Don’t let popular opinion fool you. Sometimes size does matter – in this case, smaller is better. When you’ve got a USB dongle hanging out of your USB port, ready to break-off and kill that precious data port with one wrong slip of your laptop, you want to make sure that said USB dongle is as small as possible. The smaller the USB-stick, the less chance of it catching on something and snapping your USB port into oblivion.
But, fear not, dear mobile warrior, Sierra Wireless has your back. If a nice, sleek ExpressCard-based wireless broadband solution is just not an option for you, Sierra Wireless’ new Sierra Wireless Compass 597 USB modem should help you get your EVDO Rev. A data-fix in a jiff. The Sierra Wireless Compass 597 does Rev. A to the tune of 3.1Mbps on the downlink and 1.8Mbps on the upstream. Of course, it’ll still work for older CDMA networks that haven’t been bumped up to Rev. A.
But, small doesn’t mean weak, the small size and sleek styling belies the Sierra Wireless Compass 597’s feature-packed spec-sheet. There’s a built-in GPS receiver in there somewhere, in addition to the microSD card slot and the connector for an external antenna. The Sierra Wireless Compass 597 is a microSD card reader, GPS dongle, and EVDO Rev. A broadband modem all in one slim package. And, with the TRU-Install software making installation a breeze (according to Sierra Wireless), you should be up and running in no time at all.
“The Compass 597 USB modem combines high-speed mobile broadband and expandable storage in an attractive device that installs its own drivers and software and is small enough to hide in the palm of my hand, making it an easy choice for customers looking for a practical, simple way to work or stay in touch while on the go,” said Trent Punnett, senior vice president, Marketing and Corporate Development, at Sierra Wireless.
It looks like Q2 2008 is a good time to look for this little guy to launch. We’ll apparently see more of the Compass 597 at CTIA 2008 in Las Vegas next month. Stay tuned.
[Via: PRNewswire]