3g/4g

If you've ever wanted to expand your Mac's capabilities, you probably wondered what--and how much--your machine could handle. This free utility eliminates the guesswork, providing current, comprehensive, and accurate technical specifications on every Mac known to man, from Cupertino's latest right on down to the vintage Macintosh 128K, along with technical information on servers, other Apple devices, and OS software stretching back to System 2.0.1.

Mactracker maintains data on everything from maximum RAM and processor speed to performance benchmarks, expansion slots, firmware, built-in hardware, and more--all in a clean, newly redesigned interface that provides strong … Read more

If you travel alone with your laptop, a 4G modem like the Clear 4G+ Mobile or the LG VL600 LTE will more than take care of your Internet needs. But if you're in a group, or carry along with your laptop other Internet-enabled devices, such as mobile phones or tablets, you'll find those modems painfully lacking as they have no Internet-sharing capability.

What you need in this case is something that can offer Internet connections to multiple devices simultaneously. And this is when mobile cellular routers, like Sprint's MiFi 4082 3G/4G Hotspot, come into play.

The … Read more

Though the benefit of the 4G cellular data connection is clear, it's much faster, mobile users might still want to opt for a 3G service because 4G coverage is still limited.

There's now, however, a solution that takes care of this dilemma: the new Sprint 3G/4G USB 250U mobile broadband modem.

Sprint and Sierra Wireless announced the device Tuesday, calling it the first on the market to offer the much higher data speeds where 4G coverage is available, and 3G speeds where it is not.

The 3G/4G dongle comes in a rather compact design with 180-degree … Read more

Good old Wi-Fi could be the fix to an impending explosion of data on wireless networks.

Nearly three years after Apple introduced the game-changing iPhone, wireless operators around the globe are feeling the effects of the wireless data tsunami that is well under way. Even networks that don't support the iPhone are feeling the pinch as a generation of new wireless devices offering bandwidth-hungry Web applications are hitting networks.

The result, as many iPhone users in New York City and San Francisco will tell you, is a network that drops calls and offers wireless Net surfing at the speed of a turtle.… Read more

Cox Communications is aiming for March to launch its wireless service, the company said Wednesday.

The cable operator is initially partnering with Sprint Nextel to resell its wireless service to customers. Cox already bundles high-speed Internet, telephony, and TV. Wireless service will create a quadruple play.

The company hasn't announced pricing yet but has said that the service will launch first in three markets: Hampton Roads, Va.; Omaha, Neb.; and Orange County, Calif. In total, Cox serves roughly 1.45 million cable subscribers in these markets.

Unlike Comcast and Time Warner Cable, which have invested in a company building … Read more

There's been a lot of talk in 2009 about the next generation of wireless technology, known as 4G wireless broadband, but the current generation of 3G wireless technology is far from dead.

For many wireless operators, especially those that have built their networks using the global standard GSM, the current 3G wireless technology called HSPA still has some legs left. And while many carriers are planning their 4G networks, hundreds of wireless providers throughout the world are also expected to upgrade existing network infrastructure with the latest versions of the 3G wireless technology to increase speeds and offer new … Read more

Mobile chip maker Qualcomm said Thursday that it has started providing new wireless chipsets that combine 3G and 4G wireless technology to help carriers transition to the next generation of wireless technology.

The company said Huawei Technologies, LG Electronics Novatel Wireless, Sierra Wireless, and ZTE are among the first mobile-device manufacturers to test the new chips.

Qualcomm said that devices that use the new chips could be available in commercial products starting in the second half of 2010.

The new chips will allow wireless phones and other portable devices to switch between a 4G wireless network using LTE, or long-term … Read more

AT&T announced Wednesday plans to double the speed of its wireless broadband network by 2011. The move to HSPA technology, and eventually LTE networks, will begin later this year.

AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson outlined the carrier's plans at the D: All Things Digital conference in Carlsbad, Calif. "We are going to go ahead and deploy some rather aggressive wireless broadband," Stephenson said.

HSPA, which stand for High Speed Packet Access, is the next evolution in the carrier's 3G wireless broadband network. Though it promises peak data speeds of 7.2Mbps, slower speeds … Read more

AT&T's 3G wireless network will soon be twice as fast.

An executive at the company told Telephony Online this week that the company is running trials of its upgraded 3G network in two markets. And the company plans to expand the upgrades across its nationwide network once the trials are completed.

The upgrade to the company's HSPA network will provide peak download speeds of about 3.6Mbps. The company's current generation of technology offers peak download links speeds of 1.7 Mbps. Of course, real world data speeds are much lower. Most wireless subscribers get … Read more