Aug 23, 2006 | blog
I have a hard time believing this – they only went into beta a week or two ago.
Still, if its true, this would be the first commercial implementation of Unlicensed Mobile Access. This service allows subscribers to use either cellular service or WiFi service to place & receive phone calls.
With T-Mobile having such an extensive WiFi Hotspot network, in addition to supporting free access points, and in conjunction with their GSM network, would allow users to make inexpensive calls many additional locations.
Via Pocket PC Thoughts
Aug 22, 2006 | blog
Well, I could have told ya this! Of course it seems more “real” coming from a more authoritative source like RCRNews.
It seems people and critics are starting to realize that EDGE services, provided nationwide by T-Mobile and Cingular, are good enough to get most mobile broadband work done.
While the industry looks ahead to W-CDMA and HSDPA technologies, EDGE handsets will quietly deliver “near-acceptable†mobile broadband experiences across a wide geographic area, according to ABI Research. The firm projects that vendors will ship as many as 148 million EDGE handsets this year—totaling about 14 percent of the global handset market—and suggested that the industry pay closer attention to the technology.
Although EDGE often is viewed as merely an evolutionary step in GSM technology, it has an important role in delivering services for carriers without 3G licenses or for those waiting for 4G, ABI said.
Well, sure – if you look at the majority of the handsets from T-Mobile and Cingular, you’ll see that the support EDGE. Most often in a quad-band configuration (850/900/1800/1900) to cover most of the world’s GSM implementations.
“When the prospects for EDGE are viewed in the context of next generation networks, its true value comes to light,†said Stuart Carlaw, ABI’s principal analyst. “The technology still represents the only viable choice for supporting seamless service delivery on a very wide area basis. Neither WiMAX nor LTE nor HSUPA will be rolled out with enough geographic coverage to guarantee minimum service requirements on a wide scale.”
Considering that EDGE service has a larger footprint than Verizon/Sprint EVDO networks, I’ll choose EDGE any day. Also, with Cingular’s current HSDPA rollout and T-Mobile’s current winnings in the latest FCC spectrum auction for UMTS/HSDPA, we’re in for some awesome mobile data solutions in 2007!
Cool news, all the same.
Link to EDGE comes into its own – RCRNews.com
Aug 22, 2006 | blog
This BlackBerry is the CDMA/GSM version that will allow Verizon to carry a “World Phone” BlackBerry. This unit supports the European and Asian GSM Frequencies (900/1800), and would allow roaming outside the North American continent (we’re on the 850/1900 freqs).
If you’re a Verizon subscriber and have been waiting for a 8700 series, your wait is over.
Link to Verizon 8703e in the flesh – Engadget Mobile
Aug 22, 2006 | blog
Wow, more mobile goodness! It usually happens in waves like this where several products will be announced or released within a few days of each other, and I of course figure it out days later. 🙂
Anyway, Sprint is getting in on the action this time with their (updated) version of the Palm Treo 700 line. The 700wx has more memory, 64MB RAM instead of Verizon’s 700w’s 32MB RAM. This should help make the Windows Mobile based Treo perform a bit better.
When the 700w was released, I was surprised that the unit came with 32MB, seems Palm was too accustomed to the Palm OS memory requirements.
Note to mobile OEMs: you can never have enough RAM. 🙂
Link to the::unwired – CONFIRMED: Palm Treo 700wx coming to Sprint
UPDATE: CrunchGear has a scan of Sprint’s brochure!
Aug 21, 2006 | blog
The mobile news this week is fantastic! This time its about iMate and their new JAQ Pocket PC Phone that could be a Moto Q killer!
In a surprise move (at least to me), HTC is not building this device for iMate. It seems that iMate has contracted with another OEM to build a QVGA device with QWERTY keyboard, though instead of Microsoft Smartphone, it will run the Pocket PC variant of Windows Mobile.
The design is defiantly different from HTC designs (and Motorola’s Q), though it seems fairly well laid out. Oh, it does have a touch-screen by the way – in case you were interested.
Link to Meet the i-Mate JAQ – Mobile Gadget News :: Making Your Windows Mobile Life Simpler
