Owners of laptops with ExpressCard slots received the good news recently that they could join the ranks of mobile broadband users with the V640 EVDO card for Verizon (and accompanying S640 card for Sprint). But what about those of us without any card slot at all? Thankfully, Franklin Wireless is up to the task with its CDU-550 USB modem. Available through Sprint later in August, the modem runs on USB 2.0 and supports not just Windows, but MacOS X and Linux as well. An early test demonstrates that even UMPC users can expect real performance (and an unsightly protrusion) when on the road. Pricing isn't listed yet, though it will probably compare all too well to the $180 price tag of the ExpressCard adapter.