4g

High-fashion Versace phone

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the Versace Unique is not an iPhone killer. Or an Evo killer. Or whatever phone du jour we want to kill at the moment.

Why are these high-fashion phones still around? Who uses them? I've never once seen one in the wild. Only once have I ever even heard of one in the wild and that was when my friend Adam Curry said that he was going to buy his teenage daughter a Samsung Armani. He hardly counts. He is a high-profile guy. Mere mortals do not … Read more

Sprint's 4G plans explained

At long last, it appears 2010 is the year of 4G. Or at least that's what Sprint is hoping for, as it begins on June 4 to roll out the country's first ever 4G phone, the HTC Evo 4G. By most accounts, the phone looks amazing. It promises a 4.3-inch TFT display, a front-facing camera, an 8-megapixel camera on the back, a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, Android 2.1, and so much more.

But let's step back for a second and redefine what 4G means in this case. Sprint's 4G technology is called WiMax, and it stand for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access. It has close ties to current Wi-Fi technology and is based on a 802.16e wireless standard. WiMax offers a theoretical download speed of up to 10Mbps and peak upload speeds of 1Mbps, though Sprint says that average download speeds will be more like 3 to 6Mbps.

Sprint is the only carrier pursuing WiMax as a 4G technology. The other three--AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile--are going the LTE route. That stands for Long-Term Evolution, and it has a slightly different architecture than WiMax. Existing WiMax hardware would be incompatible with LTE. However, Sprint's CEO Dan Hesse has said that if LTE turns out to be the standard in the future, Sprint would be open to changing over to LTE (unlike GSM/CDMA, the differences between LTE and WiMax are not that vast).

The reason Sprint has been so aggressive with WiMax instead of LTE is that the company has already acquired a lot of the spectrum with its acquisition of ClearWire a few years ago. For more on 4G technology, you can read our quick primer on the subject.

Prior to the Evo 4G, Sprint released a few mobile broadband products that take advantage of 4G/WiMax. They include Sprint's OverDrive mobile hot spot, which lets you connect up to five devices at a time. The data plan on the OverDrive costs $59.99 a month. As for data caps, here's where it gets interesting. Sprint says it still maintains a 5GB data cap for 3G mobile broadband products, but it won't have a data cap for 4G. Also, Sprint says that it doesn't have a data cap for any of its handsets, regardless if it's 3G or 4G. So, good news there. Additionally, the HTC Evo 4G has the ability to act as a WiFi Hotspot for up to eight devices as long as you sign up for a $30 mobile broadband plan, so if you have an Evo 4G, there's no need to get a separate Overdrive, and you get the benefit of unlimited data.… Read more

LTE subscribers to hit 200 million by 2015

The number of LTE subscribers around the world will surpass 200 million in another five years, according to a new report released Monday by research firm Maravedis.

Mobile operators committed to LTE (Long-Term Evolution) wireless broadband will pick up more customers over these next five years by offering dual-mode devices that can use both 3G and LTE, says the new report, called "The Top 25 LTE Operator Commitments: Deployment Scenarios and Growth Opportunities." As part of its study, Maravedis spoke with executives from mobile carriers around the world to learn about their plans and their challenges in rolling … Read more

Report: Apple readying 24 million units of next iPhone

Apple's contract manufacturer building the next iPhone plans to ship 24 million units by the end of this year, according to a new report.

The report from Digitimes on Monday said Taiwan-based Foxconn will ship 4.5 million next-gen iPhones by the end of June, and 19.5 million by the end of 2010.

Apple sells a lot of phones, but 24 million is a big number even for them. For comparison, Apple has sold a little over 50 million total since the original iPhone's debut in 2007. So how to explain the supposed sudden surge in iPhone … Read more

Court docs: iPhone finder had no pity for Powell

Records released Friday in the ongoing investigation into a lost prototype iPhone painted an unfavorable picture of Brian Hogan, the 21-year-old student who found the device and later sold it to a gadget blog.

According to police records released as part of an affidavit in San Mateo County (Calif.) Superior Court, Hogan's roommate, Katherine Martinson, told authorities that Hogan knew the identity of the owner very soon after finding the handset but had no intention of returning it. Robert Gray Powell, a 27-year-old Apple engineer, lost the phone in March after a night of drinking in a Redwood City, … Read more

Gizmodo e-mail to Jobs: 'We have nothing to lose'

In what seems to be the clearest evidence yet that Gawker Media editors didn't talk to an attorney before buying a lost or stolen prototype iPhone, new court documents reveal the gadget blog balking after Apple CEO Steve Jobs personally requested its return.

The affidavit, prepared by detective Matthew Broad in the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office, says Jobs contacted Gizmodo editor Brian Lam on April 19, the same day the gadget blog published a story about the 4G iPhone.

Jobs requested via phone that the blog's editors return the device--but Lam refused to do so, unless … Read more

Apple spurred police in iPhone probe

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--Apple pressed local police to investigate the loss of a next-generation iPhone a day after Gizmodo published photographs, telling investigators that the prototype was so valuable, a price could not be placed on it, according to court documents made public Friday.

In response to arguments made by CNET and other media organizations, a San Mateo judge unsealed documents (PDF) that provide a glimpse into an April 20 meeting between law enforcement and Apple lawyers and executives. They also highlight a madcap dash for evidence that evening that led a police detective to a gas station, a church, … Read more

Dialed In 126: Dating the Evo 4G (podcast)

This show was recorded before we knew the price and availability of the HTC Evo 4G, but we do mention it in the show. We also go over the iPhone appearance in Vietnam, the LG Ally, more Android news, and the latest reviews.

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Rumor of the week: Unique Motorola Android handset

News HTC Evo 4G gets FCC approval iPhone 4G prototype in Vietnam? iPhone exclusivity with AT&T? Sprint hangs up on Google's Nexus One Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 to get Android 2.1 update … Read more

Android 2.2 to integrate USB tethering, mobile hot spots

TechCrunch is reporting today that Android 2.2 "Froyo" will feature built-in USB tethering and Wi-Fi hot-spot capability. This is exciting news for Android users as it could potentially provide all phones with one of the great selling features of the forthcoming HTC Evo 4G from Sprint.

For those unfamiliar, mobile hot spots allow users to share their Internet connection with other devices such as laptops and portable gaming consoles. USB tethering is also rising in popularity, as many Android owners want to share their 3G connections with a Netbook while on the go.

As carriers begin rolling … Read more