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Before purchasing I learned that Apple now has just released its software update for the card as well as other WWAN devices.
Now I have been using my Sprint A900 phone USB tethered to my Macbook Pro/Powerbook 17"/Sony T250 laptop with no problems out of either laptop for about a year now. Even connected by Bluetooth yeilded no problems; the random disconnections with the Powerbook were terminated by unchecking the "send echo packets" and "compression" options.
I figured it would be interesting to compare the speeds of each device before I discontinue the use of my A900 phone as a modem.
Once I got my hot little hands on the EX720 I inserted the install CD and followed the directions up until it prompted me for the numbers which I had my salesman make sure were on my contract so I would not have to call Sprint. Things went well and I was online in Bootcamp using XP.
Now it was time for OSX. I did the software update for the WWAN cards first and then I shoved the card in. I went online and did some speed tests.
This is the latest test I did inside the building of my job:
A900 phone gave 540 Kbps download and about 90 up
EX720 Express card gave 1074 Kbps download and 291 up
These figures were from an average of 5 readings of each device. The maximum of the 5 readings for the EX720 was 1445 Kbps. Of course, your speed may vary dependng on your location AND if you are in a Rev A zone.
In short, the EX720 seems to be wicked fast compared to the Sprint A900 phone used as a modem by its USB chord.
I notice that I get much faster speed readings in OSX, which were given in this test for both devices.
Verdict: if you want to save $20 per month and get a reliable device using either USB chord or Bluetooth, the Sprint A900 is a great choice, but if you want more speed and not having calls blocked or your internet download interrupted when a call comes in, the EX720 is my recommendation; I have no regrets so far.
Thanks for the comments!
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