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The Age

Tuesday November 8, 2005

ADAM TURNER

Cut the cable

Thanks to Australia's hotchpotch broadband roll-out, escaping the dial-up blues can be quite a challenge. Telstra's BigPond Wireless Broadband service aims to fill the broadband gap by allowing desktop and notebook computers to connect to BigPond's 1xEV-DO (Evolution Data Optimised) high-speed wireless network. It runs over Telstra's CDMA mobile network and offers speeds of 256/64 or 512/64 kbps in selected areas of every capital city and some regional areas (far more locations than wireless competitor iBurst). Notebook users outside of 1xEV-DO range fall back to the CDMA network, with downloads up to 100 kbps (with 144 kbps bursts), but this option isn't available to desktop users. Sydney's coverage is similar to iBurst's, reaching from Avalon to Cronulla and about as far as west as Blaxland. Disappointingly coverage in Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra pales by comparison - but check bigpond.com for updates.

Initially in Melbourne, BigPond's 1xEV-DO network barely covers the inner suburbs, reaching from Sunshine to Camberwell and St Kilda to Brunswick, with fingers out to Box Hill and Essendon, plus a patch around Clayton. The Upgrade Research Lab is of the very cusp of the Melbourne service area and the Upgrade Desktop Supercomputer could only get one reception bar from a possible five, which jumped to two bars when we moved to our greenfields testing site (commonly known as the backyard). Even inside, with just one bar, we made a stable connection with download speeds of between 200 and 400 kbps from the triplej.net.au website - always a source of fast downloads. Encouraged by this, we switched to the Upgrade Mobile Supercomputer. In theory CDMA fallback should give BigPond Wireless Broadband better mobile coverage than iBurst or Hutchison's 3, but our notebook refused to even detect the CDMA network, despite being within 10 kilometres of the CBD. A quick drive through the back streets found pockets of 200 kbps coverage as the service swung from 1xEV-DO to CDMA and back, and on return to the Lab we finally managed a pathetic 24 kbps 1xEV-DO connection indoors. Of course, mobile wireless access is always a hit-and-miss affair, and thankfully BigPond offers a 10-day money-back guarantee if you have poor or no service at your preferred location. The service is compatible with Windows 2000 and above or Mac OS 10.2.8 and above, but annoyingly the desktop modem offers USB but not Ethernet connections. Monthly usage caps of 200 MB, 400 MB or 1 GB are on offer, with mobile plans costing more than double that of desktop plans. BigPond is one of the few ISPs to count uploads towards your monthly cap, and BigPond Wireless is no exception, making the plans poor value when combined with the exorbitant 15 cents a MB for excess desktop usage and 30 cents a MB for mobile.

Telstra's BigPond Wireless Broadband USB desktop modems retail for $199 and PCMCIA card notebook modems for $299, with desktop data charges from $35 a month for 200 MB. For more details call 131 282 or visit bigpond.com

Smart mouse

Mice are getting smarter, with Logitech's MX610 Laser Cordless Mouse able to tell you when you've got mail, or an instant message, and even put itself to sleep when your computer is switched off. Using 2.4 GHz digital cordless technology for a 10-metre range, the mouse sports an email button which shines blue when a new message arrives in Outlook, and one click of the button opens your inbox. An orange button signals an incoming instant message from Windows, MSN or Yahoo! Messenger. To make sure your mouse doesn't getting too talkative, it can be customised so you're only notified when specific people contact you.

Logitech's MX610 Laser Cordless Mouse retails for $119. For more details call (02) 9972 3711 or visit logitech.com

Lock down

Notebooks make it easy to walk around with your office on your shoulder, but they also make it easy for thieves to walk off with your office. The Targus UltraMax Notebook Cable Lock is a Kevlar-fibre coated cable with a user-settable four-digit lock. It requires no special baseplate or screw fastening and fits any notebook, desktop, projector or other device equipped with a lock slot. At two metres long and 8 mm thick, it is rated to withstand a pull strength of more than 1000 kg.

The Targus UltraMax Notebook Cable Lock retails for $79.95. For more details call 1800 641 645 or visit targus.com/au

Print here

If you want to make your DVDs look professional, TDK offers 1x-16x white DVD+R and DVD-R discs, which can be directly printed on using an inkjet printer. The DVDs come in spindles of 25, 50, and 100 and the 100 DVD spindles have an extra large, edge-to-edge printable surface, leaving a 23 mm inner diameter rather than the usual 40 mm inner diameter.

TDK's 1x-16x printable DVDs retail from $32.95 for a spindle of 25. For more details call 1300 305 835 or visit www.tdk.com.au

Inside out

Swann's Endeavour USB 2.0 CD/DVD drive enclosure lets you quickly convert a 5.25-inch IDE internal CD or DVD drive into an external USB2.0 device. The sturdy aluminium case has a built-in cooling fan and a rear audio jack, and comes with a USB cable and an external power supply. You have to supply your own software if you want to use it as an external CD/DVD burner.

Swann's Endeavour USB 2.0 CD/DVD drive enclosure retails for $99.95. For more details call (03) 8412 4600 or visit swann.com.au

© 2005 The Age

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