Handtops, UMPC - Huawei E220 HSDPA USB Modem on my OQO

Hi all, new to site, but have been an avid reader since almost the first day. I thought that the following might be of a little help to those looking for a USB connection option for the OQO.

I am a software developer, and I have customers in various parts of the world, who all seem to phone at the most inconvenient times. While I own three laptop computers, the smallest and lightest of them is an HP Compaq nm8000 with a 15-inch UXGA screen, not very portable. This has meant that up until recently I have been almost tied to my desk.

What was needed was a pocket-sized computer with broadband Internet capability. Since I live in South Africa, HSDPA has been around for some time now, coupled with GPRS when you are out of rang of the 3G networks. I have been using a Novatel Merlin PCMCIA HSDPA card in a laptop for a year or so now.

I eventually get tired of waiting for the Flipstart, the high resolution screen on the Sony UX is just a bit to much for my eyes, and I wanted something with a keyboard, all be it a thumb board, as I do not want to have to carry a keyboard around with me. The OQO was the obvious choice, except for the little problem of it not having a PCMCIA slot. Since it is never going to be my primary machine, the complaints about speed did no weigh to heavily.

After years of indecision, I finally took the plunge and bought an OQO 1+. The reason I was finally able to get the OQO is a little device made by HUAWEI, the E220, a USB dongle modem. I can now connect the OQO to the net anywhere, anytime. If 3G is not available, the unit uses GPRS. For all those looking for a fast (3.6 GBs max) HSDPA/GPRS connection, this is the way to go.

The HUAWEI unit is about 3.5” x 1.75” x 0.75”, white and shaped like a bar of soap. It weighs nothing at all, and connects to the OQO via a short USB cable, that I believe also acts as the antenna.

The set-up was painless. Plug the modem into the USB port on the OQO, and wait for it to install all the needed programs. After that, it was a matter of putting in the password for the Vodacom account and surfing away. Windows XP sees the device as a network broadband connection.

Only one minor irritation, the software embedded in the device requires a minimum resolution of 800 x 600 to run. I am working on this, but if anyone has an idea, please share it. While this is not the end of the world, it is not ideal.

Thanks to all, especially Captain for this great forum.