[Ben]

http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/06/20/dell_hsdpa_laptops_not_tied_to_vodafone/

A Register 'Exclusive'. Extracts only:


A peek at Dell's Service Manuals for the D820 reveals the SIM slot is located in the machine's battery bay. Most users probably won't even take a look, but Reg Hardware readers have been quick to try the notebooks with other networks' SIM cards and found that - for the moment, at least - the integrated 5505 is not locked to a specific network.

One reader, Mark, claims to have been running his D820's 3G connection off an O2 SIM, while one of his colleagues has gone with Orange.

Dell confirmed the 5505 is not SIM locked, when quizzed by Reg Hardware today, but it touted the Vodafone partnership as the easiest and quickest way to get the D820 and D620 up and running with 3G connectivity.

The 5505 appears to be a Novatel Wireless Expedite EU740 PCI Express-connected Mini Card, and Dell's Connection Manager application is derived from Novatel's MobiLink software.

I would kill for a laptop with integrated (and unlocked) 3G HSDPA. If you own such a beast, stay away from dark alleys.

[3g-g]

Work are due to change all our hardware soon... and with my MOC becoming ever more useless i wonder if they'd see sense and buy some integrated jobs? [Drools/]

[Ben]

It's hard to imagine how the integrated scenario will not penetrate the market rapidly if Vodafone's research, mentioned here (https://talk3g.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2701), is qualifiable...

"73% of trialists said they would prefer to use 3G broadband instead of WiFi in the future after experiencing 3G broadband. 85% said they would prefer to use 3G broadband over hotel provided broadband and 87% said they would recommend 3G broadband."

All that would remain is some serious finger crossing that we don't start getting laptop chipsets locked into certain operators. The thought of getting a new laptop unlocked and debranded makes me shudder...

[Hands0n]

The trialists responses make complete sense to me. No wandering around looking for a suitable hotspot. Finding a 3G signal is not that difficult these days, and with 2G backup (yea I know ........!) one is never completely cut off from the world. Unlike WiFi.

I can well see the day of SP-locked laptops being supplied by the Mobile operators, probably free and inclusive in the contract. After all, the price of a laptop is rapidly [falling to and] reaching the upper end of the Smarphone price.

So yes, I can well see Vodafone [et. al.] buying in container loads of Dell laptops and SP locking them to their network. A dark day in history!