Sierra Wireless AirCard 580 (Sprint PCS)

Sprint PCS Setup

Sprint's Connection Manager software comes on a CD with the AirCard 580 when you buy it from Sprint, and it takes all of ten minutes to install the drivers and application using the wizard. If you buy the card from another source, it may come with Sierra Wireless' Watcher software, which has similar features. In either case, you'll also need to activate the card before using, as with any cell phone. The software has a built-in activation wizard.

Once installed and activated, the card is very transparent to use. Simply click "Go" and you're online, assuming there is a signal available. You can set the software to open when Windows starts, and to connect automatically when ready. It also supports suspend/resume states for laptop sleep.

While Sprint PCS does not allow roaming onto other EV-DO networks yet, the AirCard 580 does have a second frequency band (800MHz) for future roaming support. And the software has a feature that will let you control roaming when that time comes (currently grayed out):

Web Optimization

The Sprint software also offers a Web optimization feature, which speeds up surfing, especially on graphics-intensive sites. Picture quality will be degraded, but you can choose the level of optimization. We just wish there were an option to automatically turn it on for 1xRTT connections, where you really need it, and off for 1xEV-DO, where you don't.