GlobetrotterExpress
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FCC filing foretells ExpressCard data modem for T-Mobile subs?
It's great that T-Mobile's actively selling its 3G data network -- which still has that new-network smell, may we add -- to laptop users, but it won't be maximally useful until they've got both USB and ExpressCard options on the shelf. They've got the USB bit out of the way -- so turning our attention to the ExpressCard side, it seem that Option's GlobeTrotter Express 442 might be in the works (the 441 is pictured here, but the 442 is identical in appearance). This versatile piece covers fully four different WCDMA bands with up to 7.2Mbps HSDPA on the downlink and 5.76Mbps on the up, making it very, very useful no matter what country you might take the card to (of course, roaming charges are another matter altogether). No word on whether T-Mobile is actually planning on stocking the 442, but we're encouraged to see it pass the FCC's testing with AWS on board, so we'd venture to say it's a strong possibility. [Via Cell Phone Signal]
Option's GlobeTrotter Express HSUPA card wins FCC approval
Option has already done quite a bit of bragging about its various HSUPA and HSDPA offerings, but it looks like the company now has one more cause to pat itself on the back, as its GlobeTrotter Express HSUPA card has netted the all-important FCC approval. According to the company, that makes it the first such card to do so, paving the way for it to be released in the U.S. Apart from the ExpressCard form factor, however, the card is pretty much in line with the company's HSUPA USB adapter, with it boasting 7.2 Mbps download speeds and upload speeds approaching 2 Mbps, along with support for tri-band UMTS operation and compatibility with quad-band EDGE and GPRS. While there's nothing to hold it back now, there unfortunately still doesn't appear to be any word on a price or release date.
Vodafone, Option kick off HSUPA offering in Germany
Some of us are still clamoring for mere 1.8Mbps HSDPA -- complete with a pedestrian 384kbps on the upstream side -- to go live in our neck of the woods, but that's not stopping Vodafone from rolling deep (way deep) in Germany. Voda has gone live in Bavaria with an Option GlobeTrotter Express HSUPA card, "customized to the exacting requirements of the operator" and offered at retail as the "Mobile Connect Card Express UMTS Broadband." The ExpressCard/34 offers a Cardbus adapter in box, firmware upgradeability, download speeds as high as 7.2Mbps, and a staggering (albeit theoretical) 1.45Mbps upstream. Mobile web server, anyone?[Via Slashphone]
Option's option for ExpressCard HSDPA
Nipping at the heels of Novatel's similarly-styled XU870, Belgium's Option Wireless Technology has announced its GlobeTrotter EXPRESS 7.2. As the name implies, the ExpressCard promises 7.2Mbps downstream on the wings of your carrier's HSDPA airwaves -- if said carrier supports such blazingly fast speeds, of course, and as of right now 3.6 is as good as it gets. For what it's worth, the XU870 currently tops out at 3.6Mbps with a software upgrade to 7.2 slated for down the road, so the GlobeTrotter takes the strictly-theoretical speed crown in the meantime (and if the GlobeTrotter were actually shipping right now like the XU870 is, that'd be even cooler). Thanks to a nifty little feature Option calls "Zero CD," drivers for the card are embedded in the card itself, meaning that no separate driver installation is necessary when you shove this puppy into your lappie of choice. No word on availability yet, but with support for triband HSDPA and quadband EDGE, we wouldn't be surprised to see this one take the whole world by storm.[Via 3G.co.uk, thanks Bram]
