During CES 2018, Microsoft announced the first batch of carriers that will officially support Always Connected PCs based on Qualcomm's Snapdragon platform. At the time, there were some notable names missing from that list, but Qualcomm has now revealed more major carriers around the world have jumped on board to support Always Connected PCs on their LTE networks.
Notable for U.S. customers are the additions of T-Mobile and AT&T, but there are a number of other worldwide carriers on board as well. Here's a look:
- Australia – Telstra
- China – CMCC (China Mobile Communications Corporation)
- France – Transatel
- Germany – Deutsche Telekom
- Ireland - Cubic
- Spain – Telefónica
- Switzerland – Swisscom
- U.S.A – T-Mobile and AT&T
These join China Telecom, Italy's TIM, EE in the UK, and Sprint and Verizon in the U.S., all of which were announced at CES.
This follows the reveal of the first entries in the Always Connected PC category by Microsoft and its hardware partners in early December. Running on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835, the PCs, including HP's Envy x2, ASUS' NovaGo, and Lenovo's Miix 630, are expected to offer exceptional battery life, instant-on, and persistent LTE connections. Those advantages won't come without some tradeoffs, but they should end up being a boon for a lot of PC users.
As for when and where you'll be able to get your hands on these Always Connected PCs, Qualcomm says that they'll start landing on shelves at the following retailers "beginning this calendar quarter":
- U.S.A – Amazon, Microsoft Stores
- Australia – Microsoft Stores
- China – JD.com
- Italy – Unieuro
- France – Boulanger, Fnac
- U.K. – Asus Stores, BT Shop, John Lewis, Microsoft Stores, PC World
Mobile carriers in some countries will also stock Always Connected PCs at their retail locations.
Why Microsoft may gain an upper hand with carriers thanks to 'Always Connected' PCs
Hands-on with Surface Duo's OS gestures, spanning, app groups, and more
Microsoft's Surface Duo is coming soon, and the company has been working hard on finalizing the version of Android that will be shipping on Surface Duo later this year. Microsoft has released several emulator builds over the last few months, with each one progressing with new changes, bug fixes, and overall polish. Let's go hands-on with the latest build!
Minecraft Dungeons Ultimate Guide: Everything you need to know
Minecraft Dungeons is here, and it's time to run through everything you need to know about the game.
Teams is raising the bar to 1,000 participants in interactive meetings
Microsoft Teams will soon give users the ability to hold massive interactive meetings. The company is upping the participant limit of interactive meetings to 1,000. Further, presentations will soon be able to hold up to 20,000 viewers.
Best Samsung Galaxy Book S Accessories in 2020
The Samsung Galaxy Book S is an incredible little ARM-powered machine, but what are some accessories that will make your experience with it even better? Here's a list of our favorites.
