AT&T adds HSUPA ExpressCard, PC Card

AT&T on Thursday expanded its data card options for its newborn HSPA 3G network with two adapters from Option. Both the ExpressCard/34-based GT Ultra Express and the standard GT Ultra (pictured) for older PC Card-equipped notebooks provide access to the HSUPA component of the carrier's network, permitting faster speeds in areas with the faster coverage: practical download speeds range between 600Kbps and 1.4Mbps while uploads run between 500Kbps and 800Kbps, AT&T estimates.

Regardless of choice, either card is fully capable of world roaming with tri-band HSPA, access to UMTS in Europe, and quad-band access to either EDGE or GPRS in areas where 3G coverage is unavailable. The cards support Mac OS X Tiger and Windows 2000 or later and will automatically install drivers for Windows systems without an initial download; a free Mac software pack is also available. The two Option cards are normally priced at $50 each after signing a two-year contract for a data plan worth $60 per month or more. A short-run promo campaign sees both the cards available for free with the contract as of Friday.