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Dell Strikes Deal For High-Speed Wireless

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the invisible-fastness dept.

Jason Jardine wrote to mention a C|Net article describing a new Dell deal with Vodafone to provide high-speed wireless access. From the article: "Dell said Tuesday that it plans to embed Vodafone's High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) technology into laptops built to order and sold in Europe. The technology will be backwards compatible with earlier 3G, or third-generation, wireless technologies including UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) and GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), the company said."

3 of 37 comments (clear)

  1. Woohoo by Realistic_Dragon · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Now we can be locked into paying more for wireless because of the laptop provider we chose.

    One of the shitty features of the US market that the UK cellphone market has been picking up recently is longer contracts (now up to 18 months) and higher and higher fees to unlock your device at the end of the term. Orange are up from £free to £20.

    And now they want us to pay this on a laptop as well? Sure, fine, throw in a 3G/GPRS data card if you want - but FFS don't cripple it by making it work only with one service. No one would accept a wireless card that only worked with T-Mobil hotspots after all.

    --
    Beep beep.
    1. Re:Woohoo by BattleRat · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Oh Jesus H. Christ, cry me a river. If a company attempts to add functionality to a product line by OPTIONALLY including a radio and now you "have to" buy it or subscribe to it? Nope, you will still be able to buy Dells without that radio, just as you can buy Dells today without Bluetooth radios. Saying that you'll be "locked in" is like saying you HAVE to drink Guiness if you're Irish. Gimme a break...

  2. SIM Cards. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    These notebooks will take the sim card you use in your cell and allow them to be used in your notebooks. I wouldn't be surprised if you saw this feature in the USA. It's just another option. You can use the PC Card slot, EC Card slot or the SIM slot. It just makes it easier. I don't see why such negativity abounds amongst the slashdot crowd for such feature. You don't like the price offered by the service carrier, pick up a new carrier or wait til you get to a landline.