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

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.

[jakem @ Jun 19th 2009 8:15AM]

5 hours isn't long enough. Ideally this thing should last at least 8.

However, I'll consider one of these so long as I can charge via USB.

[Daniel @ Jun 19th 2009 8:21AM]

I've been using Verizons version of this for about a month. It works pretty well here in Tampa and already has wireless routing for up to 5 users. These little mini routers are great.

[Simon Tooke @ Jun 19th 2009 8:44AM]

Ugliest USB Christmas tree ever.

[David @ Jun 19th 2009 9:19AM]

Ugly contract in Europe, hahaha. Engadget, if only you knew what you were actually talking about sometimes. If you disregard the 2-year agreement (which is pretty much a norm internationally), then you'll see the contracts are dirt-ass cheap here in Europe for those things. 20GB a month and you pay around €10-20. About half the carriers also do that contract free, too, you just have to pay a little bit of money up-front for the modem.

[Andrew @ Jun 19th 2009 9:59AM]

Yeah, come on. Contracts? What contracts! In most European countries the markets actually work for the consumer, phones are usually sold without contracts. If you want to have a subsidized phone you can of course.

[Agent .25i @ Jun 19th 2009 10:10AM]

Simon says, buy me.

[shaunisadirty @ Jun 19th 2009 10:15AM]

I actually have nothing to say, all the iHumpers keep saying we shouldn't post in Apple threads if we don't want Apple coverage, so I'm just making a post to boost comments here. Have a nice day.

[sacapuntas @ Jun 19th 2009 11:13AM]

I am interested to see how the VOIP over WIFI works on the touch with this device providing the Wifi via 3G. If it works out well, or is even possible then I am going to either find of work on creating the perfect Smart-VOIP-phone. I smell the future....

[Michael @ Jun 19th 2009 12:00PM]

I agree that this thing promises a double dosage of microwaves and I will add that I am sure that I am already exceeding the RDA on this with my 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth phone sitting in my pocket next to my future children (or at least half of them).

Let my phone do the job and ensure the health of my offspring.

[Lars Knudsen @ Jun 19th 2009 12:22PM]

Actually - you can do this (3g to wifi) on Nokia S60 devices also - no need for an extra gadget on the go ;-)

[Dimitri @ Jun 19th 2009 12:28PM]

There are four lights!

[Brando @ Jun 19th 2009 1:23PM]

the Mifi already does this but you can connect 5 users to it. Not impressed.

BTW, I've had the Mifi for about 3 weeks and not only has it worked extremely well, it has become such a point of discussion that I use it as a talking point in presentations.

[john @ Jun 19th 2009 3:16PM]

Is it going to have an AT&T/Rogers GSM/UMTS version?

What about T-Mobile-USA?

The problem with the Novatel Mifi is: no sign of US GSM/UMTS versions, for AT&T or T-Mo. Not even a Rogers one I can import and sneak onto AT&T.

[KennyW @ Jun 23rd 2009 3:42PM]

My wife is a teleworker and I set her up with a MiFi from Sprint the day after my neighbourhood store got them in stock. She has a blackberry too and I'd just have her bluetooth tethering except our employer has the device totally locked down -- no bluetooth, no ability to install apps. Verizon's would obviously be just as good, but in the canyon where I live, only Sprint has any signal whatsoever.

We'd be using a 3G modem except -- yes, our employer has her laptop so locked down that we can't install the required USB drivers. We are allowed to connect to wifi so the MiFi is exactly what we needed.

This Huawei thing is relevant to the GSM crowd I suppose, but what's with it having no NAT? Even the MiFi's 5 ip limit is arbitrary, but better than ONE. What I don't understand is why Sprint and Verizon aren't selling the MiFi's like crazy.

[Mark @ Jun 19th 2009 7:11PM]

I just do not understand why people buy these devices. I use JoikuSpot on my Nokia E71 and get the same functionality without having to carry a third device. What am I missing?

Mark

[john @ Jun 19th 2009 7:45PM]

Last I checked, Joikuspot doesn't support more secure wifi types (WPA encryption, for example; and I don't recall if the non-free Joikuspot includes infrastructure mode, or if it's also limited to adhoc mode). It only supports S60 phones, not S40 phones (and WMWifiRouter only supports WinMo phones).

So, if you want a WPA secured infrastructure mode wifi environment, and/or if you want to use it on a cheaper phone, you're SOL.

Last: it requires that you use the same data plan that's on your phone. That kind of rules out not just cheap phones, but cheap services, for your voice+messaging. You could get a Verizon Mifi and, in theory, have great data ... and then use something like an AT&T Go Phone plan for voice and messaging. Depending on your needs, that might be significantly cheaper than putting everything on an AT&T E71.

I do agree about not carrying a 3rd device, if I don't have to. But this would probably stay in my gadget bag all the time, so I wouldn't really be "carrying it". Plus, my phone choice is a G1, which doesn't currently have a joikuspot like app (unless I jailbreak it, which I wont) ... and only half of my area is covered by T-Mobile 3G. Having a Verizon or AT&T mifi type device means I get 3G all the time, and I might, in theory, then be able to unlock my G1 and move it to an AT&T plan (pre-paid or not) since I wont need T-Mobile 3G data at all, at that point.

[DK @ Jun 19th 2009 11:30PM]

Hmm... iPhone Skype doesn't work using 3G saying it's restricted due to legal issues, but works well on Wi-Fi. Will this little thing fool that app and allow cheap worldwide calling from anywhere? ;)

[Jonathan Buford @ Jun 20th 2009 12:21AM]

Smartone Vodaphone here in Hong Kong just started using another similar device from the same manufacturer to offer home broadband along with a fixed line phone service. I've had it about a week and it is working similar to low-end DSL service, but at 2/3 the cost, 1/2 if you include in the phone service.

http://www.smartone-vodafone.com/jsp/mobile/home_broadband/english/benefits.jsp