usb551l
Latest
Novatel's USB551L 4G LTE modem hits Verizon March 31st
Samsung's new LTE mobile hotspot may have managed to sneak out a bit early, but it looks like those opting for Novatel's USB551L LTE modem instead will still have to wait a few days. Verizon has just confirmed today that the modem will be available on March 31st for $99.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate (on a two-year contract). As expected, the modem packs both Windows and Mac support out of the box, and promises download speeds up to 12 Mbps and upload speeds of up to 5 Mbps. Still no word on Novatel's 4510L MiFi, though we presume it will be following shortly. Full press release is after the break.
Samsung, Novatel LTE mobile hotspots said to be hitting Verizon any day now
We haven't heard much about these since Verizon first showed them off way back at CES, but Phone Arena is reporting that a launch of Samsung and Novatel's new LTE mobile hotspots is now finally "imminent." That includes Novatel's USB551L LTE dongle in addition to the 4510L MiFi, both of which will be Mac-compatible out of the box (unlike Verizon's first pair of LTE modems), although that functionality has yet to be confirmed for Samsung's SCH-L11 hotspot. Still no word on pricing for any of them either, but Phone Arena says all three will be receiving a $50 rebate, so a price in line with Verizon's current, similarly-discounted $99 modems seems likely. [Thanks, Valentin]
Novatel's USB551L LTE modem for Verizon in the wild, does Mac support out of the box
How many dedicated LTE-capable USB modems does Verizon need? At least three, apparently, because we've just been sent shots of Novatel's upcoming USB551L that looks perhaps a tad glossier and sleeker than the Pantech and LG models that have preceded it. Hard to say from the spec sheet here, but it looks like there's at least a chance this is LTE-only without CDMA / EV-DO fallback since there's no explicit mention of it; unlikely considering how small Verizon's LTE footprint is for the time being, but you never know. More importantly, there is explicit mention of Mac support, something the carrier's current options lack. No word on a release date or pricing, but we imagine it won't be long now that these dummy units -- which you can see in the gallery below -- are floating around. Update: We've been able to confirm that it definitely supports both EV-DO and 1xRTT in addition to LTE, so fear not, road warriors -- when you leave your LTE comfort zone, you'll still be covered. Thanks, NKT! %Gallery-111742%
