Those chaps at CNET have taken it upon themselves to review the 3 mobile broadband USB modem and seem fairly pleased with their findings. Joseph Hanlon is the chosen reviewer, and much prefers the latest incarnation of the dongle, claiming that it has a “sexier new body”. He does have a “tiny, niggling complaint” about the design: “it’s that the cap which covers the USB connection on the front can’t fit on the back of the modem when it’s in use, making it somewhat easier to lose.”

Joseph compares the performance of both the new and old dongle side by side, finding they both reach speeds of between 1.5Mbps to 2.4Mbps, though he’s disappointed that the new dongle doesn’t out-perform the old one. Joseph concludes that although the technology of both is good with the “pleasingly zippy”, he looks forward to the later upgrade that will increase speeds to up to 7.2Mbps, which is when he thinks the new dongle will come in to it’s own. It’s therefore quite suitable that Joseph gives a final score of 7.2/10.

You can read the full review here.