This morning Nokia Siemens announced that they’ve doubled the speed of EDGE to 592Kbps via a Dual Carrier EDGE software solution. Existing GSM/EDGE networks will likely benefit from this in Q3 such as T-Mobile unless the government unshackles their 3G network before then. iPhone v1.0 owners will also benefit. Nokia will continue to boost speeds with EGPRS 2, which is said to offer 1.2Mbps and increase uplink speeds to 473Kbps. “By 2015, we expect to live in a broadband-IP world with five billion people ‘always on’ and therefore Nokia Siemens Networks is committed to protecting customer investments and continue to implement leading EDGE technology. Dual Carrier software upgrade is an easy and extremely cost efficient step to bring broadband user experience to GSM/EDGE networks”, says Ari Lehtoranta, Head of Radio Access Business Unit, Nokia Siemens Networks. → Read More
A reader just sent in a tip that EDGE service might be down in the Pittsburgh area. It appears, at least on my iPhone, that EDGE is down in the Pittsburgh area. Anyone else say anything about this? How ’bout it? Is anyone else having EDGE trouble in and around Pittsburgh? For what it’s worth, I’m definitely having EDGE trouble here in Boston but that’s mostly because I really don’t like U2. → Read More
Just a quick perusal of the forums tells me that AT&T’s EDGE service is still down affecting BlackBerry and iPhone users. Can anyone in the crowd confirm or deny? [Update]: According to our AT&T rep, it appears that things are back up and running. We’ll keep you posted if anything else happens. → Read More
Edge magazine has named The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time the best game of all time. Yes, everyone hates these so-called “best” lists and many of them are created just as Digg bait nowadays, but Edge magazine, in my opinion, isn’t your typical video game magazine. It doesn’t use words like “awesome” or “super-de-dooper” to describe and review games, but uses a measured, professional tone akin more akin to Vanity Fair or the New Yoker than the average game rag. The full list of the top 100 games, as compiled by Edge readers, industry “experts” and Edge’s own editorial team, will be released tomorrow but the top 10 have already been announced. And they are: 1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 2. Resident Evil 4 3. Super Mario 64 4. Half-Life 2 5. Super Mario World … → Read More
Late last night some AT&T geeks started benchmarking their network speed. Suddenly, after months of sub-standard EDGE speeds, they noticed 200+kbps during most trials, suggesting that someone out there has been tweaking things to make iPhone browsing a little less like pulling teeth. → Read More
A couple of things that make people nervous about the iPhone: no mechanical keyboard and AT&T/Cingular’s EDGE network. If anybody’s poised to perfect the whole touchscreen keyboard thing, it’s probably Apple. Nokia almost got it with the 770/N800 but for people with gargantuan thumbs, “tapping” ASDF in one fell swoop is about as fun as riding a bike with no seat. Hats off to Apple if they can get the keyboard right. The EDGE network is another story. There’s only so much that Apple can do to make the iPhone zip along and, at the end of the day, the iPhone would be much faster on just about any other network. So the whole AT&T/Cingular partnership has been a bit of a puzzler for a device that’s so dependent on data. Scott Karp of Publishing 2.0 skipped the iPhone altogether, instead opting for a Blackberry 8830 on the Verizon network. “Bottom line is: The network MATTERS – a lot. It matters for voice and it matters for the ultra-hyped mobile web. Verizon’s high speed network IS faster – it’s not full broadband speed, of course, but it blows away the slower networks I’ve used, i.e. the kind of slower network the iPhone has with AT&T. So much of the Web’s promise went unfulfilled in Web 1.0 because the network simply wasn’t ready. Buying an iPhone with AT&T would be like buying a laptop that only supports dial-up.” I think that for normal run-of-the-mill web surfing, the EDGE network should be sufficient but once you get into downloading music and videos directly to the iPhone, the slow network speed could become painfully apparent. None of this will likely matter, though. Apple could make the iPhone attach to other iPhones with twine and most everyone would still buy one. Why I Didn’t Buy An iPhone: The Network [Publishing 2.0] → Read More
A new report from Visant Strategies finds that the market for legacy mobile switching vendors will remain strong, even as there is a move to I/P-based switching. The report suggests the continued deployment of CDMA EV-DO, WCDMA/HSDPA and GSM/GPRS/EDGE base stations will lead to a market for all mobile network components at an ever-increasing rate. Global softswitch sales could reach more than $6 billion in 2011, while IP-based and IMS-based gear could see revenues nearly double that amount in the same year. Visant Strategies → Read More
Not like you didn’t already know about the Wing, but those of you with T-Mobile can now purchase the Wing. This MyFaves-enabled phone isn’t cheap and will run you $300 with a two-year contract, but oh is it feature-rich. Aside from the sliding QWERTY-pad, you’ll find Bluetooth 2.0, WiFi, EDGE, a full HTML browser, push e-mail, microSD, media player, and a 2.0-megapixel camera with 8x digital zoom. What probably makes the Wing stand out the most is the fact that it carries Windows Mobile 6.0. Though WM6 is a big improvement over 5.0, it’s still Windows Mobile. You either like it or hate it. Hit up your local T-Mobile store if you want to make like a bird and fly away with a Wing. Look for our full review later today. T-Mobile → Read More
The RAZR2 V8 is geared toward entertainment and it sports the necessary accoutrements to get the job done. The second generation RAZR keeps the slim and sleek form factor of its predecessor with a stainless steel frame, metal and glass housing that’s 2mm smaller on the GSM and CDMA versions. The 2-inch QVGA external display is nice and bright with contextual touch interaction with an internal display topping out at 2.2-inches. Touch interaction? That makes me wet. → Read More
Today, Sony Ericsson announced two new phones not guaranteed to stimulate your senses. The T250 is a very basic phone that will probably be carried at local carrier, pre-paid levels. Features include a dual-band GSM (ouch), a VGA camera, FM radio, and a silver or black paint job. Not too bad, but nothing special. The other contender is the S500 slider, which is a quad-band GSM phone with EDGE that features a sharp 2-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, MP3 player, and blogging software. Essentially, we’d love to have a few of these around CG headquarters. Both phones are due out in Q3 of this year and should be hitting US soil. Sony Ericsson Adds Phones to North American Line Up [Phone Scoop] → Read More
Stop living your life for just a second because we have a possible release date for the rumored Google Phone: late 2007. Supposedly the phone will be manufactured by HTC (they make the Dash, among others), which will have more than one million Google Phones (GPhones?) by the end of the year. This news comes to us by way of DigiTimes, the Taiwanese tech-oriented newspaper that often gets stuff wrong. It’s said that the phone won’t support GPS, but will support EDGE (lame) and will integrate with Gmail and Google’s lovely search. This drawing is from a patent filing, not something I drew on a napkin at the local Wendy’s. Breaking: Google Phone will launch in 2007 [Mad4MobilePhones] → Read More
Most likely due to the fact that no one cared about the device, T-Mobile has started to do away with the MDA. As a replacement, the T-Mobile Wing (aka HTC P4350) will take over full-QWERTY/PDA duties, featuring the brand spankin’ new Windows Mobile 6.0. MyMobile911 reports that the device will have a spring-loaded sliding keypad, the same screen at the Cingular 8525, and a blue rubber coating all over the device to protect it from the wall you’ll be tossing it towards. Rumor has it that the Wing will be debuted by T-Mo in August. New PDA Phone from T-Mobile coming in August 2007 T-Mobile Wing [MyMobile911 via BGR] → Read More
During CES, it would have been great to have had some kind of EV-DO card or high speed wireless card. Since I now know that John is going to horde them for himself, I’m eying the recently announced Sony-Ericsson PC300. This bad boy not only comes with HSDPA, UMTS, EDGE, and GPRS, but it has a wicked neon pink label! It supports download speeds of up to 3.6Mbps and has an integrated antenna as well. Too bad we’ll have to wait until Q3 for our fix of speedy wireless access. Sony Ericsson PC300 Does 4 Flavors of Wireless [Gizmodo] → Read More
The Nokia E62 is an interesting little beast. It looks like Motorola Q but it uses Symbian S60 platform rather than Windows Mobile 5. Additionally, the E62 is available on Cingular, so it utilizes EDGE “high speed internet” rather than EV-DO. So far so good. The E62 is not a bad phone. It performs quite while in many of the most important categories. Its reception is clear and it is relatively easy to use. When paired with a Nokia BH-800 Bluetooth headset, the phone can be used virtually handsfree. → Read More
Say you’ve got a cell phone provider with high-speed data, like Cingular. Then say you’ve got a laptop with one of these slick new Express Card slots, like the MacBook Pro. The traditional PCMCIA cards Cingular sells aren’t compatable. What to do? Wait a little while longer, that’s what. But not much longer. Novatel has introduced us to their Merlin XU870. It’s a HSDPA card, a UMTS card, an EDGE card, and a GPRS card, all in one Express Card package. Pop it into your 34 or 54-sized slot (ew) and you’re set. It currently caps out at 3.6Mbps, but with a software upgrade (and a compatable network), you could get 7.2Mbps down, mobile. Now that’s hot. Shipping right now around the world, to the states shortly. Novatel Merlin XU870 HSDPA ExpressCard To Enable 7.2Mbps Speed [Laptoping] → Read More
Nova Media has released a new 3G super modem called the Globesurfer ICON. It supports GPRS, EDGE and HSDPA wireless options. The modem works through USB and is powered by the bus. It comes preloaded with connection settings for 300 carriers out of the box. The Globesurfer ICON is available now for $432. Macs get globetrotting ‘super 3G’ modem [Reg Hardware] → Read More
of an unannounced Samsung smartphone that appears to be targeted atBlackberry fans. The clamshell smartphone features Windows Mobile 5, is made for GSM/EDGE networks (with UMTS support), has a 2MP auto-focus external camera and a second internal camera for video conferencing. A MicroSD slot, FM receiver and stereo Bluetooth round this camera out nicely, from a features perspective. What’s interesting is it also features Samsung’s Blackberry-like hybrid keypad. First seen on the SGH-I719, the keypad throws out traditional T9 for a half-QWERTY solution. Each chicklet key has two letters, so a double-tap switches your Q to a W. It’s an interesting way to fit full data entry into a small form factor, and RIM fans haven’t had trouble adapting to it. Is it practical? That’s a different question altogether. Samsung Shows Windows Mobile Phone With Hybrid Keyboard [Phone Scoop] → Read More
Not only can you use this as a wireless EDGE modem for laptops and UMPCs, you can even make calls on the GSM network or send/receive faxes as well. All you do is stick in your SIM card into the side of the unit, plug it into a USB port, and blammo, you’ve got 1998-era internet speeds anywhere you go. The only problem we can see is that you have to have a separate data-only account with your service provider, or rely on using your laptop as your only calling device when your SIM is inside. Neither of these are ideal solutions. Product Page [Falcom via Mobility Today] → Read More
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