Novatel today upgraded its Ovation USB adapters with the MC930D. A variant on the MC950D, the new modem exchanges the tri-band HSDPA of the earlier model for full-fledged HSPA access in Europe: on advanced portions of networks from Vodafone and other carriers, the device can download at rates up to 7.2Mbps and upload at a far faster 2.1Mbps than usual. Its design is less than half an inch thick and is built to be pocketable when not plugged into a notebook.

Auto-configuration also streamlines setup. Mac OS X and Windows users can find drivers already loaded on flash memory built into the MC930D, Novatel says. A splitter cable is packed with the modem to provide extra power beyond a notebook's USB port when the user hops online from the fringe areas of coverage. The new Ovation should ship this month through local carriers.