Dell has released its first EV-DO cellular broadband product
for users with a free ExpressCard slot. The Dell Wireless 5700 Mobile Broadband
ExpressCard is based on the Novatel Merlin XV620 which began sampling in April of
this year.
The Dell Wireless 5700 is rated for 2.4Mbps downloads and is
backwards compatible with CDMA 1x networks. Sascha Segan of PC Magazine tested a pre-production
Novatel Merlin XV620 on which the Dell ExpressCard is based in April. The
performance was excellent in its prototype form, so let's hope that Dell's
production card is even better. From Segan's PC Magazine review:
My prerelease XV620
came out slightly ahead of the KPC650 on most tests. The difference wasn't enough
to be truly meaningful. I got an average downlink speed of 651 Kbps, an average
uplink speed of 117 Kbps, and a peak of 1.4 Mbps—very good numbers for a busy
EV-DO network. The XV620 beat the KPC650 in 20 out of 36 download tests,
showing that the cards are pretty much even on performance. The XV620 also
matched the Kyocera's performance on my tests in low-signal areas, nullifying
the KPC650's advantage over other PC Cards.
The cards will be available from Dell's website later this
week for $179. That price includes a free month of wireless service --
afterwards, service will be $59.99 per month for those with Verizon phone
service or $69.99 for those without.
Novatel also recently announced its Merlin XU870 HSDPA
card which offers 3.6Mbps data downloads (firmware upgradeable to 7.2Mbps). We
wouldn’t be surprised if Dell also makes an announcement of ExpressCards based on
this design in the coming months.
