Boxee will begin shipping its new Boxee Live TV tuners this week according to a post on the company’s blog. The new device is a dongle that provides Boxee Box owners with the ability to watch local broadcast TV stations. The Boxee Box accessory costs just $49.99 and it is likely best for those who have turned to Boxee to replace their cable television subscription, not those who are using it as a supplement. The Boxee Live TV tuner supports the following:

• Social Channel Listings – We’ll show you what’s on, what your friends are watching, and how many people total are watching a show as you flip through channels.
• Sharing – Share the traditional Boxee way on Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr AND you can now passively share to Facebook using our Live TV Timeline App – turn sharing on and whatever you’re tuned into will post to your Facebook ticker automatically.  It’s easy to switch off too so your friends don’t need to know about your addiction to HSN.
• Edit Channels - Quickly hide channels from your lineup that don’t speak your language or have pissed you off with bad programming decisions like taking Arrested Development off the air.  Easily rename WNDHCTA 7.2 to NBC.
• All-In-One Interface – done watching a show on broadcast, easily jump into more episodes from the web. It’s the best of both worlds all on the same remote.

AT&T on Tuesday revealed the first two 4G LTE devices that will launch on its forthcoming LTE network later this summer. The AT&T USBConnect Momentum 4G and AT&T Mobile Hotspot Elevate 4G will christen the new cellular broadband network, which is set to launch in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio this summer before extending to at least 15 markets later this year. AT&T says 70 million Americans will be covered by its 4G LTE network before the end of 2011. Both the Momentum 4G USB modem and the Elevate 4G mobile hotspot will feature compatibility with AT&T’s HSPA+ 4G network as well, ensuring both coverage and confusion for customers across the country. “AT&T recognizes that customers want a consistent, responsive network performance from major cities to their neighborhood. Our deployment of  4G LTE technology backed by our nationwide HSPA+ network allows us to give customers a superior mobile broadband experience today and for years to come,” said AT&T Mobility SVP, Devices Jeff Bradley in a statement. ”As we begin to roll out our 4G LTE network this year, AT&T customers will be able to choose from several new LTE devices, starting with the AT&T USBConnect Momentum 4G and AT&T Mobile Hotspot Elevate 4G.” The Momentum 4G will cost $49.99 and the Elevate 4G will cost $69.99, each with a 2-year data contract. AT&T’s full press release follows below.

4G LTE Devices To Arrive For AT&T Customers

New 4G LTE-Compatible USBConnect and Mobile Hotspot Devices Coming This Summer

Dallas, Texas, July 12, 2011

Key Facts

• AT&T* customers can soon purchase two new 4G LTE devices¹, the AT&T USBConnect Momentum 4G and AT&T Mobile Hotspot Elevate 4G.
• The AT&T USBConnect Momentum 4G features plug-and-play installation of AT&T Communication Manager and access to AT&T’s entire national Wi-Fi network.²
• The AT&T Mobile Hotspot Elevate 4G includes a 1.77-inch display and connects up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices to the Internet.
• Both devices offer an expandable memory slot that supports microSD cards up to 32 GB and global connectivity with data roaming in more than 200 countries.³
• AT&T plans to launch 4G LTE service in five markets this summer – Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio – and extend it to at least 15 markets and to cover 70 million Americans by the end of 2011.

Customer Benefits

With plug-and-play installation that takes about 60 seconds to complete on Windows computers, AT&T USBConnect Momentum 4G customers can access 4G LTE speeds, where available, and when out of range have access to AT&T’s nationwide HSPA+ network, delivering 4G speeds when combined with enhanced backhaul.  They can also take advantage of unlimited usage on AT&T’s entire national Wi-Fi network if using a post-paid data plan, and manage their connections and data usage with the preloaded AT&T Communication Manager.

The company’s first 4G LTE mobile hotspot device,  the AT&T Mobile Hotspot Elevate 4G, allows access to 4G LTE speeds on up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices in select markets.  Email, browse, download presentations and more when you’re out and about – without skipping a beat no matter if you are on LTE or AT&T’s nationwide HSPA+ network.  With no software to install and an LCD screen to guide you, setting up AT&T Mobile Hotspot is fast and easy.  Just power it up and connect your laptop using the Wi-Fi network name and security key displayed on the screen. Easily view device and connection status on the LCD, including battery status, signal strength, and data usage.

In addition to 4G speeds and an expandable memory slot, both Sierra Wireless-manufactured devices support global connectivity in more than 200 countries at international roaming rates.

Quotes

“AT&T recognizes that customers want a consistent, responsive network performance from major cities to their neighborhood.  Our deployment of  4G LTE technology backed by our nationwide HSPA+ network allows us to give customers a superior mobile broadbandexperience today and for years to come,” said Jeff Bradley, senior vice president, Devices,AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “As we begin to roll out our 4G LTE network this year, AT&T customers will be able to choose from several new LTE devices, starting with the AT&T USBConnect Momentum 4G and AT&T Mobile Hotspot Elevate 4G.”

Price and Availability

AT&T will begin selling the AT&T USBConnect Momentum 4G in black and silver for $49.99 with two-year contract after a $50 mail-in-rebate. The AT&T Mobile Hotspot Elevate 4G will be available in black for $69.99 with 2-year contract and after a $50 mail-in rebate. AT&T expects both devices will be available this summer online and in company-owned retail stores.

LTE Roadmap

AT&T recently announced plans to roll out its 4G LTE network in five markets – Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio – later this summer. Customers with compatible devices and 4G LTE coverage in those markets will be able to enjoy access to 4G LTE speeds as AT&T’s 4G LTE network is turned up.

As AT&T rolls out 4G LTE, customers outside of its 4G LTE footprint will have access to AT&T’s HSPA+ network. When combined with enhanced backhaul, HSPA+ enables 4G speeds that are up to four times faster than AT&T’s already fast mobile broadband speeds. Because AT&T has taken the extra step of deploying HSPA+ technology with enhanced backhaul, its customers will have access to consistently fast mobile broadband speeds when moving out of 4G LTE areas.

By the end of 2011, AT&T plans to offer 4G LTE to customers in at least 15 markets, covering 70 million Americans. In addition, the company plans to add 20 4G devices to its portfolio this year, with some of those being LTE compatible.

Learn more about AT&T’s LTE network, the AT&T USBConnect Momentum 4G and AT&T Mobile Hotspot Elevate 4G at http://www.att.com/,www.att.com/attusbconnectmomentum4g and www.att.com/attmobilehotspotelevate4g.

AT&T USBConnect Momentum 4G Specifications

• LTE (700/AWS)
• HSPA+/HSPA/UMTS (850/1900/2100 MHz)
• EDGE/GPRS (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
• Expandable Memory:  MicroSD up to 32 GB
• GPS capable
• Dimensions: 2.6’ L x 1.02’ W x 0.51’ H
• Weight: Approximately 1.06 ounces
• OS Support:  Apple® Mac® OS (v10.5 or later), Microsoft ® Windows® 7, Vista®, XP SP3 (32 bit only)

AT&T Mobile Hotspot Elevate 4G Specifications

• LTE (700/AWS)
• HSPA+/HSPA (850/1900/2100 MHz)
• EDGE/GPRS (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
• Wi-Fi® 802.11 b/g/n
• WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) enabled
• Display: 1.77 inches, 160×128 pixels color LCD
• Web UI for settings and advanced features
• GPS capable
• Dimensions: 3.8″ L x 2.2″ W x 0.7″ D
• Weight: 3.6 ounces
• Battery: 1800 mAh
• Expandable Memory: MicroSD™ up to 32 GB
• Use time: Up to 5hours

Supported OS: Windows® 7, Windows Vista®, Windows XP, Mac® OS (v10.5 or later), Ubuntu Linux® 9.04

VeriFone’s CEO, Douglas G. Bergeron, has taken to the Internet to publicly voice his company’s concern with a mobile payments startup named Square. Via a YouTube video and an open letter, Bergeron explains that Square’s reader has a “serious security flaw” that “places consumers in dire risk.” Bergeron and VeriFone’s beef stems from the fact that Square’s reader does not utilize any type of hardware encryption schema when scanning cards. What does this mean? If you were to use a VeriFone card scanner, the information scanned off of a credit card’s magnetic stripe would be encrypted, stored, and transmitted to the desired payment agency for processing. Square’s scanners attach to the 3.5mm audio jack of an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, and scan/store the read credit card information in plain text — making it later viewable by a person(s) running a skimming scam.

“A criminal signs up with Square, obtains the dongle for free and creates a fake Square app on his smartphone,” writes Bergeron. “Insert the dongle into the audio jack of a smartphone or iPad, and you’ve got a mobile skimming device that fits in your pocket that can be used to illegally collect personal and financial data from the magnetic stripe of a payment card.”

The information on a credit card’s magnetic stripe isn’t really all that top-secret — since it is also printed on the front of the card, unencrypted — but the CEO’s point about plain-text card-data being stored on a mobile device is certainly valid.

“We take security very seriously,” continues Bergeron. “Securing payment transactions is what we do.”

The company has made a proof-of-concept iOS skimming application for Square’s reader that, along with Bergeron’s open letter, is available via the website sq-skim.com. The YouTube video and custom website, created solely to attack the small startup, does seem a little unorthodox — especially from a multi-billion dollar, publicly traded company — but it certainly has gotten people talking about the perceived issue. Square did not respond to BGR’s request for comment on Bergeron’s statments.

Hit the jump to watch VeriFone’s CEO slam the competition.

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Verizon Wireless on Tuesday updated its “VZAccess Manager” software to add Mac support for the Pantech UML290 LTE modem. The new update — VZAccess Manager version 7.2.4 (2534b) — adds support for Apple computers running OS X 10.4 and later. Pantech’s UML290 is a USB dongle that allows laptops to connect to Verizon’s 4G LTE network. Until now, the broadband modem could only be connected to Windows-based computers. The new software is available immediately from Verizon’s website as a free download. The carrier’s other 4G LTE modem, the LG VL600, does not yet support Mac computers.

[Via Phone Scoop]

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Let’s take a trip down Memory Lane to the late-90′s. Back to a much simpler time when cheap gas, overinflated technology stocks, and unattractive computer hardware (and haircuts) reigned supreme. If, during this time, you happened to be the proud owner of a frumpy laptop (unattractive haircut optional), there is a good chance you had a certain connectivity peripheral protruding from the side of your machine… a PCMCIA network interface card (NIC).

PCMCIA stood for Personal Computer Memory Card International Association, which was the name of the group that governed the cards standards. PCMCIA NICs adhering to the standard had a dual-row 68-pin configuration, were 54mm wide, and came in a variety of thicknesses — depending on which type of card you had (Type I, II, and III were the most common).

The PCMCIA NIC card was a standard after market accessory for laptops in the late 90′s. If you were interested in using your portable computer on the Internet with that new-fangled “ethernet” technology you were going to need one of these bad boys as ethernet ports were still not standard on laptops at this time. Often accompanied by a dongle, the PCMCIA ethernet adapter provided users high-speed connectivity in a dial-up world. 3Com and Xircom were two of the major PCMCIA manufacturers.

The general consensus around the BGR office is that these cards were one of the least reliable pieces of hardware one could own. Jonathan, Zach, and myself can all recount buying, returning, and exchanging, multiple PCMCIA NIC cards due to various hardware failures, driver issues, and software incompatibilities. But, at that time, they were a necessary evil.

What say you? Can you remember the days of yore when ethernet was a privilege and a bent pin or lost dongle could totally ruin your day?

BGR’s Throwback Thursday is a weekly series covering our (and your) favorite gadgets, games, and software of yesterday and yesteryear.

We haven’t heard anything about this from our connects at either AT&T or Nokia, but a filing made available two days ago by the FCC has us believing that AT&T might be planning on offering up the Internet Stick CS-12. Featuring all of the appropriate GSM and WCDMA bands needed to function on AT&T, the CS-12 is capable of supporting downlink speeds of up to 14.4Mbps and uplink speeds of 5.56Mbps. Of course, AT&T’s network is in no way capable of getting anywhere near those speeds — with most markets still stick in a hellish 3.6Mbps nightmare — as the slow rollout of 7.2Mbps continues. Perhaps this new stick has something to do with Ralph de la Vega’s recent talk of  ”certain locations” getting access to a 21Mbps HSPA+ network on the way to LTE.

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MagicJack, creator and distributor of the popular dongle-based PC VoIP solution, has some problems with its credibility. Back in 2008, BoingBoing revealed some of the companies disingenuous business practices which include but are not limited to: a fake visitor counter on its website that increased automatically on its own, a bogus MagicJack detection page that claims a functioning MagicJack device is connected when none is present, and serious problems with its EULA that allows the service to screen calls and send targeted ads to users while also forcing users to waive their rights to sue in court. Rather than acknowledge its culpability and change its practices, MagicJack dragged BoingBoing into court with a charge of defamation. When it was shown that the BoingBoing article was not defaming, the case was dismissed and MagicJack was ordered to pay $50,000 in legal costs to BoingBoing. Rather than accept the penalty and move on, MagicJack CEO Dan Borislow blamed the incompetence of his lawyers for the loss and tried to buy BoingBoing’s silence by offering the online news site a settlement if the contents of the lawsuit and settlement were kept private. BoingBoing refused to be silenced and now the lawsuit, its outcome, and MagicJack’s futile attempt to cover its tracks are exposed for the world to see.

[Via TechDirt]

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While light mobile broadband users are busy eying Virgin Mobile’s new prepaid offering, those of you who travel constantly might be interested in Verizon Wireless’ latest USB stick. Dubbed the USB1000, Big Red’s new mobile broadband dongle packs all the connectivity you can handle — CDMA/EV-DO Rev. A, GSM/GPRS/EDGE and tri-band HSPA are all accounted for. As for pricing, the stick itself will run $149.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate. Global data plans on the other hand, are a bit less attractive: $129.99 per month for 100MB of data and $219.99 per month for 200MB. Both plans will run you $0.005 per KB over the allotment and they include 5GB of data in the US and Canada ($0.05 per MB overage). You can also opt for the standard 5GB/$60 plan and pay $0.002 per KB in Canada, $0.005 per KB in Mexico, and $0.02 per KB for international roaming in over 175 other countries. If you’re a true international man of mystery, you should be able to warrant the expense of VZW’s global plans. Occasional travelers on the other hand, might be wise to examine other options. The USB1000 will be available online starting tomorrow.

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Patience Virgin Mobile subscribers, patience. Last month we scooped an upcoming mobile broadband offering from Virgin Mobile that is slowly but surely making its way to Best Buy Mobile. Shortly thereafter, we scared up some possible details as far as pricing and data cost are concerned. Well folks, it looks like we might be getting closer to launch time as one of our readers tossed on his mining hat and managed to dig up some dirt. Found camping out on a Best Buy image server, two images of an upcoming Virgin Mobile USB modem sit ready and waiting. We’ve verified their presence on Best Buy’s servers and the item numbers match so you’re indeed looking at what will be VM’s first mobile broadband accessory here in the US. To refresh your memory, Virgin Mobile will supposedly offer both prepaid and postpaid mobile broadband packages and the modem will run $150. Hit the jump for one more shot.

Thanks, Andrew!

It took a while, but it’s finally here: T-Mobile has announced the launch of the 3G webConnect laptop USB stick. While other carriers have already been offering similar products for quite some time, T-Mobile users can enjoy 3G speeds with one from their very own carrier. Of course, we all know that T-Mobile’s 3G footprint is young and rather small, but the USB stick is compatible with EDGE if you can handle those speeds. The webConnect stick can be had for $49.99 with a 2-year contract, or $99.99 with a 1-year contract, and if you’d like to pay month-to-month without contracts, it’s $249.99. Quite pricey, if you ask us. Like other carriers, there is a 5GB limit per month for $59.99 a month. The USB stick also allows you to connect to 802.11b/g WiFi hotspots and doubles as a memory stick with an 8GB capacity. If mobility is critical to you and WiFi isn’t always available, it might not be a bad option.

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