Apple has yet to release a MacBook with an integrated 3G modem, but that doesn’t mean the company hasn’t toyed with the idea. A 2007 15-inch MacBook Pro has surfaced on eBay with a built-in 3G antenna and a SIM-card slot. The seller says he or she originally purchased the 3G-capable MacBook Pro “for parts,” from a former Apple engineer and said “it was immediately clear this was no normal MacBook Pro.” The machine’s SIM card slot is still recognized by OS X 10.6.8 Leo...

Earlier this week T-Mobile announced the Rocket 3.0, a new USB data stick built by ZTE that’s capable of running on T-Mobile’s new upgraded 42Mbps HSPA+ 4G network. As our luck would have it, the friendly FedEx guy just dropped off the Rocket 3.0. T-Mobile’s newly upgraded 42Mbps network is available in new markets 55 markets, as well as in New York City, Orlando, and Las Vegas. In our office we averaged 1.17Mbps on the downlink, and 1.07Mbps on the uplink. That’s slow, and in New Yor...

Looking to lasso yourself some of those sweet, sweet LTE airwaves being emitted by Verizon Wireless towers? Don’t really need a new smartphone? You’re in luck. In a pair of press releases today, Verizon announced two, new LTE-enabled network devices, the Verizon USB551L modem (made by Novatel) and the Samsung 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot. The USB551L is a standard USB data-stick modem capable of connecting your Windows or Mac-based machine to Verizon’s ultra-fast, LTE network. The Samsung 4G LTE...

Sprint announced the Overdrive Pro 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot from Sierra Wireless on Friday, its latest WiMAX device. The Overdrive Pro allows Sprint users to connect up to eight Wi-Fi enabled devices to share a 3G/4G connection. Sprint boasts that the Overdrive Pro is smaller than the original, offers a 35 percent improvement in power up and down time, and has a larger LCD display. Double pressing the power button will also display more detailed information about the device and its connection. The Overdrive Pro w...

PC World has published a report that compares the 4G data speeds of both smartphones and laptop modems. As we’ve said in the past, we realize that you’re an AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, or Verizon Wireless customer because that particular carrier provides the services you want, need, and/or like in your area at a price you can afford. Nonetheless, hit the jump to see who was declared the winner! (more…)

According to a spokesperson, Verizon Wireless is working on a fix for a hand-off delay that some users are experiencing on the company’s new Long Term Evolution (LTE) network. The delay, which can last up to two minutes, occurs when the USB data stick attempts to switch from CDMA to LTE — the modem is not responsive during that time. The issue has been reported by several members of the press and early device testers.In the same breath, Verizon also noted that it is actively working on Mac dri...

Today, Sprint announced the U1901 4G USB WiMax modem. The device is, “compatible with both PC and Mac computers, connecting laptops or netbooks to blazing-fast 4G speeds.” The USB device weighs in at a meager 0.9 ounces, has a Beceem BCSM250 chipset, and has two external antenna ports for a docking cradle (sold separately). Here’s the full release:Sprint 4G USB Device U1901 High-speed Internet access on the go Built to work specifically with the Sprint 4G Network, Sprint 4G USB Device U1901...

A new connect just dropped some interesting images in our inbox. What you are looking at is Verizon Wireless’ first LTE USB modem that VZW is currently testing. As you can see from our images, the manufacturer is Samsung LG and the unit contains the much anticipated LTE SIM card. We don’t have much else to report on this one other than the hardware looks to be pretty polished… hopefully it will be released to the masses soon. We’ve got a couple more images for your scrutiny after the b...

The NYT reports that Nokia plans to sell its wireless modem business to Japanese company Renesas for $200 million. The NYT cites falling prices (the average cost of a modem is down to 30€ from 120€) and competition from Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE. In an official statement, Nokia wrote:“The planned transfer of Nokia’s wireless modem business enables Renesas Electronics to maximize the value of Nokia’s technology assets and engineering expertise in delivering advanced mobile platform solutio...

CES attendees are in for a bit of a treat from LG which will be demonstrating the growing prowess of LTE. With its USB LTE modem in hand, LG will demonstrate 100Mbps downloads speeds that promise to deliver an entire movie to your mobile phone in under a minute. The Korean manufacturer will also be demonstrating a CDMA to LTE handover, a feat that was first documented last August and unveiled to the public for the first time at CES. Last but not least, LG will be teaming up with Verizon Wireless to display se...

Having theoretically learned something from the N810 WiMAX Edition debacle, Nokia now seems to be letting the market dictate where wireless technology is headed as opposed to trying to cut competition off at the pass. The result: a focus on future-ready products as opposed to tablets no one wants with a broadband connectivity option no one has. This morning Nokia announced the successful trials and partner availability of its RD-3 internet modem. The RD-3 is a modem component that supports an array of GSM/EDG...

Time to get your world traveling on, Verizon Wireless subscribers. Big Red has just announced the latest addition to its global roaming-ready mobile broadband lineup and as long as you can handle the rather loud choice of coloring, it’s not a bad option at all. The ZTE AD3700 USB modem packs just about every type of connectivity you could possibly need at the moment — EV-DO, GSM, GPRS, EDGE and UMTS are all covered in a single, relatively small package. The modem also features a USB connector that...

While light mobile broadband users are busy eying Virgin Mobile’s new prepaid offering, those of you who travel constantly might be interested in Verizon Wireless’ latest USB stick. Dubbed the USB1000, Big Red’s new mobile broadband dongle packs all the connectivity you can handle — CDMA/EV-DO Rev. A, GSM/GPRS/EDGE and tri-band HSPA are all accounted for. As for pricing, the stick itself will run $149.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate. Global data plans on the other hand, are a bit less at...

Patience Virgin Mobile subscribers, patience. Last month we scooped an upcoming mobile broadband offering from Virgin Mobile that is slowly but surely making its way to Best Buy Mobile. Shortly thereafter, we scared up some possible details as far as pricing and data cost are concerned. Well folks, it looks like we might be getting closer to launch time as one of our readers tossed on his mining hat and managed to dig up some dirt. Found camping out on a Best Buy image server, two images of an upcoming Virgin...