Archive for: modem
Until now, the only reliable way to surf the web at close to 4G speeds is by using one of Verizon’s LTE laptop modems. But both of those devices are only good for a single user. Today that changes with the Samsung 4G LTE SCH-LC11 modem. This little unassuming black box provides the awesomeness of LTE speeds for not only you, but four other patrons as well.
For now, there are two ways to to call this your own — pay $269 up front and go contract free, or sign a 2-year contract and get the modem/hot spot spewer for $99. Data plan pricing is the same $50/5GB or $80/10GB regardless of how you acquire said hardware. Add in a ~4-hour runtime and 9-hour standby time and you’ve got quite the little gem on your hands.
Who’s ready to jump on the LTE bandwagon?
To every Mac user who hasn’t hacked their shiny new LTE modems to work on their OS X-equipped machines (or those waiting for more official options), your meal ticket is coming very soon. In an exchange of words with PhoneScoop, VZW mentioned a pending February update that would bring the highly sought after Mac support that many have been clamoring for. Of course, those who really wanted to get VZW’s LTE modems up and working on their non-Windows machines already have via various hacks easily found online. But for the masses, a more official approach is greatly appreciated and needed. For the record, this update is only for the LG VL600 modem at this time.
No official release date has been revealed as of writing.
- December 31, 2010 9:45 am
Several months ago, Clear debuted a rather unique hotspot modem called the “iSpot”. By design, it was an iOS-specific device that would allow you to tether any and all iOS devices and enjoy up to 6Mbps download speeds. From start, hackers were interested on breaking the iSpot’s device restrictions — the reason being the discounted price of less than $100 for the iSpot hardware and a low $25/month for 4G data access. With that said, the actual process to get around the iSpot’s MAC-filtering security was neither hard nor lengthy in process.
Unfortunately, Clear hasn’t been so pleased with the iSpot’s lackluster security features and has decided to discontinue the modem effective immediately. However, Clear stores are still able to sell remaining stock. If I were you, I’d head down there now and see if they have any left. $25/month for unlimited WiMax is a pretty sweet deal.
- December 30, 2010 6:58 pm
The Sprint-bound 4082 3G/4G MiFi device is something we’ve already seen detailed a time or two, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less pretty. Just look at that thing.
With the FCC certification now official, we could theoretically see a showcasing at next week’s CES. Hopes and dreams aside, did we mention this thing is gorgeous? The display on the front of the device will show a few handy pieces of information including signal strength and battery life. Pricing and release are unknown at this point. But as we said earlier, there’s a good chance we’ll find out more on this MiFi unit in the very near future.
- December 20, 2010 6:45 pm
Some may question the need for yet another LTE modem running on Verizon’s network, but we here at Gadgetsteria say “the more the merrier”. On that note, this particular Novatel USB551L LTE modem stands out from the current of modems offered by LG and Pantech by not only supporting Windows machines, but Macs as well. Finally, OS X users can enjoy the super speedy bits that LTE provides. One other, less boast-worthy feature is still an unknown at this point, though is nonetheless worth a mention. All we’ll say is that the flyer above makes no mention of backwards compatibility with older EVDO/3G networks. If the Novatel is in fact LTE-only, it will leave you with quite the tie-breaker — Mac support or wider coverage with 3G/4G capabilities? Decisions decisions…
- December 13, 2010 1:20 pm
Today, December 13th, Verizon Wireless officially came forward and recognized a widespread issue that new users of the week-old LTE modems have been experiencing — hand off lag. More specifically, users of Verizon’s new LTE modems can take up to two minutes when switching from 3G –> LTE even when they’re in a strong LTE signal area — this according to VZW spokesperson, Jeffrey Nelson. For now, the only fix is it unplug the modem and then plug it back in if you don’t want to wait the full two minutes out.
While it is a relatively minor inconvenience, two minutes seems like an awfully long time for something that should be quite simple and quick in 2010. Nonetheless, Verizon Wireless says that a software fix is in the works. On that note, there isn’t any ETA as to when an update will be released, or even as to which particular modem is seeing the hand-off issue. Though, according to Alley Insider, the LG modem is the problem child.
Hopefully VZW can get to the bottom of the problem sooner rather than later. While it’s a minor inconvenience at best, it still something that should be left to run rampant for too long.
- November 30, 2010 9:59 pm
That Verizon press conference we hinted at earlier has had several details leaked early, slipping out online earlier tonight. At tomorrow’s event, Verizon will reportedly announce December 5th as the official LTE launch day as well as taking the wraps off of two new LTE modems. Speaking of which, the LG VL600 and Pantech UML290 (both shown inside) aren’t the slimmest of USB modems. Then again, every other modem on the market isn’t packing an LTE radio inside.
The press conference goes down tomorrow, December 1st at 12pm (noon) EST. Be sure to check back here at Gadgetsteria.com for coverage of the event.
Those of you who look at your router day in and day out and cant stand to see all of the heft and excessive amounts of plastic may have something to look for in the Logitech Japan’s LAN-W300N/R. The main draw here is of course the size — the insanely thin (for a router) case. Thickness for said router starts out at a still rather svelte 24mm and moves down to a Lindsy Lohan skinny 7mm. Butter is safe no more. As far as actual real specs such as speed, which by the way tops out at 300Mbps, price, and availability are sadly still unknown. At least you have a pretty face to stare at right?
Source: Geeky-Gadgets, Slippery Brick
