Filed under: Laptops

T-Mobile has already offered up a standard issue Eee PC as part of a mobile broadband package, and it looks like it’s now set to take things one big step further by introducing a special Eee PC 901 GO model with built-in 3G. As you may recall, a disassembled Eee PC 901 recently revealed some pretty clear accommodations for a 3G card, so this latest development is hardly a huge surprise, though it is certainly a welcome one. Unfortunately, there’s not a whole lot of details just yet, but T-Mobile says the “jointly developed” ASUS Connection Manager will get you up and running within seconds, and you can apparently expect about to get about five hours of mobile broadband use out of the battery before it runs dry. Given that T-Mobile chose to make the announcement at IFA, however, we’d assume they’ll have a bit more to say about it before all is said and done, and we’ll be sure to let you know if they do.

[Via jkkmobile]

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Filed under: Cellphones

There’s been a lot of discussion lately about iPhone 3G reception issues. Whether they exist or not is largely irrelevant in a world dominated by sound-bite driven perceptions. Nevertheless, some industrious Swedes decided to apply a little scientific method to the argument and found something interesting: the iPhone 3G performed just as well (or just as poorly, depending upon your mood) as a Nokia N73 and Sony Ericsson P1 when compared head-to-head in a mobile communications test chamber. The test was conducted by real-life antenna engineers just like those camera-fumbling souls contracted by the FCC. Of course, who’s going to let a few facts stand in the way of contrary opinion and litigation, eh?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

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Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

Just over a year ago, we were all making bitter beer faces at FCC chairman Kevin Martin for not going along with a delightful sounding “free internet” plan. Now, it seems the main man’s tune has changed. During a recent interview, Martin stated that there was a “social obligation in making sure everybody could participate in the next generation of broadband services because, increasingly, that’s what people want.” He’s reportedly looking to attach a free mobile broadband requirement to the AWS-3 spectrum that’s set to be auctioned next year, which would require the winner to allocate 25% for gratis access. ‘Course, we wouldn’t get our hopes us for this to actually go down like it surely is playing out in your mind just now, but we won’t fault you for dreamin’.

[Via phonescoop]

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Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Support forum threads on Apple’s site and a number of ramblings across these great interwebs are starting to complain at great length about the iPhone 3G’s headlining new feature — 3G reception, that is — and pretty much every aspect of it: signal strength, call dropping, connecting to EDGE when 3G is present, the list goes on. Some smartypants analyst from financial firm Nomura thinks he has it all figured out, saying that the issues are “typical of an immature chipset and radio protocol stack” and suggesting that a firmware update pushed out to existing handsets is unlikely to ease the pain. We’ve been hearing that Cupertino could actually be working on just such an update at this very second, though, so this cat better get ready for the possibility that he could be eating his own words down the road. For what it’s worth, intermittent issues have been reported the world over, so this doesn’t seem to be anything to do with AT&T’s (or anyone else’s) infrastructure — and needless to say, not everyone is having issues to start. And for anyone whose iPhone 3G we just jinxed by writing this post… well, our bad.

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Filed under: Cellphones

With all the Touch Diamond / Touch Pro news surfacing for these US CDMA carriers, quite a few AT&T subscribers are beginning to get restless. Calm down, folks — it seems the AT&T Touch Pro is a reality waiting to happen after all. Based on some admittedly dodgy claims and even dodgier photographs, one particular soul has apparently paid $900 for a pre-release Touch Pro with North American 3G. Only time will tell if he got duped, but we’re going to believe that AT&T wouldn’t let this gem pass it by for too much longer until proven wrong.

[Via wmpoweruser]

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Filed under: Cellphones

That’s right, kids, T-Mobile launched 3G data in Vegas this morning. The 1700MHz AWS 3G network went live for phones that can hit the UMTS 3G data stream, and if your phone is one of those, you may want to look for the pretty little icon and start doing some Intertron browsing. T-Mobile still expects to hit another 20 markets this year (along with some new handsets), so if you’re not in Sin City, be patient — 3G is coming.

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Filed under: Cellphones

It has technically been available for three weeks today (and a few hours in the US, but who’s counting?), although we’re confident quite a few of you are still waiting to actually hold your very own iPhone 3G. Still, those that have braved the excruciatingly long lines and got lucky with AT&T’s apparently random Direct Fulfillment approach surely have something to say. We’ve already confirmed that firmware 2.0 has some serious issues that need dealt with, and aside from elaborating on those, what else would you have done differently with Apple’s second handset? Would you have changed the overall design more dramatically? Finally included a user-removable battery? Used a casing material that wouldn’t crack for no good reason under pressure? There’s still time for your input to be heard before firmware 2.1 arrives (ahem, Apple?) — sound off below!

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Filed under: Cellphones

We were already pretty sure this would be happening, but it’s looking real now, if 8.5 x 11-inch pieces of paper taped to a window is any indication: T-Mobile is rolling out its 3G service on October 1 to 27 select cities. The above poster was spotted by TmoNews “outside a meeting” and, as you can see, it says, “10.1.08 3G is Coming.” As far as those launch cities, we have a handy little list for you after the break. By the way, it’s entirely possible T-Mobile 3G is already live in your market, though, so don’t let this confuse you too much. It could just mean you’re next, or, at least by October 1.

Continue reading T-Mobile 3G service coming October 1 to 27 markets

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Filed under: Handhelds, Wireless

The next-generation Q1 Ultra may be due next year, but Sammy’s trying to squeeze every bit of life it can out of the current iteration with two new flavors. Announced today, the Q1U-CMXP boasts an integrated HSDPA 3G cellular modem, while the Q1UP-V is a Q1 Ultra Premium featuring Vista Business. As for the former, it includes just about every connectivity option you could wish for: 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, Ethernet and a WWAN modem that connects to the AT&T Broadband Connect network; outside of the one new feature, however, the specifications are the same as the standard Q1 Ultra XP model that was launched in May of 2007. Both newcomers (if you can call ‘em that) are available as we speak for $1,499 and $1,449 in order of mention.

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Filed under: Cellphones

Call it a hunch, but you shouldn’t have to wait too awfully long (like, hours / days / weeks) to secure Nokia’s North American E71 today. Said handset is now available at the company’s flagship store in Chicago, complete with a QWERTY keyboard and US-friendly 3G. Eager to grab one? Total cost will be $483 (plus tax) in addition to a roundtrip ticket to Chi-town, considering the store won’t ship to out-of-towners (or so we hear).

[Via IntoMobile]

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Filed under: Cellphones

We know it’s been a whirlwind week of either: a) patiently sitting outside your local Apple store, b) losing touch with family, friends, and significant others while buried knee-deep in your new phone / firmware, or c) desperately trying to ignore the iPhone. But it’s time to come up for air and take stock. We’re all aware that things didn’t go quite as planned with Apple’s trifecta (iPhone 3G, firmware 2.0, MobileMe) launch last week, and we’re just starting to see the fallout from last Friday’s debacle.

The most prevalent complaint we’ve been hearing from users concerns ongoing issues with the phone’s new firmware, which has delivered on a lot of its promises, yet is also exhibiting frustrating bugs that make us think this one needed a little more time in the oven. In particular, we’ve experienced — and have been assailed with reports about — painful lag times when typing, as well as choppy, clunky behavior while scrolling through or searching contacts, calls which can’t be answered, and even outright crashes while receiving a call. Some owners have encountered repeated forced quits while trying to use the App Store, while a group of our editors vented about an SMS issue which not only grinds the phone’s performance to a halt, but makes the keyboard inaccessible altogether.

When you toss in problems other users are having with email, MobileMe syncing, and assorted minor kinks (trouble rotating Safari anyone?), it seems obvious that there’s cruft beneath this firmware creating hiccups in usability. Coupled with 3G reception concerns, the company’s continuing struggle to get MobileMe working as advertised, and rumors that 2.0.1 is already in the works, you get the impression that everyone is looking for a little relief here… Apple and its customers alike.

So, how’s your first week been?

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Filed under: Cellphones

We’ve been getting scattered reports that Apple’s shiny new toy might not be snagging as many bars as it should for a lot of users. In our own tests, we’ve noticed the iPhone 3G fairing poorly in spots where other 3G devices exhibit strong signals, and the Apple support forums are alive with displeasure over what might be a widespread issue. We’re curious to know what you — the reader — are experiencing. How’s your mileage with the new phone? Let us know in the poll below.

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Filed under: Cellphones

According to the overactive internet rumor party line, T-Mobile is planning to take its currently limited 3G service nationwide come October. TmoNews claims — thanks to an anonymous tipster, of course — that on October 1st, the telco will bring speedy service to 27 of its top markets, including Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, and Miami, amongst others. Of course, right now this is pure speculation and hearsay, until we get confirmation from T-Mobile (or at least some hard evidence), we’ll just have to keep our fingers and toes crossed.

[Via Boy Genius Report]

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Filed under: Cellphones

According to the overactive internet rumor party line, T-Mobile is planning to take its currently limited 3G service nationwide come October. TmoNews claims — thanks to an anonymous tipster, of course — that on October 1st, the telco will bring speedy service to 27 of its top markets, including Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, and Miami, amongst others. Of course, right now this is pure speculation and hearsay, until we get confirmation from T-Mobile (or at least some hard evidence), we’ll just have to keep our fingers and toes crossed.

[Via Boy Genius Report]

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Filed under: Laptops, Tablet PCs

It has taken long enough, but Gigabyte finally saw fit to make official its intriguing M912V. If you’ll recall, this critter popped up and caught eyes at Computex, as it’s essentially a netbook with a swivel screen — think Tablet PC, but miniature. Specs wise, you’re looking at an 8.9-inch WXGA (1,280 x 768) LED-backlit panel, Intel’s 1.6GHz Atom processor, a 2.5-inch HDD (120/160/250GB), 1.3-megapixel camera, twin 1.5-watt speakers, 1GB of RAM and your choice of Windows XP, Vista or Linux. Furthermore, you’ll find Bluetooth, WiFi, an ExpressCard slot, a wide of array of ports and even an option for HSDPA expansion. It should be noted that there’s no internal optical drive (nor a price or release date just yet), but at least Gigabyte’s offering up a netbook with some inkling of innovation, right?

[Via PCLaunches]

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Filed under: Laptops

Seems that just about anyone insider of Asus is authorized to discuss the Eee PC roadmap judging by the whirlwind of information we always get prior to an official launch. Case in point: an unnamed “company representative” says that a 3G version of the Eee PC will be launching as early as September in Europe. An alternative to the WiMax version already annouced and demonstrated on Sprint’s Xohm. The prices for the presumed HSDPA/HSUPA enabled mini-laptops will of course vary depending upon contract. Can’t wait? No worries, why not roll your own? Should be a snap now that the Eee is riding that bigger 9-inch chassis.

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Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Networking

Yeah, travel routers are still a rare breed, but when the entire family (or team, for you suits) needs to hop online in the hotel which conveniently provides absolutely no WiFi, it’s a real gem to have around. CradlePoint’s recently introduced 3G-ready CTR500 was taken for a test drive over at PC Perspective, and all in all, the unit performed as advertised. For those unfamiliar, it simply enables USB or ExpressCard-based WWAN modems to be connected, and from there, a variety of computers can retrieve WiFi from it. Better still, the unit did equally well when acting as a traditional WLAN router. The only real dig was the $179.99 price tag, which seemed a bit steep for the majority of folks who “probably would not need the functionality it offers.” Give the full writeup a look in the read link below.

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Filed under: Cellphones

See that image above? Yeah, that’s a sexy new side angle of RIM’s BlackBerry Bold, and it’s coming to us courtesy of AT&T. Just as Sprint did with its fashionable Instinct, AT&T is launching a promotional site for the forthcoming BlackBerry in order to drum up interest and get you (re)informed. Straight from the carrier’s mouth, we’ve got GPRS / EDGE / UMTS / HSDPA support, integrated WiFi / GPS, 480 x 320 resolution display, a side-loaded memory slot, 1GB of built-in storage, a 624MHz CPU, 128MB of Flash memory, Bluetooth 2.0 with handsfree support and up to 5-hours of GSM talk time (13 days in standby). You’ll notice that the operator makes no mention of an exact release date, but we’re crossing our fingers and sticking to that leaked July timeframe until we hear otherwise.

[Thanks, Daryl]

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Filed under: Cellphones

digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/apple/New_Leaked_Pictures_of_the_supposed_3G_iPhone’; Either Apple’s getting leakier or the fakers are getting fake…ier, but the latest round of supposed 3G iPhone pictures is upon us courtesy of Dutch site iPhoneclub.nl and our old friend Mr. Blurrycam, and they’re pretty convincing. You’ll notice that they show a device almost identical to the one in the last set of images we saw, with a white back and three dots inside the earpiece. Of course, that’s not to say some aspiring Photoshoppers haven’t just been copying each other, but we’re not here to kill your dreams, people. You’ll just have to trust your friends for that. Hit the read link for the rest of the pics.

Update: Looks like we killed iPhoneclub’s website, check after the break for the other two shots, courtesy of Macfreak.nl.

Continue reading Even more “leaked” 3G iPhone photos make it out

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Filed under: Cellphones

This just in: don’t believe anything you hear regarding an official 3G rollout date in China. After quite a bit of rigmarole, the Chinese government has finally announced that it will issue a trio of 3G licenses. Notably, the announcement comes with a bit of baggage — it’s also calling for a merger between China Unicom and Netcom, two of its four biggest telecommunications providers. Furthermore, it stated that it would call on China Telecom, the nation’s largest fixed-line carrier, to “purchase Unicom’s CDMA network.” Unfortunately (though not unexpectedly), there’s no time frame given for implementation, but some analysts are asserting that “a full launch of 3G services is [still] years away.” Baby steps are better than no steps, we reckon.

[Thanks, James]

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