Sprint and Alcatel-Lucent have announced that they've developed a comprehensive laptop security service called SprintSecure Laptop Guardian. This new service protects laptops via a special Mobile Broadband Connection Card called the OmniAccess 3500 which allows remote monitoring, tracking, and locking.

The OmniAccess 3500 has its own CPU, memory, SD Slot, and power supply that keeps it working even when the laptop is off. When inserted, it hijacks the TCP/IP stack and controls what information users can download. It then works with a gateway appliance which contains management software that IT administrators use to manage the system.

The card acts as a two-factor authentication key which is said to completely secure the laptop. To gain access to the data in the laptop, users will have to have the card inserted into its PCMCIA slot. If the laptop is stolen, it can be remotely controlled by an enterprise IT administrator via the card.

Here's a list of all the features of the SprintSecure Laptop Guardian:

• Access to laptop status regardless of the laptop’s power or online state
• Status of operating system, applications, policy enforcement and usage
• GPS-based capability (within the mobile broadband connection card) for laptop location
• Remote wipe or locking of data, if laptop is compromised
• Enforcement of policies for compliance
• Over-the-air software distribution

If you plan on picking up this product, expect the OmniAccess 3500 cards to be sold for around US$ 350. The extra security features has been tentatively priced at about US$ 10 to US$ 12 per month. If your laptops contain sensitive data you might want to consider this service as a way of protecting your information.

As EV-DO technology has become more and more popular over time the variety of solutions available to meet the needs of EV-DO users has become equally diverse. Carriers like Verizon and Sprint are currently in the process of maintaining and, in some cases, upgrading their EV-DO network infrastructure to keep up with the expected demand. The depth of the financial investment in network infrastructure alone demonstrates an iron clad commitment to the future of this technology on the part of the carriers.

The new AirCard 597E from Sierra Wireless is evidence that the next generation of EV-DO (known as Revision A) will be a viable competitor in the future of high speed wireless data services, and the investment will not have been in vain. "Built for notebook computers with ExpressCard expansion slots, the AirCard 597E will be fully compliant with network operator requirements and will offer user-friendly features such as Assisted GPS (aGPS) location based services; a robust, fixed antenna design; and an external antenna jack for flexibility and improved reception in fringe coverage areas or for specialized applications. The AirCard 597E is expected to begin shipping in the first quarter of 2007. ExpressCard models for HSDPA networks are expected to follow later in the year."

Sierra Wireless has been carefully watching the market and has plans to benefit from an overall trend in consumer habits that they expect to peak in 2007. "Notebook installations of ExpressCard slots are expected to move toward critical mass in 2007 - we are timing our ExpressCard products to match market adoption." said Trent Punnett, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Corporate Development for Sierra Wireless.

Since Dell and Apple (along with most all of the other manufacturers of laptops in the world) have moved to the express standard and basically abandoned the older PCMCIA standard, the market for express based network and storage solutions is expected to continue to grow. Eventually, everything will be done without wires, under one universal standard that is expandable, extensible, modular and fully self-sufficient (yeah right!). Until then we are left to choose between the various competing standards available today until we find a winner.

As the market for ultra-portable computers continues to expand and manufacturers scramble to meet demand while also trying to keep consumers interested in their products, originality and uniqueness are sometimes lost and products start to blend into a sea of blandness.

Leave it to Korea to buck current trends and release an ultra-portable that is truly without peer. The HiPAD (or HiPDA I've seen it written both ways on the same site!) is a tablet PC, or at least it looks like one. At the heart of the machine is an AMD Geode LX-800 CPU; a processor that is a compromise between power and efficiency.

With an available Gigabyte for memory (256MB standard) the processor will not have memory bottlenecks to slow it down. The most unique thing about the HiPAD has got to be it's ability to run both Windows XP (tablet edition) and Windows CE. The touch screen allows you to take advantage of the best features included with XP tablet edition while still giving you the option to run "normal" PC software designed for Windows XP.

WiFI, DMB and HSDPA provide connectivity and media services for the device. PCMCIA and CF slots provide effective expansion capabilities to the little portable that hint at some interesting possibilities. With Windows CE underpinning the media player and PDA-like functionality and XP tablet edition taking care of the tasks that involve heavy lifting (or heavy processing), it's almost like having two devices in one.

There is also a camera and navigation software embedded within the device. This hybrid-like device has a 10.4 inch touch screen, is one inch thick and weighs 2.9 pounds. For those who care about looks, the HiPAD isn't at all bad looking either! It has a sleek, smart design that only hints at the amount of productivity it can help you to achieve.

There's no word on cost as of this post. The amount of features packed into this tiny portable make it attractive, but price is always an issue. Hopefully, we'll see a version of the HiPAD in the US. American consumers would go crazy for a device like this if it was marketed well. (hint!)

As a user and supporter of EV-DO, I have watched with great anticipation as the technology has moved slowly towards maturity over the past few years.

With Verizon and Sprint signed on as EV-DO supporters and both companies well on their way to completing nationwide EV-DO networks of their own, the question is no longer if EV-DO will be the most widespread wireless broadband technology in the US, but if there will be any other technologies coming to compete with, complement or replace EV-DO any time soon?

The most recent sign that EV-DO has come of age is the USB modem released by Franklin that will bring Internet connectivity to a while new class of devices.

Tablet PCs, lightweight laptops, some PDAs, and many of the recently released UPMCs and other ultra tiny portables that run XP, but yet are too small to sport PCMCIA slots or other wireless equipment, are being given the unexpected opportunity to get online using their USB ports.

Known as the CDU 550 USB modem, this tiny device will only be available for use on the Sprint wireless network. The package comes complete with the modem itself, a carrying case, Y-shaped USB cable, an owners manual, and a Windows setup CD. Once you get your CDU 550 in hand, you'll need to do an ESN swap to move your active Sprint wireless account from your EV-DO wireless card to the new modem. The new USB modem works with all Macs (with a few caveats), but it cannot be used to create a network using the Kyocera KR1 EV-DO router under its current firmware.

Then all you have to do is use the Sprint connection manager (included on the setup CD) to activate your account and tweak your settings. The average speeds for an EV-DO network are from 500Kbps to 800Kbps when downloading and 80Kbps to 180Kbps in the other direction. I would imagine that the lack of an external antenna port on the tiny modem could potentially limit its speed a bit, but since it is the only available EV-DO option for Sprint customers with machines that have express slots alone, I guess they won't mind.

Finally, those of us who have laptops that use PCMCIA express technology as their only wireless card format can breath a sigh of relief. Verizon has released its Novatel manufactured express card with hopes that EV-DO will become the next big wireless technology. (EV-DO is a wireless technology that is transmitted from cellphone towers along with most cellphone signals.)

Currently, I am using a Kyocera KR1 router accompanied by a regular Kyocera wireless card instead of an express card, but I am very tempted to buy this because of its smaller size and faster potential speeds. Many people were forced to seek out hard-to-find alternate solutions when they realized that there was a nearly complete lack of options for express card solutions in the mainstream marketplace.

This release brings the total number of available express cards to three: one from Dell, one from Novatel and one from Verizon. Sprint claims to have one on the way too, but no release date has been set at this time.

It allows computer users who subscribe to a service plan from Verizon or Sprint (currently the only two EV-DO providers) to access the Internet at near broadband speeds. The PCMCIA express standard, which is considerably faster and more efficient than the older PCMCIA standard (the standard that has become ubiquitous in today's laptops), is the standard that will eventually become most common.

With the coming increase in efficiency and throughput on the network that will come as a result of the process of updating the infrastructure into compliance with the Revision A standard, providers like Sprint and Verizon are claiming that they will be able to offer top download speeds over 3Mbps using their EV-DO network under the newer rev A standard. Now that Verizon is starting to embrace this new technology, let's hope they'll remove the artificial caps that limit speeds and stop terminating the contracts of customers who like to do more than just surf!