HSDPA laptops to go mainstream for Christmas

 In mobile broadband

This is being blogged on an HSDPA laptop – a Sony TZ31WN to be precise.

Ever since Sony added HSDPA modems to their über lightweight laptop range I just had to have one.  Not just because of the small size, meaning that in an aeroplane when the fat guy in front of you leans riiiight back in the chair you can still type and read your laptop, but because of the mobility that inbuilt 3G provides.

I have blogged previously about the humble 3G “dongle” or USB stick becoming a more common sight in coffee shops like Starbucks that already have WiFi, and if this concept takes off it could be a real threat to the future of the public hotspot business.

A recent BBC story reported on how there is a new push from laptop manufacturers to provide built – in 3G for laptops.

Fellow blogger Dean Bubley has been a huge sceptic on the concept of embedded 3G laptops for sometime, and I will be interested to see if his view changes after Christmas this year.

It is such a joy to be able to literally open up my laptop anywhere in 3G coverage, click a button and I’m online at broadband speeds.  No dongle to unpack and plug in (and stick out like a sore thumb), as the SIM card sits underneath the battery and there is no need for me to ever touch it.  Simply – it just works.

If manufacturers are to push this in the same way we saw Intel push embedded WiFi in all new laptops we may see the dongle disappear – along with the WiFi hotspot concept as perhaps all laptops will have 3G built in.

According to the BBC article, the 16 firms in the Mobile Broadband alliance have pledged to spend about £554m ($1bn) to promote the logo and inform customers about laptops fitted with the technology.

Laptop makers Dell, Toshiba and Lenovo have signed up to the alliance along with 3, Microsoft, T-Mobile, Ericsson, Orange, Qualcomm and Vodafone.

I pride myself on being an early adopter of technology, especially when it makes my life easier – and I can highly recommend the increased productivity from having an HSDPA enabled laptop.

About 

Based in London, The Actionable Futurist and former Global Managing Partner at IBM, Andrew Grill is a popular and sought-after presenter and comementator on issues around digital disruption, workplace of the future and new technologies such as blockchain. Andrew is a multiple TEDx and International Keynote Speaker.