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EVDO posts

Some HTC Hero units shipping sans EV-DO Rev. A on Sprint? (update: nope!)

by Darren Murph posted Oct 12th 2009 @ 9:09AM

Ruh roh. Without claiming that there's some sort of high-speed conspiracy going on at Sprint (read: there's not), we'd like to point out that quite a few early adopters are claiming that their Hero refuses to hop on the carrier's EV-DO Rev. A network. We took a peek back at the company's press release for this very phone, and sure enough, the Rev. A experience is promised. We're guessing that a simple firmware update will be all it takes to remedy the issue (if there's truly an issue at all), but 'til then, there's always WiFi! Right, guys?

[Via Examiner, thanks Tracknod]

Update: We just heard directly from HTC about this snafu, and as it turns out, the message that Sprint Hero users are seeing is merely a mislabeling. If you're within an EV-DO Rev. A area, you'll get Rev. A speeds -- despite that fact that your phone says it's only on Rev. 0. We're also told that a future maintenance release will address the message. Check the full quote after the break.

Continue reading Some HTC Hero units shipping sans EV-DO Rev. A on Sprint? (update: nope!)

Samsung InstinctQ for Sprint passes by the FCC and turns a few heads

by Laura June posted Sep 22nd 2009 @ 9:29AM

It's been a little piece of time since we saw that photo of the G1-esque Samsung InstinctQ emerge, and we were starting to wonder what had become of our newest QWERTY cutie. Well -- the M900, as it's also known -- has just ducked through the old FCC, and though we didn't really learn anything we didn't already know, it was just nice to see its face again. The Sprint-bound, CMDA / EV-DO-loving Android slider will pack Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and we have to say that it's looking pretty fly to our eyes. We're not sure when this bad boy's going to hit reality, but the FCC appearance makes us think it won't be too long now.

[via Unwired View, thanks Ryan]

Sprint swaggers, promises to be first to release 3G Femtocell in US

by Ross Miller posted Jul 3rd 2009 @ 3:12AM

While AT&T's still claiming MicroCell will be out before the year's up, Sprint's bringing out the big words by boasting to Unstrung it'll be beating everyone to the market with its 3G femtocell solution. Company VP of device and technology development Mathew Oommen is pretty light on some of the finer details -- like actual release date, hardware supplier, pricing scheme, and pretty much every other piece of information we'd want -- but he did imply there'd be multiple options available for the CDMA EV-DO Rev. A extender, including a device more tailored for enterprise use. Look, you two can fight all you want over who gets first, but in the end, we just want our Pres and iPhones to live together and home in perfect-reception harmony -- think we can get that in time for Christmas?

[Via Slashgear]

Motorola's A4500 world phone caught in the FCC covered in Verizon tattoos

by Ross Miller posted Apr 29th 2009 @ 1:32AM

We don't have a formal unveiling for Motorola's Verizon-bound A4500 world phone just yet, but an operation manual and some snapshots of its dress rehearsal from the FCC should suffice in the interim. From what we glean, it supports CDMA for VZW's network and quad-band GSM for SIM-packing Vodafone customers and other overseas roaming needs. No points for design originality (Q9, anyone?), but it does boast a wealth of good features including two megapixel camera, EV-DO, stereo Bluetooth, 2 megapixel camera, Windows Mobile (presumably 6.1), and a biometric fingerprint reader on the back of the phone. Not that we expected you to be eagerly anticipating this one, but we'd venture to say a cameo in the FCC means it's on track for release some time in the near future.

[Via Phone Scoop]

Sprint debuts 2-in-1 AirCard 402 mobile broadband card

by Donald Melanson posted Apr 21st 2009 @ 4:54PM

It's not exactly for everybody, but we have a sneaking suspicion that Sprint's new Sierra Wireless AirCard 402 mobile broadband card -- first spotted last month -- will make at least a few multiple laptop owners out there very, very happy. As you can see above, this one can function happily as an ExpressCard one moment and a PC Card the next, with each providing the same dual-band CDMA connectivity and support for EV-DO 1xRTT, Rev. 0, and Rev. A, along with all the other standard features and software you'd expect from a mobile broadband card. Perhaps the best news, however, is the price, which at $99.99 (after $180 instant savings and a $50 mail-in rebate), is pretty much in line with Sprint's other plan old ExpressCard options.

ZTE completes EV-DO Rev. B VoIP call on CDMA2000 system

by Darren Murph posted Feb 27th 2009 @ 1:39PM

It seems like just yesterday that Big Red was firing up its EV-DO Rev. A network in America, and already we're seeing signs of life with Rev. B. In all honesty, though, we've known about the next iteration of EV-DO (and the next-next, for that matter) for years now, but said Chinese carrier has just completed what it calls the world's first EV-DO Rev. B VoIP call on its CDMA2000 system. In other words, this is the first time a CDMA carrier has achieved a 9.3Mbps download rate and 5.4Mbps upload rate. The lovely part of this is that ZTE can upgrade from Rev. A to Rev. B without any additional hardware, thus paving the way for a quick commercialization in Q3 2009. Huzzah!

Alltel kicks off EV-DO Rev. A deployment

by Chris Ziegler posted Jun 23rd 2008 @ 4:37PM

With LTE a few years out yet, Alltel needs something to get it over the 3.5G hump -- and seeing how it's presently a CDMA carrier, you can pretty much guess where this is going. Sure enough, Verizon's newest partner in crime has announced that the rollout of its EV-DO Rev. A upgrade is now underway, promising a bump in downlink speeds from 400-700kbps on the existing Rev. 0 network to somewhere between 600kbps and 1.4Mbps. Uplink speeds are where Rev. A really shines, though, blazing as much as ten times faster than it did before -- 800kbps on a good day with bursts of up to 1.8Mbps. Two data cards are being offered to take advantage of the service -- one from Huawei and one from UTStarcom -- while compatible handsets currently include the HTC PPC6800 and Touch. The rollout is targeted for "select markets" right now -- Charlotte, New Orleans, Phoenix and Tampa among a total of 18 -- with overall EV-DO coverage continuing to expand as well; Alltel's targeting 82 percent of its footprint to be upgraded by year's end.

Alltel Touch gets firmware update, EV-DO Rev. A included

by Chris Ziegler posted Apr 23rd 2008 @ 8:30PM

Make us proud, Alltel! The number five carrier's really been going all-out as of late, doing an impressive job of keeping its offerings in line with the big boys -- and in some cases, outdoing 'em with hot exclusives like the Glimmer. Once again, they've gotten the jump on their larger, heavier competition by becoming the first carrier to release a firmware upgrade for the Vogue (the Alltel Touch, in this case) that ups the radio to EV-DO Rev. A speeds. Speedy uploads aside, the upgrade includes some Bluetooth fixes and adds the ability to receive video messages. Sprint, Verizon -- your move.

[Via phoneArena]

Bell brings unlimited data to Canada

by Michael Caputo posted Sep 23rd 2007 @ 9:31AM

Bell Mobility of Canada has announced that customers can sign up for its new unlimited data plans for $75 CAD (about $74) per month. The service is only available with wireless modems, so tethering is a negative. The data speeds are right up there with those in the States and is delivered via EV-DO Rev. A courtesy of Bell. Customers can choose between three different modems: the Sierra Wireless AC595, the Novatel U720, and the Novatel P720. Seeing how it used to cost $100 for 1GB of data, the boys and girls at Bell seem to be getting the bigger picture.

[Via Boy Genius Report]

Telus, Sierra Wireless carrying EV-DO Rev A to Canada

by Darren Murph posted Feb 16th 2007 @ 5:55PM

If the Canucks out there have been getting a bit jealous at all the Rev A love going around down south, your resentment ends now -- well, sometime this year, anyway. Thanks to Telus and Sierra Wireless, EV-DO Rev A connectvitiy is headed to Canada in the coming months, as interested users will be able to pop the AirCard 595 into their laptop's PCMCIA slot and reportedly reach peak speeds of up to 3.1Mbps downstream and 1.8Mbps upstream. Of course, it is noted that typical speeds will range between 300 to 400Kbps whilst uploading, and 450 to 800Kbps on the downward slope, but you Canadians will probably take what you can get, eh? Unfortunately, there's no set dates for the future rollouts, and "select markets" is all we have to go on for availability, but we do know that Telus will be charging $349.99 for the AirCard 595 sans a contract, or you can lock yourself in for a whopping three years if you've only got $99.99 to spare.

Samsung's dual-personality SCH-W210 with S-DMB

by Chris Ziegler posted Nov 1st 2006 @ 12:38PM

For some, "EV-DO Rev. 0 versus UMTS" and "EV-DO Rev. A versus HSDPA" are the eternal questions when it comes to picking one's 3G poison. Samsung, on the other hand, seems to be asking what we think is the right question: why not both? The SCH-W210 slider preferentially rolls on HSDPA for video calling goodness, but when roaming outside of the coverage area, EV-DO is used as a fallback (ha, EV-DO as a "fallback," that's a good one) so high-speed data is never too far away. Features include an S-DMB receiver, QVGA display, 2-megapixel rear and VGA front cams, microSD expansion, and TV out. We don't expect this thing to find its way too far outside South Korean borders, but we can dare to dream.

Helio Hybrid buys you 160MB of 3G monthly

by Chris Ziegler posted Oct 8th 2006 @ 10:18PM

$85 sounds like a pretty solid deal for a Boingo WiFi account plus unlimited EV-DO, doesn't it? It would, if the 3G part of Helio's Hybrid package was, in fact, unlimited. Alas, Wi-Fi Networking News uncovered the rather startling fact that Helio is considering anything above and beyond 160MB per month to be "excessive or abusive." To be fair, Helio isn't advertising the Hybrid's 3G data to be unlimited -- in which case 2GB or more of monthly access would be typically considered the norm without getting yourself in hot water -- but then again, they aren't doing a very good job of making it clear on their site that the soft cap comes in at 160MB, either. Helio is apparently expecting Hybrid customers to spend the lion's share of their time doing the WiFi thing, but even still, we know a couple Engadget editors that could blow through 160MB in a few hours. How about a real, honest-to-goodness all-you-can-eat plan for a few bucks more a month, guys?

[Via Wi-Fi Network News]

Sprint first US carrier with EV-DO Rev A hardware

by Chris Ziegler posted Aug 29th 2006 @ 3:03PM

Their EV-DO Revision A network might not be ready for prime time until Q4 at the earliest, but no one can fault Sprint for not having modems in the pipeline when they do eventually flip the switch. The just-launched S720 from Novatel Wireless offers glorious downstream speeds of up to 850Kbps in a PC Card form factor -- sad news for MacBook Pro users needing an ExpressCard, but we have to believe Sprint will have you guys covered before too terribly long. Look for the S720 at your friendly local Sprint retailer for $99.99 on a 2-year contract, though without much live Rev A infrastructure, there's no rush to upgrade from your trusty Rev 0 equipment just yet.

[Via phoneArena]

Sprint's EV-DO Rev. A rollout to begin in Q4

by Chris Ziegler posted Aug 3rd 2006 @ 12:57PM

Perhaps spurred on by Verizon's rollout schedule -- or the increasingly present threat of Cingular's HSDPA coverage -- Sprint's decided to light a fire under its EV-DO Rev. A rollout plans, promising coverage for a population of 40 million by year end. The upgrade from their existing Rev. 0 network should offer average download speeds of 450-800kbps with a theoretical maximum of 3.1Mbps, up from 300-400Kbps and 1.8Mbps, respectively. Though the upgrade won't likely cause many folks to join the bandwagon, it's a welcome boost for existing subscribers looking to match (or surpass, depending on who you ask) HSDPA performance. Look for the rollout to complete in Q3 2007, with availability of Rev. A handsets and PC peripherals (including an ExpressCard flavor) this fall.

[Via phoneArena]

Sierra Wireless shows voice-capable mini cards

by Chris Ziegler posted Aug 2nd 2006 @ 2:19PM

If talking into your laptop is your thing, Sierra Wireless' new line of 3G PCI Express mini cards are poised to make your day. Available in HSDPA 2100 with 1.8Mbps downstream, 3.6Mbps HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100, and 3.1Mbps EV-DO rev. A flavors, the cards go beyond the typical WWAN data devices for your PC by offering voice capability as well. Though we're sure the intended use here is via a wired or Bluetooth headset, we can't help but chuckle at the thought of holding a telephone conversation by holding your laptop to your head all flip-phone style.

[Via Slashphone]