Monday, 18 July 2011 20:22
The Pantech UML290 was on of the first devices released on Verizon's 4G LTE network and has received numerous firmware updates so far. This device was originally plagued with connectivity issues, but after some firmware updates from Cradlepoint and Nexiara the UML290 became more reliable. However, Verizon has launched a new firmware update (L0290VWB522F.242) for the UML290 and users on our EVDOForums are reporting that it's causing major problems with their routers. We haven't tested this new firmware release from Verizon, but we will be updating this article with our report on this latest firmware update. Until we conduct testing on the new UML290 firmware, we'd advise keeping your UML290 on the existing firmware and DO NOT upgrade to firmware (L0290VWB522F.242). Thanks again to colossus71 and dmertz for bringing this to our attention! If you've ALREADY upgraded to this latest firmware please visit our forums to indicate if you're seeing similar problems or if it's working fine for you - Pantech UML290 Firmware L0290VWB522F.242 causing SIM Failure
Friday, 15 July 2011 23:47
According to Cnet, Verizon Wireless will cover over 100 markets with 4G LTE by July 21 as executives touted their newly launched network at the Consumer Electronics Show. This will mark a huge milestone for the company that will have managed to hit 100 markets in eight months, compared to the 25 months it took for them to hit that mark with their 3G network. With speeds on average between 5-12Mbps down and 2-5Mbps up, consumer demand continues to grow for the faster wireless speeds. According to Daniel Hays, a director at management consulting firm PRTM, said "Their strategy is clearly to win the race to the top," and "They are taking full advantage of the lead they have over the other national operators in rolling out a true 4G network to as many subscribers as possible."
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Friday, 15 July 2011 18:33
More and more companies are following Verizon and moving to LTE, however, you won't be able to take your 4G capable smartphone or wireless modem to different carriers. According to PCMag, a Verizon spokesperson has confirmed that their latest generation of wireless won't be compatible with other carriers in the U.S. This means that as other carriers like AT&T or U.S. Cellular move to LTE there won't be any roaming agreements in place, because they'll all be using different blocks of the 700Mhz spectrum. With the ITU approving twelve bands for LTE across the world, finding a globally capable device may be a daunting task. So far it looks like 4G LTE technology will be like comparing Verizon and AT&T's 3G network now, you'll need to get a new device if you ever decide to switch, rather than just swapping sim cards like on GSM phones.
Wednesday, 13 July 2011 16:55
Since November 2010, Clearwire, Time Warner Cable and Sprint have expanded 4G wireless WiMAX coverage to an additional 91,363 people in the greater New York City metro area. This brings their subscriber base to 11.927 million people in the region and includes expanded coverage in Hartsdale, New Rochelle and Rockville Centre, N.Y., and in the following cities and communities in New Jersey: Newark, Elizabeth, Fair Lawn, Paramus, Secaucus, Union, Alpine and Bayonne. According to Lou Lazzaro Vice President of wireless for Time Warner Cable New York City said "Time Warner Cable continues to take steps as a leader in the industry by offering our customers multiple ways to access the information and content they want at home, at work and on the go", in a statement earlier this week. Clearwire's 4G network is currently available in areas of the U.S. where 130 million people live.
Tuesday, 12 July 2011 18:11
 Yesterday morning around 7:25am, hurricane winds struck the northwest suburbs of Chicago leaving 825,000 people without power (including 3Gstore). Most of the businesses in the area including FedEx ended up closing early due to power issues, but we managed to limp along by running lots of extension cables to get limited power to a few computers and routers. Our shipping department managed to ship with the aid of some flashlights and one of our employees ended up driving to a main Fed Ex hub to get packages out for delivery. This made a great end to yesterday as all orders placed still went out for delivery, despite mother nature's unwillingness to cooperate with us.
Today, power is still limited and now our primary Comcast cable connection is down as well, which would stop most business in their tracks. Luckily we specialize in 3G/4G data cards and are using a 4G Verizon UML290 LTE modem to stay connected, so we're "eating our own dog food" today. To make this possible we're using a beta firmware for the Peplink Balance 30, which supports 4G LTE and within minutes our entire office has been back up and running, including our PBX phones. Below you'll find a picture of our Balance 30 taken in the dark, because we don't have any lights:  As an interesting note, we've changed our PBX codecs to use the G.729 codec vs. the G.711u as it uses a lot less bandwidth. We did this because Verizon's monthly data caps at either 5GB or 10GB of data per month with overage charges billed at $10 per GB thereafter. Thankfully the Balance 30 offers bandwidth monitoring, which allows us to see our data consumption in real time to ensure we can keep track of exactly how much data we're using. Also, if anybody calling in today speaks with Ian, you'll be talking to him over a connection delivered by LTE!
Monday, 11 July 2011 18:46
Verizon Wireless is now pushing out firmware updates for the popular HTC Thunderbolt designed to improve data connectivity, fix issues with power cycles and device resets. This will be a welcome update for users experiencing problems, but if you're not having any issues you may want to stick to the existing firmware. This latest update will feature what's commonly referred to as "Bloatware" like V CAST Music, V CAST Videos, My Verizon and removes the mobile hotspot capability from your device. This means you'll no longer be able to use your phone as a modem to get your wireless devices online!
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Friday, 08 July 2011 20:38
Yesterday a Motorola device labeled the IHDP56MD1 went through the FCC. According to the FCC documents this device will support Sprint's CDMA/EVDO and WiMAX 4G network, which gives us a good indicator that this could be the Motorola Photon 4G Android smartphone. The device will feature a dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, 1GB of RAM, 4.3" qHD display and dual cameras. Sprint has stated a summer release for the 4G, which means if this filing is indeed the Photon 4G, we may see it hitting the store shelves in the near future.
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