It’s never quite been an elegant affair, the procurement of connectivity, despite all our manufacturers’ claims of “mobile access” and our carriers’ claims of “broadband-like speeds.” We bumble along with various modems, wireless cards, adaptors and smartphones, though, and I’d venture to say things are improving. (Just think of how much more often you saw the word “buffering” a year ago than you do today.) In that spirit, I can recommend to you the new UTStarcom UM 150 USB wireless modem, available through Verizon. It ain’t the final answer, but it’ll keep you in business while they’re working on it.
The UM 150 reminds me of the old beepers doctors and drug dealers used to clip onto their belts, a small (3.6 x 1.5 inches) black rectangle with its own phone number. Like a switch blade, this modem unfolds to reveal useful tools: a USB drive, a microSD memory slot, a simple LED display to indicate signal strength and a pull-out 2.5-inch antenna to boost it.
The fact that this is a USB modem should not be overlooked. Wireless cards are certainly smaller, but many people are still walking around with laptops which don’t support them. USB is the closest thing we have to a standard port. (Ethernet ports come and go, as evidenced by the absence of one on the new MacBook Air.) The UM 150 will work with Macs or PCs, but you will need a CD drive (also absent from the MacBook Air) to load Verizon’s “VZAccess Manager” software.
The good news is that set-up couldn’t be easier. A wizard zooms you through, and one restart later, you’re getting Internet access with respectable speeds all wirelessly. The UM 150 is channeling Verizon’s EVDO Rev A network, which boasts download speeds of 600-1400 kilobytes per second. What that means in real-life terms is that you’ll be able to quickly zip through Internet pages and download reasonably-sized files within seconds, but Internet videos can be sluggish. (For those of us iPhone owners who’ve aged considerably while waiting for AT&T’s Edge network to load even one page onto our mobile Safari, this is a revelation.) I’ve tested the UM 150 in Philadelphia, New York and Las Vegas and even though the speeds vary depending upon time of day, I’ve been impressed with the signal strength and speedy connectivity in each market. Nice work, Verizon.
‘Course, that sort of convenience will cost you. Verizon’s “BroadbandAccess” service data plan is $60/month. That’s on top of your cell phone bill. If you sign a two-year data plan agreement, though, they’re likely to throw in the UM 150 for free (it lists for $79.99, but we all know there are online rebates a plenty), and Verizon is pretty good about letting you upgrade devices along the way.
The USB port on my MacBook, like so many laptops, is on the left hand side, so it’s been a little bit of an adjustment to have the UM 150 sticking up rather clunkily by my left hand. I found myself wanting to instinctively swat at the thing like it was a black bug. But the satisfaction of having plenty-fast Internet access anywhere I want anytime I want overrides all aesthetic gripes. This little modem is progress. yy
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