[Fed-Talk] CTIA Report: ExpressCards, EV-DO Rev. A & More
[Fed-Talk] CTIA Report: ExpressCards, EV-DO Rev. A & More
- Subject: [Fed-Talk] CTIA Report: ExpressCards, EV-DO Rev. A & More
- From: Dave Hale <email@hidden>
- Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2006 20:19:09 -0400
ON THE ROAD
3G Modem Cards Multiply at CTIA
The two big stories on the 3G data card front last week were
ExpressCards and EV-DO Rev. A. If you have a late-model Windows or
Mac laptop (such as the MacBook Pro), chances are you have an
ExpressCard slot, shutting you out of the many EV-DO and HSDPA PC
Card broadband modem offerings from carriers like Cingular, Sprint,
and Verizon. The good news is, you won't have to wait much longer
to enter the high-speed lane.
While no formal announcements were made, both Sierra Wireless and
Novatel Wireless representatives promised 3G ExpressCards later
this year, and prototypes were scattered around the show floor.
According to Dell (which has already transitioned much of its
portable line to the ExpressCard), EV-DO models should be available
in May or June, with HSDPA versions coming in August or September.
Novatel has also delivered sample ExpressCards to its OEM
customers. Our sources say Mac drivers should be available soon
after the Windows versions, with the task made easier by Apple's
shift to Intel.
Perhaps even more exciting were announcements of EV-DO Rev. A cards
from Novatel and Sierra. Rev. A nearly doubles current EV-DO
download speeds of 400-700Kbps to 900-1200Kbps, bringing it in line
with most home DSL networks. Novatel's Merlin S720 from Sprint is
due in the third quarter, as is Sierra's AirCard 595. Also look for
notebooks to feature embedded Rev. A EV-DO in that time frame,
which should be just in advance of Sprint's planned EV-DO Rev. A
network upgrade in 4Q06 and 1Q07. Verizon has also been testing
Rev. A service, but has not made formal rollout plans.
But the doorbuster for us was the Novatel USB MCD3000 EVDO Modem
being shown surreptitiously around the Sprint booth. This dongle-
like gadget opens the EV-DO Rev. A door to almost any computer,
whether desktop or portable, Windows or Mac. Although not
officially announced yet, this is BIG news, the first such modem to
hit the mainstream. Even better, by attaching a USB cable, you can
position the modem antenna away from the computer for best
reception, something that's impossible with card-based modems.
Sprint will sell this device beginning in the third quarter as the
Sprint USB720.
ASK JIWIRE
CTIA Brings 3G Goodies for Mac Users
Ask JiWire: I'm trying to find Mac support for my [insert latest
cool 3G device here]. Do you know where I can find it?
Answer: We seem to have a high percentage of Mac users in our
newsletter readership, judging by the number of questions we get,
so we're happy to report that last week's CTIA show in Las Vegas
brought plenty of good news for Mac fans on the 3G front. All the
ExpressCards and PC Cards mentioned above should have Mac support
in short order, solving the MacBook Pro dilemma, and Novatel's USB
modem will even connect iBooks and 12-inch PowerBooks to EV-DO for
the first time, as well as desktop Macs.
We also chatted with Smith Micro at the show, where they were
demonstrating QuickLink Mobile for Mac, software that lets you use
many phones as modems under OS X. They told us they are currently
working on support for several EV-DO handsets. We'll bring you the
exact model numbers as soon as we have them; meanwhile, check out
the current handset list. Nova Media's Mobile High Speed for Mac,
the other major software package providing Mac tethering support
for phones and data cards, has also added several new GSM-standard
devices to its compatibility list, notably the Sierra Wireless
AirCard 860 HSDPA PC Card offered by Cingular, which we reviewed a
few weeks ago and found to be just as fast as EV-DO cards, while
also offering worldwide roaming.
Last but not least, Mark/Space has an alpha release of its Missing
Sync software that finally supports syncing Windows Mobile 5.0 EV-
DO phones with the Mac, such as the popular Palm Treo 700w, Sprint
PPC-6700, Verizon XV6700, and even the coming Motorola Q.
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