Sierra Wireless Aircard 550
I tested the Aircard 550 using the Sprint PCS CDMA 1xRTT service. The 550 requires the PCS Connection Manager to make a connection. The card uses a foldable antenna, and it includes an LED for visual feedback. The 550 turned in downstream speeds averaging 77 Kbps, but on several test iterations, it sustained rates over 100 Kbps. Upstream performance was about 50 Kbps. Available from Sprint PCS; list price $299.99
Sierra Wireless Aircard 750
I tested the Aircard 750 on T-Mobile's GPRS network. The NIC includes a removable and foldable antenna, and the SIM card is installed at the end of the unit. The "Network Adapter Manager" client and drivers installed cleanly. Although it's the only card I tested that supports voice with the use of an earpiece, there's no LED indicator, so you must rely on Windows for visual feedback regarding operating status. After initial configuration, I was able to insert the card at any time, and it worked like a regular NIC as far as Windows was concerned. Throughput measured an average 35 Kbps downstream and 15 Kbps upstream. Latency was very high, hovering around 1 second and making some interactive experiences very frustrating. Available from AT&T Wireless and T-Mobile; list price $299.99
Sony/Ericsson GC83
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