Do you know your USB dongle from your USB data stick? Have you seen the adverts for something called “mobile broadband” but not understood what it’s all about?

Well mobile checker have added the following page to make the comparison of mobile broadband packages a whole lot easier:

Compare over 130 different mobile broadband deals available in the UK

We are planning to add the following explanations to the deals pages too but for now read on for everything mobile broadband related….

USB Stick, USB Dongle or Data Card?

Well, the most popular method of getting mobile broadband currently is the usb stick which is like a USB data (memory) stick in terms of size and ‘plug and play’ functionality and these are available on each of the following networks in slightly different designs which can be seen here:

3’s USB Stick, Orange’s USB Stick, Vodafone’s USB Stick and T-mobile’s USB Stick

A USB dongle is the older method of getting online where the dongle is the name of a slightly larger, plastic device with a lead trailing from it - it does exactly the same job as the usb stick but it’s a little bulkier.

The oldest mobile broadband devices are the data cards which, unlike the other 2 USB options, fit in the PMCIA slot of a laptop (note these will not work with a desktop PC!) - they are the size of several credit cards stacked together.

What if I don’t want to have to buy a new USB stick?

Well, what a lot of the current broadband literature and advertising doesn’t tell you is that you can use ANY 3G mobile phone connected either via bluetooth or a usb cable to surf the internet at broaband like speed. Yes, this is a little more cumbersome but you save the cost of the usb stick / dongle / data card and you will probably have your phone with you anyway wherever you are wanting to surf using mobile broadband!

For those of you that want to get the highest possible speeds using a mobile phone rather than a standalone USB device then look for a 3G device that has the newer and faster HSDPA technology (nicknamed 3.5G) connectivity.

Is mobile broadband really like the broadband I can get in my house?

The speeds you will get using USB style mobile broadband will vary based on the same factors that affect your current mobile phone - signal strength. If you are using these devices in a strong 3G signal area then you will likely not notice much difference in terms of speed compared to an existing home broadband connection. However if the 3G signal that your new USB mobile broadband connection you are planning to use is weak you will invariabally notice some speed issues.

Where you will likely notice a difference between standard home broadband and mobile broadband is download limits - there are restrictions that the networks place on the amount of web pages / files you can download for the price you are paying each month. The typical allowed usage is 3GB which should easily be enough for 95% of people that use the web to browse sites and download the odd music tracks etc but if you are planning to use mobile broadband as a permenent replacement for your home connection (losing your landline at the same time to cut bill costs maybe?) we would advise you to get the largest amount of bandwidth you can each month.

Want to know more?

Leave the Mobile Checker staff a comment at the end of this post and we will answer questions / queries here and if we get enough interest put together some help guides

Technorati Tags: advice, Deals, help, mobile broadband, usb modem, usb stick

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Posted: June 23rd, 2008 under Deals, Mobile-Phones, Site news.
Comments: 2

The UK mobile market seems to be moving away from cashback type incentives and more towards giving customers free gifts to get people to sign up to new mobile phone contracts.

We have come a long way from the original free Apple iPod nano deals  a few years back to the current ever expanding free gift with a mobile phone contract market where laptops, HD LCD TV’s, GPS units and even hair straighteners are being given away by the various retailers we compare to get people signed up to new contracts.

With the above in mind and also as a result of listening to users feedback we have created the following page which will show you all the free gifts currently available with mobile phone contracts and by clicking on any that tickle your fancy you will get taken to the standard, clear and easy to use mobile checker deals comparisons for that free gift

So whether you are after a present for someone or just want to spoil yourself when you are shopping for your next mobile deal have a look at our new Phones with Free Gifts page.

Technorati Tags: Deals, free gifts, mobile phone

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Posted: June 6th, 2008 under Deals, Thoughts.
Comments: none

The Motorola Z10 is now available for free on O2 contracts with the pick of the current deals being the o2 tariff with 400 minutes and 1000 texts for only £30 per month.Motorola say their MOTO Z10 is a complete, pocket-sized, mobile filmstudio packed with next-gen 3G technology into a unique ergonomic slider design. It certain has some exciting video capabilities. Budding directors can capture high quality video at 30 frames per second, edit footage, and add a soundtrack, commentary and visual effects, all from the phone itself.

The MOTO Z10 has a 3.2 megapixel camera with instant launch and auto-focus. Ideal for capturing photos in a second. It has an intelligent auto-save feature, which automatically names and saves images directly to a media gallery. Photos and video can be instantly published to web sites such as YouTube, Yahoo! and Google without having to connect to a computer. The Z10 also has 3G and HSDPA for high speed downloads and streaming video over the web.

Compare Motorola Z10 deals

Technorati Tags: Deals, motorola, z10

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Posted: April 30th, 2008 under Deals.
Comments: none