It’s not too late to add another item to your Christmas wish list, is it? If you’re a power laptop user, an announcement yesterday from HP and Cingular may have you dropping some last-minute hints to Santa. The two companies announced availability of the first laptop in the U.S. market with built-in mobile broadband capability.
Cingular Wireless contributed the UMTS/HSDPA technology that’s built into HP’s Compaq nc6400 Notebook PC, which “allows business professionals to connect in more areas at broadband speeds to corporate networks, email and the Internet without being tied to a wireless hotspot.”
To take advantage of the feature, you’ll need a service subscription, of course—to Cingular’s Wireless BroadbandConnect or high-speed EDGE offerings. That’s in the U.S.; the laptop also can be used abroad “in more than 115 countries in which there are UMTS or GPRS/EDGE networks available.”
The companies noted in their announcement that Cingular’s UMTS/HSDPA network is currently available in 145 major metro areas in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. The broadband network offers download speeds of 400-700 kilobits per second.
Compaq nc6400 uses a tri-band UMTS modem that supports transfer rates of up to 3.6 megabits per second. Dual antennas are integrated into the laptop, and it comes with Cingular Communications Manager software for establishing connections to Cingular’s 3G network.
Some of the other notable features of the Compaq nc6400 include:
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Wireless LAN and Bluetooth connectivity
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14.1-inch diagonal widescreen display
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Optional HP Privacy Filter
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Intel Core 2 Duo processors
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Support of 3D graphicsMicrosoft Windows Vista capable
Perhaps best of all, considering all its souped-up features, the Compaq nc6400 is decently priced at $1,599. Unlimited Cingular BroadbandConnection service is available for $59.99 per month. International plans are more pricey; you’d need to shell out $109 per month for unlimited usage in Canada and Mexico, and a global plan runs in the $139 range.
So, is the Compaq nc6400 on your wish list this year? Why or why not?
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It wasn't really on my wishlist. Why? Because, in my opinion, Dell has come up with something better. Of course, I didn't know about it in 2006, but I had a fairly good idea that this would become something rather commonplace. Plus, Dell comes with the infamous Vodafone network – which in my opinion is better. Especially since I am in Africa. It works really well, this idea of incorporating wireless and 3G etc. into the notebook. Quite convenient as well. But I'm not such a huge fan of HP... I do have an HP notebook as well, which I'm quite happy with... but I still think Dell is better!