FutureFive New Zealand - Consumer technology news & reviews from the future
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Sat, 1st Nov 2008
FYI, this story is more than a year old

Vodafone’s latest offering to entice you into the world of wireless Internet comes in the form of a nifty little Internet modem that’s also a combined 2GB USB Flash drive. On the wireless side, the Internet stick entices with the promise of up to 7.2Mbps connectivity, while on the storage side, you can pump up the storage with MicroSD cards.

Pros: Setup (for XP/Vista/Mac OS X) is very simple, as all the necessary drivers reside on the flash drive part of the stick. It’s quite well equipped to track your usage in clear terms as well, which is a godsend for a mobile Internet product.

Cons: Never during our tests did we approach 7.2Mbps; we topped out just short of around 2Mbps. The USB stick itself is quite thick, and while an extension cable is supplied, if you plug it in directly next to another USB port, it’ll block access. As with all wireless Internet, excess charges can be quite punitive.

Verdict: Nice technology, and a good way to only have to carry one USB device around -- as long as you can afford it.