Hands-on with the Sierra Overdrive Pro and booster dock

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Broadband, Wireless / WiFi,

Sierra Wireless has a secret weapon in the hotspot wars: a booster dock for its new Sprint 4G Overdrive Pro mobile hotspot that can truly send its WiMAX reception and speeds into overdrive. Ensconced in the dock, 4G WiMAX reception jumps by 50 percent, a Sierra product demonstrator in the company's booth told me.

The $99.99 (minus $50 rebate) Overdrive Pro is better in every way than the Overdrive hotspot it replaced. It's smaller. It boots up faster. It has a bigger LCD screen to show status information. The back is a grippy, soft-touch plastic rather than the greasy, slick black plastic of the last model. It has easily accessible dual external antenna ports.

And it has that dock. The dock isn't very portable; it's about the side of an iPod dock. It's really made for your desk. Sprint is the only wireless carrier to offer truly unlimited 4G plans, so one of the aims may be for a docked Overdrive to double as an alternative to a home Internet connection.

Pop the Overdrive into the dock, and it can charge, tether to a PC as a modem, and gets that 50 percent signal boost. The dock will be available sometime in May, Sierra reps at the booth said. They weren't clear on the price.

The Overdrive Pro goes up against the new Novatel Wireless MiFi 4082, which I've been using at the show. The MiFi is smaller and classier-looking than the Overdrive; I suspect it will have slightly longer battery life, too, but that's without any real evidence. The MiFi's e-ink indicators don't give you nearly as much information as the Overdrive's LCD display, though, and it doesn't have the dock option.

We'll test both products as soon as we can get hold of them.

Click to continue reading Hands-on with the Sierra Overdrive Pro and booster dock

Interview: The person who destroyed the NY Times paywall using Twitter

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Internet,

When the New York Times announced its plans for an online subscription model, or "paywall," critics picked it apart almost instantly. It was readily apparent that there were many ways around it. For example, the publication offers free access to stories posted on social-media sites. Very quickly someone set up @FreeNYT, a Twitter feed that aggregates every Times Twitter posting, effectively giving away all the articles for free. The Times has asked Twitter to suspend the account.

The person behind @FreeNYT, who prefers to remain anonymous, agreed to talk to PCMag.

Do you think the Times will be able to shut you down?
@FreeNYT: I don't believe the Times will be able to shut me down, as it's a rather laughable claim that by simply aggregating their own Twitter feeds into a list I've engaged in trademark violation. I assume the folks at Twitter told them as much—if they were even contacted by the Times.

What do you think will happen if Twitter suspends your account?
@FreeNYT: As I showed with the creation of @tyneerf/fearthefuzzy, even if they shut @freenyt down, others will just pop up in my place. The only way to stop this is for the Times to either change its policy about referrals from social-media sites being free or stop tweeting out all its own content. I'm guessing they'll do neither, at least for now.

[The aforementioned list is a compilation of all the different Times twitter feeds, like @NYTimesDining, @NYTimesFashion, and others where the publication posts its articles. The name of the handle is @FreeNYT spelled backwards].

Click to continue reading Interview: The person who destroyed the NY Times paywall using Twitter

Bertrand Serlet, the man behind OS X, leaves Apple

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Corporate News, Software,

Bertrand Serlet, chief of Mac software engineering at Apple, will leave the company to focus less on products and more on science, the company announced Wednesday.

Craig Federighi, currently serving as vice president of Mac Software Engineering, will assume Serlet's role as senior vice president.

"I've worked with Steve for 22 years and have had an incredible time developing products at both NeXT and Apple, but at this point, I want to focus less on products and more on science," Serlet said in a statement. "Craig has done a great job managing the Mac OS team for the past two years, Lion is a great release and the transition should be seamless."

Apple did not mention if the departure was effective immediately. Federighi is responsible for the development of Mac OS X and has been managing the Mac OS software engineering group for the past two years. He will reports to Apple chief Steve Jobs.

Click to continue reading Bertrand Serlet, the man behind OS X, leaves Apple

Apple set to open up AirPlay video to electronics manufacturers

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Home Entertainment,

Apple is reportedly interested in expanding its AirPlay audio-streaming technology to include video, and possibly licensing it to consumer-electronics manufacturers, according to a report.

Bloomberg reported that Apple already licenses the AirPlay technology to Pioneer Corp. and D&M Holdings.

Bloomberg quoted executives from Philips as well as Pioneer; the Philips executive was quoted as being interested in the technology, while the Pioneer executive called AirPlay a "blessing for an industry trying to move the needle forward on sales".

In November 2010, Apple issued iOS 4.2, which added AirPlay connectivity to Apple TV and the iPad. Specifically, the update added enables AirPlay—wireless streaming of video, photos, and music from your iOS device to Apple TV—and AirPrint, the wireless printing solution for the iPad. Currently, CE manufacturers are prohibited from taking advantage of the video capabilities inherent in AirPlay, Bloomberg reported.

Click to continue reading Apple set to open up AirPlay video to electronics manufacturers

It’s official: I’m addicted to 4G

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Broadband, Smartphones, Editorial, Wireless / WiFi,

I'm addicted to 4G, and it could happen to you, too.

By now, almost everyone has seen TV commercials advertising 4G phones. Essentially, a 4G mobile hotspot lets you work anywhere as if you were at home or in the office with a fast broadband connection. With sustained average download speeds in excess of five megabits per second, it's likely you won't be able to tell the difference.

Granted, many felt the same way about the first 3G cellular modems released several years ago. But the Web has become much more advanced since then; all that extra AJAX and HTML5 code takes more bandwidth. People are also streaming more music and video these days. As a result, 3G no longer seems like enough.

In addition, the Apple iPhone 4 and Android smartphones running OS 2.2 (commonly known as Froyo) now offer mobile hotspot capability. That means that for an extra monthly fee, you can use your phone as a 4G hotspot for up to five devices—or even eight, in the case of the HTC Thunderbolt. You no longer need to buy a separate cellular modem, which was really just one more thing to carry around, charge all the time, and worry about losing. Mobile hotspot access averages $20 per month across the major U.S. carriers. That's not chump change, but it's a long way from the $50 to $60 per month a separate USB modem normally costs.

Click to continue reading It’s official: I’m addicted to 4G

BlackBerry Playbook launches April 19 for $499, pre-order it now

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Handhelds,

The Wi-Fi version of the BlackBerry Playbook will be available at Best Buy and other retailers starting April 19, Research in Motion said today.

Best Buy is now accepting pre-orders for the device in stores and online. It's available in 16GB for $499, 32GB for $599, and 64GB for $699.

Best Buy and Future Shops in Canada will also have the Playbook on April 19 and are accepting pre-orders.

In the U.S., the Playbook will also be available at AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon stores, as well as CBeyond, Cellular South, Cincinnati Bell, Office Depot, RadioShack, ShopBlackBerry.com, Staples, and BlackBerry from Wireless Giant.

Click to continue reading BlackBerry Playbook launches April 19 for $499, pre-order it now

Firefox 4 is here

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Internet, Software,

Mozilla's popular open-source, community-developed browser has been updated to Firefox 4.0 today. Users can now download the significantly overhauled software in 75 languages from www.firefox.com. Versions are available for Windows (including the popular XP, shunned by the also-new Internet Explorer 9), Mac OS, and Linux.

The new browser version was announced on the Mozilla blog in a post lengthily titled "Mozilla Launches Firefox 4 and Delivers a Fast, Sleek and Customizable Browsing Experience to More Than 400 Million Users Worldwide."

The browser that pushed Internet Explorer to stop resting on its laurels after years of stagnation has now been pushed by Google's newer Chrome browser to do just the same. Not that Firefox had been stagnating the way that IE had been before the Mozilla browser's debut. But Chrome has served as inspiration for the new version of Firefox in more ways than one—improved speed and a simplified interface are standout examples of this.

Gary Kovacs, CEO of Mozilla, commented, "Mozilla is very proud of Firefox 4, created by our community of thousands of volunteers worldwide. It truly is the browser for tomorrow's Web. The Internet has become the most important connection mechanism in our society, which is why we've focused on making users' Web experience as fast, modern, safe and intuitive as possible."

Click to continue reading Firefox 4 is here

iPad 2 available in 25 more countries this Friday

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Corporate News, Handhelds,

Apple said Tuesday that it is "experiencing amazing demand" for the iPad 2 in the U.S., and will move forward with plans to release the tablet in 25 additional countries on Friday, March 25.

Similar to the U.S. launch, the iPad 2 will go on sale abroad at 5pm local time, and will be available online at 1am.

"While competitors are still struggling to catch up with our first iPad, we've changed the game again with iPad 2," Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO, said in a statement. "We're experiencing amazing demand for iPad 2 in the U.S., and customers around the world have told us they can't wait to get their hands on it. We appreciate everyone's patience and we are working hard to build enough iPads for everyone."

In total, the iPad 2 will be available in 25 additional countries on Friday, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.

Click to continue reading iPad 2 available in 25 more countries this Friday

Verizon 4G LTE network to reach 59 more cities by end of 2011

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Broadband, Smartphones, Corporate News, Wireless / WiFi,

Verizon Wireless on Tuesday announced an additional 59 markets that will have access to its 4G LTE network by year's end, including Tuscon, Sacramento, Indianapolis, Louisville, and Portland.

Verizon launched its LTE network in December with 39 markets, and unveiled 49 more at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, so Tuesday's announcement will bring the total number of cities with LTE access to 147 by the end of the year.

"Aggressively expanding this powerful network beyond major metro areas reflects the reality that the 4G LTE ecosystem is growing quickly," David Small, chief technical officer for Verizon, said in a statement. "Our commitment to reach deep into medium-sized cities and smaller communities by the end of 2011 means the power of 4G LTE can be harnessed and provide advanced services to law enforcement, healthcare workers, educators, and other professionals, as well as to individual consumers, sooner than many thought possible."

Click to continue reading Verizon 4G LTE network to reach 59 more cities by end of 2011

Comic Book Jobs: Abrams ComicArts

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Interviews,

Abrams ComicArts, the graphic novel portion of the mighty Abrams company, is looking for an Editorial Assistant to help nudge their books along.

You have to be an “organized, detail-minded individual with a demonstrated interest in graphic novels or illustrated books to provide administrative and editorial assistance to an editorial director and publishing director.” Got all that?

It really means trafficking, filing, collating proofreading and any task the editor doesn’t want to do or doesn’t have time to do.

You’ll need a bachelor’s degree and 1-2 years of publishing and/or office experience, and the usual publishing software skills.

Abrams ComicArts does some really nice books, so this’ll certainly look good on your resume.

Salary is in the low $30s, so you’d pretty much have to already be living in NYC to make this happen.

Good luck, job seekers!

[Artwork: Shazam by Chip Kidd, one of the books from Abrams ComicArts]

Read More | Abrams ComicArts (via Publishers Market Place)