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After the success of its original MiFi, 3 has seen fit to issue a second outing of the 3G wireless mobile web dongle.
[UPDATE: We've just compared the MiFi 1 and 2 side-by-side and it turns out they're exactly the same size. Trick of the light? Or does black really make you look slimmer?]
Match fit
On first sight, you can tell the MiFi’s spent a bit of time on the treadmill. Even though its predecessor (Huawei E5830, manufacturing fans) wasn’t bulky, the new unit (Huawei E585) is trimmer and has the feel of a smooth black pebble.
It’s still not tiny enough (or light enough) to stow in pockets without a lump, but it definitely couldn’t be accused of habitual pie-eating.
Part of that weight comes from the large battery, which supplies an ample seven hours of 3G broadband. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Surely we’ve missed out the lengthy and complicated setup process?
Turn on, plug in, log on
Nope, the 3 MiFi is about as plug-and-play as they come. It charges via USB (two cables are supplied, a six-incher and a four-footer, plus wall socket adaptor), after which you merely need to tell your PC, laptop, tablet, smartphone or console the password. Two minutes after you pull it from the box, you’re browsing.
Speeds are good – averaging around 1Mbps for downloads and uploads – and we had no trouble streaming from iPlayer or browsing the web while downloading files in the background, although the 3 MiFi was understandably uncooperative with iPlayer HD. We downloaded a 600MB programme from the Beeb in an hour and 10 minutes.
In use, 3’s dongle is a dream. It has one button (power) and a screen displaying signal strength, battery level and session data (usage and time). The original MiFi had an oversimplified light-based display, so it’s good to see that fixed. You can also visit a web-based dashboard to check usage data in more detail and over a longer period.
Review continues after the break...
The price of good
But you won’t bother. You’ll get carried away doing fun stuff and spend a fortune on expensive over-the-air data. This time around, 3 has nailed mobile broadband so well that it’s a joy, not just a handy rescue package.
And that’s the problem. The combination of genuinely useful, highly desirable functionality and that strokable pebble form mean the 3 MiFi dongle is thief-bait. Like all the best things in life, though, that’s a price you’ll be happy to pay.
Data costs on PAYG start at £10 for 1GB, but come down if you buy bigger blocks. The 3 MiFi dongle is also available for free on a monthly contract; various options are available from 3.
Comments
JON-design
1 year ago
Evosites provides creative web solutions that deliver. We recognise that each client's requirements are unique, and as a team of web designers we pride ourselves on attention to detail. We are passionate team of website designers brining more to you than our experience and excellence, we are committed to your site and goals. Our team of web designers has built hundred’s of professional websites over the years. Evosites web agency stands for ecommerce website design solutions that drive significant sales growth. With over 10 years experience in developing and supporting ecommerce websites we make an excellent choice for creating your ecommerce website design solutions partner. Our expert team of ecommerce website designers bring together professional design, product management, customer personalisation, promotional tools, comprehensive content management and tracking to create a stunning, unique and powerful sales and marketing tool for your online business.
Jon works for Evosites, a company specialised in web design. Evosites provides creative web solutions that deliver. We take the time to understand your business and listen to your ideas before starting our website designers. We are professional website designers who will give your business the credibility it deserves. We have the skills and solutions to deliver stunning, affordable web design. We take the time to understand your business and listen to your ideas before starting our web designers. Our approach and capability has become refined over many ecommerce web design projects which allows us to provide our clients with websites that lead their industry yet come at an affordable price. With over 10 years experience in developing and supporting ecommerce websites we make an excellent choice for creating your ecommerce website design solutions partner. Our approach and capability has become refined over many ecommerce web design projects which allows us to provide our clients with websites that lead their industry yet come at an affordable price.
JON-design
1 year ago
Evosites provides creative web solutions that deliver. We recognise that each client's requirements are unique, and as a team of web designers we pride ourselves on attention to detail. We are passionate team of website designers brining more to you than our experience and excellence, we are committed to your site and goals. Our team of web designers has built hundred’s of professional websites over the years. Evosites web agency stands for ecommerce website design solutions that drive significant sales growth. With over 10 years experience in developing and supporting ecommerce websites we make an excellent choice for creating your ecommerce website design solutions partner. Our expert team of ecommerce website designers bring together professional design, product management, customer personalisation, promotional tools, comprehensive content management and tracking to create a stunning, unique and powerful sales and marketing tool for your online business.
Jon works for Evosites, a company specialised in web design. Evosites provides creative web solutions that deliver. We take the time to understand your business and listen to your ideas before starting our website designers. We are professional website designers who will give your business the credibility it deserves. We have the skills and solutions to deliver stunning, affordable web design. We take the time to understand your business and listen to your ideas before starting our web designers. Our approach and capability has become refined over many ecommerce web design projects which allows us to provide our clients with websites that lead their industry yet come at an affordable price. With over 10 years experience in developing and supporting ecommerce websites we make an excellent choice for creating your ecommerce website design solutions partner. Our approach and capability has become refined over many ecommerce web design projects which allows us to provide our clients with websites that lead their industry yet come at an affordable price.
Brookser4
1 year ago
The 3 MiFi dongle is also available for free on a monthly contract; various options are available from 3. Druckerei