Edge
”Mobile Term Madness: LTE, WiMax, EV-DO and More Explained
We've been talking a lot about emerging mobile tech lately, tossing around crazy acronyms and words like WiMax, LTE, 3G, IdeaPad U8 from Lenovo Has Intel's Atom, GPS, EDGE
This is the IdeaPad U8 from Lenovo. With Intel's Atom chip inside it, the Mobile Internet Device has an optical mouse to let you fiddle one-handed, supports 3G and EDGE, has GPS, a 4.8-inch touchscreen, a Paul Smith-esque striped back (hope that stays) and an annoying ambient bongo player (either that goes or I do.) Video after the jump.
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EDGE Doubles its Speed
Nokia Siemens Networks announced today that they have successfully doubled the speed of EDGE (to 592 kbps) using a software-based solution that is feasible for existing networks. Expected in the third quarter of 2008, Nokia will follow up with EGPRS 2, offering 1.2 Mbps and uploads reaching 473 kbps.
It's not the fastest tech on th block by any means, but it's potentially very good news to a slew of iPhone owners, as well as any manufacturer who'd like to compromise a bit of speed in the interest of battery life. [press release via gigaom]
laptops
HTC Shift UMPC Now Available in the US
It took damn near forever, but the HTC Shift—the UMPC that was supposed to change your mind about UMPCs—has finally hit store shelves in the States. To refresh your memory, the features include an 800 Mhz processor, Vista Business, 1GB RAM, a 40GB HD, Quad-Band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, HSDPA/UMTS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Unfortunately, it will cost you more than many conventional laptops at $1629.99. [onthegosolutions]Apple Reveals iPhone SDK
Today at a town-hall meeting at Apple's Infinite Loop campus in Cupertino, Steve Jobs showed off the iPhone software developer's kit for the first time. There has been a lot of speculation about what the kit would include, and what it specifically wouldn't. Now Steve Jobs says it will have the same APIs and Tools that Apple itself uses to develop iPhone apps. Here are details:
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wireless
GT Ultra and GT Ultra Express HSUPA Cards for AT&T Networks
Option has taken the lid off of two HSUPA PC/Express cards—the GT Ultra and GT Ultra Express for AT&T's 3G BroadbandConnect and EDGE networks. The Ultra is compatible with laptops (PC or Mac) that feature a Card Type II slot while the Ultra Express has the Express card slots covered. Both devices are tri-band UMTS/HSPA and GPRS/EDGE compatible and can be had for $50 after a mail-in rebate and a two-year contract that is $60 or more. The good news is that you can score one for free (after rebate) if you sign up for a contract tomorrow. [AT&T via PR Newswire via CrunchGear]MyVu Crystal & Shades Pay Homage To Sci-Fi Vision
Sci-Fi eyewear lovers are finally getting more options when shopping for new shades with MyVu's release of two new models, Shades and Crystal. Both models are geared toward watching video on the go, with what MyVu describes as "glance-down technology with true situational awareness." With this "glance-down tech" these glasses are even closer to mimicking their Sci-Fi alter-egos, as you might have see on IO9's Gallery of Sci-Fi Vision Systems. We had our own Benny Goldman testing out the new models, and sadly he didn't have many words of praise.
Niveus EDGE Media Center Extender Ships Now
Our friends at Niveus, whose EDGE media center extender was already seen back in September, tell us that the unit is finally shipping. It's the first Windows MCE unit to receive the ISF Video Quality Certification, but does what other extenders do—stream live and recorded video, plus pictures, plus music from your Windows Vista or XP computer with Media Center. We got hands on with their Media Centers last year.
Smartphones Secure Enough For the NSA
Because BlackBerries and Sidekicks aren't quite secure enough for the NSA—the government agency that knows you called the Nintendo tip hotline way too many times in the late '80s—they're ordering up a bunch of General Dynamics Sectera Edge smartphones.
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cellphones
US 3G Nokia N95 Runs For Over 9 Hours On EDGE
Remember last week when we reported that the new Nokia N95, with the bigger battery, can run on a 3G network for one hour less than its predecessor could run on EDGE? At the time, I asked the cellular
cellphones
US 3G Costs Nokia N95 a Mere Hour of Battery Life
When you go from the old Nokia N95 to the new US-spec 3G HSDPA version, you lose about an hour of browsing life. That's due to the larger battery, and the folks at WirelessInfo.com were actually expecting even more of a drain, so this is good news. More: More »Niveus EDGE Media Center Extender Does 1080p, is Whisper Quiet, But No Wireless N
The fourth and final MCE extender is by niveus is the best looking, has 3 USB ports which is two more than what you probably need for thumbdrive playback, and best of all passive cooling. The passive cooling, if it is like the type in the full sized Niveus Media Center PCs, it uses heatpipes that go from processor blocks to the finned, aluminum case that acts like a giant heatsink. It does not, unfortunately, have any wireless capabilities. At least it's 1080p. [Niveus]Fake Logitech G25 Edge Fan Art Shows Optimus-Style Keys
File this in the realm of totally false (Logitech said "this is definitely made up"), but here's some fan art of a possible Logitech G25 keyboard. It has their EDGE-line stylings, but combines Optimus style changeable display keys with a scrolling circle pad on the left. Yeah, we could see ourselves using something like this, but if we really had to choose, we'd have them make the keyboard curved, like the Microsoft Ultimate Keyboards. [Thanks Tipster!]
Download Race Between Helio Fin, iPhone, Sidekick, and RAZR2
Our friends at Wired put a stopwatch to a four-way download race between the Helio Fin, iPhone, Sidekick, and RAZR2 with HSDPA. Of course, they wanted to see which one would load Wired.com the fastest in a straightforward race of phones that have different methods of downloading. Before going to the next page to see how they finished, see if you can accurately predict which one of the phones won this impromptu race. [Wired]More »
at&t
Widespread AT&T EDGE Outage on the East Coast?
We've been hearing reports of a widespread EDGE outage near Boston and along the East Coast. Have any readers noticed? Still unconfirmed, but we're looking into it. How are your iPhones holding up? More »How Long Does It Really Take To Browse NYTimes.com On EDGE?
[UPDATED: A few more trials yielded faster results]The Apple iPhone ad showing off Safari brags that it doesn't have the Kinda-Sort-Looks-Like-the-Internet on board....just the Internet. But as you've heard for months, when using AT&T's EDGE, it's actually the real Internet, kind of slow. Watch. On WiFi things get considerably faster (10 seconds), but you can't rely on public WiFi, say, when you're in a car. The combo of WiFi and edge is a great compromise, to 3G, and a practical choice given AT&T's terrible coverage for HSDPA. But man. That is some slow browsing. YMMV in the real world, but coincidentally, that is where I live and test. You? More »
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