Novatel might be on to something with its MiFi device. It’s basically a rechargeable, portable wireless router that ingests mobile data signals and spits them back out as standard Wi-Fi. The company is calling the technology an “Intelligent Mobile Hotspot,” in case you were longing for some industry jargon.
The idea certainly isn’t new, but this version may very well be the most portable. Initial devices will be good for four hours of active usage or 40 hours of standby time and they’ll be available in the first half of next year, although specific carriers and prices haven’t been mentioned. Also, nobody seems to want to talk about the 5GB data limit imposed by all the major US wireless companies. Seems that if you shared a data connection between enough users, you’d blow through that limit pretty quickly.
Full release after the jump…
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Apple’s quest for total handheld domination is limited by AT&T and so swirling rumors about a CDMA iPhone has to have some truth to them. It isn’t like Apple to be tied down to one distribution channel like the current iPhone, but that’s the way the cell phone biz works here in the States. According to a 9to5Mac Verizon insider, we could see a CDMA iPhone as early as Macworld 2009. The rumor isn’t new and Verizon initially was going to get the jesusphone, but after some negotiations deteriorated, Apple sought out AT&T. This is still a rumor but if Apple is serious about controlling the handheld market, it has to penetrate different markets and reach a more broad customer base; Verizon is the next, logical step.
Instead of being stuck behind some A-hole driving 20 miles per hour under the speed limit while talking on his cell phone, you’ll soon be stuck behind a very similar A-hole trying to balance a laptop on his dashboard.
According to Twice.com, Chrysler’s parts division will begin selling “a Mopar car cellular/Wi-Fi hot spot, expected to be the first of many Internet offerings from the car companies” starting August 25th.
The hotspot device will be compatible with all 2009 Chrysler vehicles and certain earlier-year models. Customers will be able to order new cars with the device installed or bring compatible cars into Chrysler dealerships to have it retrofitted.
The router will cost $499 and will grab EVDO signals as well as WiMAX signals. The CEO of Autonet Mobile, the company that supplies the device to Chrysler, says that the router can be converted for use on all cellular networks. I’m assuming since Chrysler’s pushing EVDO, this will either be a Sprint or Verizon affair.
Interestingly, the monthly service charge will only be $29. That actually seems reasonable. Again, the device itself costs half a grand and you’ll need to fork over $35 to $50 for installation, followed by a $35 activation fee. The service will be sold by Chrysler as “Uconnect Web” starting at the end of the month.
EVDOinfo.com is reporting that Verizon has halved its per-megabyte overage fees for EVDO data and will set a cap of $250 per month in maximum fees for any three of a customer’s billing cycles. After that, subscribers will be subject to unlimited, non-capped overage charges. So if you go over your 5GB limit by one extra gigabyte, it could cost you $256. However, Verizon’s been nice enough to offer those poor saps who blast through all three of their capped-at-$250 months a 10GB per month plan for $199. Come on. Might as well just sign up for three separate 5GB per month plans as long as you’re getting yanked around. This new policy took effect on June 22nd.
Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint all offer the same laptop data plans for the same prices with the same 5GB limit. All it would take would be for one of these major providers to (once again) offer truly unlimited high-speed data and hordes of customers would switch. Funny how all three are towing the same 5GB-per-month line now, huh? Not one of them even dares to offer, say, 6GB per month or, God forbid, 10GB per month for the same price as the other two. I smell collusion. There, I said it.
Alltel comes closest to bucking the trend with its truly unlimited high-speed data plan at $60 per month, but guess who just got purchased by Verizon?
When Devin skewered the MacBook Air some time ago, he was summarily insulted and burned in virtual effigy; we all laughed at him in the chat room. Far from being useless, however, one valid criticism against the MacBook Air was that it wasn’t portable enough. How could Apple leave out built-in EVDO, no one said? Rather than complain about, one Jordan Bunnell took the Apple by its core or some other stupid metaphor and installed his own damn EVDO module. Hello, world indeed!
The man, armed only with a Veriozn USB727 Aircard, a soldering iron, the heart of a lion and the free time of a loaf-about, managed to get the card working as clear as day.
I have zero engineering ability, so I won’t even pretend to re-tell exactly what he did, but all the pictures are dynamic.
Pretty neat, deep and otherworldly cynicism aside.
via MacNN
The HTC Shift (CDMA version) is a UMPC with a 7-inch tilting screen and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. The device runs Windows Vista Business and connects to Sprint’s EVDO data network for on-the-go computing. At around $1500, the device is a no-brainer for businesses that need super tiny notebooks for salespeople or field technicians and it even falls into the temptation zone for well-paid casual computer users who want an awesome ultraportable machine.
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Verizon Wireless has announced some new data-only plans that “are designed to meet the needs of customers who primarily rely on messaging to communicate with others.”
Now replace “customers” with “Verizon” and “communicate with others” to “make an ass-load of money.”
Far be it for me to tell you how to spend your hard-earned cash, but $35 per month for Mobile Web access and data usage, plus 40 cents per minute for each call you make is no way to live. That’s just for regular handsets, too. If you’ve got a device that actually uses data in a constructive way, like a BlackBerry or a PDA/Smartphone, it’ll cost you $54.99 per month and then 25 cents per minute for voice calls. Outrageous.
Now I know that Sprint and Verizon aren’t the same thing, but let’s assume for a minute that the two companies use very similar technology (which they do) and I’ll tell you a tale about how when I used to be a Sprint customer (last month) I paid $44.99 for unlimited data and 200 anytime minutes on a Smartphone, plus free evenings (starting at 7PM) and weekends. The voice part was $29.99 and the data part was $14.99. To be fair, I did have to pay for text messaging, which is included in Verizon’s thing, but I still came out at under $50 per month for fast EVDO data + voice.
File this away in your “Meh” folder if you like but Verizon Wireless is offering 50MB of EVDO data for $39.99 a month. That might work for some people, but I’d think it’d be pretty easy to blast through 50MB and, according to MobileBurn.com, going over will cost a cool 99 cents per megabyte. If you’ve got no better uses for $40 and just need to hop online in a few remote locations every month, maybe this would be a good option for you versus VZW’s $59.99 5GB plan.
BroadbandAccess Data Plans [Verizon Wireless] via BGR
When I was back home in Portland a couple months back the tattoo shop I frequent had a Cricket shop next door and I didn’t really think anything of it. I know they’re small time and only offer service in Portland, Spokane, Nashville, Santa Fe, Albuquerque, the Central Valley of California and eventually Tulsa, but they’ve got a pretty sweet deal going on for those needing mobile data access. You can get an EVDO Rev. O PC card with unlimited usage for only $35/month. If you’re stuck with a laptop that doesn’t have a PC card then wait around because they’ll have a USB dongle soon.
Cricket [via BBG via Gearlog]
Good news for HTC Mogul owners on the Sprint network — there’s a new update available that’ll allow your phone to connect to the higher speed EVDO Rev. A network where you could very well enjoy double the data speeds.
The current EVDO Rev. 0 protocol features download speeds of 400- to 700-kbps and upload speeds of 50- to 70-kbps. EVDO Rev. A bumps the download speeds to between 600- and 1400-kbps and the upload speeds to a much, much faster 350- to 500-kbps. The update is available here on HTC’s site.
Sprint phone first to use fast network [AP/Yahoo! News]
Laptop’s Mogul review
The Compass 597 USB dongle is the smallest in Sierra Wireless’ product line. The 597 features a microSD slot and works over an EV-DO Rev. A connection. It also features TRU-Install software that supposedly makes setup easier and is the first in its’ class to include a connector for an external antenna as well as a built-in GPS antenna. It will be available sometime in early Q2.
Product Page
We might be seeing more hubs like this in the near future. As wireless broadband gets less expensive and technologies like WiMAX get competitive, 3G routers will start popping up. They’re relatively cheap and a great way to share a high-speed connection with multiple users in areas where you can’t get regular Internet access.
Dave Zatz likes the CradlePoint MBR1000, going so far as to suggest it might be the best EVDO router ever. We haven’t used it, so we can’t say, but it certainly sounds impressive; he was able to get it unpacked, configured, and running with his gear in less than five minutes.
But I’m not one to gush about tech I haven’t experienced myself, so pop over to Dave’s excellent site and have a look for yourself.
CradlePoint MBR1000: Best EVDO Router Ever? [Zatz not funny]
I’ll be the first to admit that e-books suck. They’re great in theory, but they’ll never catch on. There’s nothing that screams dork more than an e-book. E-books are the future. Apparently there is some miscommunication going on and some are under the impression that I think e-books are not the future. I, like many others, enjoy the real thing. There’s just something comforting about having a paper book to carry around, to bunny ear, scratch notes on, highlight words/phrases and whatever else you may like to do. The refresh rates suck and you just want to pull your hair out while waiting for the next page to load. You don’t know how far along you are in the book. Those are just a couple reasons among a slew of arguments to hate e-books. Although, part of me thinks it’s a waste of resources even if it’s made from recycled paper. Traditional books have their pros and cons, but e-books are just janky and stupid, right? Well, yes, they are, but the Kindle from Amazon is a different beast.
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I have a friend who spent the better part of the last three years of his life driving all over the country teaching people about bearings.
Whether or not I actually completely understand what that means is irrelevant but what amazes me most is that he didn’t have satellite radio or some sort of in-car computer to keep himself entertained.
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Without grabbing a dictionary, it’s pretty safe to say that most people would interpret the term "unlimited" to mean "without limits" or "endless" or "we won’t cut off your service if you download too much stuff."
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Amazing. The BlackBerry 8830, which works on both CDMA and GSM networks, is now available on Verizon Wireless, as per the rumors. It is, after all, a BlackBerry, so you can expect and look forward to push e-mail and Internet access (in the EVDO/GPRS flavors) ’round the world. And is truly is “’round the world” because the 8830 works in more than 160 different countries, including such international hot spots as Yemen and Micronesia*.
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Another day, another Apple rumor. This time, “credible sources” are telling AppleInsider that Jobs & Co. are looking to start including integrated WWAN cards into future notebook models. The card will be optional and will cost around $180. Rumor has it that Apple is also trying to squeeze a WWAN adapter into the notebook lid rather than placing it on/near the logic board so that electromagnetic interference is at a minimum.
No word yet on whether the card will support EVDO or HSDPA, but something tells me that if this rumor has any truth to it, chances are Apple went with HSDPA since AT&T uses it and we all know by now that AT&T is getting the iPhone. Makes sense, right? Who knows at this point.
Source: Apple may build 3G wireless into future notebook model [AppleInsider]
Over on Flickr, user tnkgrl got fed-up with the EVDO card her OQO Model 2 came with. So what’s a girlfriend to do when she wants a little HSDPA in her life? Mod the hell out of her computer, that’s what. Tnkgrl went ahead and ripped out that EVDO like a loose hangnail and replaced it with a brand spankin’ new HSDPA card.
Doesn’t look like it took too much work, but for those of you not comfortable around wires or voiding your warranty, you might want to stay away from this gruesome photoset.
Official Flickr Page [via Slashphone]
Having EVDO on a notebook when you’re out and about is certainly a treat. But all good things must come to an end and in this case, it just so happens to be the word “unlimited”. For over a year now, Verizon has been touting its EVDO data plan as “unlimited,” when in reality, if you went over 5GB of downloads a month, your service would be cancelled for fear that you were pirating. Cybernet News dug deep into Verizon’s ToS and found the following:
“Unlimited Data Plans and Features (such as NationalAccess, BroadbandAccess, Push to Talk, and certain VZEmail services) may ONLY be used with wireless devices for the following purposes: (i) Internet browsing; (ii) email; and (iii) intranet access (including access to corporate intranets, email, and individual productivity applications like customer relationship management, sales force, and field service automation). The Unlimited Data Plans and Features MAY NOT be used for any other purpose.”
It just gets better from there on. The terms go on to basically state that if you’re downloading more than 5GB a month, you’re clearly pirating or engaging in “prohibited uses” of Verizon’s data plan. What does this mean for you? If you don’t want to risk having your EVDO service cancelled, you’d better lay off the P2P, Bit Torrent, and streaming media. Otherwise you may find yourself looking for a new data provider.
Verizon Admits that their Unlimited Data Plan is Limited to 5GB Per Month [Cybernet News]
Our hockey-playing, pot-growing neighbors to the north have got a new MVNO in town and the content it’s packing is looking pretty tight. Amp’d Mobile will be leeching off TELUS’ EVDO network to launch in Canada with plenty of content in store. Some of the features Canadian Amp’d customers will receive include streaming TV, 20 Amp’d video channels, Amp’d radio, partnerships with MuchMusic and the NHL for exclusive content, user content, and a hockey puck to the face.
Now take a minute and digest that. Done? Good, because there’s more. Like the US, Amp’d Canada will offer users packages featuring unlimited calls and texting — one of the bigger turn-ons of Amp’d Mobile. Other partnerships include Adult Swim, UFC, Break.com, Fox Sports, MTV Canada, and a bunch of other Canadian-based channels. The initial phone selection hasn’t been revealed, but it’s probably no different than the US lineup of Helio phones. Oh and did we mention $.99 music downloads until September? Rockage, but Amp’d has yet to say if the classic 1980s hit “Don’t Forget Me” by Canadian act Glass Tiger will be available. Our lipstick and eyeliner are praying.
Amp’d Mobile launches in Canada [Slashphone]
Update: Johnathan let us know that Amp’d Canada is selling a custom RAZR V3M with a black and red paint scheme and 256MB microSD card included. It costs $300 CAN with no contract. Thanks!
