MuniWireless

Despite all the hand-wringing there seems to be going on about the supposed lack of WiMax devices, or the supposed closed nature of WiMax networks, it doesn’t seem like device manufacturers have gotten the memo. Instead, we’re seeing more WiMax devices emerge every day, with more (reportedly) on the way.

(And yes, that parade of laptops with WiMax embedded inside that we talked about earlier is already marching down the street. Told ya so!)

The HTC WiMax handset for the Russian Yota…

Marguerite Reardon has written a long article on CNET asking whether Sprint’s WiMAX service is doomed to fail. She enumerates several problems with Sprint’s offering and argues that it could end up being like EarthLink’s failed muni Wi-Fi strategy:

No, we don’t have any official confirmation, shipping dates, or any other such data to hang our headline on. But from the reporting we’ve done leading up to this week’s WiMax World show in Chicago, we feel pretty confident to predict that laptops with WiMax connectivity embedded inside should be available for purchase sometime before Halloween, probably first from Asus and Lenovo, with other potential entrants close behind.

Why are the delivery, pricing and other details still fuzzy? Blame it on…

Motorola will be coming out with a WiMAX USB adapter called the USBw100 in Q4 2008. The adapter will work worldwide for three frequency bands: 2.3 GHz, 2.5 GHz and 3.5 GHz. This is very good news for people who travel (and have Macs). Now all we have to do is figure out where there is WiMAX service and how much it costs, and whether our hometown WiMAX operator has a roaming agreement with the other WiMAX operator.

After all the doubts, deals and delays, the biggest launch of WiMax services in the U.S. will become official on Oct. 8, when Intel, Sprint, Clearwire and others host a WiMax celebration/demonstration in Baltimore, whose residents will be the first to test Sprint’s Xohm WiMax services.

The official press invite just crossed our email inbox, and it still says “COME CELEBRATE THE DAWN OF 4G WITH THE SEPTEMBER LAUNCH OF XOHM AND ITS MOBILE WIMAX NETWORK IN BALTIMORE,” which leads us…

The always-reliable Karl Bode over at DSL Reports is quoting a tipster who is putting the official Xohm Baltimore launch on Oct. 6, which doesn’t quite meet Barry West’s September deadline but maybe that’s just a quibble.

Given all the optimism from the Sprint side of things, we had been expecting to hear some official news soon, if not this week than probably early next since it’s almost impossible to keep these things under wraps forever. More news, including official announcements,…