O2 USB Modem - reviews

O2 USB Modem (review by TheGadgetStylist on 05/06/2008)

Ease of Use

Style and Design

Battery Life

Camera

Music Player

Mobile Internet

Reliability and Quality

Overall

I've been trialling most of the major Mobile Broadband modems and networks over the last few weeks which makes me a good judge of how the different products compare. The O2 modem is, in my humble opinion, top of the class so far.

First impressions of the O2 Mobile Broadband product are great. Forget the standard shoddy plastic box that you get with most of the other operators, boxes which once opened and unpacked seem impossible to ever close again. O2 pack their USB Modem stick in a more typical mobile phone style cardboard box which looks good and makes you feel like you've bought something new and a little exciting.

The modem itself is a USB stick, rather than a dongle. If you've not seen one before it's like a slightly larger USB memory stick. O2's modem is a little bigger than their rivals, but I have to say it looks gorgeous. It also feels great quality. One design flaw is that the cap that covers the USB connector doesn't clip onto other end (like a pen lid) when connected to your PC or Mac so chances are you'll eventually lose it.

Installation, on my Mac, was pretty pain free. It only took 4 minutes from insertion of CD to completion, and I was up and running first attempt. The modem is supposed to connect you automatically when needed, say when you launch a web browser, but this doesn't always happen. O2 don't include special 'connection manager software' for Mac users which is a slight let down as you can't see how strong your connection is or track how much data you've downloaded. If you're a PC user this is included.

The best thing about O2's proposition is the inclusion of free wi-fi coverage using The Cloud's wi-fi network, which covers 7,500 hotspots in the UK. This gives you the best of both worlds, vastly increasing your chances of getting online when out and about. To subscribe to the Cloud on it's own costs £10 per month so £20 for Mobile Broadband and wi-fi seems like good value.

Performance was excellent in most places that I tested the modem. There were very few drop outs in connection, it was quick to connect and I genuinely forgot I was using a mobile broadband connection. I also managed to successfully stream video on the BBC website, something I've not managed in previous tests.

Overall I find the styling of the USB modem, the performance and the option of connecting via both wi-fi and mobile broadband make it the perfect product if you want a reliable connection to the internet whilst out and about, wherever you are.

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