USB

Software
February 1, 2011
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Verizon Wireless LTE modem now supports Apple computers

By on February 1, 2011 at 11:38 PM.

Verizon Wireless LTE modem now supports Apple computers

Verizon Wireless on Tuesday updated its “VZAccess Manager” software to add Mac support for the Pantech UML290 LTE modem. The new update — VZAccess Manager version 7.2.4 (2534b) — adds support for Apple computers running OS X 10.4 and later. Pantech’s UML290 is a USB dongle that allows laptops to connect to Verizon’s 4G LTE network. Until now, the broadband modem could only be connected to Windows-based computers. The new software is available immediately from Verizon’s website as a free download. The carrier’s other 4G LTE modem, the LG VL600, does not yet support Mac computers. More →

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Tablets
December 13, 2010
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Images of Motorola’s Verizon-branded 10-inch tablet surface

By on December 13, 2010 at 7:28 AM.

Images of Motorola’s Verizon-branded 10-inch tablet surface

After Andy Rubin, Google’s VP of Engineering, showed off a new Motorola tablet last week, information about the unreleased device has slowly started to bubble to the surface. User wnrussell from Howard Forums was kind enough to post a few images that showcase a Verizon-branded version of the Android 3.0 tablet. The images are — unfortunately – Mr. Blurrycam style, but they do reveal some additional information about the device. The pictures showcase a micro-USB port, mini-HDMI port, 3.5mm headphone jack, and dock contact points. The poster reports that the device will indeed have a 1GHz Tegra 2 processor, gyroscope, 1280 x 800 screen resolution, and 32GB of built in storage with a microSD card slot (with support for 32GB). The device will purportedly bear the name Stingray, Everest, or Trygon. Hit the read link to check out the full array of images.

UPDATE: Post updated to accurately reflect the origin of the images. More →

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Breaking
November 30, 2010
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Verizon Wireless announcing 4G LTE roll-out December 1st

By on November 30, 2010 at 8:54 AM.

Verizon Wireless announcing 4G LTE roll-out December 1st

Verizon has just announced that they will be holding a news conference on December 1st to detail the launch of its next-generation, 4G, LTE network. With plans to go-live in “38 metropolitan areas, covering more than 110 millon people” before the end of the year, this would be the world’s largest LTE deployment. While the network is set to go live before 2011, customers will have to wait until early next year for LTE-compatible handsets to start making the rounds. Data products like USB data sticks and Mi-Fi-type devices should be available reasonably soon, however. Now, where’s that HTC Incredible HD? More →

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Tablets
November 2, 2010
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Notion Ink reveal interface updates for the upcoming Adam tablet

By on November 2, 2010 at 3:03 AM.

Notion Ink reveal interface updates for the upcoming Adam tablet

The guys over at Notion Ink in India have revealed some user-interface updates for their upcoming Adam tablet. The tablet is expected to ship in late November 2010 and will sport a re-worked Android browser with a novel system to allow for non-intrusive tab switching. Amongst other small UI tweaks, the developers have uploaded a video of the tablet cutting through a 1080p clip like butter. The Adam tablet will come in two flavors, an LCD model and a Pixel Qi trans-reflective LCD variant; both of which rock a CPU/GPU combo of 1GHz dual-core Arm Cortex-A9 processor and Nvidia Tegra 2. Connectivity wont be a problem since the tablet is believed to feature 2 USB ports, a micro USB port, an HDMI-out port, a microSD card slot, and SIM card slot. Android aficionados will be happy to know the tablet will run Android 2.2 when released. Whilst the tech specs are more than satisfying, it remains to be seen if it can live up to buzz. Hit the read link for the latest update on the Adam. More →

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General
October 30, 2010
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Steve Jobs: No USB 3 any time soon

By on October 30, 2010 at 7:20 PM.

Steve Jobs: No USB 3 any time soon

Apple has a mixed record when it comes to adopting industry standards. For example, the company was the first OEM to install USB and Firewire on its desktop machines but has yet to include HDMI connectivity in its laptop line; the recently refreshed Mac Mini line were the first Apple products to sport an HDMI output. Now, Mr. Jobs has provided us with his two cents in an email response to a request for Apple to adopt USB 3.0:

We don’t see USB 3 taking off at this time. No support from Intel,  for example.

The optimist in you might be hoping that Apple is holding off in favor of Intel’s upcoming Light Peak technology. Light Peak will feature an optical cable with a bandwidth of 10Gb/s (that’s gigabits) and will be a universal replacement for SCSI, SATA, USB, FireWire, PCI Express and HDMI. Are we hoping for too much? More →

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General
October 13, 2010
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T-Mobile announces new prepaid voice and data plans

By on October 13, 2010 at 2:29 PM.

T-Mobile announces new prepaid voice and data plans


About one-week ago, information on T-Mobile’s prepaid phone and data plans leaked… and the information was dead on. Today, T-Mobile officially announced the new prepaid monthly plans that will be available on October 18. The plans looks like this:

Prepaid Monthly Phone Data Plans

  • $70/month Unlimited Talk and Text with 2 GB of Data
  • $50/month Unlimited Talk and Text with 100 MB of Data
  • $30/month 1,500 Talk and Text (mix and match voice and text messages) with 30 MB of Data
  • Unlimited Text and $0.10/minute
  • $1.49/day Web DayPass

Prepaid Mobile Broadband

  • $10 week pass (100 MB)
  • $30 month pass (300 MB)
  • $50 month pass (1 GB)

The prepaid mobile broadband plans will be available on a new “Jet USB Laptop Stick” that is “pre-packaged with a prepaid SIM card, user guide, and plug & play connection manager software” — the device will be available online on October 18th and in stores on the 20th. “T-Mobile’s prepaid mobile broadband plans have no annual contract, no credit check, no overages and can be used with any of the company’s mobile broadband products,” explains the press release. The prepaid voice plans look pretty attractive… but $50 for 1 GB of data seems pretty steep.

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General
August 11, 2010
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Sprint announces U1901 4G WiMax data stick

By on August 11, 2010 at 6:44 AM.

Sprint announces U1901 4G WiMax data stick

Today, Sprint announced the U1901 4G USB WiMax modem. The device is, “compatible with both PC and Mac computers, connecting laptops or netbooks to blazing-fast 4G speeds.” The USB device weighs in at a meager 0.9 ounces, has a Beceem BCSM250 chipset, and has two external antenna ports for a docking cradle (sold separately). Here’s the full release:

Sprint 4G USB Device U1901

High-speed Internet access on the go

Built to work specifically with the Sprint 4G Network, Sprint 4G USB Device U1901 is a small, easy-to-use modem compatible with both PC and Mac computers, connecting laptops or netbooks to blazing-fast 4G speeds. It is compatible with Windows® Vista, Windows® XP, Windows® 7, MAC OS® 10.5 and 10.6. U1901 provides access to Sprint 4G wireless speeds up to 10 times faster than 3G1 in those metropolitan areas across the country enabled with the new 4G mobile broadband service. Visit http://www.sprint.com/4G for a list of Sprint 4G cities launched to date. U1901 is ideally suited for companies wanting to deliver high-bandwidth solutions to workers on-the-go or for remote offices looking to provide basic DSL-like speeds2 to workers in the metro area. U1901 is also an affordable option for value-conscious, highly-mobile Internet users, such as high school and college students who want to browse the Web, send and receive e-mail, access information, and explore social networking and multimedia entertainment.

The device is billed as “affordable” although no price was listed in the announcement. The real deal-breaker is the device only works on 4G… there is no 3G connectivity at all. Better not leave the confines of WiMax covered areas! Hit up the read link to check out the little 4G-packin’ fella. More →

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Exclusive
July 29, 2010
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Images of Verizon Wireless' first LTE USB modem emerge

By on July 29, 2010 at 2:14 PM.

Images of Verizon Wireless' first LTE USB modem emerge

A new connect just dropped some interesting images in our inbox. What you are looking at is Verizon Wireless’ first LTE USB modem that VZW is currently testing. As you can see from our images, the manufacturer is Samsung LG and the unit contains the much anticipated LTE SIM card. We don’t have much else to report on this one other than the hardware looks to be pretty polished… hopefully it will be released to the masses soon. We’ve got a couple more images for your scrutiny after the break. More →

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mobile
July 21, 2010
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T-Mobile going full steam ahead with HSPA+, 185 million covered by year's end

By on July 21, 2010 at 12:00 AM.

T-Mobile going full steam ahead with HSPA+, 185 million covered by year's end

t-mobile-logo

Today, T-Mobile announced that they’re not slowing down on their continued expansion of HSPA+ roll outs. The Magenta carrier is on track and aims to cover over 185 million people by the end of the year in more than 100 metropolitan markets. If you’re living in an HSPA+ coverage area, you’ll be pleased to know that 16 T-Mobile 3G devices can now take advantage of the increased speeds. Looking for some hardware news? The webConnect Rocket USB stick will get a broader roll out in the form of the Rocket 2.0 with swivel form factor which we nailed last week. And finally, the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 netbook will start to become available in retail stores which you can pair with that shiny new Rocket 2.0, also just like we called. Full list of latest HSPA+ lit up cities after the break! More →

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Cars
April 5, 2010
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BGR is headed to the New York Auto Show!

By on April 5, 2010 at 5:47 PM.

BGR is headed to the New York Auto Show!

Buick-LaCrosse-1

We wanted to do something fun with car technology for the 2010 New York Auto Show… a little change of pace for BGR. This year, we’re doing some segments on all the different technology that goes into the latest and greatest vehicles currently available, and those that are about to hit the market. Buick has graciously sponsored our New York Auto Show coverage this year — they’ve even dropped off a Buick LaCrosse so we could see what kind of tech it’s pushin’. Look for our Auto Show coverage segments coming real soon, but for now, here’s a quick look at the 2010 Buick LaCrosse from a technology perspective.

This post is part of our “Live Like A Genius” content series sponsored by Buick and the all-new 2010 LaCrosse.buicklacrosselogo
More →

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General
March 19, 2010
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Microsoft to enable USB mass storage for the Xbox 360?

By on March 19, 2010 at 12:49 PM.

Microsoft to enable USB mass storage for the Xbox 360?

xbox-360-usb-mass

Joystiq got its hands on leaked documentation that suggests the Xbox 360 will support USB mass storage devices in the near future. Screenshots lifted from the documents reveal support for externally connected devices well over the 512MB capacity of Microsoft’s current Xbox 360 memory units which are presumably now on the road to obsolescence. A note within the document from a Microsoft software engineer also acknowledges the proliferation of high capacity, high speed USB storage devices and confirms that Microsoft will release an Xbox 360 system update in 2010 to provide support for this inexpensive class of external storage. This added feature is good news for those XBOX 360 owners whose core system has limited or no on-board storage as they will be able to add up to two 16GB USB flash drives and use them in lieu of the pricey Microsoft add-on hard drive. With the ability to cheaply add on 32GB of storage, that Xbox 360 Arcade and its sub $200 price tag looks a bit more attractive, no? More →

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General
March 5, 2010
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AT&T introduces two new 3G LaptopConnect devices

By on March 5, 2010 at 7:04 AM.

AT&T introduces two new 3G LaptopConnect devices

att-laptop-connect-option-gps

AT&T mobile broadband road warriors have two new 3G devices that they can add to their arsenal of connectivity hardware. Up first is the AT&T USBConnect Velocity from Option which is the first LaptopConnect device to offer on-board GPS. Customers can utilize the on-board GPS and Option’s GPS Control Panel software to obtain location based information from Yahoo Maps and Microsoft’s Bing search engine. Enterprise users can also use TeleNav Track Lite and Xora GPS Locator to locate and track employees in the field. If you prefer speed over location, then check out the USBConnect Turbo from LG which features 7.2Mbps HSPA connectivity in a compact, lightweight design. For those that need a portable storage solution, both devices also offer a built-in microSD slot for storing and accessing files on the go. Starting March 7th, the Turbo will be available for free after rebate while the Velocity will set you back $29.99 after rebate. Available online and in AT&T stores, both devices require a new two year DataConnect contract of at least $35 per month to receive this promotional pricing. Hit the jump for a press photo of the AT&T USBConnect Turbo from LG. More →

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CES
January 6, 2010
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LG comes to CES with LTE USB modem in hand, 100Mbps speeds and CDMA handover to be demonstrated

By on January 6, 2010 at 6:23 PM.

LG comes to CES with LTE USB modem in hand, 100Mbps speeds and CDMA handover to be demonstrated

lg-logo

CES attendees are in for a bit of a treat from LG which will be demonstrating the growing prowess of LTE. With its USB LTE modem in hand, LG will demonstrate 100Mbps downloads speeds that promise to deliver an entire movie to your mobile phone in under a minute. The Korean manufacturer will also be demonstrating a CDMA to LTE handover, a feat that was first documented last August and unveiled to the public for the first time at CES. Last but not least, LG will be teaming up with Verizon Wireless to display several practical applications of LTE technology including multi-user video conferencing over LTE and remote home security monitoring that can be controlled via a 4G-enabled handset. More →

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