4 posts tagged “3g modem”

Watch your dongles people!

It dawned on me last night that my mobile broadband modem (aka dongle, usb modem, mobile modem, HSDPA modem, HSDPA dongle, 3G dongle etc, phew! receives text messages.  It can also send text messages.

Actually, it didn't dawn on me last night.  No.  Rather the horrible thought that it's just as easy for scammers to send me messages to that (as it's just a normal SIM with a regular mobile number) as it is to my mobile phone.  Shudder...

When using the software provided with the dongle, if I so wish, I can send and receive messages.  I could also possibly receive spam from mBlox's partners and other companies of that ilk.  As I mostly use my mobile modem on my Linux-flavoured Eee PC and, as I have no way of seeing if I've received SMS messages on that OS, then I could be in the process of being fleeced right now and have absolutely no idea until either my bill arrives or I find my bank account overdrawn.

Looks like I need to log in to My3 on my PC.

In the meantime I recommend everyone in the UK that's on mobile broadband - check your account regularly!  The 419ers would love to get away with something like this (maybe they could club together and get enough money to go "legit" - in the UK you can scam people legally and don't have to pretend to be a dodgy solicitor, banker or civil servant!)

...and reading listening between the lines.

Excuse the pun but I think Ewan at SMStextnews has done a stirling job covering 3's pre-pre-Xmas preview (all handsets and devices are out a good while before Santa has made final judgement '08 stylie)  If anyone wants the run down on what's coming up, I recommend going there.  I didn't Qik anything or take photos (I was going to ask nicely but forgot!)

Usually I'm useless at the smaller things, the minor details, that kinda thing but having a good read through of the press pack and remembering (another thing I'm not all that good at!) what was said yesterday I can think of a bunch of things that I don't think I've seen reported anywhere else or, if they are, I can add a bit more info to:

• In the Autumn, 3 will start transcoding websites for all handsets - making them look like they normally look on a PC.  How will this work exactly?  I'm not quite sure - there's a variety of different ways this can be achieved.  Many of us are doing something similar at the moment... using the excellent Opera Mini.
  
• Mobile push-email will be on all 3's handsets in future - It'll simultaneously work with numerous email accounts, won't be a huge battery drain (due to some amazing trickery, well I was impressed!) and is unlimited on any internet package (they start at £2.50 p/m)
• Email attachments will be downloadable, won't come out of the user's internet allowance - I presume there'll be some fair-use thing in the small print, otherwise I'll be having mp3 mixes emailed to myself!
  
• 3 really like their Nokia E71 - I can't stress that enough.  They're happy to have RIM on board with their BlackBerry Bold and everything, but they're smitten with their exclusive white paint-job E71.  It's kinda weird as my love is for the Bold, not the E71.
• Bold, 3 in one device?*  Yes, the BlackBerry Bold has all the usual fruitiness plus some 3 on top.  It won't, however, clean and condition your smalls.  The one on display was a vanilla Bold, the 3-ified version isn't ready yet.  The Bold will be, if I understand correctly, a unique effort for 3 due to the way RIM's devices work (most stuff going in and out of a Blackberry is via RIM's servers**)
• Upcoming USB modems will not be Linux-friendly - I got the impression that 3 understand the ever-increasing importance of Linux sub-notebooks (note the Mini-Note) but that Huawei don't.  Whatever the case may be it's a huge oversight in my opinion as the smaller and cheaper the laptop, the more important cheap mobile internet is ...and laptops are cheaper without Windows!
• Nice new UI for dongles on Windows - Connection, account and usage all there in dashboard-stylie, nice and clear and now looking fit for the 21st Century
  
• HSDPA router on display - they've not decided whether to go with it or not.  The one I saw doesn't actually have 3G built-in, it accepts a USB dongle instead.  It's also mains powered, so no WiFi hotspot on the go.
  
• The new Skypephone is noticeably heavier than it's predecessor and... my own view is that it doesn't look or feel as good.  The screen is bigger and better, I liked the menus and they did a good job with Facebook but... those keys and the shiny back.  Horrible.  That's more personal taste than fact, of course.  The keys however, might pose a problem for anyone that likes Skype chatting or texting lots.  Only available in black.  White not gonna happen, people didn't like the original in white.  They weren't 100% certain but they believed it would be usable in the US (as a normal phone, the Skype part will, like the original, only work in countries where 3 have sister networks.)
• There was talk of pink devices in the future - I don't know any female that likes pink consumer electronics, I don't know any blokes that like (or will admit to liking) 'em either.  And the Skypephone wasn't well received in white.  What are 3 considering bringing out in pink?  Damned if I can remember (this is what happens when I don't do Brain Training everyday!)
• They're happy to get Samsung on board at last! - Not touched on this yet so throwing it at the end.
  

Thanks to the folk at 3 and Sam at 3mobilebuzz for the invite.  They treat bloggers, both big and small, the same as they treat the mainstream journos.  Which is nice.

*I tried but failed to come up with a Bold 3-in-1 pun that would make sense, that was the best I could do!
**I won't pretend to be an expert on BlackBerrys.  Hell, I've only just learnt that the second 'B' in the name is capitalised and that the plural of BlackBerry isn't BlackBerries - it's BlackBerrys.

Here's two dongles, USB dongles to be a bit more precise.  These dongles are primarily designed for laptops but can be used on desktops too.  The dongle on top is for digital TV, the dongle down below is for mobile broadband.  Because of the size at the sides, trying to insert each into adjacent sockets might be a squeeze (certainly on the Eee PC).

Looks like a lot of activity today over at the ALL NEW 3mobilebuzz.  It's not just the 3Skypephone any more.  So, what are they now focusing on?  Read the title!! Geez...

Yes, they're taking a look at 3's mobile broadband offering and handing out USB "3.5G" dongles left, right and center*!  Where's my one chaps?  Oh wait, I no longer have a laptop!  D'oh!  Having said that my nephew is going into hospital on Monday and he not only has a laptop, he's going to a hospital that has a very sensible policy regarding wireless devices (they allow them to be used!)  So, what do you say guys?  Want to cure a ten-year-old (and his uncle) of boredom?  He's a blogger too!

Failing that we'll be using a Skypephone for tethered access at slightly less than 3.5G

*sorry, couldn't resist, there's more North Americans reading this blog than Brits at the moment!