Trial -- Engadget Mobile

trial posts

AT&T's 3G MicroCell runs $150 in Charlotte trial, service is free without unlimited calling

by Chris Ziegler posted Sep 21st 2009 @ 1:37PM

Gearlog has scooped pricing details on AT&T's entry into the up-and-coming femtocell market, the 3G MicroCell, where it's currently undergoing a public market trial in Charlotte, North Carolina -- and basically, it's a decent deal as long as you don't want unlimited calling. Stores are charging $150 for the unit itself and service is free (similar to Verizon's model, though Verizon charges $100 more upfront and the unit doesn't do 3G); if you want to tack on unlimited calling, you're paying another $20 a month unless you have some combination of AT&T landline or DSL service at your address. $20 is properly insane, though in exchange, the carrier throws you a bone with a $100 rebate on the device. All they've got to do is drop that unlimited service down to $10 a month to bring 'em in line with Sprint and T-Mobile and put some pressure on Verizon, which still doesn't offer any unlimited add-on.

[Via Mac Rumors]

AT&T: 3G MicroCell and its pricing structure are in 'public trial,' Charlotte only for now

by Chris Ziegler posted Sep 21st 2009 @ 10:38AM

AT&T has let us know this morning that the 3G MicroCell site revealed last night is currently supporting a "public trial" in Charlotte, North Carolina alone -- and perhaps more importantly, pricing (including that $20 unlimited, we presume) is being considered a part of that trial. Unfortunately, they've got "no other announcements to make at this time," so it's anyone's guess when this will wrap up and the rest of the country can get its hands on some "more bars in your places" (to quote the MicroCell's perky introductory videos). We'll update you as soon as we know more.

Verizon tests first data connections on LTE network in Seattle and Boston

by Chris Ziegler posted Aug 14th 2009 @ 2:14PM

Big Red's flexing its 4G muscle today, announcing that it has successfully completed the first true tests on its nascent LTE network -- end-to-end data calls that presumably approximate real-world usage. The action actually happened way back on July 15 in Seattle, while Boston just went down today -- the two markets where Verizon said it'd be running the first trials -- both on 700MHz spectrum won not terribly long ago. LG and Samsung provided the mysterious, unspecified "trial devices," but don't worry, Motorola fans -- Verizon says they've got devices in the pipeline as well. Both Seattle and Boston currently have ten LTE cell sites live as the carrier trudges toward a 2010 date with destiny when it'll take "up to 30" markets live, at which point EV-DO and HSPA will theoretically feel like trying to send packets via carrier pigeon. Progress!

Update: We just spoke with Verizon Wireless CTO Tony Melone to expand a bit on the trials. Here are some of the key takeaways:

Though they're not talking speeds with these trials specifically, they're confident in saying that everything's in line for 7-12Mbps down and 3-5Mbps up at launch.
The trials are being conducted on commercial LTE base station hardware, but everything else is prototype (and changing very rapidly). The end-user equipment doesn't currently resemble anything you'd actually buy.
Data modems will be the priority at launch, which makes sense considering the amount of industry flux with regard to voice over LTE. Though Verizon believes the solution will ultimately be some form of VoIP, there are several outstanding issues, including handling of 911 calls.
Everything in the trial so far leads Verizon to believe that they're on track for a 30-market launch in 2010.
This doesn't spell the end of EV-DO deployments -- far from it. Melone says that upgrades could continue all the way through to the initial LTE launch and beyond.

AT&T 3G MicroCell trials starting this week, retail in June or later?

by Chris Ziegler posted Apr 8th 2009 @ 11:10AM

Word on the street is that AT&T kicked off a trial of its 3G MicroCell HSPA-enabled femtocell this week, with units being delivered to signal-deprived homes on Tuesday. We've been hearing about the thing for long enough now that we would've liked to see a release, like, now -- but given that these trials are apparently expected to run through June 9, we guess we wouldn't expect to see it at retail until then, assuming everything goes well. In the meantime, participants are getting 200 bones on top of the unit itself, so color us jealous. Follow the break for AT&T's full email to testers.

[Thanks, anonymous tipster]

Continue reading AT&T 3G MicroCell trials starting this week, retail in June or later?

Vodafone Portugal hits 16Mbps on HSPA+ trial

by Darren Murph posted Feb 6th 2009 @ 7:18PM

We've known that HSPA+ had the potential to deliver internet on-the-go at 20Mbps or so, and we've seen rivaling technologies outpace it in the past few months. That said, real world speeds of 16Mbps ain't nothing to scoff at, and that's exactly the mark which Vodafone Portugal has hit in Lisbon. The carrier, in partnership with Ericsson, was said to be using HSPA+ 64QAM technology, which touts a theoretical maximum download speed of 21.6Mbps. We're even told that Voda believes the speeds could be pushed as high as 28.8Mbps with MIMO functionality, though there's no word given on when this stuff would be available to the general populace. Soon, please?

[Via RCRWireless]

Motorola's LTE trial is a go in Swindon, UK

by Sean Cooper posted Feb 2nd 2009 @ 3:29PM

We're almost as the excited as the fella in the picture at the news that Motorola's LTE (Long Term Evolution) trial has gotten off the ground -- with an honest-to-goodness set making a standards compliant LTE call. Moto's setting themselves up as an in-house host for carrier testing in the U.K, or will haul kit to your neck of the woods for a carrier-hosted LTE trial. So that settles it, we've decided to launch Engadget Mobile mobile and will be applying tomorrow for our very own LTE test pack tomorrow. Motorola will have this on display at Mobile World Congress and you can rest assured we'll be all over it.

22 US cities on track to receive mobile DTV broadcasts this fall

by Darren Murph posted Jan 11th 2009 @ 3:41AM

The Open Mobile Video Coalition, which currently consists of around 800 local stations across America, has announced here at CES that 22 cities are scheduled to receive mobile DTV broadcasts by this fall. The announcement was joined by a number of manufacturers as they debuted prototype cellphones and in-car receivers, essentially giving hope that citizens of 22 US locales could soon be tuning into 24 while trucking home from a primetime grocery run. Details beyond that are pretty scant, as most hardware firms are still waiting for the broadcasts to go live (or get a lot closer to live) before committing development dollars to receivers. Carrier-driven video services never have taken off here in the Land of the Free, but the promise of mobile airings of the Big 4 just sounds entirely more enticing.

[Via HDTVExperts]

TV broadcasters pleased with MPH mobile TV test results

by Darren Murph posted Nov 12th 2008 @ 9:41AM

The world needed another mobile TV standard about like it needs another hole in the ozone layer, but regardless of that, we've still got broadcasters backing MPH. We originally heard that said protocol was being tested by Raleigh's WRAL back in July, and since then, a whopping 800 local stations (which make up the Open Mobile Video Coalition) have joined in to work out the kinks. Currently, the general consensus is one of satisfaction, with the group now hoping to "prove the viability of the proposed system before the ATSC." If all goes well, a candidate standard will be ready to present next month, which "would keep handset manufacturers on schedule to have commercial devices available by the holiday 2009 shopping season." OMVC is also planning a multi-station demo at CES in January, so you can bet we'll be there giving it a run for its cheddar.

[Via RCRWireless]

AT&T planning femtocell trial later this year

by Darren Murph posted Nov 1st 2008 @ 2:29PM

Say it ain't so! We can only imagine that there are quite a few folks out there who will be absolutely elated to hear this news, so we'll get right to it: a femtocell is (likely) coming to AT&T. Nah, we haven't spied any in the wild shots of a rumored box or anything, but a carrier spokeswoman admitted to Unstrung that "as the nation's leading provider of both wireless and broadband, it makes sense that we would examine the potential benefits of femtocells for our customers." Better still, she continued by affirming that it was "currently doing testing in its labs and a trial [was] planned for later this year." Aside from that, we've no real details to pore over, but all we really needed to know has been said. Sprint and Verizon won't be the only providers offering up an in-home mini cell tower, and we'd say this can't possibly come soon enough for AT&Ters sitting squarely in a fringe coverage area.

[Via Brighthand, image courtesy of 3G]

LTE trial deemed a success: 170Mbps downloads in a moving car

by Darren Murph posted Sep 19th 2008 @ 9:13AM

Controlled LTE trials have been going pretty well of late, but the first test "under everyday conditions" has just gone down in Germany. We're pleased to say that everything went off without a hitch, as a connection using the next-generation (4G) mobile communications standard was maintained while inside a moving car traveling at around 42mph. Aside from the thrill of not dropping in and out of Pidgin at random, experimenters were able to pull downloads of up to 170Mbps and upload at up to 50Mbps. According to Hamid Akhavan, head of T-Mobile, it will still be 2010 (at the very earliest) before any of its markets go live with LTE, but at least we're moving in the right direction, eh?

[Image courtesy of ChrisHarrison]

MasterCard fires up mobile payment trial in Canada

by Chris Ziegler posted Aug 21st 2008 @ 9:02PM

Hey, here's an idea: let's trial phone-based NFC payment systems. Then, let's trial them again. Then let's trial them a few more times -- but let's not actually launch them on a wide scale so that they're usable, and let's certainly make sure they're not marketed heavily enough to garner widespread consumer interest. That seems to be the attitude financial institutions, manufacturers, and carriers are taking in North America, where countless tiny trials have popped up and died across the US over the past couple years; now, Canada gets in on the action thanks to MasterCard with an adaptation of its PayPass system. The trial, which only (and inexplicably) runs from now until November, loops in Bell Mobility will allow users to pay for $1.29 red blobs sold in sterile, all-blue convenience stores where ghastly silhouettes roam in the background simply by tapping their issued handsets against MasterCard's already installed PayPass terminals. Can we please just get a trial that turns into a commercial product this time, or is that too much to ask?

[Via MobileSyrup]

Raleigh, NC's WRAL testing MPH mobile DTV system

by Darren Murph posted Jul 23rd 2008 @ 10:45PM

Although Raleigh, North Carolina is set to become one of the first DVB-SH test markets in America, WRAL is already testing out yet another standard. The station known nationwide for taking its local newscasts to the world of HD while everyone else sat and moped in their SD control rooms is currently teaming with CBC in order to test out the ATSC-compatible MPH mobile television transmission system. As we've seen before, the system enables "local broadcasters to deliver digital television to mobile devices including cellphones, laptops and personal media players," all while moving quickly in vehicles, hoverboards, rocket-powered scooters -- you name it. There's no word on what exactly will happen once the trials conclude, but we'll be keeping an ear to the ground just in case it's something big.

[Via BroadcastingCable]

CSR demonstrates Bluetooth low energy transfer

by Darren Murph posted Jul 23rd 2008 @ 2:17AM

We know you're not really down with digesting any more catchphrases, but the technology formerly known as Ultra Low Power Bluetooth / Wibree is now being dubbed Bluetooth low energy. Now that we're clear on nomenclature, you may be thrilled to know that CSR showcased its recently unveiled BlueCore7 dual mode (Bluetooth low energy and Bluetooth v2.1) chip at a Bluetooth SIG Medical Working Group meeting. According to onlookers, the handset was able to transfer data to another nearby mobile using just 3 frequencies rather than 32, resulting in an unquantifiable decrease in power consumption. Sounds like a winner on the surface, but we have this weird feeling that mass adoption of this tech is like, years away.

San Francisco to test wireless parking sensors, cause rat races to momentarily open spaces

by Darren Murph posted Jul 15th 2008 @ 10:42AM

We dig the idea in theory, we really do, but we can definitely see this causing more harm than good. Starting this fall, San Francisco will begin a trial involving wireless parking sensors in 6,000 of its 24,000 metered spaces, enabling antsy drivers to be alerted via street signs or cellphones when a spot becomes available. Only one problem -- give 50 anxious motorists the same message that a single spot is unoccupied, and you've just created a bona fide mess. Though it'd probably be fun to watch from the sidelines, wouldn't you agree?

[Via Core77]

China Mobile opens "experience shops" as TD-SCDMA softly launches

by Darren Murph posted Jun 3rd 2008 @ 4:48AM

We knew good and well China Mobile was all geared up to launch its homegrown 3G standard in Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangzhou and Shenzhen (among other locales), and though China's government hasn't issued 3G licenses yet, TD-SCDMA has finally made its soft launch. In order to garner interest in the service, said carrier has also opened up "experience shops" in the aforementioned cities "to allow the public to experiment with TD-SCDMA handsets and gain confidence with TD-SCDMA's capabilities." During the initial launch, some 60,000 dual-mode TD-SCDMA / GSM handsets and 15,000 data cards will be on sale in these outlets, with most of the units being in the "mid- to high-end range" and costing between $286 and $572 (those are subsidized prices). Here is where we suppose China Mobile holds its breath and hopes for things to take off.

[Via mocoNews]