerings get leaked, comical codenames revealed
It's been a hot minute since the folks at T-Mobile have introduced a new USB WWAN modem, but if the document above is to be believed, that could be changing in short order. As the Jet ages, it looks like a few others -- codenamed Kitty Hawk, Washington and Wayne -- could be swooping in to take things from here. The former is rumored to hit shelves in March, offering HSPA+ speeds of 21Mbps and the ability to solve most of the world's problems. As for Washington? That'll be T-Mob's first USB modem to offer HSPA+ speeds approaching 42Mbps, and if all goes well, this guy will also splash down next month. Moving on, there's a pair of Waynes that'll serve as the carrier's first mobile hotspots, enabling five WiFi-enabled devices to mooch off of a 21Mbps (Lil' Wayne) or 42Mbps (Big Wayne) connection. Here's hoping T-Mobile does the smart thing and sticks with the codenames -- the marketing exec in us just knows it's the right thing to do.
Novatel's USB551L LTE modem for Verizon in the wild, does Mac support out of the box
How many dedicated LTE-capable USB modems does Verizon need? At least three, apparently, because we've just been sent shots of Novatel's upcoming USB551L that looks perhaps a tad glossier and sleeker than the Pantech and LG models that have preceded it. Hard to say from the spec sheet here, but it looks like there's at least a chance this is LTE-only without CDMA / EV-DO fallback since there's no explicit mention of it; unlikely considering how small Verizon's LTE footprint is for the time being, but you never know. More importantly, there is explicit mention of Mac support, something the carrier's current options lack. No word on a release date or pricing, but we imagine it won't be long now that these dummy units -- which you can see in the gallery below -- are floating around. Update: We've been able to confirm that it definitely supports both EV-DO and 1xRTT in addition to LTE, so fear not, road warriors -- when you leave your LTE comfort zone, you'll still be covered. Thanks, NKT! %Gallery-111742%
Verizon: LTE modem handoff has two-minute delay, fix (and Mac compatibility) on the way
Though we found Verizon's new LTE network pleasantly speedy in early testing, there are a few rough edges to the tech -- Verizon's USB modem have difficulty handing off connected users from an EVDO network to an LTE one, and of course, they don't yet work on Mac. However, Verizon's since admitted to both these issues and pledged to remedy the twain. "Hand-offs can take up to a couple minutes, but that was expected and a fix is in the works," it told Computerworld earlier today. "Mac is not yet supported, and we've been working on drivers for Mac OS for weeks, and expect to update relatively soon," a representative added. Now let's see the company bring some sense to the wild, wild west we call the 4G market.
Laptop data plans: comparing LTE, WiMAX, and HSPA+ by speed, price, and value
Now that Verizon's gone official with its LTE pricing for an initial launch in some 38 markets this Sunday, we wanted to take a quick look at how it compares to the other players in the laptop data market -- after all, how much you're paying month to month can be just as big of a determining factor (if not a bigger one) in choosing a carrier than the speeds you're seeing. So how do Sprint, T-Mobile, AT&T, Clear, and Rover stack up? Let's break it down.
Verizon LTE / 4G preview with the LG VL600 modem
We've just gotten our hands on the less-insane version of Verizon's LTE modems, the LG VL600. The company timed the shipment of these puppies to coincide with today's announcement of the coming 4G onslaught, set to begin December 5th -- which based on what we've seen thus far is going to be beyond awesome. Unless you're on a Mac (more on that after the break). In case you haven't seen the device in question, it's a rather large (we mean seriously large) USB dongle, which thankfully comes with a clip and extra cable. Like all LTE devices, it uses a SIM which will look familiar to those in GSM devices, but is -- again -- almost comically large. %Gallery-108608% We haven't spent a load of time with the modem, but in the few short hours we've had to play with the device, the down- and upstream speeds we're getting are nothing short of phenomenal. In Brooklyn, which we're not even sure is really heavily covered by the LTE blanket (and was being battered by rain and wind at the time of testing), we saw consistent speeds which peaked at 7 Mbps down, and over 1 Mbps up. Overall, speeds held steady around 5 to 6 Mbps down and 1 Mbps up. By comparison, we saw around 4 Mbps down and less than 1 Mbps up when we did some testing with Sprint's WiMAX Overdrive 4G, and roughly 6.5 Mbps down and 1 Mbps up with Clear's iSpot. Overall, browsing on our computer felt nearly identical to our home broadband, and even HD video playback on YouTube was snappy and responsive over the network. And did we mention we were only getting two out of four bars on our connection? Update: We've added a link to SlashGear's hands-on of the modem below. As you can see, speeds vary by area, and SG was pulling 12 Mbps downstream and more than 5 Mbps up -- impressively matching Verizon's claimed numbers. Update 2: With a little more testing, we're seeing speeds closer to Verizon's estimates. We've added a second image after the break, and as you can see, we're nabbing over 10 Mbps downstream and nearly 4 Mbps up.
Verizon launching LTE on December 5th, two transforming 4G USB modems hitch a wild ride
Sure, Verizon's holding a press conference tomorrow, but unless they've got a secret LTE smartphone or tablet (we can only hope) we've got a fairly good idea what the company will say. We're hearing Verizon will flip the switch on its LTE network on December 5th, unveil a pair of hot new USB modems to take advantage of those supposedly stellar speeds, and launch the SIM cards required to make LTE function in the first place. The gadgets include the LG VL600 thumbstick we've seen before, but also this marvelous-looking Pantech UML290 key, which has not only a slick swiveling case but also a dual-jointed USB port beneath. We doubt we're going to have any trouble getting this one plugged into even the slimmest of port-abhorring slimline computing machines. See where one of the SIM cards goes in the gallery below. Update: The populace has spoken, and "sexy" is no more. Shall we call them "transforming" modems, then? They most certainly are. %Gallery-108552% [Thanks, Anonymous and JT]
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 prepping 4G USB modem for LTE networks, doesn't say which ones
Motorola is definitely tossing its hat in the LTE mobile broadband ring -- it just announced this plug-and-play USB-lte 7110 modem at the 4G World conference in Illinois. It's rated for FDD-LTE Category 3, meaning the little exclamation-point-shaped dongle is theoretically capable of 100Mbps download and 50Mbps upload speeds, and it's got a pair of omni-directional MIMO antennas to help you pull down as much of that juicy, low-latency data as Motorola's unnamed partners intend to squeeze. Just don't be fooled by the company's claims that this is the "first commercial 4G LTE device" -- we're pretty sure Samsung and LG have Moto beat. PR after the break.
Mushroom announces durable PortaBella wireless bonding device, continues adorable naming scheme
It's okay if you've never heard of wireless broadband bonding. The technology hasn't exactly caught on, even if it gets us all excited in our download place. The basic idea is to take a suite of wireless broadband adapters and plug them all into a single router, aggregating their power like shotgun modems did in the dial-up days. Mushroom Networks is the leader in this space and it has announced a new, "heavy duty" version of its PortaBella bonding device, joining its Porcini and Truffle models. The new PortaBella combines the connections of up to four wireless modems, even from different carriers, and works at temperatures ranging from 4 to 158 degrees Fahrenheit -- which sadly doesn't quite meet the extremes experienced on an average day at the Engadget Lunar Outpost. It seems our heavenly bloggers above will have to keep sharing that single modem for now.
