Verizon Wireless recently turned on an LTE network that has been getting nothing but praise from people lucky enough to be able to pay the insane $60/month for 5 GB of data that they’re demanding. The combination of low latency and high throughput make LTE easily capable of replacing your home broadband connection, but not until unlimited data plans are announced. Anyway, the network is so young that the only devices available now that are capable of accessing it are USB modems. That’s not exactly the sexiest product category, but fear not since Verizon has tweeted that there will be something, either a smarpthone or tablet, that runs Android and has LTE built in and said mysterious product will be announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in early January. But before that happens, there’s a leak that many of you may be interested: the Novatel USB551L.
Unlike other the other two USB LTE modems Verizon offers, this Novatel unit works with Mac OS X. Now yes, as a percentage of the total personal computer market Apple owns a fairly small slice, but many of the pros who edit videos and photos in the field and need to send that content to their publishers are Mac owners. That stereotype of the creative type using the fruity computers is sadly true. Those are the kind of people who need high speed on the go access, and now they can tap into the best 4G network currently up and running in America.
Your other options for 4G include T-Mobile, who is slightly slower, but also significantly cheaper, or Sprint, who offers unlimited data, but their coverage isn’t the best, and their speeds are the worst of the 3 operators. Those who know they’ll easily break that 5 GB ceiling will be tempted to go with Clearwire, and they’ve got portable WiFi hotspots so you don’t even need to worry about compatible drivers for your USB stick.
[Via: Engadget]