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Posts with tag HSUPA

Samsung's SCH-M470 puts Windows Mobile in the upload fast lane


Sliders with numeric keypads aren't exactly the most common form factor for Windows Mobile handsets to begin with, but throw in some HSUPA and you've got a very rare combo indeed. Samsung's SCH-M470 fits that most unusual bill, throwing in a 2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, and WiFi -- not to say you'll necessarily need it while you're cruising along at the sickeningly fast speeds the HSPA specification originally intended. Unfortunately, this one won't find its way out of Korea, but the presence of HSUPA here is a good sign for smartphones of all creeds in the near term; 'course, if you happen to find yourself in Seoul, you'll be able to grab one for somewhere between 600,000 and 700,000 won (about $616 to $718).

[Via Slashphone]

Super 3G hits 250Mbps downlink in NTT DoCoMo field test


Just think -- this time next year, we'll all look back at this milestone and wonder how on Earth we thought it was impressive. For now, however, we wouldn't blame you for high-fiving everyone around, as NTT DoCoMo has stretched the boundaries again with a recent Super 3G field test. Reportedly, the outfit was able to record "a downlink transmission rate of 250Mbps over a high-speed wireless network in an outdoor test of an experimental Super 3G system," and while it's not quite the 300Mbps we'd heard about before, you won't find us kvetching. If all goes to plan, the firm is hoping to "complete development of the technologies required for the eventual launch of a Super 3G network" by 2009, but who knows how long we Americans will have to wait to indulge after that.

AT&T offers **free Option GT Ultra and GT Ultra Express HSUPA cards (**must sell soul)


Check it data fans, AT&T just announced a pair of new HSUPA LaptopConnect cards from Option. The GT Ultra goes type II PCMCIA while the GT Ultra Express is, you guessed it, destined for ExpressCard34 slots. Both cards are tri-band UMTS/HSPA 850/1900/2100MHz and quad-band GPRS/EDGE capable for BroadbandConnect speeds of about 600Kbps to 1.4Mbps on the way down or 500Kbps to 800Kbps back up the tubes. Those bands should get your suit connected in some 140 countries spanning the US, Europe, Japan and Korea. The cards are Mac and PC compatible and will set you back $50 0$ (for a limited time starting tomorrow) plus a two year contract of at least $60 per month. After you mail-in the appropriate rebate forms of course... which you'll probably forget to do.

Hands-on with Sony Ericsson's world-beating XPERIA X1


When we saw the XPERIA X1 announced yesterday we pretty much flipped our collective geeky lids, this handset is the stuff mobile dreams are made of. There is nothing to gripe about here and while our play date was short-lived -- and very supervised -- we did get a chance to peek at the rather unfinished UI, fit and finish, and did we mention the frickin' screen on this phone? Wah! It's like paper. This handset just can't come soon enough -- for those of you not listening earlier, that'll be late Q2 -- but until then you'll just have to live with pics.

AT&T's 2008 plans include 80 new cities with 3G, HSUPA network

Kind of makes those New Years resolutions of yours seem a bit silly now, but AT&T has some high hopes for 2008. While it mulls its own 700MHz options and leaves the C block to the likes of Verizon, the company plans to build out its 3G network into 80 more cities, which boosts the number to 350 "leading" markets in the US, a rollout AT&T has been sluggish to compete with Verizon and Sprint on. AT&T also pledges to complete its HSUPA network by the middle of the year for speedier uploads. AT&T's not giving many specifics on its future network plans, just that existing infrastructure improvements pave the way for HSPA+ and LTE in the "years to come." Let's hope those years come fast, these HD downloads we keep hearing about are liable to set a few cell towers on fire by year's end.

Sierra Wireless intros Apex 880 USB HSUPA modem

Sierra Wireless sure doesn't seem to be skimping when it comes to USB HSUPA modems, with it now following up its recently-released 880U and 881U models with its new and somewhat improved Apex 880 modem. About the biggest addition here is an always useful microSD card slot, which should let you ditch at least one USB thumb drive from your bag. The modem itself is also slightly smaller than the previous models, measuring just 85mm x 37.5mm x 15mm. Otherwise, you'll get the same peak data speeds of 7.2 Mbps on the downlink and 2.0 Mpbs on the uplink as before, and support for tri-band UMTS and quad-band GSM/ EDGE networks to keep you connected at all times. No word on a price just yet, but it'll apparently be available in January.

[Via Electronista]

Rogers Wireless brings 7.2 Mbps HSPA trials to Canada


Today is shaping up to be Rogers Wireless day in these parts, as the announcement of a 7.2 Mbps HSPA trial has fired up in Montreal and Brampton -- Brampton? We've seen 7.2 networks lighting up here and there and are pretty stoked to see this in this neck of the woods -- and certainly hope to see this catch on quickly. While no details are mentioned in the press materials -- like, can this be accessed by the public or is it closed -- we're gonna do some digging and -- if possible -- armed with a data card, some testing.

HTC Polaris gets specs leaked, renamed the Touch Cruise


The next step in the HTC Touch line -- the GPS-equipped Polaris -- has been re-christened the Touch Cruise, and has gone and gotten its juicy specs all leaked out to the internet. In addition to having improved TouchFlo capabilities, like rotation and zoom, the new model will sport a quad-band GSM radio (850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900), tri-band UMTS (850 / 1900 / 2100), HSDPA and HSUPA data connectivity, a 400MHz MSM7200 Qualcomm CPU, 128MB of RAM and 256MB of ROM, a 2.8-inch, 320 x 240 QVGA display, 3-megapixel camera (plus secondary, 0.3-megapixel camera), WiFi, Bluetooth, and a microSD slot. Apparently, the design of the device hasn't been finalized, though it will likely feature four buttons and a navigation wheel (similar to the pics up above). Mouth watering? Eyes tearing up? We understand. The Cruise is expected by the end of November, so go easy on your credit cards till then.

Update:
Thanks to CoolSmartPhone and Smart Mobile Gadgets, we've gotten a proper view of the Touch Cruise, and it's sweet!

Broadcom intros inexpensive "3G phone on a chip" solution

Broadcom sure has been on a roll of late, introducing the feature-packed VideoCore III multimedia processor earlier this month and following it with the "world's first 3G phone on a chip" solution. The BCM21551 baseband chip was developed on a single, low-power 65-nanometer CMOS die and features Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, FM radio, an FM transmitter, support for up to five-megapixel cameras, 30fps TV out and "advanced multimedia processing." Notably, you won't find integrated WiFi or GPS, but it does play nice with HSUPA, HSDPA, WCDMA and EDGE cellular protocols. Best of all, this system-on-a-chip is available now to "early access customers," and the low, low $23 pricetag (when purchased in bulk, of course) is music to our ears.

Ericsson launches 2.6GHz HSPA equipment, chipset makers cry uncle again

No, seriously, how many global 3G bands do we need? We're still dealing with chipset and handset manufacturers hemming and hawing over adding 850 and 1900MHz for support in the Americas, for goodness' sake, and that's the least of our problems. T-Mobile's starting to light up little fragments of its 1700MHz spectrum (good luck getting Sony Ericsson to buy into that one, guys) while Europe may start to add UMTS 900 to supplement the 2100MHz networks that are currently deployed over in those parts. Alas, here comes Ericsson trotting out an array of 2.6GHz HSPA wares, suggesting that it gives carriers greater "cost efficiency" by tacking on to existing infrastructure. Norway, the UK, and Sweden have all announced plans for 2.6GHz auctions recently so Ericsson's announcement is indeed a timely one -- but still, talk about 3G band overload!

[Via PhoneMag]

AT&T's HSUPA upgrade just around the corner

Richard Burns, AT&T's president of wireless network services, has revealed some key stats and plans for the company's 3G network -- not a topic of much interest for iPhone owners, granted, but he says those folks think the EDGE experience is "great" anyway (whatever). The number of market areas covered by its HSDPA network should touch the 200 mark by the end of this year, and while AT&T won't succeed in upgrading its entire network to 3G by the end of 2008, Mr. Burns says that the build-out will continue throughout the year in order of data demand, which we take to mean that the most rural of rural areas are still going to be plumb out of luck here. Perhaps more interestingly, though, he revealed that the planned upgrade to HSUPA is well underway, with coverage going live in the next couple months. Of course, that means new data modems are gonna be necessary to take advantage, but if hosting a website from a park bench is a priority for you, it could very well be worth the cost of admission.

Option's GlobeTrotter Express HSUPA card wins FCC approval

Option has already done quite a bit of bragging about its various HSUPA and HSDPA offerings, but it looks like the company now has one more cause to pat itself on the back, as its GlobeTrotter Express HSUPA card has netted the all-important FCC approval. According to the company, that makes it the first such card to do so, paving the way for it to be released in the U.S. Apart from the ExpressCard form factor, however, the card is pretty much in line with the company's HSUPA USB adapter, with it boasting 7.2 Mbps download speeds and upload speeds approaching 2 Mbps, along with support for tri-band UMTS operation and compatibility with quad-band EDGE and GPRS. While there's nothing to hold it back now, there unfortunately still doesn't appear to be any word on a price or release date.

UK carriers to begin HSUPA rollouts this year

HSDPA and HSUPA are pretty much two peas in a pod -- if HSPA is the "pod," anyway -- so it stands to reason that HSUPA rollouts are going to start picking up steam as carriers look to extend their 3.5G investments. The upgrades look to be coming particularly fast and furious for British folk in the next few months, with Vodafone, T-Mobile, and 3 all having committed to kicking off their HSUPA buildouts by year end. Orange starts its work speeding up the upstream next year, while O2's still nowhere in sight -- but hey, three outta five in 2007 ain't bad.

[Via All About Symbian]

Novatel's MC950D, world's smallest USB HSUPA modem

We've noticed that 3G USB dongles tend to be behemoths, hanging like unfortunate growths off the sides of otherwise-attractive laptops -- so, needless to say, we're happy to hear that a manufacturer is making a conscientious effort to tighten up the dimensions a bit. Novatel Wireless is triumphantly claiming that its new Ovation MC950D is the world's smallest HSUPA modem -- though HSUPA's still pretty rare, so that doesn't necessarily mean much -- with downstream speeds topping out at 7.2Mbps and a healthy 2.1Mbps upstream. No word on partners or an exact release date, but Novatel says the device is in its "final testing stages" (across the pond, seemingly) with commercial availability coming later in the quarter.

NTT DoCoMo tests speedy Super 3G


It's a bird, it's a plane, no, its just Japan's NTT DoCoMo blowing the rest of the world away with yet more steroid-loaded 3G action, or Super 3G in this case. Blending advanced HSDPA and HSUPA technologies, Super 3G is touted as having downlink speeds as quick as 300Mbps -- a fair bit quicker than earlier reports -- to your handset. The indoor tests will begin with only one transmitting and receiving antenna, but switch up to the four Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) antenna system that would be used if deployed. Test are expected to wrap up in 2009, so in the interim we'll all just sit back and cry a little knowing we'll never see this type of tech on these shores.

[Via Unwired View]




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