Wireless 3g Card

[Wertigon]

Well, if it supports a 3G modem I'm quite happy, but how hard would it be to integrate a 3G modem inside the Pandora? That's about the only thing I feel this console lacks. Once you've gotten used to the flexibility of the 3G internet, you don't want to go back ever, so I'm hoping the next revision of the Pandora has it. Might be wishful thinking thou...

 

[Chip]

Does anyone know where I can find the discussion explaining how that came to be? All of the documentation on USB 2.0 that I can find indicates full backwards compatibility.
This thread lays it all out.

As I understand it, it came down to a lack of space. The OMAP3 only has the built-in capability for one "full featured" USB port, and that's the OTG port. The full sized host port has high speed capability, but it lacks the low/full speed logic and requires a hub to talk to these devices. The smallest USB hub chip I am aware of is a 48pin QFP. Not a huge chip, but still too big to fit anywhere convenient, and wiring said chip would have necessitated a major board redesign. It may be an inconvenience, but there was simply no good way to work around the OMAP limitations with the time and money allotted.

 

[crasherball]

I have a USB 3G modem (Huawei e272, Vodaphone branded) that works fine on Linux. Huawei e220 also works on Linux. I use wvdial to dial.

The issue is really with power, as the full size USB port on the Pandora that delivers 500 MAh (500 is required for Modem to work correctly) doesn't support full speed devices and I am pretty sure the modem is full speed. Will need to research that a bit though.

You might be able to use the two port cable that comes with the modem to draw power off the back port and connect to the front OTG port, but that's quite clunky and requires an adapter for the OTG port, plus it might not be safe to do this with the OTG port.

but ur able to actually call from ur laptop with that device?
that'd be cool....

tell me if it works on pandora, FIRST DAY ITS OUT!

i wanna get one of those too....

well...it'd be better if it was bluetooth actually, so i can store it somewhere deep in my pocket or bag

 

[kloplop321]

I might consider a 3G dongle..
or<sarcasm>
Screw 3G, lets all go to short-wave radio!</sarcasm>

 

[Tor]

I've said it before, but.. using a phone is still much easier. I am an owner one of those 3G usb modems btw. I see no point at all wrestling it into work while there's BT and a phone available. Look, no wires!

 

[klikklak]

Yeah, I agree. Using a 3g modem with a eee pc is a hassle compared to using bt from the phone and a nokia 770. Now if my provider would get a clue and let me combine my accounts so I wouldn't need to use a spare phone for talking and one for data.

 

[DesktopMan]

but ur able to actually call from ur laptop with that device?
that'd be cool....

tell me if it works on pandora, FIRST DAY ITS OUT!

You can't call with it, it doesn't have voice. You can send SMS though.

You can call using skype out of course. Have ordered a Pandora so I will report how it works out.

As for using a phone instead, my phone has a very small battery, and using HSDPA it doesn't last long at all.

 

[j.pickens]

I've said it before, but.. using a phone is still much easier. I am an owner one of those 3G usb modems btw. I see no point at all wrestling it into work while there's BT and a phone available. Look, no wires!

Ah, but in the US, most cell carriers disable BT tethering capability.
Gotta sell those extra features and hardware separately!
How do you expect them to make money?

 

[Tor]

Ah, but in the US, most cell carriers disable BT tethering capability.
Gotta sell those extra features and hardware separately!
How do you expect them to make money?

By advertising and selling phones and contracts with BT tethering capability, for example? That's what carriers do in Europe, and it seems to work just dandy.. in other words, it's a selling point, not a money-losing point. Keep nagging your carriers, maybe they'll get the message one day.

 

[WizardStan]

By advertising and selling phones and contracts with BT tethering capability, for example? That's what carriers do in Europe, and it seems to work just dandy.. in other words, it's a selling point, not a money-losing point. Keep nagging your carriers, maybe they'll get the message one day.

Much of Europe has a well built infrastructure that can handle the load. North America was overrun with capitalistic intents as competing companies built incompatible towers in an attempt to have "the largest network" to win your business. As a result, there are more towers, but less actual connectivity per capita throughout most of North America. As we finally start crawling out of the digital dark ages (relative to Europe or Japan) that corporations put us into, they need to careful control the number of users that actually go on it, lest the whole thing collapse under the load and send us straight back to square one.

 

[senquack]

but ur able to actually call from ur laptop with that device?
that'd be cool....

tell me if it works on pandora, FIRST DAY ITS OUT!

i wanna get one of those too....

Look around at all the other posts. Do u see ne1 typing lk this? No. In fact, everone also uses a shift key. Everyone but you. Stop typing like a moron.