wimax

Devices, 4G helping Sprint CEO lead comeback?

You might recognize Sprint CEO Dan Hesse from those black-and-white commercials. When I met with him last week at a hotel bar in Oakland, Calif., two women at the next table certainly did. They treated him like a celebrity.

I wouldn't go that far, but he does appear to have a good handle on the mobile industry and what Sprint--the No. 3 cell phone service provider behind AT&T and Verizon--needs to do. And he knows more than a little something about phone companies, having spent 23 years at AT&T, including a stint as CEO of … Read more

WiMax in the balance? Not yet but it's getting dicey

Until now, Craig McCaw was most famous for starting the eponymous cellular company that he sold to AT&T in 1994 for $12.6 billion.

This serial entrepreneur wasn't as fortunate with his next venture: the construction of a satellite-based broadband communications system. Before it flopped, though, McCaw received financial backing from Bill Gates and a bunch of other well-heeled backers, who invested more than $292 million into the venture.

After the dot-com bust, McCaw set out to offer portable wireless high-speed Internet service. His company, Clearwire, clearly qualified as one of those BIG IDEAS: WiMax is said … Read more

Nokia axes N810 WiMax Edition Internet Tablet

Less than a year after being publicly unveiled, Nokia is stopping production of its spunky N810 WiMax Edition Internet tablet, probably because there's not as much WiMax penetration as would be needed. The N810 without WiMax is still being produced.

You can still find them on the Web, however. I've used an N810 WiMax Edition and it's a good little device. It's compatible with Clearwire's WiMax system and fits somewhere between an iPhone and a Netbook in an interesting niche that might explode this year.

There are rumors that both Microsoft and Apple are working … Read more

Sprint offers 3G/4G wireless modem for laptops

Sprint Nextel announced Wednesday that it will start selling dual-mode 3G/4G wireless broadband modems for laptops starting Sunday.

The new device allows users to access both Sprint's 3G cellular data network and the new 4G WiMax wireless network the company is building as part of the new Clearwire venture.

The modem known as the Sprint 3G/4G USB Modem U300 will use the new 4G Clearwire network with download speeds between 2 Mbps and 4Mbps where that network is available. And when users are out of range of the 4G wireless network, they will automatically be able to access Sprint's 3G network, which offers average downloads of between 600 Kbps and 1.4 Mbps, according to Sprint.

Sprint launched the 4G WiMax network called Xohm in Baltimore in October, just months before it officially merged its WiMax network with Clearwire's network. The service will be launched in other markets across the country throughout 2009.

At the Baltimore launch, Sprint's CEO Dan Hesse promised a wireless data device that would allow users to access both networks for better coverage.

"It will take a while for the new (4G) network to be built ubiquitously," Hesse said during the Baltimore press event. "And we will have new multimode devices that will use 4G where it's available, and when it's not, it will downshift to 3G to provide that ubiquitous data coverage."

The new wireless modem connects via a standard USB port and costs $149.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and with a two-year subscription to the wireless data service. The wireless modem will be available through Sprint's direct business sales force and at most Baltimore-area Sprint stores and select Baltimore-area retailers, the company said. Starting in January, the device will also be available in Baltimore-area Best Buy stores.

The new wireless modem from Sprint will likely be a better deal for most consumers because the service, which costs $79.99 per month, offers the best coverage at the best price.… Read more

Clearwire-Sprint Nextel unveils new brand

Clearwire and Sprint-Nextel announced Monday they have completed their joint-venture transaction and will offer mobile WiMax service under the "Clear" brand.

The transaction, announced in May, creates a new company valued at $14.5 billion, formed with the WiMax assets of both Sprint-Nextel and Clearwire. The new company aims to create a nationwide broadband wireless network to rival AT&T.

As part of that plan, the new company will retain the Clearwire name and offer mobile WiMax under the Clear brand. Over the coming months, Sprint Nextel's XOHM service will undergo a name change.

The newly … Read more

Cox to offer wireless service

Cable company Cox Communications will add cell phone service to its service bundle starting in 2009.

The cable operator announced Monday that it will initially partner with Sprint Nextel to resell its wireless service to customers in its cable territory. Cox already bundles high speed Internet, telephony, and TV service. And soon it will add wireless service for a quadruple play offering.

"Wireless service will be a key driver to Cox's future growth," Cox President Pat Esser said in a statement.

But Cox isn't stopping with just reselling Sprint's wireless service. It also plans to … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 827: Unbreakable ... because it's QUANTUM

Natali Del Conte joins us today for a discussion of quantum mechanics, Apple laptop pricing, super satellites, click-jacking, and crowd-sourced baby names. It sounds kind of heavy, but it's surprisingly goofy. We think you'll enjoy it. Also: stop Skyping us! Listen now: Download today's podcast Episode 827

WiMAX launch http://cnettv.cnet.com/9742-1_53-50004011.html

Apple notebook launch! https://twitter.com/natalidelconte/statuses/952901666

It’s official: Apple to talk laptops on October 14 http://www.cnet.com/8301-18603_1-10062305-73.html

$800 Apple notebooks? http://www.inquisitr.com/4834/exclusive-apple-to-launch-800-laptop/

Touchpanel EEE PCs to debut at CES 2009 … Read more

Asus has a WiMax laptop, too

Everyone else is doing it, so why shouldn't Asus? Late Wednesday, the company announced the immediate availability of the M50Vm-A1WM, a 15.4-inch laptop with a built-in WiMax module for the recently launched Sprint Xohm data network.

Next-generation data connectivity aside, the $1,399 M50Vm-A1WM (catchy name, that) looks to be a fairly typical media-oriented mainstream machine. Its WXGA+ display should do just fine for watching movies, and we hope its Altec Lansing speakers will make it easy to enjoy music; the laptop is also HDMI ready and Dolby Home Theater certified. Inside the case, you'll find a … Read more

Acer, Toshiba, and Lenovo unveil WiMax laptops

Baltimore residents looking to take advantage of Sprint's brand-new Xohm WiMax data network can now choose among several laptops with built-in WiMax compatibility from such major manufacturers as Acer, Toshiba, and Lenovo.

On Wednesday, Acer announced that it would be bringing WiMax radios to two Aspire models, the 14.1-inch Aspire 4930-6862 and the 16-inch Aspire 6930-6771. Both laptops cost $899 and are built on Intel's Centrino 2 platform, with a 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo T7350 processor, 3GB of RAM, integrated graphics, and a 320GB hard drive.

Meanwhile, Toshiba has announced the WiMax-ready Satellite U405-ST550W. The 13-inch … Read more

With WiMax, Sprint cuts the cord in Baltimore

BALTIMORE--Executives from Sprint Nextel and its ecosystem of partners ceremonially cut the broadband cord here on Wednesday with the launch of the first mobile WiMax network in the U.S.

Executives also showed off several new laptops that will have embedded WiMax chips, and they announced that Sprint will be offering dual-mode 3G/4G products by the end of the year. The introduction of new devices and integration with Sprint's existing cellular network could help lay to rest worries about the company's initial strategy. But it's still very early days for Xohm and for WiMax in general. … Read more