HSDPA

Lenovo ThinkPad lineup leaks

Mehan Jayasuriya — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 11:57:49 -0400

You know you're in IT if the prospect of new ThinkPads sends shivers of joy down your spine. So steel yourself, friends, for here comes a whole new flock of slimmed-down international business machines. The folks over at Gizmodo got their hands on some leaked details pertaining to Lenovo's forthcoming ThinkPad lineup, and it looks like the svelte X300 was just the tip of the iceberg. Lenovo plans to launch an entire line of X-branded machines, adding a 12" X200, a 14.1" X400 and a 15.4" X500 to the mix. All of the machines will be similarly spec'd out, which means 45nm mobile Penryns, 6MB of L2 cache and both HSDPA and EV-DO connectivity, making the new ThinkPads truly carrier agnostic. But that's not all folks: there are also major changes on the horizon for the R and T series lappies, as well as another new lineup--the W series. Scattered across the various lines are goodies like turbo memory, SSDs, Blu-ray drives, LED-backlit displays, GPS, WiMAX and Wireless USB.

For all the gory details:
- check out this Gizmodo article

BlackBerry 8-series revealed?

Mon, 07 Jan 2008 06:59:54 -0500

We've been hearing rumors of a next-generation BlackBerry device from RIM for months now, with some rumormongers even claiming that the Canadian company would finally eschew the tried-and-true QWERTY form factor for an iPhone-like touchscreen device. Well, it looks like the rumors of a next-gen 'Berry were true, though judging by the looks of it, it's nothing quite as exciting as that. According to a leaked Vodafone roadmap, published by the Boy Genius Report, a new device in the BlackBerry 8-series will launch this spring as RIM's new high-end handset. Inside, you can expect a 624Mhz CPU and all-new chipset, HSDPA with tri-band UMTS (850/1900/2100), a 480x320 VGA display, WiFi, GPS and a 2-megapixel camera. On the outside this thing is pretty sleek--it looks like a more rounded, svelte BlackBerry-style device. No, it's no iPhone but it sure would be nice to finally get GPS and WiFi in one BlackBerry, wouldn't it? Remember now, none of this is official until RIM says it is but the Boy Genius claims that this little number will show up on Vodafone in May, with a Stateside launch hopefully not far behind.

For more on the new BlackBerry 8-series device:
- see this Boy Genius Report story

Nokia N95 8GB coming to America

Mon, 07 Jan 2008 06:59:53 -0500

We've spilled a lot of ink over Nokia's 8GB N95 uber-phone, so we're glad that it's finally come to this: Nokia has broken down and announced a U.S. version of the handset. As you might expect, it's nearly identical to its European counterpart--that is to say 2.8 inch display, HSDPA, WiFi, A-GPS, and 5-megapixel camera--save for the 3G radio, which has been replaced with a U.S.-friendly 850/1900Mhz radio, for surfing those high-speed wireless Intertubes in the land of the free. Arriving some time this quarter for the wallet-draining price of $750. Class dismissed.

For more on the U.S. 8GB N95:
- see this Engadget story

Apple bringing 3G iPhone to Japan in 2008

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 06:59:53 -0500

In an article published today, the Wall Street Journal claims that Apple is in talks to bring the iPhone to Japan via NTT DoCoMo, one of the world's largest wireless carriers. According to the usual "[p]eople familiar with the situation," El Jobso himself has paid DoCoMo president Masao Nakamura a few visits while DoCoMo executives have been taking regular trips to Cupertino. Furthermore, Apple is said to be talking to Softbank, Japan's number three mobile operator, as well, though it's likely that Apple is simply playing the operators off of one another as we've seen them do in the past. To no one's surprise, Apple's standard cut of subscriber revenue is said to be the current sticking point in the discussions. "People familiar with the situation said Apple was asking for the same percentage of revenue that it receives from other carriers. Some estimates put that at about 10%," the WSJ reports.

Sure, the fact that the iPhone is coming to Japan is big news in and of itself: Nippon is home to millions of loyal iPod fans and one of the most profitable handset markets in the world. There are wider ramifications of a deal with DoCoMo, however, as the carrier does not run a GSM/EDGE network--their low-end "FOMA" service runs on HSDPA. That means that if the iPhone launches in Japan, it will have to be a 3G model of the phone.

For more on the iPhone in Japan:
- see this Wall Street Journal article (sub. req.)

More BlackBerry 9-series details emerge

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 06:59:53 -0500

Not too long ago, we reported on rumors of a mythical BlackBerry 9-series of devices, which would see RIM dropping the tried and true QWERTY-sporting BB form factor for an iPhone-like full touchscreen design. Well, a few more rumors have trickled out of the Boy Genius Report and dare we say, we're even more riled up for the handset than we were before. Contrary to previous reports, the phone is now said to sport a 624Mhz Intel XScale PXA270 processor--as opposed to the nameless 600Mhz chip of yore. In addition to being the first BlackBerry with 3G connectivity via HSDPA, the 9-series device will also sport a 480 x 320 touchscreen display, 1GB of onboard storage, GPS, WiFi and maybe even a 3.2 megapixel camera. Looks like a pretty solid device just so long as they get that touchscreen keyboard right--otherwise they're going to have a hard time prying those physical keyboards away from the hordes of CrackBerry addicts. Word on the street is that we should see something official during the first half of 2008, so keep your eyes peeled.

For more on the rumors:
- see this Boy Genius Report article

Nokia announces N82 media phone

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 06:59:53 -0500

Nokia's N-series devices are pretty much the cream of the crop as far as Symbian-powered media phones are concerned, so it's welcome news that Nokia is adding yet another phone to the lineup. Say hello to the newest member of the N-series family, the N82. Tucked inside this candybar you'll find that familiar Symbian S60 variant, a 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens and xenon flash, a microSD expansion slot, WiFi, A-GPS and a 2.4 inch QVGA display. As far as cellular radios are concerned, you'll find a quad-band GSM/EDGE radio. Not so fast, Americans--HSDPA is only available on the 2100MHz band--so non-Eurasians should look elsewhere for the time being. With any luck, however, we'll see a North American version of this device soon, as we did with the N95. Available now direct from Nokia in Europe for €450 (just over $650).

For more on the N82:
- see this Engadget article

Samsung ships 2nd gen WiMAX devices...in Korea

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 06:59:53 -0500

With all the recent tumult surrounding Sprint and its increasingly troubled-looking XOHM WiMAX service, it's hard to believe that WiMAX is anything more than a fleeting fantasy. True though that may be on this side of the pond, elsewhere in the world, WiMAX networks are already up and running--and have been for some time. To wit, Samsung has announced the second generation of devices for KT's and SKT's now year-old WiBro WiMAX service, which serves customers in South Korea. To the right you'll see the SPH-9200, a tiny Windows XP-based UMPC that supports HSDPA, WiFi and, of course, mobile WiMAX. Samsung also has a pair of USB WiMAX modems on tap, as well as a Windows Mobile 6 WiMAX smartphone. If I didn't know any better, I'd say they were trying to rub it in.

For more on the new devices:
- see this press release

AT&T launches Motorola Q9h

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 07:59:57 -0400

Boy, AT&T just can't seem to get their fill of smartphones lately. First it was the iPhone, then it was the Tilt, then the BlackBerry 8310, then the Pantech Duo and now, they're saying "Hello Moto" to the Q9h. Here's what you can expect from the latest iteration of Motorola's Q smartphone: Windows Mobile 6, UMTS/HSDPA, quad band GPRS/EDGE, GPS with Telenav, Good 5, Express Mail and a 2-megapixel camera. That's not too shabby considering that this little guy will only set you back $200 (with two-year contract, natch) when it hits the streets tomorrow. What's more, it looks like this Q comes pre-loaded with Opera and a little bit of UI customization on top of WM6--why couldn't AT&T do the same for the more expensive Tilt?

For more on the new Q in town:
- see this press release

Rumor: Samsung F700 coming to Verizon

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 06:59:53 -0400

When it comes to hot new smartphones, Verizon is usually the last place any of us turn to to get our fix. It's encouraging, then, to see that Verizon is starting to get hip to the allure of a good smartphone. "Don't ask us when or where or how we know this, but Samsung's much-drooled-after F700 will be hitting Verizon...probably by year's end," CrunchGear writes. The phone in question is a smart device with a touchscreen, slide out QWERTY keypad and a very iPhone-like form factor. Additionally, this thing supports CDMA (natch), HSDPA and EDGE, Bluetooth, microSD, full HTML web-browsing and has a 5-micropixel camera. Seems like a pretty big win for Verizon fans--let's just hope this one gets confirmed.

For more on the new phone:
- see this CrunchGear article

ALSO NOTED: Qualcomm launches dual-mode 3G chip; Sprint Guardian puts lappies on lockdown;

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 06:59:51 -0400

> India does a 180 on the OLPC. Article
> Qualcomm's new chip does EV-DO and HSDPA. Article
> SprintSecure Laptop Guardian puts lappies on lockdown. Article
> LG launches a laptop with a 160GB hybrid hard drive. Article

And Finally... Sony takes a page out of Apple's marketing playbook. Article