Clear adds Mac-friendly 4G/3G modem, 4G routers

Clear today swung attention back to its 4G networking hardware with a particular focus on Macs. The Sierra Wireless-made 4G+ Mobile USB is its first dual 3G and 4G modem to support Macs and gives them an EVDO data connection fallback when 4G coverage is poor or non-existent. It should work with Mac OS X Leopard or later and will cost either $115 outright or $6 a month for a lease.

Routers now include two new options. The Spot 4G is a basic 4G-only mobile router for those that don't plan to leave Clear's coverage, sharing its WiMAX with up to eight other devices over W-Fi. The Spot 4G+ is a rebranding of Sprint's Overdrive with a 3G option and up to five devices sharing the network.

Both are OS-independent and carry different prices to reflect their expanded functions: the Spot 4G costs just $100 up front or $5 on a lease, while the Spot 4G+ costs $225 immediately or $6 per month.

Rates for access depend on how the device will be used and whether it supports 3G. The Spot 4G is the least expensive to use at $45 per month for an on-the-go connection or $65 per month to add home use, while the 3G-capable hardware raises these subscriptions to $61 and $81.

4G+ Mobile USB



Spot 4G



Spot 4G+

TRENDnet unveils smallest-ever 802.11n adapter

TRENDnet has unveiled the 150Mbps Mini Wireless N USB Adapter, a network link it claims is the smallest 802.11n Wi-Fi adapter ever. The device is only slightly longer than its USB connector and is built for netbooks and other PCs where it's preferable to leave the adapter attached even when the system is in a bag. It still supports full-size features like Wi-Fi Protected Setup.

The peripheral is officially compatible with Windows 2000, XP and Vista and can get a signal as far as 160 feet indoors and 320 feet when outside, or about three times farther than 802.11g. Prices at various retailers range from $28 to $32.

http://www.electronista.com/articles/09/09/23/trendnet.outs.tiny.usb.draft.n.adapter/

Rogers' 21Mbps 3G, modem go live in five cities

Rogers today officially deployed its HSPA+ service in Canada. The service has a peak speed three times faster than its existing HSPA network, at 21Mbps, and is launching in a much wider area than originally promised. Where the company had initially planned only to release it in the Greater Toronto Area, the initial rollout brings HSPA+ both to Toronto as well as to Calgary, Montreal, Ottawa and Vancouver.

The launch also brings a new modem, the HSPA+ Rocket Stick, to take advantage of the service from launch. The USB peripheral installs on both Macs and Windows PCs without needing a separate driver disc and has tri-band support for HSPA+ as well as earlier HSPA standards, including peak upstream speeds of 5.76Mbps; it also handles quad-band EDGE and GPRS in fringe areas. A microSDHC slot optionally gives the drive as much as 8GB of storage.

Service effectively starts on September 28th, when the new Rocket Stick ships for $75 with a three-year contract or $200 contract-free. Extra cities should receive the faster network in the next few months.

The upgrade now gives Rogers the fastest cellular network in North America, as T-Mobile isn't expected to use HSPA+ until 2010 and Verizon also won't launch its 4G service until the same year. Sprint's 4G service currently runs at a peak 10Mbps.

.http://www.electronista.com/articles/09/09/14/rogers.hspa.goes.live/.