Hybrid -- Engadget Mobile

hybrid posts

LG and Nortel complete first LTE-CDMA handoff, Verizon swoons

by Chris Ziegler posted Aug 25th 2009 @ 9:17PM

This'll probably end up being important for Bell and Telus up in Canada (even though they're taking an intermediate step from CDMA to HSPA), but Verizon must absolutely love the fact that the infrastructure guys have now figured out how to hand off data packets between CDMA and LTE networks in a standards-compliant way. LG and Nortel -- what's left of it, anyway -- have collaborated to complete the handoff in Nortel's Ottawa research labs on 700MHz spectrum between EV-DO and the Canadian firm's LTE hardware, using LG's so-called M13 prototype modem that roughly resembles consumer-grade equipment that LG wants to release next year. This is great news for customers who not only won't need to choose between a fast modem with crappy coverage and a slow modem with awesome coverage -- they'll be able to have both in a single device -- but they'll also be able to continue to torrent last night's True Blood as they move between technologies. Cheers to that.

Elektrobit's satellite-GSM hybrid smartphone reference design in the flesh

by Chris Ziegler posted Feb 19th 2009 @ 9:44AM

99.99 percent of the population has no "need" for a phone capable of switching between GSM and satellite reception on the fly, but let's be clear: that has absolutely nothing to do with us wanting one. We checked out the reference design for Elektrobit's satellite-GSM hybrid smartphone powered by Windows Mobile 6.1 today, and here's the thing: it's not the best-looking device in the world -- nor the thinnest -- but when you consider the raw radio firepower it's packing, your mind should be fully blown. Unlike Iridium-based handsets that require huge, unsightly external antennas to connect you to outer space, Elektrobit's device connects to TerreStar's entirely IP-based network, meaning voice is sent over the interwebs and you can get relatively high-speed data even if you're in some lean-to in Wyoming just seconds away from being consumed whole by a grizzly. When you're closer to civilization, you've got HSDPA and WiFI, so this is basically the total package as connectivity goes. On the downside, the keyboard's mushy and uncomfortable with little dimples in the middle of each key -- and, you know, satellite service isn't the cheapest stuff in the world -- but hey, Elektrobit says there'll be a Windows Mobile 6.5 upgrade available later in the year. Sold.

Gallery: Elektrobit's satellite-GSM hybrid smartphone reference design in the flesh

Motorola ic902 gets official for Sprint Nextel

by Chris Ziegler posted Jun 14th 2007 @ 1:50PM

Motorola's iDEN / CDMA hybrid handsets are starting to get a little fancy, it seems. The new ic902 seems to offer up the best of both worlds for the uncompromising push-to-talk junkie, combining features like Power Vision (read: EV-DO rev. 0), healthy QVGA primary and 160 x 120 external color displays, integrated GPS, microSD memory expansion, Bluetooth, music player (sans external controls, it seems), and a 2 megapixel camera into a 0.87 inch, 4.8 ounce form. Grab it starting today online and starting next month in retail locations for $300 on a two-year agreement or $490 contract-free.

[Via Phone Scoop]

Update: Seems the media controls are on the phone's side. Silly iDEN, always doing things just a little differently! [Thanks, Dan]

Helio Hybrid, RIP: 2006 - 2007

by Chris Ziegler posted Apr 18th 2007 @ 5:15PM

Helio has officially cut down its Hybrid EV-DO / WiFi data card down in its prime. Actually, we're not sure if the Hybrid was cut down before its prime, in its prime, or past its prime -- but any way you slice it, it's toast. The move is going down pretty quickly, too; no new Hybrids are being sold, and existing customers will be switched off as of May 8 (though they're "welcome" to keep the deactivated card, according to the announcement). Folks who also have a voice line activated with Helio will be given a month of free service for their troubles, but we imagine that's little consolation to the poor laptops mercilessly stripped of hotspot and EV-DO access in the discontinuation's aftermath. Was it Helio's stingy 160MB limit that ultimately lead to the Hybrid's demise? We may never know -- but given Helio's cozy relationship with Earthlink and Boingo, we'd be pretty surprised if the MVNO were out of the dedicated data business for good.

[Thanks, Brent S.]

BlackBerry worldphone coming to Sprint

by Chris Ziegler posted Jan 18th 2007 @ 8:10PM

It looks like the long-rumored GSM / CDMA hybrid variant of the BlackBerry 8700 series might find itself a home on Sprint later this year. We didn't see it in the alleged 1H '07 product pipeline earlier today, but a tipster noticed a document describing Sprint's marketing partnership with the Super Bowl floating all willy-nilly on the official Super Bowl XLI site -- and lo and behold, it reveals that a "global BlackBerry" is waiting in the wings featuring EV-DO, GSM, and a GPS receiver, to boot. Granted, we don't know that this will be an 8700-based product, but we can say with some certainty that there are hybrid 8700s kicking around, so it's a logical move. Don't get us wrong, we're pulling for an 8800 here, but we're trying our best to stay realistic until we see something a little more solid than an ominous silhouette on Super Bowl paraphernalia. [Warning: PDF link]

[Thanks, Brandon]

Britain's CSR developing uber-sensitive Bluetooth / GPS hybrid chip

by Darren Murph posted Jan 16th 2007 @ 3:31AM

Considering how governments are suddenly feeling that tracking your every move, or at least providing the means for someone else to, is such a brilliant idea, it's no surprise to see the Bluetooth masters at Cambridge-based CSR buy up NordNav and Cambridge Positioning Systems. The new mishmash of companies now has consolidation on the brain, as it's developing an all-in-one microchip that will sport both Bluetooth and GPS functionality on a single module. Additionally, the chip would reportedly "drain less power and be cheaper for handset makers than having two separate chips in their devices," as both technologies would have one processor doing the work, resulting in a more efficient process. The company's CEO claimed that its combo chips would cost manufacturers "an extra dollar per chip as opposed to around $5 to $10 for putting in a current standalone GPS chip," and moreover, these devices are designed to be ultra-sensitive, giving it connection abilities indoors and in "deep urban areas" where current units fall short. Already being hit up by a few anonymous mobile producers, CSR plans to get these things shipping "during the first half of this year," and hopes to start turning a profit on them by 2008.

Actiontec unveils range-extending Wireless FMC Router for mobile / WiFi hybrid phones

by Darren Murph posted Jan 12th 2007 @ 9:19PM

For those of you who happen to be in the predicament of owning a svelte hybrid cellular / WiFi phone, yet can't get cellphone service back in the boondocks where you reside, Actiontec is kicking out a range-extending router to help you make and receive calls on your mobile handset via WiFi. Touted as a "world's first," the Wireless FMC Router acts a standard four-port 802.11b/g/n router, supports WPA2 / WEP, and comes with a rather robust firewall to keep your conversations guarded from snoopers. Additionally, it facilitates call switching between the mobile and home WiFi networks as users move in and out of the house, giving you the option to connect via your cellular network or over VoIP with the same handset and same number. Aside from acting as a "middleman between the broadband and cellular networks," it can connect / drop from the WiFi / mobile networks on-the-fly while conversing, and can purportedly support "all major carriers" as well. So if you're thinking of consolidating the amount of phone numbers attached to your name, and don't mind picking up a hybrid handset, this multifaceted router will be able to simplify your conversations for $179.99 when it lands in Q2.

Nextel launches ic402, second iDEN / CDMA hybrid

by Chris Ziegler posted Dec 6th 2006 @ 4:08AM

If you're in the market for a iDEM / CDMA hybrid but the fancy ic502 (with its newfangled external display and military-grade toughness) is too rich for your blood, the freshly-released ic402 shaves a full $20 off the on-contract price. Of course, in saving yourself those $20, you'll lose the aforementioned display and 810F spec adherance -- though the silver shell is arguably a tad fancier looking than the ic502's basic black. Customers can get their CDMA on now from Nextel's website for a reasonable $40 after rebates and instant savings.

[Via phoneArena]

Sprint-Nextel to launch first hybrid on November 5?

by Chris Ziegler posted Oct 18th 2006 @ 5:03PM

The concept of CDMA / iDEN hybrid phones has been kicking around pretty much since day one of the Sprint-Nextel merger, and we caught wind of a hybrid handset, the ic502, months ago; the only thing left to do, it seems, is actually launch the darned thing. The wait might be nearly over: a web page over yonder at sprintpcs.com makes mention of a November 5 hybrid launch in "select markets," though said page does not make mention of what those markets are or what phone(s) will be launched. As a refresher, the CDMA / iDEN dual-mode setup will make use of iDEN for PTT and CDMA for traditional calling (though we suspect there will be allowances for falling back from one to the other should only one service be available), taking some of the pressure off the overstressed iDEN network .

[Thanks, Seth Z.]

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]

Helio announces "Hybrid" 3G / WiFi service

by Chris Ziegler posted Oct 4th 2006 @ 6:02AM

A Boingo pass for when you're near a hotspot, EV-DO for when you're not. That's the gist of Helio's latest product, dubbed "Hybrid" -- only their third since launchingearlier this year -- and the first dedicated to data device from the MVNO (and among the first data devices from any MVNO, so far as we know). Technically, Hybrid is more of a package than an actual device, composed of a rebranded Sierra Wireless Aircard 580, EV-DO service, and WiFi access (provided by Helio pal and Sky Dayton venture Boingo, of course) with Helio's "Hybrid Connector" software calling the connectivity shots. Though the concept doesn't seem to go after the same core demographic as the MVNO's handsets, the $85 package deal could still be a compelling one for folks that maintain separate WiFi and 3G data accounts. Look for Hybrid to be available for a nice, round $0 on two-year contract through Fry's locations and Helio's site directly.

Unreleased Motorola ic502 iDEN / CDMA hybrid hits eBay

by Donald Melanson posted Sep 27th 2006 @ 2:44PM

It may have just breezed through the FCC a few short months ago, but Motorola's yet-to-be-released ic502 iDEN / CDMA hybrid phone has already found its way to eBay -- although if the bidding activity is any indication, it doesn't look like Motorola will have much trouble meeting the demand for it. One bid was all it took to snag the hybrid handset, with the winning bidder throwing down an even $300 for the bragging rights. The lack of EVDO, not to mention Bluetooth or a camera, no doubt helped to dampen the anticipation among early adopters a bit, but if you're in desperate need of some hybrid action, the ic502's the only game in town.

[Thanks, Sloop John B]

Motorola i880 crosses FCC borders

by Ryan Block posted Aug 31st 2006 @ 10:12AM

They wouldn't give us the much anticipated early peek at Motorola's i880 that we would have liked, but the FCC definitely did pass the phone through with a thumbs up. That, of course, indicates as always that the phone isn't long for the general market, even though by this point the original market that Sprint-Nextel envisaged a year ago that might be interested in a hybrid CDMA / iDEN device have probably moved on to a regular old CDMA (or -- gasp -- EV-DO) Sprint handset. Still, we know our place: they make 'em, we write about 'em.

Motorola i885 to join i880 on iDEN high end

by Chris Ziegler posted Jul 27th 2006 @ 12:58AM

If the i880 wasn't really doing anything for you when it surfaced in the wild, perhaps this here i885 will. Motorola's upcoming halo iDEN devices will see service on both Nextel and Boost, sporting pleather and faux snakeskin exteriors -- pick your poison -- and a trick button-operated flip mechanism. (If they're going to get creative with case designs on us, we can only hope they deep-sixed the standard Nextel "beep beep" while they were letting those creative juices flow.) Besides minor cosmetic differences, the phones' guts are presumably identical; both should be rocking 2-megapixel shooters, music players, and dual color displays. We're getting mixed reports on whether these are CDMA hybrids, but even if they aren't, the pair gives Nextel much-needed love in a market segment they aren't typically accustomed to servicing.

[Via Mobile Magazine]

FCC lets ic502 out of the bag, first iDEN / CDMA phone

by Chris Ziegler posted Jul 2nd 2006 @ 5:49PM

Nextelites saving your pennies for the i880, hold up just a minute. Deets are emerging on the ic502, and while it's not the highest-end phone around, you could be the first kid on your block packin' hybrid iDEN / CDMA heat. As usual, the FCC has done the honors, releasing the user's manual where we see that the ruggedized flip will support CDMA on the 1900 band only, iDEN on 800, and old-skool walkie-talkie on ISM 900; handoff between networks is not supported. Otherwise, not much to talk about -- no Bluetooth, no camera. On second thought, that i880 is looking pretty sweet, ain't it?

[Via phoneArena]