It appears as though Acer founder Stan Shih will get his wish, as news of CEO Gianfranco Lanci’s resignation could mark the start of a much needed overhaul. Shih, who retired from the company in 2004, said on Tuesday that Acer is in need of an overhaul and a shift in focus from being a leader in the PC market to increasing profit margins. On Thursday, Acer announced that Lanci is resigning effective immediately, and company chairman J. T. Wang will step in as interim CEO until the company finds a suitable replacement. “The personal computer remains the core of our business,” said Wang in a statement. “We have built up a strong foundation and will continue to expand within, especially in the commercial PC segment. In addition, we are stepping into the new mobile device market, where we will invest cautiously and aim to become one of the leading players.” Wang continued, “In this new ICT industry, Acer needs a period of time for adjustment. With the spirit of entrepreneurship, we will face new challenges and look to the future with confidence.”

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Just a quick follow-up to a story we published on Friday. Clearwire has officially announced “the nation’s first pay-as-you-go 4G mobile broadband service for tech-savvy Gen Y customers.” The new, prepaid, cellular-data service offers customers daily, weekly, and monthly access rates; priced at $5, $20, and $50 respectively. Clearwire will provide this service on two new pieces of hardware, the Puck and the Stick. The Puck is a round, uh puck-like, mobile hotspot that can provide connectivity for eight Wi-Fi enabled devices on Clear’s 4G network. The Stick has a more familiar USB modem look to it and will get your laptop hooked up to the prepaid wireless fun without all that panache. The Puck will retail for $149.99 and the Stick will set you back $99.99. We’re loving the idea of prepaid 4G services, however the fact that both devices lack 3G radios — making your Puck and Stick useful in only 49 markets — is a slight cause for concern. We’ve got the full press release for you after the break.

Clearwire Introduces Rover: Instant Gratification to the Internet Addicted

KIRKLAND, Wash., Aug 30, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Clearwire Corporation (NASDAQ:CLWR) today unveiled Rover(TM): the nation’s first pay-as-you-go 4G mobile broadband service for tech-savvy Gen Y customers. The Rover brand is designed for digitally addicted youth who refuse to settle for long-term contracts, overpriced internet service, or speeds slower than what they’ve become accustomed to at home.

Rover is available in all of Clearwire’s 49 4G markets across the U.S. at rover.com. Rover is also available at CLEAR stores, Best Buy stores and select independent wireless dealers in Houston and St. Louis.

“Simple, commitment-free wireless services are wildly popular with the Gen Y crowd, and Rover provides them with the first pay-as-you-go unlimited mobile internet offering at 4G speeds,” said Mike Sievert, chief commercial officer for Clearwire. “We’ve built Rover from the ground up with products, pricing and features designed specifically to serve a younger market who knows how you get connected is just as important as where. Expanding our offers to meet this underserved segment is an important new business opportunity for Clearwire as we continue to extend our leadership in mobile broadband.”

“The opportunity for pay-as-you-go mobile broadband should not be underestimated,” said Carrie MacGillvray, program manager and wireless analyst at IDC. “Prepaid – or pay-as-you-go – data provides an option for consumers to experiment with the power of mobile broadband without being saddled with a two-year commitment. A prepaid mobile broadband service can offer consumers the ability to access and share Internet service, at home or on the go, in an affordable way.”

PUCKS AND STICKS

Friends with Benefits

Rover’s flagship device is the Rover Puck: an ergonomically designed portable Wi-Fi hotspot that lets you share broadband access, or “Puck”, with up to eight devices at home, out on the town or nearly anywhere the feeling strikes you. The Rover Puck can easily slip into a purse or backpack and serve as an on-the-go broadband access point for devices such as laptops, netbooks, the iPad(TM), the iPod touch(R), smartphones, PSP(R) systems, game consoles, and Wi-Fi enabled digital cameras, among others. Users have the option to connect up to eight Wi-Fi enabled devices simultaneously.

The Rover Puck features mobile download speeds of three to six mbps, with bursts over 10 mbps (up to 4x faster than conventional 3G), using Clearwire’s 4G network. The Rover Puck is available today for $149.99 (plus tax).

Going Solo

The Rover Stick(TM) is a personal 4G USB modem that connects any notebook, laptop or desktop to the Rover 4G Service. The Rover Stick is compatible with MacBook(R) and MacBook(R) Pro laptops using Mac OS X, as well as netbooks and notebooks running Windows(R) XP, Windows Vista(R) and Windows(R) 7. Offering the same super-fast internet speed as the Rover Puck, the Rover Stick is available today for $99.99 (plus tax).

No Commitment Issues

New users receive two free days of service to ensure Rover’s metro-focused 4G coverage fits their mobile lifestyle. Rover has a 14-day no-hassle return policy for any device purchases made on rover.com or in CLEAR stores.

Rover is priced at $5/day, $20/week, or $50/month for unlimited 4G internet usage. Depending on the retail channel, customers will be able to purchase a Rover Re-Up PIN code or physical Rover Re-Up card in $20 or $50 denominations. Rover Re-Up is available online at rover.com, at all retail outlets carrying the Rover Puck or Rover Stick, as well as at Rover Re-Up specific retail locations. Rover does not require a credit card to activate service and is designed to bring broadband internet to a new audience.

GENERATION Y

The Rover brand is designed for a demographic that has grown up in a wireless world. They manage their life through the internet, and their devices signify status. Rover provides products and service to meet their need for all things internet.

“Rover’s target audience has never known life without internet. They love their devices and they want as much speed and capacity as possible, without the limits and commitments of most mobile options,” said Seth Cummings, GM, Rover. “Rover offers iconic devices along with straight-forward pricing, and plans where unlimited truly means unlimited. It is not in Rover’s DNA to be constraining, confusing or complex.”

MARKETING CAMPAIGN

Launch campaign

Rover’s initial communications will showcase the dramatic ways in which 4G mobile broadband can change human behavior in previously unimagined ways. More information is available at www.evology.com.

Life @ 4G

Rover.com invites users to experience “Life @ 4G.” Rover-sponsored athletes and music artists will be profiled, showing how Rover influences their careers and lives as they live Life @ 4G. Sporting a Rover wingsuit, base jumper JT Holmes, who travels up to 150 mph during freefall proximity flying, lives life with the Rover Puck and no strings attached.

Rover Activity Badges

Rover believes in loyalty, and will introduce a badging system that rewards users for participating in Rover activities. For example, the “Trendsetter” badge recognizes early adopters of Rover in each market, and the “Friends with Benefits” badge acknowledges users who refer friends to the Rover service. Badges have become wildly popular on location-based apps and are expected to resonate with the youth consumer and motivate usage.

THE BIG PICTURE

4G Network of Networks

Rover is the newest brand connected to the Clearwire 4G network, joining brands which include CLEAR(R), Sprint 4G, Comcast High-Speed 2Go, Time Warner Cable Roadrunner 4G, Best Buy Connect and Cbeyond. Today, the Clearwire 4G “network of networks” is available in select cities throughout the United States, where approximately 56 million people live.

Detailed coverage maps of service availability can be found at www.rover.com/coverage.

For press, broadcast and bloggers: Video footage can be linked from www.youtube.com/rover4g. Product and brand images and company logos can be downloaded from the Clearwire Newsroom at www.clearwire.com/newsroom. To subscribe to Rover RSS news feed, click here.

For more information about Rover, visit www.rover.com. Clearwire company information is available at http://www.clearwire.com.

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Today, Sprint announced the U1901 4G USB WiMax modem. The device is, “compatible with both PC and Mac computers, connecting laptops or netbooks to blazing-fast 4G speeds.” The USB device weighs in at a meager 0.9 ounces, has a Beceem BCSM250 chipset, and has two external antenna ports for a docking cradle (sold separately). Here’s the full release:

Sprint 4G USB Device U1901

High-speed Internet access on the go

Built to work specifically with the Sprint 4G Network, Sprint 4G USB Device U1901 is a small, easy-to-use modem compatible with both PC and Mac computers, connecting laptops or netbooks to blazing-fast 4G speeds. It is compatible with Windows® Vista, Windows® XP, Windows® 7, MAC OS® 10.5 and 10.6. U1901 provides access to Sprint 4G wireless speeds up to 10 times faster than 3G1 in those metropolitan areas across the country enabled with the new 4G mobile broadband service. Visit www.sprint.com/4G for a list of Sprint 4G cities launched to date. U1901 is ideally suited for companies wanting to deliver high-bandwidth solutions to workers on-the-go or for remote offices looking to provide basic DSL-like speeds2 to workers in the metro area. U1901 is also an affordable option for value-conscious, highly-mobile Internet users, such as high school and college students who want to browse the Web, send and receive e-mail, access information, and explore social networking and multimedia entertainment.

The device is billed as “affordable” although no price was listed in the announcement. The real deal-breaker is the device only works on 4G… there is no 3G connectivity at all. Better not leave the confines of WiMax covered areas! Hit up the read link to check out the little 4G-packin’ fella.

Read [Announcement] Read [Support Docs]

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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