For the preceding two months , my MacBook Pro and I have been mirthfully — and seamlessly — connected to the Web 24/7 , no matter where we ’ve been — be it Boston , San Francisco , Syracuse , Portland or Seattle ; up Interstate 5 from San Francisco to Seattle or on Interstate 84 alongside the Columbia River in Oregon . I have been connected , not by hopping on and off usable wireless hotspots , but via Novatel ’s V640 EVDO card and Verizon’sBroadbandAccess ConnectEVDO inspection and repair .
EVDO ( Evolution - Data Optimized ) is a 3 G ( third - generation ) cellular criterion currently supported by Verizon andSprintin the US , and a telephone number of other mobile common carrier throughout the world ( T - Mobile plan to add backup for 3 G services next class ) . Verizon had antecedently offer a PC Card that countenance you hook up a PowerBook G4 to the BroadbandAccess serving , but it was only recently that a calling card has been available for role with the MacBook Pro .
The V640 fits into the Express Card/34 expansion slot in my 17 - column inch MacBook Pro , and includes software package that automatically connects to the Verizon EVDO internet , more often than not yield me broadband - same speed for get in touch to the Web . It is n’t cheap — the card is $ 180 and the service is $ 60 per month with a 2 - twelvemonth commitment — although , like many cellular product , the toll of the card vary , depending upon what other wireless and data services you might have with Verizon .
The VZ Access software system , which is necessitate to connect to the divine service , was written by Smith Micro , and it gets the line done , although it would be overnice to have it work more transparently — it sort of hijacks your mesh options while it ’s in usance , which is only a trouble if you block and endeavor to make changes in the web System Preference pane . ( Apple has added direct EVDO support as of Mac OS X 10.4.7 , which should make this less of a job with next products . ) Once you force out up the card and link to the Verizon connection , you ’re on the connection as if you were using a WiFi connectedness .
Verizon say that you ’ll see between average connection speeds between 400 and 700 Kbps for downloads — with burst up to 2.0 Mbps — and 100 - 200 Kbps for upload speeds . I hit a few peak speeds in the 1.5 - Mbps range , but mostly my connections averaged between 450 and 750 Kbps . I also had a few connections that average out in the 200 - Kbps download range — still viable , but at time reminiscent of my modem days .
Dropped call were pretty rare , and functioning was broadly speaking consistent during a session , although from time to time my download speeds would fluctuate wildly . Over two month of usage , the only real issue I have with the card and the divine service is that it is n’t well - beseem to streaming audio frequency and video . I oftentimes seek to access an internet radio station I listen to via my wireless connection , but connection rebuffering issue made it painful to listen to , and the same thing occurred on a regular basis when trying to access video feeds from sites like CNN . For mark the vane , stay on e-mail , and connecting to your VPN mesh , though , the table service is great .
After cost , coverage is the biggest factor in whether or not you require to use Verizon ’s service . In the last 12 month , Verizon has expanded EVDO religious service tomost metropolitan areasin the U.S. , and I achieved the highest speed in those areas . If you are traveling in an expanse that does n’t have EVDO service , the calling card will automatically drop down the the slower 1xRTT divine service , which brings download speeds under 100 KBps , but still hunky-dory for checking email and many Web sites .
Overall , the V640 and Verizon ’s service make out through as advertised . The costs of the package make it most utile to the business sector traveler or road warrior , but if you need more than the email capabilities of a Blackberry or Treo , want salutary Web admittance , or require to plug into from your computer on the road , this is a pretty handy and slick mode to do it .
A few side banknote :
[ Rick LePage isMacworld’seditor - at - gravid ]
