Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Wireless, PowerBook
Is EVDO worth it?
As I've mentioned, I recently upgraded my computer from a 12-inch PowerBook to a 15-inch PowerBook. This opens up a lot of new possibilities for yours truly, but it especially opens up the possibility for a PC-card thanks to the PC-card slot that I haven't had since my PowerBook 5300cs, oh so many years ago. It's a brand new interface, waiting for me to buy gadgets and shove them in there, but most of the available gadgets are things like WiFi cards and Firewire / USB cards that I don't need.The one thing that I have been contemplating is getting an EVDO card so that I can have high speed wireless Internet access wherever I go. The only draw-back is the expense of the service. Om Malik even has a post up recommending a specific card that works best with a PowerBook, if you simply bother to tweak it a bit. However, the cost factor is still there. I wonder if I could grab one of these EVDO capable access points for my home and talk my wife into only using the Internet when I'm home. If so, the possibility of canceling my cable connection and replacing it with EVDO might be an affordable jump to make.
In the meantime, I make due by connecting via bluetooth to the internet via my Motorola Razr. It's slow, but it gets the job done. Do you plan on going EVDO as soon as you can? Or do you recommend some other PC-card gadget that I can shove in this vacant slot, taunting me with its presence?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Justin said 12:14PM on 9-28-2005
Now that Verizon is offering EVDO phones (the LG 8100 and 9800, for example), EVDO over Bluetooth is an alternative to the EVDO PC cards -- great for my 12" PB.
Of course, Bluetooth bandwidth isn't great -- but you can't have it all!
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Guilhas said 12:17PM on 9-28-2005
I don't know about the pricing in US, but here in Europe in small country like Portugal we have since last week an offer for a 3G(WCDMA) PC-card that will cost you 100 Eur and then a 29,9 Eur monthly fee including 10Gb! Yes, it's really 10Gb. The only drawbacks at this point are; the current service coverage and the available bandwith (maximum 384Kbps...)however that's a good start, let's wait for HSDPA, then the 10Gb will make more sense.
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Mike said 11:15AM on 9-30-2005
I have had a couple of days to play with a Verizon EVDO card (PC5740, not natively Mac-compatible but easy to fix via instructions at evdoinfo.com), and I can certainly see the appeal -- I was able to do a remarkable amount of work in a taxi between airport and office -- but unless you spend a good chunk of your day in outdoor transit or in remote offices, it's not that much of a benefit.
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MikeV said 1:03PM on 9-28-2005
I have one of Verizon's BroadbandAccess cards in my Powerbook (the Kyocera KPC-650, as it's the only one currently officially supported by Verizon, though I got it even before then), and I think the service is great. I use it for most of my daily internet access when I'm not at home. But I wouldn't want to dump my cable modem to use this exclusively. Especially since it's not designed to be a full-time internet access replacement. 300-500Kbit/sec is certainly nice, but I'd rather have the 3-5Mbit/sec of my cable modem when I'm at home.
However, it does make a nice backup for the occasional cable outage... :)
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john spain said 1:25PM on 9-28-2005
Y'know i keep wanting to stick something in my PC card slot but can't find anything. I have no use for EVDO's high speed browsing because I rarely leave my apartment/the sanctity of the free wireless at the local coffee joint.
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Brian Jepson said 1:45PM on 9-28-2005
I wouldn't look to it for a broadband replacement. I had EV-DO service for a while, and used the PC5220 with my PowerBook. I even had a nice external antenna for it that made a big difference. But it didn't work well at home--for the first 9 months or so, I lived in a 1xRTT-only zone, and tended to get no more than 6 KB/s. When they rolled out EV-DO in southern RI, it all fell apart, with me flipping between 1xRTT and 1xEV-DO enough that I couldn't get a steady signal.
So it turned out that I was right on the edge of the coverage, which explained both the instability and the low 1xRTT throughput. And I've found that the quality of the service varies from place to place. For example, when I tested it in DC (one of the initial rollout cities), I got decent speed (see http://www.jiwire.com/airprime-pc5220-performance-lab-tests.htm), but I did find one place where I got no signal. And the download speed is usually around 30 KB/s, which is a lot lower than what I'm used to with broadband.
But the thing that might be the biggest problem is that the upload speeds are 1xRTT speeds, so the fastest you'll get is around 13 KB/s, usually much lower (the JIWire review has upload speeds as well).
All in all, it's a great thing to have on the road, when you're without WiFi access, or someplace where the WiFi quality is poor. I miss it at times, but I get by with GPRS when I'm not near a hotspot. The things that made it easy to give up my EV-DO:
* crappy reception at home.
* proliferation of coffee shops with free WiFi in Rhode Island.
* switching to a 12" PowerBook.
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bartels said 1:51PM on 9-28-2005
to Guilhas:
sorry for offtopic subject, but which GSM/3G provider in Portugal had launched such offer (10GB/29eur)? I look up the web sites of TMN and Vodafone, but found nothing...
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janeiro said 2:05PM on 9-28-2005
afaik, if you have a EVDO capable phone (the E815) you can use DUN with your existing service plan for the cost of minutes (read: free during nights and weekends). i've been doing this for a while: http://www.nuclearelephant.com/papers/v710.html
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Mr Yuk said 2:16PM on 9-28-2005
I put a 4 in 1 (SD/SM/MS/MMC) card reader in my TiBook PCard slot. Comes in handy for importing photos. I think you can get a 6 in 1 these days.
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Ben said 6:00PM on 9-28-2005
I have been looking at those, but there service price is whats stopping me, maybe someday. But I also have a 12" PB and a RAZR and I have been looking at switching to the 15" PB. For better screen area and the PC Card slot as well as just an upgraded computer. My Powerbook goes everywhere with me...How does the 15" compare, do you take it lots of places? I would be interested on your thoughts. Thanks!
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Guilhas said 3:29PM on 9-28-2005
Answer to Bartels:
It's an Optimus product (portuguese 3rd mobile operator), it's called Kanguru, check the link http://www.kanguru.pt/de+o+salto/Kanguru/Vantagens/
I looked for an english version of the site but no good, I can give you a hand on the translation in case you need it.
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Josh Cain said 3:50PM on 9-28-2005
I love my Verizon PC5220 PC Card, which I use with my 15'' PowerBook. In Los Angeles, I routinely see speeds of 60-110KB/s.
However, it's not worth the money unless you're a road warrior, and the reception on the PC5220 is crap compared to my other Verizon phones (XV6600 and V710). I didn't try the aircard in NYC, but the EVDO service on my Pocket PC was fine.
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EVDO Guy said 4:06PM on 9-28-2005
The newer cards, especially the Kyocera KPC650 are much better at pulling in weaker signals compared to a PC5220. The PC5220 was the first EVDO card, and Apple built support into Mac OS X 10.3.5 - 10.4.2 and it works great (just don't do the latest PC5220 firmware upgrade - that breaks the drivers). We have a ton of information for Mac Users at http://www.EVDOinfo.com and http://www.EVDOforums.com. EVDO isn't for everyone (especially, if you are looking to replace cable access). BUT, if you are tired of hotspots OR paying hotel fees, or need access anywhere you open you PB, EVDO is pretty useful.
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bartels said 5:00PM on 9-28-2005
to Guilhas:
could you drop me an email pls to irecky at t-mobile.sk ?
thanks a lot
very nice flash add with the 15'' PB indeed:))))
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JC said 5:23PM on 9-28-2005
I currently have and run the Verizon AirPrime CDMA card.
1. I like the fact that since I travel for my job, I can and have been able to connect at great speeds when I am on the train, airport or hotel (when their service is down)
2. There is no such thing as "native verizon support on OS X". Let's get that straight. There may be plugins on the OS that work with it, however the ONLY time my system crashes is when I have the card in. I consistantly get the infamous "You need to shut down your system. Please hold down the power button" with no options otherwise. And when I reboot I read the log file and it shows, guess what? the verizon card crashed the system.
3. It is outrageously priced. I signed up for the service only to get some credit for my newly formed company. Otherwise, I probably would not of paid the freakin' $79/mo. My cable modem at home plus ISP plus Digital Cable just barely breaks that price.
So we have to ask:
1. Does it work well with OS X?
A. Yes, it does. However THERE ARE ISSUES with it. Bare none. There probably always will be with any third party PCMCIA device. There are fixes for these issues but that is just what they are "fixes".
2. Does it seem like it will work for you?
A. Possibly. How much mobility/connectivity do you need? If you are just going to write/read emails and surf a little bit, then this is overkill, price wise. If you travel as much as I do, back and forth to Philly every week, and are in and out of trains, planes and automobiles and need to connect to wherever on a good amount of time, then definitely the cost can be justified.
Hope this helps, just my .02 on the subject.
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Brian said 5:49PM on 9-28-2005
I bought the KPC650 from Verizon because of my frequent travel between Denver and DC (denver just got EVDO). The price just dropped to $60/mo and that sealed it for me. The EVDO works great on my brand new 15" Ultimate Powerbook, and I can work waiting for a plane, in the hotel room, at a client, etc. Saves me $$ if my hotel requires payment for their WiFi, too. The speed isn't fantastic, and there are dropoff issues when I'm connected to my corporate (Cisco PIX) VPN. Overall I'm not displeased after roughly 1 month of heavy use.
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Jack Campbell said 5:52PM on 9-28-2005
I've been using the Kyocera card with my 17-inch Powerbook for about a month. It rocks. I waited on EVDO until a card was available with a native OEM OS X driver. It was worth the wait, as the Kyocera/Powerbook combo makes for a truly lifestyle changing mobile web experience. Email at traffic lights?... as you hop back in the car following a meeting... anywhere at all in your house or yard? Neat!
And, I actually had the good sense to check the Verizon tower locations in my area, as well as to see the general system cellular signal strength at my home location before erecting any unrealistic expectations for EVDO. I maintain 4 to 5 bars of signal anywhere in my house.
Recommended.
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EVDO Guy said 9:08PM on 9-28-2005
Um, actually there is native EVDO support built-in to Mac OS X 10.3.5 - 10.4.2. Apple built the drivers in directly AND you do not need to install anything. This ONLY works with the PC5220 card. I can walk up to any PB15/17 stick in a PC5220 and you will automatically see a new signal strength indicator in the menu bar - so yes, there is native support. That said, you cannot get the PC5220 any more and it was the first EVDO card (been out for 2+ years). The KPC650 is the ONE that is supported by Verizon and that is also the best card.
If the $79 (or $59) sounds expensive, it probably isn't right for you. If you need the freedom to be on the internet wherever you are (hotel, train, limo, taxi, etc.), then take a close look, it is VERY cool. We offer iChat Video demos, if you want to see it live in action :)
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Philip said 11:55PM on 9-28-2005
Personally I would not get one. The only use I see for this is for those who do their work and need access while on the road, literally. Wi-fi being so readily available just about everywhere in metropolitan areas, this EVDO gadget seems redundant and slow. Sounds like there are also reception problems. Maybe I'll wait until others work out the bugs and can figure out what I'd do with it before buying. Plus, the internet connection at home is necessary if you have VOIP like I do.
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bhamm said 11:36AM on 9-29-2005
after suffering with a god awful cable provider for the last 2 years.. i picked up Verizon's new Kyocera KPC 650 (mac compatible card). I tried it out for 2 weeks going to all of my regular hangouts/friends/family. Each place i went, i ran a few bandwidth tests. The slowest i see is 300-400Kbps.. i maintain 500-700Kbps regularly and have had several times where i sustain 800-900Kbps. I use it in the Dallas area (Lewisville, Plano, Frisco, Murphy, etc). I'm VERY happy with it. Between my old tmboile hotspot and cable ISP, the price is the same.. except now i get online wherever i happen to be sitting. These cards are awesome.
i did a little writeup on my own blog a couple weeks back:
http://ideastorm.com/blog/2005/09/11/be-a-roaming-hotspot-unto-yourself/
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