AT&T on Tuesday followed the unusual strategy of committing to a ship date for its LTE-based 4G hardware before the network itself is active. Both the Elevate 4G hotspot and the Momentum 4G modem are do to ship on August 21. The Elevate will cost $70 on a contract after a rebate, while the Momentum will drop to $50 on the same terms.
AT&T has unveiled its first USB modems designed to work with LTE and HSPA+ networks. The USBConnect Shockwave, built by Sierra, represents the carrier's first HSPA+ modem, while the Shockwave, manufactured by LG, is its first to offer future upgradeability to LTE.
AT&T on Tuesday morning quietly picked up the USBConnect Quicksilver as its latest external modem. The adapter made by Option uses a new Icera 3G chipset that supports all three major HSPA frequencies while creating one of the smallest devices available; the new adapter is small enough to come with a swivel cover that protects the USB port when the modem isn't in use. AT&T estimates real-world download speeds as high as 1.7Mbps and uploads as quick as 1.2Mbps.
