Republic Wireless adding Moto X, tweaking monthly prices

Customers of Republic Wireless’ dirt-cheap cellular service will finally be able to opt for a top-of-the-line phone. But the cost of service is going to increase as a result.

In November, Republic will begin offering Motorola’s Moto X smartphone in white or black—no Moto Maker customizations, sadly—for $300 with no contract required. While that’s $100 more expensive than the on-contract price through larger carriers, Republic’s cellular service is much cheaper, starting at $10 per month for voice and text.

Republic says it achieves those lower rates by routing voice calls and text messages over Wi-Fi when available, using Sprint’s network as a backup. The idea is that users will only rely on cellular service when they’re outside the house.

Currently, Republic offers just one phone, Motorola’s Defy XT, a decidedly low-end phone by today’s standards. The Moto X is a drastic improvement, with Android 4.2, a zippy dual-core processor, 10-megapixel camera and some useful software features such as hands-free voice activation. With the addition of a modern smartphone, Republic becomes a lot more interesting cellular option.

Now for the bad news: If you still want Republic’s $19 per month service with unlimited voice, text and data, the Defy XT will be your only option. Republic is retooling its service plans around the Moto X, and while there are a couple ways to save money, complete coverage will cost extra.

With the Moto X, the cheapest plan is $5 per month with no cellular coverage. All you get is a way to make calls and send text messages over Wi-Fi. A $10 per month plan adds the ability to make calls and send text messages over Sprint’s network.

For a plan with cellular data, the price jumps to $25 per month for unlimited 3G coverage. To take full advantage of Sprint’s 4G LTE network, you must pay $40 per month. Those are still some cheap options compared to major wireless carriers, but not as cheap as Republic used to be.

Republic Wireless has recently been challenged by TextNow, which also uses Wi-Fi based calling and charges as little as $19 per month for cellular service. But compared to TextNow’s Nexus S and Galaxy S II—phones that are both more than two years old—Republic can now boast a vastly superior device. It’s proof that even among cheap wireless providers, competition is good.

Republic hasn’t announced a specific release date for the Moto X, but the provider has a sign-up page to get notified. Once it’s available, Defy XT users can get a $100 rebate by trading in their phone to Motorola, and users of Republic’s original LG Optimus can get an automatic $100 credit when upgrading.

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Wireless USB to get high-speed jolt from WiGig

The WiGig high-speed wireless standard will power a new wireless version of USB through a deal between the Wi-Fi Alliance and the USB Implementers Forum.

The Wi-Fi Alliance has transferred a specification for the WiGig high-frequency technology to the USB-IF as part of a broader effort to work with third parties to make WiGig useful.

WiGig can achieve several times the speed of Wi-Fi by using unlicensed 60GHz frequencies within a short range, typically within one room. The new Wireless USB specification will use existing USB 2.0 and 3.0 drivers and APIs, which should make it easy to add to new devices. It could be used for any type of data transfer typically associated with USB, such as backing up content or linking peripherals to a PC.

The move, to be announced Monday at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF), is part of a new approach that the Wi-Fi group is taking with WiGig, according to Kelly Davis-Felner, Wi-Fi Alliance marketing and program management director. The WiGig Alliance became part of the Wi-Fi Alliance late last year.

The new wireless form of USB, called Media Agnostic USB, will be able to use any kind of wireless system, according to the USB-IF. It is being defined for multiple media, including WiGig, Wi-Fi and WiMedia UWB (ultrawideband). A work group within the USB-IF is developing the MA USB 1.0 specification.

In a first for the owner of one of the best-known tech brand names, the Wi-Fi Alliance will use the WiGig brand by itself when it starts certifying devices for that technology, giving them a WiGig Certified logo. The first official WiGig seals of approval are expected to go out next year. Up until now, all of the group's certifications have fit under Wi-Fi itself.

The Alliance will also partner with other industry bodies for certification of WiGig-equipped products designed for specific uses of the technology, Davis-Felner said. While the Wi-Fi Alliance will certify a product's WiGig interoperability, the partner groups will work on the higher-level features implemented on top of WiGig, she said.

The first two such partnerships are the arrangement for USB and a liaison agreement with the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA). The VESA deal will facilitate the certification of products that use the WiGig Display Extension Specification for streaming video from PCs and handheld devices to TVs and monitors, the Wi-Fi Alliance said.

WiGig is intended to carry video, audio and data at high speeds over unlicensed frequencies in the 60GHz range, far above the bands used by Wi-Fi. WiGig is faster than Wi-Fi, up to 7Gbps (bits per second), but works over shorter distances. It emerged as a proposed specification in 2009 with the backing of major vendors including Microsoft, Intel and Samsung.

Supporters formed the WiGig Alliance, which last year merged with the Wi-Fi Alliance. But the WiGig name is so well-known that the more established industry group decided to stick with the original name.

"It was starting to get a fair amount of industry traction," Davis-Felner said.

The USB-IF has been certifying Wireless USB devices with UWB for several years, with "some moderate adoption," according to Jeff Ravencraft, USB-IF's president and chief operating officer. UWB, which uses a wide range of different frequencies, fizzled in the market after it failed to deliver promised performance, according to Farpoint Research analyst Craig Mathias.

While the Alliance certifies a number of Wi-Fi technologies with different purposes, such as Wi-Fi Direct, most of the products it approves are designed to participate in wireless LANs around a building or an outdoor area.

Many WiGig products will also have Wi-Fi, along with mechanisms for smooth handovers between the two technologies, according to the Alliance. But not all WiGig products will use both, the group said.

As a well-established and successful certification body, the Wi-Fi Alliance realized it might be able to take on that task for other technologies, Davis-Felner said. "It was ... a significant decision to realize that the scope of our organization had extended past what most people in the world think of Wi-Fi," she said.

"People don't want to go to a different trade association for every technology that's going to be in a product," Davis-Felner said. "The more we can be a one-stop shop for the industry, the better off everybody is."

Still, the group is staying fairly close to its home territory: The most likely candidates for expansion would be ones that use unlicensed wireless spectrum and don't already have an established trade association, she said.

Also at IDF, 60GHz chip maker Wilocity and display connectivity vendor DisplayLink will demonstrate sending high-resolution 4K video from a laptop to a monitor via WiGig, using a WiGig docking station.

Stephen Lawson covers mobile, storage and networking technologies for The IDG News Service. Follow Stephen on Twitter at @sdlawsonmedia. Stephen's e-mail address is stephen_lawson@idg.com

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6 mistakes to avoid when setting up your small business wireless network

Mobile devices are now as essential to workplaces as copy machines and coffee makers. That means a fast, reliable wireless network is essential as well. But building one isn’t as simple as plugging in your ISP-supplied router and connecting your smartphone. In fact if you’ve never done it before, putting together a Wi-Fi network robust enough to support your business can be pretty tricky. To shorten the learning curve, we’ve highlighted some common pitfalls and how to avoid them.

It’s common to start with an entry-level wireless router when setting up your network. But as the business grows and high-throughput appliances such as NAS or IP cameras get added into the mix, many consumer grade routers get overloaded by the heavy usage.

Unfortunately, there’s no easy way to tell ahead of time if an off-the-shelf wireless router is up to the task of running your small business network. If you do experience unexplained slowness, one solution is to set up a standalone network switch and wireless access point. Offloading some clients to the access point will reduce burden on your router’s processor, while a new gigabit ethernet switch will increase your local network’s speed.

Another mistake small businesses frequently make is relying on only one access point regardless of the network load. The ubiquity of smartphones, tablets and laptops in the workplace means you could easily have dozens of wireless devices with just 8 to 10 employees, so it’s best to err on the side of over-coverage. Installing multiple access points up front reduces the risk of productivity killing bottlenecks.

You can also reduce the burden on your wireless network by migrating ethernet-ready devices such as desktop PCs and printers to wired networking whenever feasible.

The physical location of a Wi-Fi access point is critical, as you will quickly find if you place one in an alcove, beside large metallic fixtures or cupboards, or next to thick concrete beams. “Line of sight” barriers like these will weaken your Wi-Fi signal.

Because there are generally more obstructions—such as cubicle walls and furniture—near the floor, an elevated location works better than a lower one. A simple way to assess possible locations is to visualize the wireless signals emanating from the access point in a straight line. Parts of the office that are blocked by three or more obstructions will likely experience weak or nonexistent signals.

It’s easy to be seduced by the 300Mbps or 450Mbps speeds 802.11n wireless routers promise. However, these are theoretical and don’t account for real-world conditions or the substantial protocol overheads inherent to wireless networks.

In our review of the Asus RT-N66U router, for example, the router offered a performance of just 226Mbps at 9 feet, dropping to 43.1Mbps at 65 feet. What’s more, the figures are applicable only for a single client–this bandwidth would be divided among any additional devices operating on the same frequency band. If you need to routinely transfer large files across your local network, consider setting up a wired Gigabit network.

When you need to get your network up and running quickly, it’s tempting to start using your router without bothering to change the default channel. But unless you live far from civilization, it’s likely this channel is already in use by a neighbor, which can cause interference that degrades your wireless performance.

To avoid this, change the channel on your device when you set it up. It’s not difficult as there are only three non-overlapping channels: 1, 6, and 11. Of course, locations that are swamped with multiple Wi-Fi networks may need to experiment with overlapping channels for the best results. Some wireless access points detect nearby Wi-Fi networks and offer information about the channels they use as well as their signal strengths, which helps tremendously.

If your router offers simultaneous dual band, make sure your 5GHz radio is enabled. This allows laptops that support 5GHz to be offloaded onto this less-cluttered band, freeing up the 2.4GHz band for other devices such as smartphones and tablets. Also, the 5GHz band’s shorter range allows for the use of additional APs in high-density deployments with less risk of interference.

Paul has a lifelong affinity for checking out all sorts of tech gadgets, enterprise gear, and everything in between. With half a decade in the IT industry under his belt, He is especially interested in how technology can be practically leveraged to help businesses do more.
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Sharks go wireless as scientists tag them to track their travels

Meet Mary Lee, a great white shark that's the same weight and nearly the same length as a Buick. And, by the way, you may have been swimming within a few feet of her this past year and not known it.

Since last September, when she received an array of radio, acoustic, and satellite tags, Mary Lee has travelled from Massachusetts to Florida, often hugging the coastline so closely that scientists tracking her called beach authorities in Florida to warn them about her. The 16-foot, 3456-pound shark also headed into open ocean, taking a February vacation off the beaches of Bermuda.

"She was undoubtedly not the only one there. Sharks have probably been doing it for millions of years," said Nick Whitney, a marine biologist with the Mote Marine Laboratories in Sarasota, Florida. "We're learning things that ten years ago we would have never dreamed we could have learned about these species."

OCEARCHMary Lee, a 16-foot 3456-pound great white shark, traversed the East Coast over the past year, at times hugging the shoreline so close as to prompt a warning call from researchers.

Whitney, who spoke from a research vessel off of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, is part of a team that runs OCEARCH, a nonprofit global shark-tracking project that uses four different tagging technologies to create a three-dimensional image of a shark's activities. OCEARCH is hoping to develop successful conservation and management strategies by studying shark habits in more granular detail.

While traditional research has focused on small-scale movements, the data being gathered by OCEARCH offers surprising new information about where sharks go and what they do. That's where the tracking technology is crucial.

A dorsal fin tag attached by OCEARCH uses a satellite to track a shark's position each time it breaks the surface. Other tags include an RFID implant whose ping is picked up whenever the shark passes a special, underwater buoy; an accelerometer, similar to the technology used in an iPhone or Nintendo Wii, that detects up or down movement; and a Pop-off Satellite Archive Tag (PSAT), which acts as a general archive, recording average water depth, temperature and light levels.

"On average, we're collecting 100 data points every second—8.5 million data points per day. It's just phenomenal," Whitney said. "Second by second, we can pick up every tail beat and change in posture."

One of the surprises the tracking data revealed is that white sharks don't always stick to cold water, as previously thought. Some even venture into the Gulf of Mexico during the summer.

In addition to in-depth data, what sets OCEARCH apart from past shark-tracking projects is that anyone—from a child in grade school to a television arm-chair warrior—can see the tracking data at the same time as researchers on the OCEARCH web site.

Each shark's location is represented by an icon on a Google Maps-based TruEarth Viewer. By clicking on the icon, a user can get detailed information such as the species, gender, size, weight, length, as well as where and when the shark was tagged. A user also gets images of the shark as it was being tagged.

By drilling down further, and clicking on the "Where Have I Been" icon, a user can also see a track of where the shark has been since being tagged, in some cases see a detailed trail over the course of a year or more.

OCEARCH expedition leader Chris Fischer calls the methodology "open source" research, since all scientists see the data at the same time; nothing's proprietary. Within a week, OCEARCH also plans to launch a "digital hub" shark tracker platform with a real-time social media interface that allows researchers to post FAQs and videos to the most popular social networks: Facebook, YouTube, Instagram or Twitter, according to OCEARCH spokesman Chris Berger.

OCEARCH will also be launching a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education-based curriculum for K-12 students. "We currently have 30 lesson plans for sixth through eighth graders, and will have more for K-12—eventually, even pre-K," Berger said.

Currently, OCEARCH is tracking 47 sharks, some of them bull and mako but mostly great whites off the U.S. East Coast and in the waters off South Africa.

Many of the sharks are given endearing names, such as Princess Fi, Genie, Opera, and Sabrina. Others have handles more befitting ships, such as Poseidon, Redemption, Perseverance, and Courage.

Mary Lee, who was tagged off of Cape Cod, is named after Fischer's mother. "My parents have done so much. I was waiting and waiting for a special shark to name after her and this is truly the most historic and legendary fish I have ever been a part of and it set the tone for Cape Cod," Fischer wrote in an online description of Mary Lee.

Co-Captain Jody Whitworth and master of the Martha's Vinyard OCEARCH team Brett McBride prepare to stabilize a great white shark named Amy. Before taking measurements, blood and securing real-time technology tags, a device is inserted into the shark's mouth to irrigate its gills. (Image: OCEARCH).

To tag the sharks, the OCEARCH team first goes fishing with a hand-held line tipped with special barbless hook, engineered so it won't injure the animal. The team then brings the shark alongside their 126-foot boat, which has an underwater hydraulic lift that can hoist up to 75,000 pounds. That capacity is needed since the team is not only lifting what could be a one- to two-ton shark but also the water around it.

Once the shark is above the water line, from three to eight scientists get to work on it like a NASCAR pit crew, first placing a wet towel across its eyes to calm it and an irrigator in its mouth so it can breath. The crew then rolls the shark on its side to surgically implant the first tracking tag in its belly.

That device, known as an acoustic tag, is about the size of a Sharpie pen. It can remain in the shark for as long as ten years and can be "heard" whenever the animal swims to within a quarter to a half mile of underwater buoys that can pick up a radio frequency specific to marine tagging operations. Throughout the world, marine biologists have anchored such buoys, which can record an acoustic tag's unique ID as well as the day and time.

OCEARCHThe OCEARCH team tags a great white shark off of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Once the acoustic tag is in place, the OCEARCH crew rolls the shark back onto its belly and attaches a Smart Position Or Temperature Transmitting (SPOT) device. The SPOT tag is placed high on the shark's dorsal fin because its radio ping can only be received when the shark breaks the surface of the water and a satellite is in position to receive the signal. The longer the fin is out of the water, the more accurate the data. There are six ARGOS global positioning satellites orbiting the earth that can pick up a SPOT tag's ping at any time.

"The ARGOS satellite is only around about every two hours. Then the fin has to stay out of water for minute or two to get a good fix," Whitney said. "It's ridiculous that this works. It's pretty amazing when you look at the map and understand how many fixes we get on these sharks."

The third tag is an accelerometer package, which tracks fine-scale data on the shark's body movement and behavior along with water depth and temperature information. That tag, which is designed to release from the shark after just two days, records more than eight million data points each day, with the information stored to memory. The tag is embedded in a float package that contains a satellite transmitter and a VHF radio tag, which transmits a ping that can be heard over a ten-mile range with a VHF receiver and antenna.

"In this case, the VHF tag allows us to find the needle in the haystack, once the satellite tag tells us where the haystack is," Whitney said.

Although OCEARCH has been using two-day accelerometer tags, the team off Cape Cod is now going for the longest accelerometer track of a shark ever: two weeks of second-by-second behavioral information.

Finally, OCEARCH researchers attach a PSAT archival satellite tag, which records depth, temperature, and light levels (used for geolocation) and stores the data to memory. The tag is programmed to release from the fin anywhere from six months to a year after being attached. It then floats to the surface and processes and summarizes the data for transmission back to researchers via satellite.

"It'd be great if there was one tag to get all the information, but there's not," Berger said.

The researchers have gotten the tagging procedure down to, well, a science. They've perfected the process by performing it on more than 100 sharks—67 of them great whites.

To date, the largest great white the team has captured and tagged is an 18-foot, 5000-pound animal named Apache. Apache currently holds the world record as the largest fish ever caught and released by anyone, Berger said.

For their massive size and ferocious reputation, white sharks actually represent a small minority of shark attacks throughout the world, including the shark attack capital, Florida.

"Florida has more shark incidents than any place in the world, but virtually all of those bites form small sharks—black tips and spinner sharks. In fact, I'm not sure of any confirmed white shark attacks there," Whitney said.

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Verizon Wireless buyout drive is all about the money

IDG News Service - The price Verizon might pay to buy out its mobile subsidiary, reportedly $100 billion or more, is the most important thing that mobile users need to know about the potential deal.

Vodafone Group, which owns 45 percent of Verizon Wireless, confirmed on Thursday that it is in talks with Verizon Communications to sell its minority stake to the U.S. parent company. Vodafone cautioned that there's no guarantee they'll be able to make a deal, but the companies have talked about it before and may be more motivated than ever. Verizon declined to comment.

If Verizon does take the leap, it's likely to be the biggest telecommunications deal in U.S. history. But consumers shouldn't look for big changes in mobile phones or services from Verizon after its wireless partner is sent packing, industry analysts said. If anything, they might just take it as one more sign that they're well-loved.

"It just shows you how attractive this market is," said analyst Roger Entner of Recon Analytics. The Verizon Wireless deal would come on top of several other transactions in the billions just over the past year: Japan's SoftBank bought control of Sprint for $21.6 billion, T-Mobile paid $1.5 billion plus stock for MetroPCS, and AT&T agreed to buy Leap Wireless at a total cost of nearly $1.2 billion.

"Everybody, from the big to the small, is betting on this market," Entner said.

That's because U.S. consumers are buying into mobile technology and services in a big way and looking to combine the wireless experience with wireline TV and broadband, he said.

"Americans are seeing the value of it," Entner said. "We are leading the wireless broadband, and smartphone, and integrated communications world."

Verizon just wants to put more money behind a good investment, Entner said. The deal might be coming together now partly because interest rates are expected to rise, increasing Verizon's potential cost of borrowing to finance the buyout.

Taking full control of Verizon Wireless would also simplify the company's management, eliminating the separate board of directors overseeing the mobile subsidiary and some redundant administrative functions. Bringing its wired and wireless businesses fully into one company might make it a bit easier for Verizon to offer combined services, he added.

"For the subscribers, I don't think much will change," Entner said. A wholly owned Verizon mobile business wouldn't be significantly more competitive, either. Nor would Verizon's debt load, reportedly $50 million or more, weaken the company. In time, the buyout would pay for itself, Entner said.

"At roughly $2,000 per subscriber, it's not even outlandishly expensive," he said. Cingular paid more per subscriber to acquire AT&T Wireless in 2004, according to Entner.

Reprinted with permission from IDG.net. Story copyright 2012 International Data Group. All rights reserved.

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Verizon Wireless buyout drive is all about the dollar signs

The price Verizon might pay to buy out its mobile subsidiary, reportedly $100 billion or more, is the most important thing that mobile users need to know about the potential deal.

Vodafone Group, which owns 45 percent of Verizon Wireless, confirmed on Thursday that it is in talks with Verizon Communications to sell its minority stake to the U.S. parent company. Vodafone cautioned that there’s no guarantee they’ll be able to make a deal, but the companies have talked about it before and may be more motivated than ever. Verizon declined to comment.

If Verizon does take the leap, it’s likely to be the biggest telecommunications deal in U.S. history. But consumers shouldn’t look for big changes in mobile phones or services from Verizon after its wireless partner is sent packing, industry analysts said. If anything, they might just take it as one more sign that they’re well-loved.

“It just shows you how attractive this market is,” said analyst Roger Entner of Recon Analytics. The Verizon Wireless deal would come on top of several other transactions in the billions just over the past year: Japan’s SoftBank bought control of Sprint for $21.6 billion, T-Mobile paid $1.5 billion plus stock for MetroPCS, and AT&T agreed to buy Leap Wireless at a total cost of nearly $1.2 billion.

“Everybody, from the big to the small, is betting on this market,” Entner said.

That’s because U.S. consumers are buying into mobile technology and services in a big way and looking to combine the wireless experience with wireline TV and broadband, he said.

“Americans are seeing the value of it,” Entner said. “We are leading the wireless broadband, and smartphone, and integrated communications world.”

Verizon just wants to put more money behind a good investment, Entner said. The deal might be coming together now partly because interest rates are expected to rise, increasing Verizon’s potential cost of borrowing to finance the buyout.

Taking full control of Verizon Wireless would also simplify the company’s management, eliminating the separate board of directors overseeing the mobile subsidiary and some redundant administrative functions. Bringing its wired and wireless businesses fully into one company might make it a bit easier for Verizon to offer combined services, he added.

“For the subscribers, I don’t think much will change,” Entner said. A wholly owned Verizon mobile business wouldn’t be significantly more competitive, either. Nor would Verizon’s debt load, reportedly $50 million or more, weaken the company. In time, the buyout would pay for itself, Entner said.

“At roughly $2,000 per subscriber, it’s not even outlandishly expensive,” he said. Cingular paid more per subscriber to acquire AT&T Wireless in 2004, according to Entner.

“For U.S. consumers, there won’t be any noticeable difference,” said Chetan Sharma, founder and president of Chetan Sharma Consulting.

Where a Verizon-Vodafone deal could have repercussions is in Europe, because Vodafone might use the proceeds to acquire weaker mobile operators there, Sharma said.

For Vodafone, a U.K.-based company that’s involved in mobile businesses on six continents, Verizon’s interest in buying now may be a lifeline.

“Vodafone’s core markets are in trouble as net revenue is declining,” Sharma wrote in an email interview. “It needs cash to shore up the assets in Western Europe.”

The company is also starting to focus on combined wired and wireless plays, such as its planned $10 billion acquisition of Kabel Deutschland, Germany’s biggest cable operator. The company aims to combine fixed broadband, mobile and TV on one bill, Enter said.

“What is finally motivating Vodafone is the implementation of their European integrated carrier strategy,” he said.

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Vodafone confirms talks on selling its Verizon Wireless stake

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MiFi 500 LTE by Novatel Wireless (Sprint)

Pros Removable battery. Solid Wi-Fi range. Supports Sprint's new tri-band LTE network.

Cons Very basic on-device display. No external antenna port. No global roaming support. Bottom Line The Sprint MiFi 500 is a solid workhorse wireless hotspot for Sprint's new tri-band LTE network.

By Sascha Segan

Need a solid, workhorse hotspot to use on Sprint's network? The Novatel MiFi 500 LTE (free with contract) is a reliable choice, besting its main competitor the Netgear Zing on our tests of speed and range. The Zing beats it out for an Editor's Choice based on its flexibility (especially with its optional desktop cradle), but the MiFi 500 is the one to go to if you need to blanket a larger area with Sprint Wi-Fi.

Physical Features and Management
The MiFi 500 LTE is a nondescript little brick, when compared to the zingy Zing. It's a plastic puck, 3.8 by 2.4 by .7" (HWD) and 3.35 ounces, made of shiny black plastic on top and soft-touch gray plastic around the sides. The back is removable, so you can replace the 1800mAh battery; I haven't found replacement batteries on the market yet, but I'm sure they're coming. The MiFi lacks an external antenna port.

There's a big gray power button on the top face, as well as a few physical navigation buttons. Hit the power button and the dim little OLED screen lights up with signal strength and battery indicators. By flipping through onscreen menus, you can find the Wi-Fi network name and password, check which devices are connected to the hotspot, check signal strength in dBm, and activate WPS setup.

You get many more management options on the simple, clear Web-based management portal. There, you can monitor your data usage, and set up your 2.4GHz-only 802.11 b/g/n network using VPN passthrough, DMZ, port filtering, and port forwarding.

The MiFi supports up to 10 Wi-Fi devices and can connect to an eleventh as a USB modem; plugging it into a Mac or PC it works right away, without installing any drivers. With an extra driver, it gives your PC GPS support.

The MiFi 500, unlike the Zing, is not world-capable. It only works on Sprint's 3G EVDO and tri-band LTE networks. Also note that Sprint's "unlimited" sales pitch doesn't apply to hotspots; all hotspot plans are capped, costing $34.99 for 3GB, $49.99 for 6GB or $79.99 for 12GB.

Performance
Testing Sprint's new LTE network in New York City is an exercise in frustration. It's spotty and inconsistent, strongest in remote parts of the Bronx and Brooklyn. I had to use the Sensorly mapping app to find individual towers that Sprint had activated in Manhattan and Queens, and even then, the network showed a weird behavior with upload tests truncating early.

The reason to buy the new MiFi and Zing is that they support Sprint's new tri-band approach to LTE. Sprint has been taking its existing 1900MHz LTE network and supplementing it with 800MHz, which does much better at penetrating buildings, and 2600MHz, which should provide scorching speed in urban areas. Unfortunately, Sprint's buildout there is even less developed than their 1900MHz buildout, and we haven't had a chance to test the mixed coverage.

But you get what you get, and you try not to get upset. We tested LTE with the MiFi and Zing in five locations. In three of them, the MiFi was considerably faster. In one, the Zing prevailed, and in the last one, the MiFi dropped to 3G while the Zing pulled out decent LTE speeds.

Indoors, the MiFi showed much better range than the Zing. While the Zing's speeds started to drop off after about 50 feet, the MiFi held on well to about 100 feet.

The Zing also showed slightly longer battery life than the MiFi—although remember, the MiFi's battery life really wins because the battery is replaceable. I got 7 hours, 40 minutes with the MiFi compared to 7 hours, 55 minutes with the Zing.

Conclusions
If you're looking for a Sprint hotspot and need long WiFi range without a cradle, the MiFi 500 is your pick. The Netgear Zing is more manageable and flexible, it roams worldwide, and it supports external antennas, so it's a better choice for most people.

If you have a Sierra Wireless Tri-Fi, I'd say hold onto it for now. Sprint just hasn't built out enough of its tri-band LTE network for the advantages to kick in quite yet. I'd peg early 2014 for when these hotspots will start opening up speed and coverage advantages over the Tri-Fi.

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Live la vida wireless with these slick Windows 8-optimized keyboards and mice

You don’t need to be a neat freak to hate having wires snaking all over your desk, especially if you’re a laptop user who wants to get up and go without first untangling a rat’s nest of cables. It’s bad enough that you have to unplug your monitor and power supply. These days, there’s no good reason to mess around with a wired mouse and keyboard (unless, of course, you’re a gamer worried about lag).

I’ve spent the past several weeks auditioning a brand-new mouse and three all-new keyboards that let you cut the cord so that you can be more comfortable and productive in front of your PC.

Stop digging batteries out of random remotes just to get your wireless keyboard back to working order, and go green in the process. Batteries, even the rechargeable ones, are a pain because they fail at the most inopportune moments. Logitech’s K750 Solar Wireless Keyboard depends solely on light—any light—for power.

Dominating the top of this plank are two wide photo-voltaic panels that convert any type of light to electricity. Whether you’re positioned next to a window or tucked away in the bowels of your building’s basement, all this keyboard needs is a little ambient light from your desk lamp or ceiling lamp (or the sun, of course) to power itself and charge its internal battery. With its battery charged, you can work in complete darkness for up to three months, according to Logitech. We’ll have to take the company’s word for it—I love my job, but I wasn’t about to test that claim.

You'll never need to replace the Logitech K750's battery: It charges with any light source.

Pushing a small button above the numeric keypad lights an LED next to a happy-face icon if the keyboard has enough power, or a sad-face icon if it doesn’t. You can also install an app on your PC that displays the keyboard’s battery status and indicates just how much light energy it’s collecting at any point in time.

If you're curious, this app will inform you of the K750's battery status.

Although Logitech chose to accommodate the solar panel by slightly reducing the size of the keys rather than increasing the overall size of the keyboard, the keys don’t feel cramped. My fingers had enough space to stretch out and type accurately at a decent speed. The K750 relies on Logitech’s tiny wireless (2.4GHz) Unifying receiver, which can also pair with up to six other Logitech devices at the same time.

The top-row F-keys have alternate functions, such as opening your Web browser’s home page, calling up your email application, launching your PC’s calculator, controlling your media-player software, and putting your computer to sleep.

The keyboard is only a third of an inch thick and lies very flat even when you use the included tabs to angle it upward. It doesn’t offer much of a well for the keys to travel into, so keystrokes are short, but they deliver a satisfyingly solid feel when they bottom out, providing surprisingly good tactile feedback. If you have sensitive ears, you might find the K750’s plastic-on-plastic clicking to be annoying after a while.

The K750 Wireless Solar Keyboard is available now for $60.

If you’re a fan of Windows 8 gestures, but not prepared to upgrade to a pricey touchscreen display to make use of them, give Logitech’s TK820 all-in-one wireless keyboard a look. It has a large embedded touchpad right where the numeric keypad would be on a conventional keyboard. Of course, if you’re fond of numeric keypads, you won’t be thrilled with this design.

Logitech bumps off the numeric keypad to make room for a slick touchpad on its TK820 Wireless All-in-One Keyboard.

The TK820 is thin, light, very attractive, and easy to fit into a backpack should you decide to take it with you. But unlike most keyboards, it lies perfectly flat on your desktop, with no flip-out feet to adjust its typing angle. The omission is sure to make this keyboard a nonstarter for a whole group of folks—and that’s unfortunate, because the TK820 is a very good keyboard otherwise. Its keys are quiet, firm, and responsive, and it has a nifty collection of buttons dedicated to various Windows 8 functions.

The large, smooth touchpad recognizes Windows 8 multitouch gestures, but its high sensitivity and close proximity to my right hand had me unintentionally clicking and repeatedly sending my cursor flying across the screen.

The TK820 Wireless All-in-One Keyboard relies on the same Unify wireless receiver that Logitech’s other peripherals use. Logitech says you can expect its battery to last around six months. The keyboard will be available sometime this month, but you can preorder one now for $100.

Microsoft has been manufacturing ergonomic keyboards for nearly 20 years, having introduced its Natural Keyboard way back in 1994. The company is attempting to make ergonomic computing cool again with the Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Desktop set.

This three-piece set includes a modern-looking ergonomic keyboard, an oversize angled mouse, and a detached numeric keypad. The keyboard’s unusual design is intended to keep your wrists in a more natural position, and it includes a cushioned rest. (Fun fact: The cushion is fabricated from the same material that Surface covers are made of.) If you find the wrist rest to be too low, Microsoft provides a magnetic plastic riser that you can attach to the bottom of the keyboard to elevate it slightly.

Microsoft continues its long line of ergnomic keyboards with the Sculpt Ergonomic Desktop.

Once I got past the learning curve, I found the Sculpt’s keystrokes to be easy, quick, and almost inaudible. The keyboard sports dedicated keys for Windows 8 tasks, as well as buttons for controlling media-player software (play/pause, mute, and volume). You don't need to worry about holding down some annoying Fn key either, as a simple switch toggles between the F-keys and their alternate functions.

The numeric keypad is a separate unit, so you can move it out of the way when you don't need it.

Microsoft has moved the numeric keypad off the main keyboard and turned it into a separate device that resembles a calculator. It’s there when you need it, and out of your mouse’s way when you don't. I really like the concept, though it does add some desk clutter.

The pièce de résistance of the set is the large, round mouse that fits into your hand like a well-worn baseball—without the stitching. The device’s slant, thumb indentation, and well-placed buttons make for pain-free mousing even after long hours of use. The button inside the thumb indent acts as the Back button, while the Windows button opens the Start menu (or the Start screen, if you’re using Windows 8). The four-way scrollwheel provides good tactile feedback when scrolling—nothing mushy here.

All three devices connect to your PC using the same 2.4GHz USB dongle, which fits snugly in the bottom of the mouse when you want to hit the road with your laptop. Unlike Logitech’s K750 keyboard, Microsoft’s peripherals rely on batteries. But Microsoft claims that the keyboard batteries will last three years, the mouse one year, and the keypad a full six years.

Microsoft’s Sculpt Ergonomic Desktop bundle will be available later this month for $130, or you can buy the keyboard (with number pad) for $81 and the mouse for $60.

Alex covers desktops, everything from fancy to practical. He's also an avid (addicted) gamer and loves following the industry.
More by Alex Cocilova

View the original article here

Live la vida wireless with these slick Windows 8-optimized keyboards and mice

You don’t need to be a neat freak to hate having wires snaking all over your desk, especially if you’re a laptop user who wants to get up and go without first untangling a rat’s nest of cables. It’s bad enough that you have to unplug your monitor and power supply. These days, there’s no good reason to mess around with a wired mouse and keyboard (unless, of course, you’re a gamer worried about lag).

I’ve spent the past several weeks auditioning a brand-new mouse and three all-new keyboards that let you cut the cord so that you can be more comfortable and productive in front of your PC.

Stop digging batteries out of random remotes just to get your wireless keyboard back to working order, and go green in the process. Batteries, even the rechargeable ones, are a pain because they fail at the most inopportune moments. Logitech’s K750 Solar Wireless Keyboard depends solely on light—any light—for power.

Dominating the top of this plank are two wide photo-voltaic panels that convert any type of light to electricity. Whether you’re positioned next to a window or tucked away in the bowels of your building’s basement, all this keyboard needs is a little ambient light from your desk lamp or ceiling lamp (or the sun, of course) to power itself and charge its internal battery. With its battery charged, you can work in complete darkness for up to three months, according to Logitech. We’ll have to take the company’s word for it—I love my job, but I wasn’t about to test that claim.

You'll never need to replace the Logitech K750's battery: It charges with any light source.

Pushing a small button above the numeric keypad lights an LED next to a happy-face icon if the keyboard has enough power, or a sad-face icon if it doesn’t. You can also install an app on your PC that displays the keyboard’s battery status and indicates just how much light energy it’s collecting at any point in time.

If you're curious, this app will inform you of the K750's battery status.

Although Logitech chose to accommodate the solar panel by slightly reducing the size of the keys rather than increasing the overall size of the keyboard, the keys don’t feel cramped. My fingers had enough space to stretch out and type accurately at a decent speed. The K750 relies on Logitech’s tiny wireless (2.4GHz) Unifying receiver, which can also pair with up to six other Logitech devices at the same time.

The top-row F-keys have alternate functions, such as opening your Web browser’s home page, calling up your email application, launching your PC’s calculator, controlling your media-player software, and putting your computer to sleep.

The keyboard is only a third of an inch thick and lies very flat even when you use the included tabs to angle it upward. It doesn’t offer much of a well for the keys to travel into, so keystrokes are short, but they deliver a satisfyingly solid feel when they bottom out, providing surprisingly good tactile feedback. If you have sensitive ears, you might find the K750’s plastic-on-plastic clicking to be annoying after a while.

The K750 Wireless Solar Keyboard is available now for $60.

If you’re a fan of Windows 8 gestures, but not prepared to upgrade to a pricey touchscreen display to make use of them, give Logitech’s TK820 all-in-one wireless keyboard a look. It has a large embedded touchpad right where the numeric keypad would be on a conventional keyboard. Of course, if you’re fond of numeric keypads, you won’t be thrilled with this design.

Logitech bumps off the numeric keypad to make room for a slick touchpad on its TK820 Wireless All-in-One Keyboard.

The TK820 is thin, light, very attractive, and easy to fit into a backpack should you decide to take it with you. But unlike most keyboards, it lies perfectly flat on your desktop, with no flip-out feet to adjust its typing angle. The omission is sure to make this keyboard a nonstarter for a whole group of folks—and that’s unfortunate, because the TK820 is a very good keyboard otherwise. Its keys are quiet, firm, and responsive, and it has a nifty collection of buttons dedicated to various Windows 8 functions.

The large, smooth touchpad recognizes Windows 8 multitouch gestures, but its high sensitivity and close proximity to my right hand had me unintentionally clicking and repeatedly sending my cursor flying across the screen.

The TK820 Wireless All-in-One Keyboard relies on the same Unify wireless receiver that Logitech’s other peripherals use. Logitech says you can expect its battery to last around six months. The keyboard will be available sometime this month, but you can preorder one now for $100.

Microsoft has been manufacturing ergonomic keyboards for nearly 20 years, having introduced its Natural Keyboard way back in 1994. The company is attempting to make ergonomic computing cool again with the Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Desktop set.

This three-piece set includes a modern-looking ergonomic keyboard, an oversize angled mouse, and a detached numeric keypad. The keyboard’s unusual design is intended to keep your wrists in a more natural position, and it includes a cushioned rest. (Fun fact: The cushion is fabricated from the same material that Surface covers are made of.) If you find the wrist rest to be too low, Microsoft provides a magnetic plastic riser that you can attach to the bottom of the keyboard to elevate it slightly.

Microsoft continues its long line of ergnomic keyboards with the Sculpt Ergonomic Desktop.

Once I got past the learning curve, I found the Sculpt’s keystrokes to be easy, quick, and almost inaudible. The keyboard sports dedicated keys for Windows 8 tasks, as well as buttons for controlling media-player software (play/pause, mute, and volume). You don't need to worry about holding down some annoying Fn key either, as a simple switch toggles between the F-keys and their alternate functions.

The numeric keypad is a separate unit, so you can move it out of the way when you don't need it.

Microsoft has moved the numeric keypad off the main keyboard and turned it into a separate device that resembles a calculator. It’s there when you need it, and out of your mouse’s way when you don't. I really like the concept, though it does add some desk clutter.

The pièce de résistance of the set is the large, round mouse that fits into your hand like a well-worn baseball—without the stitching. The device’s slant, thumb indentation, and well-placed buttons make for pain-free mousing even after long hours of use. The button inside the thumb indent acts as the Back button, while the Windows button opens the Start menu (or the Start screen, if you’re using Windows 8). The four-way scrollwheel provides good tactile feedback when scrolling—nothing mushy here.

All three devices connect to your PC using the same 2.4GHz USB dongle, which fits snugly in the bottom of the mouse when you want to hit the road with your laptop. Unlike Logitech’s K750 keyboard, Microsoft’s peripherals rely on batteries. But Microsoft claims that the keyboard batteries will last three years, the mouse one year, and the keypad a full six years.

Microsoft’s Sculpt Ergonomic Desktop bundle will be available later this month for $130, or you can buy the keyboard (with number pad) for $81 and the mouse for $60.

Alex covers desktops, everything from fancy to practical. He's also an avid (addicted) gamer and loves following the industry.
More by Alex Cocilova

View the original article here