Mark Zuckerberg announced new group chat and video chat features! But when can we expect to enjoy those features on our mobile version of Facebook?
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The rumor mill has been churning regarding Samsung's highly-anticipated new android Galaxy tablet over the last few months. You'd think they'd put most of those inquisitive babies to bed when they ratcheted up the ooh-ing and aah-ing last week in Berlin at the IFA electronics show, but once again secretive whispers are making the transition to deafening roars when it comes to breaking news on the product.
The Boy Genius Report has recently speculated on some issues that were left off the docket at the international event. A little birdie told the tech blog that Sprint will be readying the iPad competitor for a November introduction, though none of the networks have let out an official peep out about exclusive deals with Samsung.
The roll out on Sprint would seem to make perfect sense, as the device is also further rumored to be 3G/4G capable. A tablet device capable of streaming HD movies and showing off other multimedia facets enhanced by the Android OS, would put the carrier's burgeoning WiMax network on a grand stage– a sink or swim race against the market standard iPad and its tolerated carrier, AT&T.
If the tablet performs exceedingly well on a WiMax network it could validate Sprint's investment and leave Verizon and AT&T jockeying for 2nd position or alter the wireless strategy of the competitors altogether.
The move would also be good news for CLEAR, whose shared WiMax network (with Sprint/Nextel) will boast a cheaper price point than most other wireless carriers and can be used interchangeably with Sprint-ready devices.… Read the rest
Venue: SouthernSun Cape Sun, Cape Town, South Africa
Join us at this inaugural 3.9G International Summit in Cape Town. Discuss the hottest issues of the African Mobile & Wireless world with your colleagues, meet investors, and strike new deals with current and future business partners. We are expecting top Regulators as well as senior telecom executives from Mobile Operators from Africa, 3G/4G Experts from Europe, Asia, Middle East and North America.
Early Bird ending on 1 December 2010.
For more details/To Register:
Phone: +65 6391 2555/52
Website: http://www.magenta-global.com.sg/3g4g/index.php
Bostonians are excited to hear that they are going be some of the first testers of “4G” service (see article here) from various providers by the end of the year. They are the only city that is going to be privileged enough to have a taste of “4G” speed services from four different service providers, two offering WiMAX technology, the other two being LTE. An article in the Boston Globe happily describes the faster data services that are going to be available for the city starting in the upcoming month.
There is no question as to which companies are unrolling “4G” services this year; there are only four companies releasing what they are calling fourth generation wireless service within the next few months and they are Clearwire, Sprint, Verizon, and MetroPCS. Clearwire and Sprint utilize WiMAX technology, and Verizon and MetroPCS make use of LTE technology. Luckily for Boston, they are all scheduled for deployment in that one city in 2010.
Clearwire and Sprint are, for all intents and purposes, the same thing. Sprint is the majority shareholder of Clearwire and they share the same WiMAX network.
“We should launch sometime during the month of September,’’ said Sprint CEO Dan Hesse in a speech while in Boston last week.This will please many Sprint customers, especially those who have the first “4G” compatible smartphone, the HTC EVO 4G, that is currently sold out in many stores all over the country. Sprint has another “4G” phone due to come out next week, the Samsung Epic 4G, which will probably also sell out, especially in cities like Boston that get “4G”. Clear, however, will be launching within the next week, according to Matthew Drinkhahn, Clearwire’s general manager for Boston. Data service will be available under the brand name Clear with plans starting from $30 a month.
Verizon and MetroPCS also have launching plans in Boston for the current year using LTE technology. They will likely be offering similar services. MetroPCS already has a LTE-enabled phone, the Samsung Craft. Verizon is sure to follow, but their cell phone services won’t be available until they create their own LTE-enabled phone. Until then, Verizon will be releasing dongles to expand coverage. Those two LTE carriers still have a long way to go before they release “4G” services that are even comparable to the WiMAX services that Sprint and Clear are going to be … Read the rest
The expansion continues as Clearwire launches in Rochester and Syracuse, NY, Merced and Visalia, CA, Eugene, OR, and Tri-Cities and Yakima, Washington. It means that the fastest wireless connection available is now present in 44 U.S. markets.
CLEAR provides wireless internet speeds at four times faster that 3G networks within the CLEAR coverage area. The network in Rochester covers around 560 square miles and more than 600,000 people. The network’s northern border is Lake Ontario. It extends as far south as Canadaigua and Geneva, as far west as Spencerport and eastern border is Webster. In Syracuse, CLEAR covers 230 square miles and more than 265,000 people with service extending as far north as Brewerton, as far south as Nedrow, Auburn and Cortland, as far west as Village Green and as far east as Fayetteville and Manlius.
In these markets, new customers are offered an online-only mobile Internet promotion with plans starting as low as $15 per month for the first two months after a $50 service credit. Check clear.com for the promotion.
“Our residents now have a fast Internet connection that’s as mobile as they are,” said Jerry Brown, regional general manager for CLEAR. “And we’re thrilled to offer affordable rate plans with no limits on the amount of data customers use. No caps on usage, no penalties – our customers just use the Web as much as they want wherever they go – it’s that simple.”
The Merced network covers 180,000 people over 580 square miles. It border extends north to Livingston, ands outh to Merced. The network will also cover the townships of Chowchilla, Dos Palos and Los Banos. The Visalia network covers more than 550 square miles, providing CLEAR service to 288,000 people. The network extends to the northwest township of Goshen, along highway 99 to Tipton in the southwest. The northeast border is Ivanhoe and the southern part of the network extends to East Porterville. The network covers the cities of Exeter, Farmersville, Woodlake, Lindsay and Visalia.
The online-only Internet promotion has plans starting at $15 per month for two months after a $50 service credit. Visit www.clear.com for the promotion.
In Eugene and Springfield, OR, the network covers 105 square miles and more than 75,000 people. It extends along Interstate 5 corridor from the McKenzie River to Franklin Blvd. It also extends from 73rd and Main in Springfield to Green Hill … Read the rest
Clearwire launched its CLEAR WiMAX in Richmond, St. Louis and Salt Lake City on June 28. It adds three more important markets to the growing list of places where CLEAR is available.
The CLEAR WiMAX network covers 600 square miles and more than 1.2 million people. It extends as far north as the Missouri River, south to Imperial, east to Collinsville, IL and west to Foristell.People in this area can now enjoy the fastest wireless speeds available without a data cap. Wireless carriers are starting to move to a tiered pay system, not on CLEAR’s WiMAX network.
“With CLEAR, our residents now have a blazing fast Internet connection that goes with them – to Busch Stadium or Gateway Arch,” Jeannie Weaver, regional general manager for CLEAR, said.
Users can take advantage of an online-only promotion with plans that start at $15 per month for two months after a $50 service credit. CLEAR download speeds on average are 3 to 6MBps. CLEAR retail stores in St. Louis, where users can view the CLEAR speeds and showcase the latest devices, are located at West Country Center, St. Louis Galleria, and Mid Rivers Mall. There are also devices available in RadioShack and other retail partners.
CLEAR service in Salt Lake City and the Wasatch Front covers 450 square miles and more than 790,000 people. The network extends as far north as Ogden, including Weber in the north and Layton in the south. In Salt Lake City, the the network covers from the 2100 North to Bangerter Highway in the south and from West Jordan to East Bench.
“With CLEAR, Utahns now have a fast, mobile Internet connection that goes with them wherever they may travel along the Wasatch Front,” Greg Smith, regional general manager for CLEAR, said, “And, we’re excited to offer affordable rate plans with no limits on the amount of data customers use. No caps on usage, no penalties or hidden fees – our customers use the Web as much as they want wherever they go – it’s that simple.”
There’s also an online-only offer to potential users in Utah, starting at $20 per month for two months after a $50 service credit. In addition, there are CLEAR retail stores in Salt Lake City at Fashion Place Mall, Layton Hills Mall, South Town Mall and University Mall, along with retail partners like Best Buy and RadioShack.
CLEAR also launched WiMAX in … Read the rest
The fourth generation iPhone was recently released to customers. It’s an impressive device that introduces a lot of advancements for mobile technology. Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple trumpeted the device at the Mac Developer’s Conference earlier this month. The phone was leaked months before after Gizmodo purchased the trial version of the phone that was left at a bar by a technician. The front facing camera meant video conferencing capabilities on the iPhone.
The event was marred by Jobs having to ask all those in attendance turning off their Wi-Fi enabled devices because the network he was using during the demonstration crashed because of all the people using the network. Even he wasn’t using the 3G connection provided by AT&T. Apple will move a lot of the fourth generation of iPhone.
There’s already complaints about the device. Users cannot hold the unit in their left hand because the antenna is located in the lower left corner and users are reporting losing calls when holding the device in your left hand. There must have not been too much oversight by Apple engineers if something as simple as holding it makes it lose a signal.
FaceTime, a new feature of the iPhone, allows users to chat with other iPhone fourth generation owners face-to-face. It’s live streaming video beamed between the two phones or webcam. It’s innovative feature that was assumed once people got a view of the forward facing camera on the device. There’s one catch about using FaceTime. It doesn’t work on AT&T’s 3G connection. If you need to use FaceTime, you need a Wi-Fi router, like the MiFi devices or a router from Cradlepoint.
If you desire the fastest wireless connection and are fortunate to live in a market, check out CLEAR 4G. It’s based on WiMAX technology, which is classified as 4th generation wireless technology. CLEAR offers many different mobile hotspots, one that connects only to a 4G network and works in the market with CLEAR only. CLEAR also offers a 3G/4G hotspot that connects to a 3G network when there’s no 4G connection available. Sprint also offers a 4G hotspot in the same markets that works in the same networks as where CLEAR is located.
There are other 3G options too. Novatel Wireless offers the MiFi mobile intelligent hotspot, which takes a SIM card from your phone and provides a cloud of internet connectivity that connects … Read the rest
Clearwire has expanded its line-up of 4G devices. The lineup includes two new personal Wi-Fi/4G hot spots and a Mac dual-mode USB modem. The devices will be available with unlimited data plans. They also make it easier for end users to connect 4G to a myriad of devices, like iPads, Macbooks and PSPs.
The CLEAR Spot 4G and CLEAR Spot 4G+ present new designs, integrated modems and CLEAR unlimited data options. It enables the Wi-Fi ecosystem to access CLEAR 4G. The CLEAR Spot 4G connects up to eight Wi-Fi-enabled devices to the 4G network where available. The CLEAR Spot 4G+ is the re-branded Overdrive from Sierra Wireless. This device connects to a 3G network when the 4G connection isn’t available.
The dual-mode 4G+ USB modem expands 4G/3G service to Mac users. For the first time, Mac owners can access the fastest wireless connection available. It switches over to the nationwide 3G network from Sprint and it also works with Microsoft laptops.
“In today’s on-the-go world, everyone deserves fast speeds and the usage they want at a fair price – without constantly checking their usage or worrying about their end of month bill,” Dow Draper, vice president of product development for Clearwire, said “These new devices offer today’s mobile user, and the millions of Wi-Fi products in use across the country, even greater access to CLEAR’s fast and affordable 4G service.”
CLEAR offers 4G unlimited usage plans in network areas that don’t require long term contracts with average download speeds of 3 to 6MBps. CLEAR is also the only 4G operator that offers home modems, for about $30 per month users can enjoy 4G speeds in their home with unlimited plans starting at $40 per month for unlimited mobile use. There are also a few bundle packages for both home and mobile use, along with voice plans. CLEAR is available in over 55 markets.
The CLEAR Spot 4G will be availabe for $99.99 or a $4.99 per month lease. It will be available nationwide at CLEAR stores and resellers beginning in July. The 4G+ USB modem for Mac users is availabe for $114.99 or a monthly lease of $5.99. It’s available today and in stores in Atlanta, Dallas, Hawaii, and central Pennsylvania.
The 4G connection is the fastest way to connect to the internet. Mobile hot spots allow users to share the connection with many devices. The problem is … Read the rest
Once again, history in broadband wireless for PC communications was made in Kiev, Ukraine on the week of May 24th, 2010 with the official launching of Intel’s embedded Mobile WiMAX solution by Freshtel. Intel Corporation in conjunction with Freshtel partnered up to demonstrate several WiMAX-Ready PCs containing Intel’s silicon ingredients (Intel Core Ix Processor for Notebooks, Intel Atom N4xx Processor for Netbooks and Intel(R) Centrino(R) Advanced-N + WiMAX 6250 for Mobile Broadand). One week later, Intel showed off its latest processor technologies embedded inside a variety of standard/ultra-low – voltage notebooks, standard/sleek netbooks and standard/slate tablets (e.g. JooJoo Slate Tablet, Network Navigator NAV9, etc.) at Computex 2010 in Taipei, Taiwan.
Using Intel’s processing power, a variety of dazzling applications were demonstrated: e.g. 3D video, augmented reality, Intel Wireless Display, Intel(R) My WiFi Technology, MeeGo, etc. at several booths which comprised the impressive Intel pavilion. Taking center stage inside the Intel Pavilion was one of the Intel Mobility booths – this particular one was dedicated to demonstrating live WiMAX using a slew of PCs available in the market (Lenovo Thinkpad T410 Notebook (Intel® Core™ i5 CPU M520 @ 2.40GHz w/NVIDIA NVS 3100M), Lenovo Thinkpad T510 Notebook (Intel Core i7 CPU M620 @ 2.67GHz w/ Graphics Media Accelerator HD), Lenovo Thinkpad X201S Notebook (VMAX- Certified), Acer Aspire 5745 Notebook, MSI U135 Netbook (Intel Atom CPU N450 @ 1.66GHz/1.67GHz), ASUS EeePC 1001PG Netbook (VMAX – Certified, Intel Atom CPU N450 @ 1.66GHz/1.67GHz), Dell Inspiron Mini 1012 Netbook (Intel® Atom™ CPU N450 @ 1.66GHz/1.67GHz), 2Go Classmate PC E10 Netbook (technology demo, Intel® Atom™ CPU N450 @ 1.66GHz/1.67GHz), and Samsung NP-N210 Netbook (Intel® Atom™ CPU N450 @ 1.66GHz/1.67GHz)).
The WiMAX-Enabled Dell Inspiron Mini 1012 and Toshiba Satellite U505 can both be purchased @ Best Buy inside the US. All PCs contained the Intel 6250 WiMAX PCI Express Mini card – with one set of PCs (Lenovo, Samsung, MSI) connected to an in-pavilion Alvarion WiMAX Base Station @ 3.5GHz channel frequency, whereas the others (Dell, Acer, 2Go, ASUS) were connected to the extended VMAX network (in-pavilion Samsung WiMAX Base Station) @ 2.5GHz. The emphasis here was to show the global frequency support of Intel’s embedded WiMAX solution. A large high definition display showed off some killer applications requiring WiMAX‘s broadband pipe: e.g. Livecasting from Taipei’s VMAX network, Livecasting from Portland’s CLEAR network (Tri-Met trains) and Microsoft IIS Smooth Streaming of Big Buck … Read the rest
