Verizon LTE Wireless Clocking 60Mbps In US Tests, Confirmed to Launch in 2010 [Mwc'09]
Though AT&T seems to be talking excitedly about its own LTE network—a technology that derives from the GSM networks that AT&T and T-Mobile run, and not the CDMA networks of Sprint and Verizon—Verizon really will be first, and at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week, Verizon CTO Dick Lynch made a point of letting the world know it. Most of the chatter was stuff we'd published before, but the coolest part of the released statement, about the current and upcoming trials, was new:
Utilizing their existing spectrum, Verizon Wireless and Vodafone have been field testing 4G LTE networks in Minneapolis, Columbus, Ohio, and Northern New Jersey in the United States, as well as in Budapest, Düsseldorf, and Madrid in Europe, with a variety of network infrastructure providers. These field trials have demonstrated download rates of 50 to 60 Mbps peak speeds, though actual average download results will not be determined until the commercial launch of the new Verizon Wireless LTE network. Utilizing its recently acquired 700 MHz spectrum, Verizon Wir! eless wi ll expand trials this summer, and Lynch said the company will commercially launch its LTE network in 2010. Once the initial rollout is complete, plans are in place for aggressive deployment throughout Verizon Wireless' entire network, including areas not currently covered by the existing Verizon Wireless footprint.
WiMax is already here, and Sprint has proven to be adept at rolling out next-generation data services, but still, I can't help but think that between Verizon and AT&T, LTE will definitely be the 4G technology of choice in America. [More Mobile World Congress 2009 Coverage]
Most point-and-shoots have extremely similar feature sets now, whoever they're from—smile, booger and blink detection; image stabilization and other boingos you never use. So Canon's choice to focus on look-and-feel stands out—and pays off.
The SD970 is the fully loaded model with 12MP, 3-inch screen, 5x optical zoom lens, 720p video recording and more creative features like Zoom Blur and Creative Light Effect. Unlike the other cameras though, you don't have a whole rainbow of colors to pick from. It's $380.
The SD960 stepdown knocks off $50 for shrinking the screen to 2.8 inches and zoom to 4x (but it's a 28mm wide-angle lens), but it's still 12MP and can shoot 720p video. And it come in a few different (pastel-y) colors.
The SD780 has a tapered boxy look to it that I really liked because it felt classy, but spec-wise it's a stepdown from the SD970 and SD960, with a smaller 2.5-inch screen, 3x optical zoom and fewer whizbang modes. But it's still 12.1MP and does the 720p thing for $280 when it drops next month. Multiple colors, all very metallic, but the hot rod red is pretty nice.
Aesthetically speaking, Canon's SX200 pro point-and-shoot is my second favorite camera of the bunch, after the 
Other vital specs: 12MP sensor (Canon likes the number 12, I guess), 720p video recording and a 3-inch screen. Yep, there are multiple colors too, a cherry red besides the black and blue I've got here. It's available end of next month for $350. [
We're gonna see 
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