(no subject)

[torkell]

I declare 3G USB modems to be one of the most awesome pieces of computing equipment ever created.

Comments

[sarshin.livejournal.com]

What are they? :O

[torkell]

It's a small USB stick that plugs into your laptop and connects to the cellphone network, at broadband speeds (the theoretical max speed is 14.4 Mb/s). In the UK, that means internet access anywhere (seriously - the networks here all have >99% population coverage, so about the only place you can't get a signal is at the top of a Scottish mountain).

[sarshin.livejournal.com]

Aaaa that's really awesome! Do you have to pay for it by minute or...? (And is it just cellphones or like...idk?)

[torkell]

You pay per amount data transferred, usually with a few GB included free if you get one on a contract. Mine's on Vodafone's old pay-as-you-go plan, so there's no monthly fee and top-ups cost me £15 (about $22) for 1GB worth of credit (and 1GB is a surprisingly large amount of data).

The stick itself works in exactly the same way as a 3G mobile phone.

[sarshin.livejournal.com]

That's really cool... aaa you make me want one now!

[torkell]

They're incredibly useful if you have a laptop and travel with it, but not much use otherwise as they're more expensive than a home broadband connection. I bought mine when I was on holiday in Cornwall, and since then I tend to use it on long train journeys.