When Verizon Wireless launched their 4G LTE network the only devices that supported the new high speed offering were USB modems. Not exactly the sexiest thing to write about, but it gave people a taste for what the future had in store. With download speeds averaging 12 Mbps and uploads around 2 Mbps, combined with an insanely low ping time, surfing the internet with LTE is sort of like surfing the internet with a wired broadband connection … but only is you have a Windows machine. That’s right, for some odd reason the two USB LTE modems that Verizon offered customers didn’t quite support Mac OS X, the operating system that may have a small market share, but the people who buy Apple machines typically have a higher disposable income and are thus more likely to want to try LTE on the go.
Today that problem is now resolved, just as Verzion promised. If you pick up a Pantech UML290 LTE modem then you’ll be able to download drivers straight from Verizon’s website that not only support Mac OS X 10.6, but but also 10.4 and 10.5 should for some strange reason you’re running an old version. The LG VL600, the other LTE modem Verizon sells, still only supports Windows at the time.
Should you not want to bother with Verizon, because let’s face it $60 for 5 GB is quite obscene in a world of 1080p YouTube videos, then there are plenty of other options, ranging from Sprint’s Clearwire network that uses WiMAX technology, to T-Mobile’s HSPA+ technology that as of today offers the largest 4G footprint of all four operators. Clearwire gives you unlimited data, so you don’t have to count your bits and bytes, and while T-Mobile promises the same, there have been rumors that they limit your download speeds after you hit somewhere around 5 GB.
[Via: Engadget]