roaming

Portable TV sets have been around since the '80s, when the Sony Watchman ruled the roost.

Back then, its black-and-white screen the size of a postage stamp would have set you back $1,600 in today's money. The Watchman finally bowed out in 2000, and now that you can watch TV on your phone or tablet, the idea of a portable TV is almost passe. Yet, Azend hasn't let a little product like the iPad get in its way with its release of the Envizen Digital HR-701 7-inch Home Roam TV.

What is it? The Home Roam is a wireless AV sender, which incorporates an AV hub transmitter and a 7-inch screen that acts as a receiver. The company says the screen will last 2 hours on a charge, extend up to 100 feet from the base but has a fairly low contrast ratio of 400:1. Build quality of the two units looks like something you'd find in a flea market.… Read more

When you travel abroad, don't forget to pack your international calling and data plan--or face the consequences.

Perhaps you've faced the sticker shock of using your cell phone abroad, where roaming rates can reach as high as several dollars for each minute or few megabytes of data. Multiply that horror by a few thousand and you might begin to be able to empathize with Celina Aarons. The Florida resident recently opened her T-Mobile bill to find a balance due of $201,000.

Unfortunately for Ms. Aarons, the bill was correct.… Read more

Carrier contracts and device subsidy policies mean wireless subscribers who want the latest and greatest iPhone have to think carefully about their upgrade strategies.

In this edition of Ask Maggie, I offer some advice to one frustrated reader who has been waiting a long time to upgrade to a new iPhone. She can't decide if she should pull the trigger now and buy the iPhone 4S, or whether she should wait for the next upgrade to the iPhone, expected next year.

I also explain how the fact that Apple has used common chips for the iPhone 4S on AT&T, Verizon Wireless, and Sprint Nextel means that travelers have more freedom to use their phones when they're overseas. But at the same time, the software each carrier uses to lock these phones to their own networks, also limits where and how they can be used.

Ask Maggie is an advice column that answers readers' wireless and broadband questions. The column now appears twice a week on CNET offering readers a double dosage of Ask Maggie's advice. If you have a question, I'd love to hear from you. Please send me an e-mail at maggie dot reardon at cbs dot com. And please put "Ask Maggie" in the subject header. You can also follow me on Facebook on my Ask Maggie page.… Read more

We've often praised Contour's line of sports cameras for their ease of use, but with the announcement of the ContourRoam, it's about to get even easier.

The Roam fits into the entry-level position in Contour's camera lineup, just below the Contour GPS and replacing the ContourHD 1080p, which should be phased out shortly. At first glance, the Roam doesn't appear much different than the ContourHD (or any other Contour camera for that matter) but closer inspection reveals a few new features.

For starters, there is no power button. Where previous models needed to be powered … Read more

Two groups have agreed to work together on a technology designed to making it easier for mobile network users to jump from one company's Wi-Fi network to another.

In the partnership are the Wi-Fi Alliance and Wireless Broadband Alliance, the groups announced today.

The technology in question is the WBA's Next Generation Hotspot (NGH) program, which sets out Wi-Fi roaming requirements--in other words, to make sure that somebody using Wi-Fi on one operator's network can also use it on another operator's network. A big part of that is authentication.

The Wi-Fi Alliance, in turn, will certify the equipment. That's the role the organization has played with Wi-Fi for years, providing some practical help in making the IEEE's 802.11 series of standards. The Wi-Fi roaming product certification should begin in mid-2012, the alliance said.

Roaming technology is common in the mobile realm where 3G rules the roost and 4G is arriving. Users often avoid it, though, given the substantial data fees roaming can incur. It's not clear how charges would work for Wi-Fi roaming, though.

"A trial launched under the program this week between leading operators and vendors will address seamless, secure auto-authentication on multiple operator networks," the groups said in their announcement.

The agreement also tackles hot-spot branding issues that crop up when people are looking for a Wi-Fi network to join, the groups said.

Today's 3G networks are often overtaxed, and Wi-Fi offers one way out by providing alternative data access at high traffic areas. To be effective, Wi-Fi hot spots still need adequate "back-haul" network capacity to link to the Internet and potentially also need good technology for handing off phone calls from the Internet to 3G when a mobile user moves out of the Wi-Fi hot-spot area. … Read more

Sprint Nextel and Clearwire have settled their dispute over wholesale pricing, the companies announced today. Sprint uses the nationwide Clearwire network for its 4G WiMax wireless broadband service.

Under the new deal Clearwire will receive at least $1 billion from Sprint in 2011 and 2012. The minimum 4G usage commitment for this year is $300 million and $550 million next year. Sprint will pay $175 million in pre-payment for the service that will be used later this year and beyond.

The companies also worked out an agreement for devices that use both Sprint's 3G network and Clearwire's 4G … Read more

Don't you hate it when you drop $10 million on a new private jet, and you don't have any cash left over to afford the $500,000 in-flight mobile phone system?

A new Android app is out to bridge that gap between those who can go anywhere, anytime and those who can go anywhere, anytime and call their other wealthy friends while they're doing it.

SafeCell, developed by ASiQ Limited Australia, enables users to make in-flight calls with their Android smartphone. At $12,500 for a single license--add $5,000 for multi-channel--it is likely the most expensive Android app yet, but that's still a big savings over conventional half-mil in-flight systems.

"The development of the Android app follows on from our initial Blackberry and Symbian versions...We now see why Android has gained such a high consumer acceptance," ASiQ CEO Ron Chapman said in a press release. "The app is very fast, which means that making a call at 30,000 feet or sending a message is just as simple as if you were using your mobile on the ground."… Read more

The Federal Communications Commission adopted new rules today at its monthly public meeting that will require wireless service providers, such as AT&T and Verizon Wireless, to negotiate wireless data roaming deals with competitors.

As expected, the FCC voted along party lines, with the three Democrats including Chairman Julius Genachowski voting in favor of the measure. Meanwhile, Republicans Robert McDowell and Meredith Atwell-Baker voted against the new rules, stating they don't believe the FCC has the authority or a reason to adopt such rules.

The new rules will require wireless operators that own their infrastructure and spectrum to &… Read more

The Federal Communications Commission may soon set new rules that could help ensure that your smartphone is able to access the Internet anywhere in the U.S. that wireless service is offered, even if your provider doesn't offer network coverage.

On Thursday the FCC will vote on new rules that would force wireless phone companies, such as AT&T and Verizon Wireless, which have the largest nationwide coverage, to offer roaming rates to competitors at "fair and reasonable rates."

The measure, which has the backing of FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, is expected to be passed by … Read more