LAS VEGAS--On the eve of the CTIA Wireless 2009 trade show here, Clearwire has announced a portable Wi-Fi router that will use Wi-Fi to connect devices such as smartphones and cameras to its new 4G wireless network.
(Credit:
Cradlepoint)
On Tuesday, network operator Clearwire, which is building a nationwide WiMax network, announced the Clear Spot, which is made by CradlePoint.
The compact, battery-powered device connects up to eight devices to the Clearwire WiMax network via Wi-Fi. It costs $139 and is expected to go on sale later this month.
Clearwire said the Clear Spot will work with most Wi-Fi-enabled smartphones, including the iPhone, some BlackBerry devices, Windows Mobile phones, the T-Mobile G1, and the Palm Pre. It will also work with Wi-Fi-enabled game and music devices, as well as Wi-Fi-ready digital and video cameras.
The purpose of the device is to extend and provide access to Clearwire's WiMax network. Intel has already started manufacturing WiMax chips. And some laptops have the technology embedded in them.
Eventually, other consumer electronics devices will also get WiMax connectivity. But until then, there aren't many devices that can connect to the Clearwire network. By contrast, there are millions of devices already on the market that have Wi-Fi connectivity. The Clear Spot router allows these Wi-Fi devices to access the Clearwire WiMax network.
"While many (consumer electronics) devices will eventually include embedded WiMax technology, our customers can now easily use their existing Wi-Fi-enabled phones, cameras, game systems, or laptops in compelling new ways," Scott Richardson, chief strategy officer for Clearwire, said in a statement.
Clearwire currently offers WiMax service in Baltimore and Portland, Ore. The company has plans to add service in another eight cities in 2009, and it expects that by the end of 2010, it will be able to offer its WiMax service to 120 million users. The service is available for $10 a day, or consumers can sign up for a monthly service starting at $30.
Clearwire isn't the only service provider tapping into the power of Wi-Fi to reach more consumer devices. Verizon Wireless is also reportedly getting ready to launch a new device known as the MiFi 2200, which is made by Novatel. This device also creates a personal Wi-Fi hot spot that uses Verizon's 3G wireless network to connect to the Internet.
Verizon isn't commenting on the new device. But Novatel is showing off the device here at CTIA.
(Credit:
Nikon)
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 on similar devices (Microsoft's based on the Surface technology; Apple's a blown-up version of the iPod Touch), but it's still too early to say that such devices--if they ever exist--will use WiMax.
If they do, we could see another WiMax tablet from Nokia, but we're not making any bets yet.
Sprint Nextel announced Wednesday that it will start selling dual-mode 3G/4G wireless broadband modems for laptops starting Sunday.
Sprint 3G/4G USB Modem U300
(Credit: Sprint Nextel)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.
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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 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 processor, 1GB Nvidia GeForce 9600M GS graphics, and a 250GB, 5,400rpm hard drive.
The company's WiMax promotional page also lists a WiMax-enabled version of its 14.1-inch F8Va laptop, though that model doesn't appear to be immediately available. So far, the company hasn't announced plans to release a U.S. version of its WiMax-enabled Eee PC 901--but we certainly expect to see it happen, as the Netbook's extreme portability seems the perfect match for next-generation wireless services.
Of course, the WiMax-enabled laptop will initially appeal to residents of Baltimore, where Sprint just launched its Xohm network. However, there will eventually be a broader market for such laptops; Sprint has plans to roll out the technology to other cities, including Chicago, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Portland, Ore., and Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas.
Acer Aspire 6930, now with 4G wireless.
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 laptop will also be based on Centrino 2, with 4GB of RAM and a 320GB hard drive. Internal components aside, its case will be identical to the Satellite U405-S2830 we reviewed earlier this summer.
And finally, Lenovo takes the launch crown with four WiMax-ready ThinkPads. The WiMax option is available on the SL series, aimed at small and medium businesses, as well as the mainstream T series and the ultraportable X series. Specifically, you can now opt for WiMax connectivity on the ThinkPad SL300, SL500, T400, and X301.
Of course, Baltimore won't be the only market to be interested in these laptops; Sprint is planning to expand its WiMax service to Chicago, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Portland, Ore., and Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas.
If you live in Baltimore and want to experience fast, wireless Internet speeds, then congrats, you've chosen your place of residence wisely. On Monday, Sprint announced that Baltimore would be the first U.S. city to have access to its new WiMax mobile data network known as Xohm.
Xohm is a wireless data service which, thanks to its WiMax capability, will purportedly give you broadband-like speeds on your wireless PC.
Prices for the service start at $10 for 24 hours of unlimited usage, $25 for monthly home Internet service, and $30 for monthly on-the-go service. A special launch price includes a $50 "Pick 2 for Life" monthly service option covering two different WiMax devices. As for contracts, Sprint, in an "effort to free customers of restrictive long-term plans," is not requiring them to sign a contract to use the service.
They are requiring that you use the service in downtown Baltimore, however. Sprint claims that customers will be seeing speeds of 2 to 4 megabits per second for downloads.
Customers interested in the service can purchase either a Xohm-branded Samsung Express air card for $59.99 or a ZyXEL modem for $79.99. One of the two will be necessary to use the service.
Baltimore is just the beginning, however, as Sprint is planning to expand the service to Chicago and Washington D.C. soon and later to Philadelphia, Portland, Ore., and Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas.
(Credit:
Crave Asia)
Flyvo intends to ride the waves of portable gaming with a new WiMAX device.
The Flyvo G100 has a 4-inch touch screen and sits on the Windows CE Professional 5.0 platform. However, the operating system has been customized such that you can't install any Windows Mobile applications. It uses WiMAX, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth radios for interactive gaming, with a built-in 4GB flash storage to hold software. As it also doubles as an audio/video playback device, there is a microSDHC slot for extending the memory.
The unit will be available in South Korea in December, arriving on the U.S. market in the second quarter of 2009. (Get more CommunicAsia 2008 coverage here.)
(Source: Crave Asia)
If you've already bought an Eee PC, you can still add WiMax with a USB dongle.
(Credit: Asus)Asus has announced the products it plans to display at this week's WiMax Expo Taipei, and the list includes few surprises. After all, GCT Semiconductor already shared details of a WiMax-equipped Eee PC 901. But for those of us who don't necessarily feel compelled to invest in a new laptop just to get wireless broadband connectivity, Asus is also showing off the WUSB25E2V2 (catchy!), a mirror-finish WiMax USB dongle.
The other products on display are plug-and-play base stations, also known as customer premises equipment. More details on these products, with such memorable model names as WMNV25E2+, are available in the news release.
WiMax is in the cards for the Eee PC. Asus will demonstrate notebooks Monday that integrate WiMax chips from San Jose, Calif.-based GCT Semiconductor.
Asus Eee PC
(Credit: Asus)Despite recent statements that the Eee PC 901 will not get WiMax, GCT Semiconductor announced--along with Asus--Sunday that Asus has integrated GCT's GDM7205 WiMAX single-chip silicon into the F8 notebook series and Eee PC.
GCT says the F8 series and Eee PC will be demonstrated with WiMax at the WiMax Expo Taipei that begins on June 2nd.
The widely-reported specifications for the Eee PC 901 are a 1.6GHz Atom processor, an 8.9-inch screen, solid state drive (12GB or 20GB), 1GB of memory, and either Linux or Windows XP. A future version of the Eee PC is expected to get WiMax.
Intel will also be demonstrating WiMax in the Asus M51VA notebook at Computex. Versions of the Eee PC may also come with the Intel WiMax chipset.
But Asus is clearly working with GCT also. "We are pleased to be working with a proven industry leader like GCT, who has enabled Asus to provide our customers with systems containing reliable high performance WiMax capability," said Jellent Sun, Asus' senior director of notebook product marketing, in a statement.
GCT said that its single-chip WiMax solution enables "lower power consumption for longer battery life, smaller form-factor design and lower bill of materials cost."
GCT is also supplying WiMax chips for notebooks based on Via Technologies silicon.
As a Computex preview, Intel is showing off its "delayed" Centrino 2 platform via an Asus notebook.
Asus M51VA with a 2.4GHz P8600 processor
(Credit: Intel)A chunk of the Centrino 2 roll-out has been delayed until August 5--and WiMax even beyond that. Intel, however, is slated to do a Centrino 2 processor refresh on July 14.
"Today I've got my privileged hands on a brand spanking new Asus Centrino 2 ("Montevina" for us nerds) system," according to a pre-Computex Intel blog.
Intel, not surprisingly, is trying to build enthusiasm for Centrino 2 and WiMax. But, with chipset and WiMax delays, all this euphoria comes with qualifiers.
The Intel blogger, Craig Raymond, senior technical marketing engineer for Corporate Demonstrations at Intel, is--not surprisingly--ebullient about the "new mobile powerhouse"--An Asus M51VA with a Penryn P8600 2.4GHz processor. The P8600 is part of the upcoming Centrino 2 processor refresh.
But he quickly qualifies the euphoria with: "Oh Montevina...You broke our hearts with the launch delay."
He cites one of the best features as testing "World of Warcraft over the live Fitel WiMax here in Taipei."
"That's right. You heard me correctly. Montevina, WiMax; live in Taipei. Kind of strange to say it all in one mouthful, but it's finally here."
This statement has to be qualified too since WiMax won't ship with Centrino 2 until later this year. "When WiMax ships with Centrino 2 later this year, no add on card required, the Echo Peak mini-card hidden under the hood (like the one inside this Asus) promises the 'always on' connection we've been lusting for."
"Online gaming over a live carrier network has long been my holy grail around WiMax. Here from my outside park bench, after downloading my Warcraft client, I'm able log into the game world to slay all manner of goblins and over sized gerbils," he gushed. (More here).
