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UsbModem posts

Huawei's E583X wireless modem turns 3G to WiFi, beautiful lights

by Tim Stevens posted Jun 19th 2009 @ 8:04AM

The smallest USB 3G modems look like grossly over-sized thumb drives, while the biggest ones sport hinges or fold-out antennas that serve as tripwires for absent-minded businessmen with venti frappuccinos walking by your tiny little coffee shop table. Huawei's E583X detaches all that bother, acquiring a 3G wireless signal and then beaming it out again as WiFi, meaning you can leave it in your pocket and get a double-dose of microwaves. It sports a 1,500mAh battery, giving it five hours of independent living, and in emergencies it can act as a tethered modem as well. Sadly this first version will only accept a single WiFi connection, but future ones will allow four others to mooch your data plan. That it also blinks randomly like a prop out of Star Trek's utopian future is just an added bonus. It's set to light up Europe next month -- likely with some hideous contracts attached.

AT&T prepping Option and Sierra Wireless modems for HSPA+ launch

by Chris Ziegler posted May 25th 2009 @ 3:08PM

We know that HSPA+ (also known as HSPA Evolution, depending on who you ask and which side of the bed they got up on that morning) is in the mix for AT&T ahead of LTE, and in order to make that launch a successful one, good data cards are a must. It looks like two of the cards coming out of the gate later this year will be the Option 393 -- an unassuming USB modem with a retractable plug and integrated microSD reader -- and the Sierra "Triple Lindy," a dual form factor ExpressCard in the same vein as the AirCard 402. The 393 will top out at 14.4Mbps down and 5.76Mbps up, while the Triple Lindy really burns rubber with 21.1Mbps down and 11.5Mbps up. Of course, all those speeds are purely theoretical -- but if we can even average 10 to 15 percent of that in real life, we're in good shape.

Gallery: AT&T prepping Option and Sierra Wireless modems for HSPA+ launch

Telstra's Turbo 21 HSPA modem reviewed: not 21Mbps but still the world's fastest

by Thomas Ricker posted Mar 24th 2009 @ 5:16AM

Telstra loves to brag about being the "world's fastest national mobile broadband network." And they should after a recent 21Mbps (theoretical) upgrade to its Next G network in Australia's major cities. Of course real-world performance won't come close to that but the PC-only, Telstra Turbo 21 USB modem likely smokes any over the air setup you've been using. ZDNET tested the Turbo 21 in Sydney and found performance landing on "the right side of excellent." Performance peaked at about 6Mbps but this was variable at best. Still it was the fastest modem that ZDNET's seen in their testing. Yours, or more likely your company's, for AU$499 or AU$299 when bundled with a data pack.

Read -- Turbo 21 press release
Read -- Turbo 21 review

Verizon's global 3G modem from ZTE spotted in FCC

by Chris Ziegler posted Mar 7th 2009 @ 8:50AM

We've known for some time that Verizon is fixated on dominating the global roaming market in the US -- or, at the very least, catching up to AT&T -- and to do that, they're going to need hardware capable of taking advantage of the very best speeds that those wild and majestic foreign lands have to offer. In other words, no EV-DO-only modem is going to cut it, and an EV-DO modem with a sprinkling of EDGE on the side is a consolation prize that's going to get frequent world travelers irked after a little while. To that end, we just witnessed this brick of a USB modem pass through the FCC bearing Verizon branding, the A3700 from ZTE. Name a frequency or wireless technology, the A3700 probably has it; in addition to EV-DO, it's got GSM / EDGE and HSPA, so your bases are pretty well covered wherever you happen to be (hell, it even has North America-friendly HSPA 850 / 1900 in there, though Verizon wouldn't dream of letting you stray from its own airwaves when you're stateside). Enticing, yes -- but considering that this is one of the ugliest modems we've seen in recent memory, you'd better really need that roaming capability when it gets around to launching.

Continue reading Verizon's global 3G modem from ZTE spotted in FCC

Novatel Wireless announces Ovation MC995D HSPA modem

by Sean Cooper posted Feb 12th 2009 @ 9:12AM

The Novatel Wireless MC995D is blue, it swivels, offers 7.2 Mbps down and 5.76 Mbps upload speeds, yeah, sign us up. Novatel's Ovation MC995D USB modem launched today building on the goodies we've seen in the past, offering a speed boost, and switching out the standard design with some minor tweeks. Featuring support for up to 32GB of removable microSD memory, multiple frequency (sadly, no specifics here) HSPA / GPRS / EDGE connectivity, and built in installation software for Mac, Windows, and Linux. Look for it at a carrier near you sometime in Q2 of this year.

Huawei's UMG181 USB modem for T-Mobile in the wild

by Darren Murph posted Jan 17th 2009 @ 2:42PM

Huawei's UMG181 holds a special place in the hearts of loyal T-Mobile users -- after all, it's not everyday that you see a USB modem with AWS 3G support. The cool cats over at CellPhone signal managed to get their hands around one, and while it looks about exactly like we thought it would, we're told that the general public should be able to find one as early as next month. Got enough patience to make it?

Huawei's UMG181 USB modem headed for T-Mobile (thanks, FCC!)

by Darren Murph posted Jan 4th 2009 @ 3:38AM

Ready for a little AWS 3G action via USB stick? Oh, yeah? Then have a look at what just landed in the FCC's database: Huawei's UMG181. The USB mobile broadband modem should operate just fine on T-Mobile's US network, pulling down gigabyte after gigabyte onto your laptop and / or desktop. Outside of that, details are remarkably scant, but we reckon it won't be long before it's up for sale on the carrier's own site.

Vodafone UK intros 'TopUP and Go' pay-as-you-go modem

by Jacob Schulman posted Dec 17th 2008 @ 10:37PM

Attention wireless broadband-loving Brits, crack open your wallets because Vodafone's got something in store for all of you that have been more nice than naughty this year. The 'TopUP and Go' USB modem is now available from the UK carrier for a modest £39, which works out to about $60 if you were somehow able to get this magical deal stateside. To sweeten the deal, Voda's throwing in the first 1GB of data and they're taking a departure from the usual 30 day grace period for credit expiration. Speeds are quoted as being 1-2 Mbps, and it even doubles as a 4GB flash drive -- consider us sold. We hope you're listening, all you contract-obsessed US carriers.

Toshiba's unusual G450 cellphone / MP3 player / HSDPA USB modem reviewed, liked

by Thomas Ricker posted Nov 18th 2008 @ 3:42AM

After a flurry of leaks and announcements caught our attention last year, we've heard nary a peep from Toshiba about its multi-faceted device since. Suffice to say that's it's out in parts of Europe and countries with a penchant for the backward "R" and "N." Great, but what is it and how well does it do what it does; that's the convoluted question. Fortunately, IntoMobile went hands on with the USB memory stick / alarm clock with snooze / MP3 player / 7.2Mbps HSDPA USB modem / tri-band GSM cellphone and came away with the opinion that "the device is excellent." It pulled a respectable 2.7Mbps off O2's UK network and performed reasonably well as a "backup phone." The 160MB of storage for MP3 / AAC music playback was disappointing but it served its purpose in a pinch. Still, that's a lot of device for £140.

[Via IntoMobile]

Vodafone launches Stick Pro USB mobile broadband modem

by Darren Murph posted Nov 5th 2008 @ 3:15AM

Looking for another way to get your laptop on Vodafone's mobile broadband highway, are you? Splendid news -- the aforesaid carrier has just introduced an all new USB model, the easy-to-remember USB Stick Pro. Boasting a simple black design, retractable USB connector and an inbuilt 4GB micro SD card, this here stick is capable of sucking down bits and bytes at up to 7.2Mbps (theoretical) with upload speeds at up to 2Mbps. Better still, the modem will be gratis on select price plans. Tough to beat free, huh?

AT&T and Option launch USBConnect Quicksilver

by Darren Murph posted Oct 15th 2008 @ 7:18AM

AT&T and Option jointly announced the launch of one of the world's smallest HSPA USB devices today, the USBConnect Quicksilver. The latest in the carrier's line of LaptopConnect devices, this mobile broadband unit weighs just 1.2-ounces and can roam (for a price, of course) in more than 150 countries, with 3G available in over 60. Best of all, this USB modem actually looks halfway decent for the fashionistas that care, boasting an "intelligent" protective cap and a mildly curvaceous flair. Oh, and did we mention that it's available today at no cost if you ink your name to a two-year DataConnect plan of $60 or more? 'Cause it is.

Sony Ericsson pops out MD400 / MD400g HSPA USB modems

by Darren Murph posted Jun 17th 2008 @ 9:07AM

In case you couldn't tell, Sony's getting down at CommunicAsia. Next up from Singapore is a fresh pair of HSPA USB modems, the MD400 and GPS-packin' MD400g. Both sticks pull double duty as a M2 / microSD card reader, but it's not like we haven't seen that functionality tossed into similar units already. Nevertheless, these buggers support 7.2Mb/s download and 2.0M/bs upload speeds and feature a swiveling antenna to complement the built-in one, a retractable USB connector and compatibility with Windows and OS X-based machines. SE tells us that the currently unpriced duo will be available worldwide in Q4, with the biggest decision to come when choosing between Exquisite Ebony and Lustrous White.

Gallery: Sony Ericsson pops out MD400 / MD400g HSPA USB modems

Sierra Wireless intros Compass 597 EV-DO USB modem

by Darren Murph posted Mar 5th 2008 @ 10:45AM

Truth be told, there's nothing extraordinary about Sierra Wireless' latest EV-DO USB modem. It plays nice with Rev. A networks, includes a microSD slot, and comes with TRU-Install to simplify the setup procedure. Granted, it is "the only product in its class to include a connector for an external antenna (saywha?)," and it is remarkably small, so it's still worth a look if you're currently doing without. As expected, you'll reach downlink speeds of up to 3.1Mbps and upload speeds of up to 1.8Mbps, and the built-in GPS antenna is a nice bonus, too. Unfortunately, we've no idea how costly this one will be, but be on the lookout for a Q2 launch.

[Via MobileBurn]

Sony Ericsson ushers in 21st century with MD300, first 3G USB modem

by Chris Ziegler posted Nov 6th 2007 @ 2:55PM

The cold war separating Sony Ericsson from North American 3G has been slowly melting as of late -- first with handsets, and now with modems. The MD300 isn't just Sony Ericsson's first 3G USB modem, it's also Sony Ericsson's first laptop modem of any sort to support UMTS and HSDPA on the 850 and 1900MHz bands. As USB modems go, it seems to be a pretty typical offering -- though it'll conveniently auto-install drivers on Windows machines, and it's not every day that you see a device like this offered in both "luxury black" and "metallic silver" shades. Who knew a modem could be a fashion accessory? Look for it in the first quarter of next year.

Sierra Wireless intros AirCard 880U / 881U USB modems

by Darren Murph posted Aug 30th 2007 @ 12:41PM

Hot on the heels of the AirCard 595U, Sierra Wireless is expanding its HSUPA offerings with a new duo of USB modems. The AirCard 880U and 881U both connect to your Windows or OS X-based computer via USB, sport the company's TRU design features, and offer up a "theoretical maximum [upload] speed of 2Mbps," while downlink speeds tout a "theoretical maximum of 7.2Mbps." Additionally, in areas where HSUPA networks aren't available, both modems are "fully compatible with HSDPA, UMTS, EDGE, GPRS, and GSM network technologies on all frequencies currently used worldwide." The 880U is said to be "optimized for Europe and Asia, while the AirCard 881U is optimized for North America," and both units are slated to ship out next month.

[Via Macworld]