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Unlock and Surf
25/07/2008 - By Nick Galvin, www.smh.com.au/essential gadgets
3 Mobile Internet Key: designed to deliver fast, wireless broadband.
3 MOBILE INTERNET KEY
Price: from $15 a month for 1GB data
Rating: 4 out of 5
http://www.three.com.au
Phone company 3 claims its new Mobile Internet Key is "fast and fashionable" and designed "to deliver exceptional broadband speed and style to those on the go". This, of course, is a particularly egregious example of PR nonsense. Only marketing managers could convince themselves this little gadget is either fashionable or stylish - or that anyone actually cares what it looks like. It's a utilitarian piece of kit designed to deliver fast, wireless broadband on the go. And that's exactly what it does.
The key is similar in both size and shape to a standard memory stick. Under the cap on one end is a USB connection that plugs straight into a laptop. In use it protrudes some 75mm, meaning you need to be careful not to damage it as you tote your laptop around.
It comes with a short extension cable, which makes the key slightly less vulnerable to damage. The extra cable also comes in handy if you can't squeeze the key in because of other cables plugged in around it. The required SIM card slides into a slot above the USB connector. Beyond that there is not much more to the device. Plug it in and, if you are a Mac user, install the software that appears and you are good to go surfing. Windows users will need to install the software from an accompanying CD.
The key claims to deliver speeds up to 1.5Mbps. When we tested it, it averaged speeds of a little over 1Mbps, which is pretty respectable. The key is also ready for HSDPA 7.2, which means that when 3 finishes its promised upgrade of the network it will be able to connect at speeds of up to 5Mbps.
The network covers large slabs of metropolitan Sydney but if you are in the Blue Mountains or on the far southern fringes of the city you're out of luck. Pricing starts at $15 a month for 1GB of data, which is a pretty good deal.
