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ev-do posts

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]

FCC approves LTE / EV-DO hybrid gear from LG

by Chris Ziegler, posted Jun 23rd 2009 @ 5:17PM

We're not sure what the LG M13 is, exactly, but we can tell you one very important thing about the mysterious device: it's awesome. We know this because the FCC has revealed some limited documentation about the recent approval, which is where we find out that it's a "Cellular / PCS CDMA / EvDO and 700MHz LTE Device." Translated, that means it'll be able to play both on CDMA networks -- take Verizon's, for example -- and also on LTE spectrum deployed in the 700MHz band, which Big Red just so happens to have recently purchased a whole lot of. This wouldn't be the first time LTE-compatible stuff from LG has garnered FCC love, but it would be the first time we've seen a device that supports both LTE and CDMA -- and considering that Verizon will have both networks operational for years (if not decades) to come, that's a pretty important feature. Any creative guesses as to what this might be, then? A modem, perhaps?

Novatel's MiFi 2200 portable EV-DO router comes to Sprint

by Darren Murph, posted May 13th 2009 @ 1:09PM

What one CDMA carrier can do, another can do better, right? Eh, not quite, but they can stare each other down holding the exact same weapon, just daring each other to make the next move. Just a week after Verizon Wireless launched the MiFi 2200 portable EV-DO router, Sprint has decided to offer up the exact same product for use on its network. The battery-powered box, engineered by Novatel Wireless, enables users to connect up to five WiFi-enabled devices to Sprint's EV-DO Rev. A network, and it'll be marketed in stores as the Sprint Mobile Hotspot. According to the carrier, its unit will be the first in the US to support MiFi's GPS capabilities, allowing users to take advantage of select location and mapping applications. It should be noted, however, that Sprint's service plans differ quite significantly from those offered up by VZW. The up front cost is the same at $99 after a $50 mail-in rebate (on a two-year agreement), though the only two options for getting it connected are as follows:

$59.99 per month mobile broadband only plan (excluding taxes and surcharges)
$149.99 per month Simply Everything Plan + Mobile Broadband (phone plus device connectivity -- excluding taxes and surcharges)
Both plans include up to 5 GB per month and 5 cents per megabyte overage for the MiFi 2200. [Ugh, disgusting.]
Available in early June.

[Via phoneArena]

Continue reading Novatel's MiFi 2200 portable EV-DO router comes to Sprint

Verizon debuts MiFi 2200 portable EV-DO router

by Paul Miller, posted May 6th 2009 @ 6:40PM

It was hardly a secret 'round these parts, but Verizon Wireless is finally ready to confess to that MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot we've heard so much about. Like the Novatel unit it's based on, the device harbors 802.11b/g and EV-DO Rev. A radios, and can share a 3G Verizon connection with up to five different WiFi devices simultaneously. Battery life is pegged at four hours of active use, and 40 hours of standby on a single charge. Data plans include a $40 monthly subscription for 250MB and 10 cents per MB overages, or $60 for 5GB and half the overages price. If you want to forgo the subscription and pay full-price for the MiFi, you can pick up a 24 hour "DayPass" for $15 -- any way you slice it, you'll be paying good money for the privilege of using the thing. The MiFi 2200 itself hits stores May 17th, and will run you $100 after a $50 rebate.

Samsung Instinct s30 review

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 28th 2009 @ 2:30PM

Once assumed to be a physically smaller version of the original Instinct (affectionately referred to as the Instinct Mini), the Instinct s30 is actually not an Instinct Nano. Sure, it's trimmed up and a bit more curvaceous, but those accustomed to the original won't notice a great deal of weight loss here. Unlike the original, Sprint's (smartly) not pushing this handset as an iPhone killer; instead, it's letting it be exactly what is it, which is a decent featurephone with a few unique niceties and nothing whatsoever that's mind-blowing. So, is the second iteration of the Instinct worth your time (and by extension, money)? Follow us past the break to find out.

Gallery: Samsung Instinct s30

Continue reading Samsung Instinct s30 review

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.

Second version of HTC Cedar graces FCC with its presence

by Chris Ziegler, posted Apr 10th 2009 @ 12:39PM

Remember how the portrait QWERTY Cedar garnered FCC approval a little while back? Yeah, well, forget that ever happened. Actually, don't -- it's a totally valid approval -- but that was the Cedar "200," and now we're seeing a Cedar "100" come rolling through. It's really common for HTC to create multiple versions of the same basic device using the same codename, differentiating them only with different three-digit numbers on the tail end, and that appears to be the case here; both versions of the Cedar are CDMA, so we could be looking at models for Sprint and Verizon, for example. Kinda puts the damper on the "why doesn't [insert carrier here] get any good phones?" complaint for just a moment, doesn't it?

Sierra Wireless, Wavecom to demo EVDO Fastrack Extreme

by Darren Murph, posted Mar 31st 2009 @ 11:55AM

Not sure if you heard, but Sierra Wireless and Wavecom recently changed their respective Facebook statuses from "It's complicated" to "Married." Crazy, right? Here in Las Vegas, the two will be on hand to showcase their first product created in collaboration: the EVDO Fastrack Extreme concept. Said device will reportedly be streaming video of the CTIA show floor via an integrated Sierra Wireless MC5727 PCI Express Mini Card. We're told that the device is aimed for use in a broad range of applications, including everything from video surveillance security systems, multimedia kiosks, navigation database synchronization and broadcast feeds. Sadly, neither company decided to dish out an image, but there's a decent chance we'll see it slinging video around the CTIA floor.

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!

Man charged $28,000 for using data card, Slingbox to watch football game

by Ross Miller, posted Feb 24th 2009 @ 7:31AM

While waiting for a Caribbean cruise liner to set sail from the Port of Miami last November, a Chicago native with an AT&T wireless card and Slingbox decided to catch the Bears vs. Lions football game on his laptop. The end result? A $28,067.31 bill from for international data charges, despite the ship never leaving the harbor. Apparently the card was picking up a signal it shouldn't have, and while the bill was eventually dropped to $290.65 after a considerable number of calls to customer service, let that be a warning to mobile users traveling on the fringe of international roaming areas -- and in case you were wondering, the Bears ended up winning 27 to 23.

[Via The Register]

Clearwire's $150 dual-mode WiMAX / Sprint CDMA modem launches Sunday

by Thomas Ricker, posted Dec 17th 2008 @ 1:33AM

Yup, it's true, the dual-mode CDMA / WiMAX modem is real and will be sold by Clearwire starting December 21st. The $150 device (after $50 rebate and two-year Sprint contract) is a first to function on both Sprint's EV-DO network and Clearwire's nascent mobile WiMAX service currently supporting Baltimore's collection of kitschy beauty salons. So yeah, the modem is of limited interest until Clearwire can build-out its network in 2009, starting with Portland in early January.

Motorola releases push-to-talk over EV-DO Rev. A solution

by Darren Murph, posted Aug 25th 2008 @ 9:48PM

Tired of abysmal sound quality when yapping via PTT? Are your chirps not leading to responses in a timely fashion? Never fear, as Motorola is all over it. For better or worse (though probably better), Moto has released its next-generation push-to-talk over cellular (PoC) solution, which is optimized for CDMA 1x networks with EV-DO Rev. A data capability. According to the official verbiage, the new solution leverages the zippy protocol to provide "low call set-up time latency and improved quality of service (QoS)." Rev. A chirping -- who woulda thunk it?

Sprint drops Phone-as-Modem plan to $15 per month, adds stipulations

by Darren Murph, posted Aug 21st 2008 @ 4:58PM

So there's good news and bad news, and we're not even giving you the option of choosing which you'd prefer to hear first (hint: it's the good). Sprint has dropped the price of its Phone-as-Modem plan (capped at 5GB monthly) to just $15 per month. Now, the rest of the story. First off, you must own a Power Vision phone with connection capabilities to a laptop. Next -- unlike the old PAM plan which ran $49.99 / month all by itself -- this "attachable plan" requires you to have another data plan already on your account. For instance, the BlackBerry Personal Pack ($30 / month) or the Worldwide Data Plan ($70 / month). In the end, it looks as if tethering in and of itself got cheaper, but those newfound strings that are reportedly attached will likely cause some frustration.

[Via phonescoop]

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.

Sprint's Sanyo Pro-700 and Pro-200 QChat devices get fondled

by Sean Cooper, posted Jun 17th 2008 @ 1:01AM

Unmistakable, aren't they? Sure, it may have a new and fancy name, but QChat-enabled PTT devices aren't fooling anyone. Sprint's latest and greatest are both humming along on the EV-DO Rev. A network -- a must for QChat devices -- the Sanyo Pro-700 (on left) in a tough military fit and finish, and the Pro-200 a perfect fir for ma and pa. The gents at PhoneArena have had a quick mitts-on, so head on over if you're curious to get at a pile more pics of some pretty hot push-to-talk action.