Cellular Broadband Catching on With Laptop Manufacturers

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Cellular Broadband Catching on With Laptop Manufacturers

6:50 am on January 9, 2006 | Category: Web Services, Wireless Technology

In the past few months, several major laptop computer manufacturers have announced that they will be embedding cellular modems in future models, in order to increase the mobility of consumer computing.

The trend began in September when Lenovo (IBM) began selling the ThinkPad Z60t, the first laptop computer with built-in cellular technology to access the internet via Sprint’s EV-DO wireless network. Since then, HP has announced a competing model of their own, while Dell and Lenovo both plan to launch models that will work with Cingular’s HSDPA network.

The primary advantage of cellular broadband technology over Wi-Fi networking is its ability to break free of the confines of a wireless hotspot. As of now, these high-speed cellular networks are only available in a few major cities, but the service area is likely to expand dramatically in the coming year and beyond.

Although expensive, and usually not as fast as Wi-Fi technology, the fact that so many laptop makers are integrating cellular technology could convince more and more users to splurge on the increased mobility.