WiMax Is Here!!!!

I think this is one interesting technology. I know the discussion on LTE, the alternative to Wimax, that was supposed to be already out, but it isn't and Wimax is out and working. Imagine having broadband on your Blackberry or iPhone or even being able to take your laptop anywhere and being able to use it at the same speed and security. The related stocks are S and CLWR. Disclosure: I am long both and recently added some more.

The two articles below are interesting and this surely is something to watch:

Article 1:
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Clearwire Announces WiMAX Expansion Markets, New 4G Mini 10 Netbook

Wednesday, March 24, 2010 - by Ray Willington

This year's CTIA show in Las Vegas is all about what's next: 4G. What's interesting is that most carriers don't even have 3G figured out; AT&T's 3G network still isn't robust enough to handle bursts of traffic in major cities, and yet the mobile world seems set on moving on to WiMAX, LTE, neither, or both. Clearwire is the major provider of WiMAX in the U.S. today, and there's no surprise to see the company making a number of major announcements at America's largestwireless show.

Throughout 2010, Clearwire plans on expanding their footprint in a big way. New markets that will see 4G service include Los Angeles, Miami, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Salt Lake City, and those markets are on top of ones already announced for 2010: New York City, Houston, Boston, Washington, D.C., Kansas City, Denver, Minneapolis and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Another debut that really caught our eye was an all new Inspiron Mini 10 from Dell. This very netbook has seen quite a few iterations, and nearly every carrier has a model available with built-in WWAN. The only major carrier left out? Clearwire, but that changes today. Now, a 4G-equipped Mini 10 is slated to ship on April 1, 2010, and while the machine will look exactly like every other Mini 10, it will be able to surf on 4G airwaves if you're in a 4G location. The machine will cost $249.99 after an instant rebate, and it will be sold through both Clear and Dell channels.

ADDITIONAL 4G MARKETS

Clearwire currently provides 4G service in 27 markets across the United States. The company expects to cover up to 120 million people by the end of 2010. The CLEAR customer experience is similar to that provided by Wi-Fi, but without the short-range limitations of a traditional Internet hotspot. CLEAR uses a wireless 4G technology that differs from Wi-Fi called WiMAX, which provides service areas measured in miles, not feet. Today, CLEAR delivers speeds comparable to DSL connections, with average mobile download speeds of 3 to 6 mbps and bursts over 10 mbps.*

The company previously indicated that some of its new 4G markets scheduled to launch in 2010 include: New York City, Houston, Boston, Washington, D.C., Kansas City, Denver, Minneapolis, and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Today, the company disclosed the names of some additional cities where Clearwire plans to launch 4G service in 2010, including: Los Angeles, Miami, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Salt Lake City. Additional cities will be announced later this year. As previously announced, Clearwire will launch service in Houston in the coming weeks and the majority of the new 4G markets will launch toward the end of the year.

ADDITIONAL 4G DEVICES

On April 1, the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 netbook featuring the Intel® Atom™ processor N450 with embedded 4G technology will be available for customers through select CLEAR retail locations, telesales andwww.clear.com. This addition will further extend the company’s leadership in 4G mobile computing. Today, Clearwire customers can select from one of 30 different 4G-ready Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N + WiMAX 6250 embedded netbooks and notebooks from leading manufacturers including Dell, Lenovo, Fujitsu, Samsung, and Toshiba. The Mini 10 will be available for $249.99 after instant rebate.

In addition, consumers unsatisfied with the speeds and limitations of 3G networks, or the need to seek out Wi-Fi hotspots, can use the upcoming Apple iPad on Clearwire’s open 4G network. With the portable and battery-powered CLEAR Spot, any off-the-shelf Wi-Fi device (compatible with 802.11b/g) – including the Apple iPad – can experience 4G wireless speeds at home or on the go. When coupled with a CLEAR USB modem, the CLEAR Spot ($139.99) creates a personal Wi-Fi hotspot for up to eight users that travels with consumers anywhere they happen to be within Clearwire’s 4G service areas. Later this year, Clearwire expects to introduce a next generation CLEAR Spot with integrated 4G technology.

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Article 2:

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Sprint Overdrive 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot by Sierra Wireless

Reviewed by Eliot Van Buskirk • March 23, 2010

$100 • sprint.com

9 out of 10

 

Sprint Overdrive Turbocharges Wireless Internet

Getting broadband used to mean snaking Ethernet cables through your house. Now you don't even need to be at home. Sprint's Overdrive delivers wireless internet with speed that's comparable to what you'd get from a cable modem, provided you're in the right city.

 

Most U.S. carriers offer reasonably fast 3G wireless data, which tops out at about one megabit per second. Sprint is the first American carrier to start rolling out a faster 4G connection, available so far in 29 cities including Austin, Texas, where we put it through its paces during the SXSW Music, Film and Interactive Festival.

 

Like the Verizon MiFi, which we reviewed last year, the Sprint Overdrive takes a wireless data connection and uses it to establish a local Wi-Fi hotspot you can connect your devices to.

 

The Overdrive behaves pretty much like a regular Wi-Fi router, with all the standard options (including security), except that you can unplug and carry it out the door and it still works just as well as it did at home.

 

It only supports up to five devices at a time, which is enough for your laptop, cellphone, iPad, portable gaming device and digital camera. In our tests of a new unit at the default settings, we squeezed just shy of three hours of battery life out of the device while engaged in typical internet usage (browsing, e-mailing, uploading a video file, streaming music). Crucially, that's just enough for a morning telecommuting session from a park or coffee shop, although we wish an optional battery pack were available to keep us online longer before we had to retreat to a power outlet.

 

So, just how fast is Sprint's 4G network? On a Wi-Fi-connected Motorola Droid, we averaged 1.53 Mbps downstream. On a laptop, our connection speed using the Overdrive was 3.16 Mbps downstream and 0.59 Mbps upstream. Given that the average American broadband speed was 3.9 Mbps in Q3 of 2009, according to Akamai's most recent report, the Overdrive lives up to its promise of delivering mobile broadband.

If you're willing to take a leap on voice over Internet Protocol, the Overdrive offers a plausible cellphone alternative, assuming you can deal with its short battery life. It's small enough that you could leave it in your bag or pocket, then use Skype on an iPod Touch for your phone service. An iPod Touch ($200) and an Overdrive with a two-year unlimited 4G service plan ($100 upfront, $60 a month) pencils out to $1,740, much less than the $2,500 you'd pay for an iPhone 3GS ($100 upfront and about $100 a month for unlimited service). Even adding Skype credit at 2.1 cents a minute, the Overdrive-iPod plan is probably cheaper overall, with much faster data connectivity and support for multiple devices.

 

Extras include a microSD slot for adding up to 16 GB of shared network storage; an option to reduce Wi-Fi range to conserve power; a well-designed, browser-based dashboard; and GPS integrated with Google Maps, Mapquest, Microsoft Bing or Yahoo.

 

Sprint's 4G service is available in a handful of cities so far, and the company says Boston, Denver,  Kansas City, Houston, Minneapolis, New York,  San Francisco and Washington, D.C. will go online later this year. If you're outside these areas, it drops down to Sprint's slower but nearly ubiquitous 3G network.

 

WIRED Wireless speeds approaching that of your home or office. Pocket-friendly design. LCD and browser-based interface make it easy to use.

TIRED 3-hour battery life is barely enough to keep up with modern laptops. Gets warm with sustained use. 4G network isn't widely distributed yet.

 

• Manufacturer: Sprint
• Price: $100 (with $60/month 2-year unlimited 4G data plan)
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