Android comes to WiMAX

[phandroid]

Google-backed mobile operating system Android has been given a boost in the mobile WiMAX space due to a partnership between D2 Technologies, Beceem Communications and ECS.The joint initiative will look at the deployment of the Android operating system on smartphones delivering VoIP over WiMAX and other IP-based communications capabilities.D2 provided its mCUE converged communications [...]

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[Android_LIFE]

This is definitely great news for Android.

Not to mention, the upcoming Google phone.

 

[vikingisson]

I was excited about WiMAX a few years ago. This 'internet on the go' was to be my next step up from WiFI on my N800. Things were looking good in Canada if you believed the hype. I hadn't used a cell phone for years because of the sorry state of the industry, I was happy with SIP over WiFI especially when I traveled and was still local as far as phone calls were concerned. I only missed the gap between short distance WiFI and more widely available 3G. But I saved lots of money and voice mail filled the gap.

Well here we are and little has come of WiMAX unless you live in the right place. I don't, sorta. WiMAX is here but you'd be hard pressed to see the term used, they call it other things and is primarily targeted at areas that can't get anything else. This means two things, it is high priced, slow, and locked down. You need their brick modem that isn't portable without a 120v outlet. I can't bring my own device and if they ever do allow it it will no doubt be the same overpriced crap we usually get here.

However with the birth of Android and a generous boss I'm finally on a cell phone after all these years. Android made using a cell service tolerable but if I had to pay for it I'd still be strictly on SIP. Now I can do both.

Just for fun try calling up a provider that has WiMAX but doesn't call it that. It is like asking for a fish sandwich at mcdonald's, "what's that?". Pitiful same ole same ole.

 

[IOWA]

I was excited about WiMAX a few years ago. This 'internet on the go' was to be my next step up from WiFI on my N800. Things were looking good in Canada if you believed the hype. I hadn't used a cell phone for years because of the sorry state of the industry, I was happy with SIP over WiFI especially when I traveled and was still local as far as phone calls were concerned. I only missed the gap between short distance WiFI and more widely available 3G. But I saved lots of money and voice mail filled the gap.

Well here we are and little has come of WiMAX unless you live in the right place. I don't, sorta. WiMAX is here but you'd be hard pressed to see the term used, they call it other things and is primarily targeted at areas that can't get anything else. This means two things, it is high priced, slow, and locked down. You need their brick modem that isn't portable without a 120v outlet. I can't bring my own device and if they ever do allow it it will no doubt be the same overpriced crap we usually get here.

However with the birth of Android and a generous boss I'm finally on a cell phone after all these years. Android made using a cell service tolerable but if I had to pay for it I'd still be strictly on SIP. Now I can do both.

Just for fun try calling up a provider that has WiMAX but doesn't call it that. It is like asking for a fish sandwich at mcdonald's, "what's that?". Pitiful same ole same ole.

Ummm wimax is pretty much nationwide now... and they have usb stick modems for them....

 

[vikingisson]

Ummm wimax is pretty much nationwide now... and they have usb stick modems for them....

umm, what nation would that be? Not in mine. unless those brick modems or usb sticks count which isn't what I want. There are devices that do WiMAX but you can't use them here because you can only use the provider devices and lock in for long terms like a cell phone. If I wanted to only make my laptop work outside of the LAN or WiFI I'll tether but that's not practical outside of the local area because of costs. The brick modem up here screams at 1M/256K, I can go faster on a tether connection. Not sure about the little sticks but that seems to be another locked down device so might as well use my existing data plan and tether. Most of the WiMAX devices are off the market now unless they tied themselves to providers. I must have read the marketing wrong, and so did Nokia.