Vodafone has a history of excellent data cards that make it possible to surf the internet wherever there's a phone signal, rather than having to seek out a wireless hotspot.

Earlier cards fitted in to the PCMCIA Card slot on notebook PCs and were the first data cards to be Mac-compatible. Installation was always a chore, so Vodafone has designed a new model that resolves this.

Since, nowadays, not every laptop has a PCMCIA slot (computer manufacturers are plumping for Express Card compatibility instead), Vodafone has opted for a USB connector this time.

Not only does this mean wider compatibility, it also has a knock-on effect as far as ease-of-use is concerned. On Windows PCs, the modem installs itself when it's plugged in.

For Mac users the supplied CD is needed, though this extra work is offset by the fact that the modem matches the styling of a white Macbook perfectly. In fact, the neat 3.5-inch dongle is eye-catching in its iPod white gloss finish.

The USB connector also means the modem can be plugged into a desktop PC, which can be handy if your broadband connection fails.

The use of HSDPA technology means that if you’re near to a suitably enabled transmitter, data transfer to the notebook is impressively fast – up to 1.4Mbits/sec in theory, and our tests revealed a decent 1.3Mbits/sec, not far off the usual 2Mbits/sec home broadband speed.

Even in a standard 3G area without HSDPA coverage, the modem picked up a decent 0.3Mbits/sec download speed.

Data transfer is charged according to how much is downloaded, not how fast, and there’s a helpful meter on the screen so it's possible to see how close the allocation limit is getting – it's set at 250MB on the lowest £25-a-month tariff.

The other tariffs have no download limit, and cost either £45 or £95 a month, but lower the price of the hardware to £49.

The sense of freedom that wireless websurfing gives is liberating. This latest modem is the fastest and most convenient around, it's neatly designed and it works effortlessly. In short, we'd like more gadgets to be as simple and reliable as this one.

Also Consider
T-Mobile Vario II HSDPA
This 3G handheld has HSDPA capabilities, so you can connect it to a laptop as a data modem.

Palm Treo 750v
Another handheld with HSDPA, small enough to be used as a phone but with a full keyboard.