T-Mobile set to offer Eee PC 901 GO with built-in 3G

T-Mobile has already offered up a standard issue Eee PC as part of a mobile broadband package, and it looks like it's now set to take things one big step further by introducing a special Eee PC 901 GO model with built-in 3G. As you may recall, a disassembled Eee PC 901 recently revealed some pretty clear accommodations for a 3G card, so this latest development is hardly a huge surprise, though it is certainly a welcome one. Unfortunately, there's not a whole lot of details just yet, but T-Mobile says the "jointly developed" ASUS Connection Manager will get you up and running within seconds, and you can apparently expect about to get about five hours of mobile broadband use out of the battery before it runs dry. Given that T-Mobile chose to make the announcement at IFA, however, we'd assume they'll have a bit more to say about it before all is said and done, and we'll be sure to let you know if they do.

[Via jkkmobile]

[HUNG @ Aug 28th 2008 3:43PM]

T-mo USA?

[LondonConsultant @ Aug 28th 2008 4:37PM]

Probably not, but the key point is there's finally an Eee PC 901 with internal 3G SIM slot. Hopefully other telecoms providers will also offer it...

[BigD145 @ Aug 28th 2008 3:46PM]

Stop with all the various iterations. Make an expansion slot and let people buy what they need.

[frank @ Aug 28th 2008 4:21PM]

This is essentially the same problem as GSM vs. CDMA. If we were all using the same technologies, they could just stick a quadband radio and a SIM card slot in there and we'd be done with it. But this is the USA and things don't work that way.

For now, if I'm going to buy a laptop and it happens to come with a built-in cellular modem from a carrier that I don't mind doing business with, great. I'm happy to not have a stupid dongle hanging off, begging to be snapped in half. It doesn't hurt anybody being there (you can disable it and it probably weighs close to nothing) and you always have the option to use an external device.

[BigD145 @ Aug 28th 2008 4:30PM]

PCMCIA worked well enough for me and I can still find carriers that offer the cards. If you're buying an Eee and you already have another laptop, now you're stuck buying 3G for both. One card for multiple devices saves the consumer money. That, of course, being the point here.

[Pizzicato @ Aug 28th 2008 4:44PM]

There’s tons of space for a pcimcia slot in the Eee.

[Joe Dombrowski @ Aug 28th 2008 4:02PM]

threee geee?

I'm very sorry. I'll be leaving now.

[Nate @ Aug 28th 2008 4:11PM]

Now if only T-Mobile had an expansive 3G network to use it on...

[Pizzicato @ Aug 28th 2008 4:46PM]

T-Mo has ... in germany. ;)

[Simon @ Aug 28th 2008 5:44PM]

Engadget should differentiate between Tmobile UK and Tmobile USA. For a split second, I always think the US version is getting sweet stuff.

[LondonConsultant @ Aug 28th 2008 6:32PM]

Simon should differentiate between Tmobile UK and Tmobile Germany. For a split second, I always think the UK version is getting sweet stuff.

[chefgon_ign @ Aug 28th 2008 4:12PM]

This will be totally awesome for everybody within the five or six cities that actually have T-Mo 3G signal.

[Eric @ Aug 28th 2008 4:24PM]

Looks like it will be in every major metropoitan area in the US come October 1st:

From http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/t-mobile-3g-service-coming-october-1-to-27-markets/
* New York City
* Austin
* NJ and Long Island
* Las Vagas
* Minneapolis
* Miami
* Dallas
* Chicago
* Houston
* Philadelphia
* Denver
* Detroit
* Orlando
* Kansas city
* Atlanta
* Los Angeles
* New England (whatever that means)
* Portland
* Sacramento
* San Diego
* Seattle
* Washington DC
* San Francisco
* Birmingham
* Memphis
* Tampa
* Phoenix

[chefgon_ign @ Aug 28th 2008 4:47PM]

Worthless to me. Not a single city in the entire state of Ohio.

[phanbouy @ Aug 28th 2008 5:17PM]

@chefgon oh come on. cleveland's totally a real city. ;p

[Nik @ Aug 28th 2008 4:28PM]

Obviously it's German T-Mobile, look at the read link...

[ryan @ Aug 28th 2008 4:39PM]

cant blame the commenters though the OP should have clarified the it was t-mobile germany

[Nik @ Aug 28th 2008 5:02PM]

Very true... I searched all over for "Germany" or "Deutsche Telekom" but never found it.

[NuttyBars @ Aug 28th 2008 4:39PM]

As much as I lurve my EEE PC, there's no way I want 3G trapped in it. I'd get a dongle or tether to a phone (what I do now) instead.

[frank @ Aug 28th 2008 8:39PM]

What do you mean by trapped? I get it; it would be great if we had a standard but so what if there's a tiny little 3G radio "trapped" inside? I love my HP nc4400 even though I'll never use the fingerprint reader or the goofy hardware-based data security bullshit chip in this thing. But I really don't mind that either of those devices are hangin out.

I got to use a ThinkPad (X61, I think) for work just recently for about a month. It had Verizon broadband built-in. No dongle, no tethering, easy as wi-fi. It was amazing and all I've done since I gave it back was dream about buying one for myself. I guess if you're sitting at a desk with it, you don't care about having external devices attached but if you're ever sitting with it actually on your lap (airports anyone?), it's the only way to go. That's all I'm sayin.