Wired In and Out

The R201 comes with a 3G card pre-installed by Vodafone,the charger and the battery. Aesthetically speaking,the unit isnt exactly eye-candy,but its not bad to look or hold either. Under the back cover is a label with the default SSID and WPA2 PIN code; when you slide the power switch,the Mobile WiFi automatically logs onto the Vodafone network and starts accepting wireless clients.

The first device I tried to connect was my Playstation Portable PSP 3004,which initially did not accept the connection,stating that the signal was either too weak or absent. However,once both the PSP and the R201 were taken out into the open,the unit connected seamlessly. Other than the initial glitch of loading too slowly and the default page being the Vodafone home page,the connection was strong. The unit features a monochrome OLED screen,which is a good idea as Vodafone doesnt incorporate the LED indicators to signal the battery or the signal strength. But they could have gone for an AMOLED or a super AMOLED screen,as the visibility in sunlight is not exactly the best.

I loved the units minimalist design. A short press of the dual purpose button and you can toggle the sleeping display; a long press helps to set up a WiFi protected setup connection. Next to the screen is the massive power switch that operates on a click with a neon red indicator. On the side is a micro USB port for recharging the R201.

The unit also comes with a micro SD card slot,to be used as as a thumb drive,which supports up to 32 GB of memory storage. A word of advice,however: use a 16 GB card for better performance,as with a 32 GB it becomes comparatively slower. Any of the wirelessly-connected devices can access the contents of the microSD via the Web interface at the same time. And the speeds for sharing are relatively higher.

Vodafone claimed that one could achieve speeds of up to 7 Mbps,which we thought was impressive. But the maximum download speed that I could get out of the unit was 5 Mbps. The upload speeds that we got were around 3 Mbps. Again this was something we expected. So no surprises there. A lot,however,has to do with the fact that 3G is still taking its infant steps in the country. Once the connections start improving,so will the speeds.

The best part about the unit,other than the fact that it could connect to my laptop,my iPhone,and my PSP in areas where most other networks have earlier given up on me,was its battery life. For Vodafones claims of a modest four hours on a single charge,I got a full four hours and 20 minutes before it went flat. When the battery was depleted,I plugged the R201 back in to my laptop and I was able to use it and recharge it,at the same time. It means that with a micro-USB cord you can enjoy a decent battery life without worrying too much.

On the whole,I think this is a device that the new-age tech junkie would love to have,given the fact that it is one of the first in the market. A promised firmware update will enable DLNA Digital Living Network Alliance media streaming that will certainly up its popularity. The device is priced at Rs 5,500 and the plug-and-play software allow the user to transfer data well. If the price is not a worry for you,and if you are someone who needs to connect to multiple devices at the same time,go for it.