Sprint 4G Firmware Update for Overdrive
Sprint 4G have announced a firmware update for the Overdrive 4G modem. The new update (FW 1.06) improves the modem’s performance in these areas:
* Better 4G signal acquisition
* Improved battery status indicator
* Addresses inability to browse the Internet when connected to 4G
That last point seems pretty crucial :-) The Overdrive firmware update can be downloaded from Sprint 4G.
CLEAR 4G Series M Home Modem Updated
Clear 4G have released an updated version of their Series M Home Modem. The main new feature is an enhanced internal antenna to improve 4G reception.
The current cost of the Clear 4G Series Home Modem is $79.99 to buy or $4.99 a month on a two year contract.
At the moment, the Series M modem is only available to Clear 4G customers in Portland, Atlanta, Milledgeville, Salem, Chicago, Bellingham, All Texas Markets, Boise, Honolulu, Maui, Kitsap, Seattle, Snohomish, Tacoma, and Houston.
4G Phone Calls: Clear As MP3
Phone calls on your mobile 4G phone could sound as clear as an MP3 or CD.
At the Mobile World Congress the inventor of the MP3 format, Fraunhofer, will demo 4G phone calls in stereo CD quality over a 4G cell network. As well as improving the quality of phone call audio, the innovation could bring a welcome quality boost to audio and video streaming services that phone operators offer.
Fraunhofer says its new AAC Enhanced Low Delay codec gives CD quality audio with very low coding delays and bit rates. It’s said to even perform well under adverse network conditions.
Such a boost in phone call quality could make mobile conference calls much easier to understand and less painful to attend. But then maybe there’s no technology that can do that…
NTT DoCoMo To Demo 4G Phone
Japanese mobile phone company NTT DoCoMo will demo a prototype 4G phone based on LTE technology later this month, according the company’s handset partner NEC.
The 4G demo will take place at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, which starts on February 15.
While 4G modems are starting to go on sale around the world, voice 4G phones have yet to appear in the marketplace. NEC says NTT DoCoMo will demo streaming high resolution video across a 4G network at the Mobile World Congress on a 4G phone joint developed by Fujitsu, NEC, NTT DoCoMo and Panasonic.
UK Delays 4G Until 2011
The UK government has admitted that the auction for 4G frequencies is unlikely to happen before 2011.
The auction was originally scheduled to take place in 2008 but was delayed by legal challenges from UK mobile phone companies T-Mobile and O2.
The legal challenges revolve around which frequencies bands can be used for 3G and 2G phones services after 4G is introduced.
4G Road Runner in Maui
The 4G Road Runner Mobile network from Time Warner Cable is now up and running in Maui.
Road Runner Mobile is intended as a complimentary service to Road Runner High Speed Online and includes a full security suite, email, data storage for $34.95 per month for Time Warner Cable Triple Play customers.
Time Warner claims a download speed of 6Mbps for the new 4G phone network.
Cox Test 4G in Phoenix & San Diego
While the mobile industry has been concentrating on the iPhone 4G, cable company Cox Communications has been busy testing its 4G phone service in Phoenix and San Diego.
No word as yet on when Cox plans a full roll out of a 4G network but an announcement is expected at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next month.
Sprint 4G – Android Phone Soon
It seems Sprint is planning a new Android 4G smartphone codenamed “Supersonic”. The HTC phone will be similar to the HTC HD2 with a large 4.3 inch touchscreen.
Running on Android 2.1 it’ll be one of the first 4G phones available in the United States and will run on the Sprint 4G network.
Technical specs include a 1Ghz Snapdragon processor and Sense UI plus a kickstand on the back for relaxing back and enjoying those HD videos streaming via 4G…
