David Flynn23 May 2008, 1:48 PM
Mobile broadband just got a little less fiddly, with 3 introducing a slim 3G HSDPA modem which plugs straight into your notebook’s USB port.
USB modems may be the most popular way for laptop users to get their mobile broadband groove on, but their soap-on-a-rope design leaves something to be desired. You’ve got this short ungainly cable spooling over your desk or falling off your lap, and this fat little blob of a modem lolling around at the end of it.
Of course, you can whack the modem onto a bit of Velcro stuck onto your lid of your notebook, but this doesn’t do much if you care for the aesthetics of your notebook. And when you’re travelling, that USB connection cable is just one more thing that gets in the way or, worse, gets somehow left behind.
Which is why we were pleased to see that 3 is now offering a slim mobile broadband modem with the same form factor and direct-connect attributes as a USB memory key.
3’s Mobile Broadband Internet Key is a rebadged version of Huawei’s ‘Mobile Connect’ E169G stick, although it sadly lacks the microSD card slot of the parent E169 design (Huawei also produces the USB and ExpressCard modems used by 3, Vodafone and Optus).
The modem is rated to 7.2Mbps, so while users can expect a peak of around 1.5Mbps on 3’s current 3.6Mbps network, this should shoot well past 2Mbps when the network is upgraded to 7.2Mbps (on Telstra’s Next G network, which already rockets along at 7.2Mbps, we’ve regularly experienced 2.5-3Mbps around the Sydney and North Sydney area).
The installation software is preloaded onto the key in flash memory and works with Windows XP, Vista and Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later. You can also order the key in either white or black, which will appeal to MacBook owners who can now ensure their notebook has a matching modem.
The Mobile Broadband Internet Key costs $10 per month on 3’s mobile broadband plans of $15 for 1GB, $29 for 3GB or $49 for 6GB (each of which is based on a 24 month contract) for newcomers. Existing customers, or customers signing up to the $29/2GB or $49/4GB plans, can get the modem for $5 per month (the conventional USB dongle modem or ExpressCard modems are free on either of those plans).
Excess data on all plans is charged at 10c/MB, and once you step outside of Three’s 3G HSDPA network there’s a hefty hit of $1.65/MB for roaming onto Telstra’s GSM network. A ‘national roaming allowance’ of 1MB is included in the $15 plan, with 2MB on the $29 plan and 4MB on the $49 plan. The client software can be set to lock the modem onto 3’s network so it won’t accidentally roam over to GSM if you step into a low-signal or no-signal zone within the 3G network’s claimed footprint.