The International Amazon Kindle is reported to have an AT&T SIM card in it allowing users to connect to a wireless network using global roaming with Amazon footing the bill for the roaming charges.

This means that you can download and buy books with no extra cost for accessing the Internet to do so. It makes sense for Amazon. Anything that makes it easier for consumers to complete a transaction increases Amazon’s profits.

It’s not known which network Kindle users will connect to in Australia. It’s possible that the connection will be via whichever network has the strongest signal in a particular location or Amazon may have negotiated a deal with one or more of the Australian mobile broadband providers.

Either way it’s an interesting business model and it will be interesting to see it in action and also whether we’ll see more examples like this.

• Consumers view and experience of the Internet will be the same on mobile devices as on desktop computers. Problems with getting things to fit and operate in a mobile environment will be alleviated.
• There will be an end to fragmentation. Websites and applications developed for mobile Internet will be available to everyone at the same time in the way that sites for the desktop environment are currently.
• Mobility will be an integral part of the business environment. Businesses will go completely wireless and mobile applications will be an integral part of managing those businesses.
• Payments for good and services over the Internet will be easier. The process will be safer and the friction will be less during the payment making it a better, more seamless experience.
• Mobile broadband providers will build better networks and do nothing else.

Other discussions centred around open source technology versus closed technology with one of the panel members seeing the closed environment as a barrier to getting applications quickly to the market and keeping apps in the domain of the large development companies.

Finally, the panel were asked about the barriers to the visions. Closed systems were cited as something that stifles innovation and hampers new developments in the mobile Internet space. One of the panelists pointed to the thinking that web sites have to be written for mobile whereas the thinking should be that the data is the same and should be created once. The way you want to access the data is different but the data itself remains the same.

Full coverage of the question and answer session can be found on the GoMo News blog.

The deal is $39.90 per month on a 24 month contract for 2GB of data per month plus the netbook for free.

The netbook included in the offer is the popular Asus Eee PC with an 8.9″ screen, 8GB solid state hard drive, Celeron M 353 processor, 1GB DDR2 RAM and Windows XP. It comes with a built in 3G modem. You can collect the netbook from Dodo or pay a $24.90 delivery fee.

The offer comes with the new E1553 modem. It gives you access to the Internet at fast speeds within Three’s Broadband Zone and with reduced roaming charges within the new 3G Roaming Zone. This means that you can use mobile broadband in more places.

The E1553 is small and light and is compatible with PCs and Macs. Installation is very easy so you can be up and running immediately.
This option is ideal for those who need mobile broadband on occasion but prefer the flexibility of being able to use the data whenever they want over a long expiry period without being restricted to the terms of a plan.

Recharge options are available if the 12GB runs out.

There is an added bonus of 12 months free AVG anti-virus.

You can buy the 3 Mobile 12GB pre-paid online at the Three website.

The mobile broadband plans to choose from start at $19 a month for 1 GB of data plus $5 a month for a USB modem of you can provide your own modem. For heavier Internet users the Virgin Mobile Broadband Plan of $39 for 6GB is good value especially with the 6 months half price offer.

Benefits of Virgin Mobile Broadband plans include no excess usage charges, good coverage on the Optus 3G mobile network and the choice to bundle plans with a phone plan.

Here’s a summary of all of the Virgin Mobile Broadband Plans. Buy online to get the six month discount.

Vodafone mobile broadband coverage now extends to:

• Kununurra in WA
• Port Douglas in Queensland
• Devonport in Tasmania

CEO  Nigel Dews made the following comments:

“Vodafone is committed to investing in its network to make state-of-the-art 3G services more accessible and affordable.”

“Vodafone’s great value 3G services are now available to Australians living and working in regional cities and towns, as well as business travellers and holiday-makers who need to stay connected.”

“More Vodafone customers, in more places, can now get online on their mobile phone or laptop while they’re out and about, to keep up-to-date on emails, stay in-touch with friends and family via Facebook, MySpace or Twitter and blog, game or Google.”

There are a range of mobile broadband USB devices. Vodafone, Optus and 3 Mobile all use Huawei modems rebadged for their brand. The speed and services are similar between these providers. Telstra uses a Sierra USB modem and has the fastest mobile broadband network, which the device supports, but at a cost.

Mobile Broadband modems can be purchased outright or obtained as part of a mobile broadband contract. The cost of the modem in these cases is often free or with a small monthly charge.

USB Modems from Australian mobile broadband providers

3 Mobile offer a range of USB modems which they call Internet keys. There are no up front costs for the Internet Key on a mobile broadband plan and depending on the specific plan and the choice of modem, a monthly charge for the modem ranges from free to $10 a month.

Virgin Mobile have one choice of modem, the Huawei E169, with a monthly charge of up to $5 a month depending on the plan.

Telstra have the super fast Turbo 21 modem delivering speeds up to 21Mbps at a cost.

The Optus E1762 modem is easy to use, compact with a microSD card slot and a theoretical maximum speed of 7.2Mbps although, as with all modems, this can fluctuate greatly with signal strength. Monthly charges are up to $5 per month.

Vodafone offer their Mobile Connect 3G HSDPA USB Modem

Mobile broadband device manufacturers are constantly bringing out new models which are smaller, faster and more compact than previous models. It should be noted that speeds are quoted are theoretical and depend on the strength of the signal of the mobile provider.

Popular Mobile Broadband Modems

Virgin Mobile – Huawei E169

• Download speeds of 7.2Mbps
• Twin antennas for improved speed in areas of poorer coverage
• MicroSD card slot up to 4GB maximum card size
• Dual band support, allowing the device to take advantage of future mobile broadband networks running at 900Mhz

3 Mobile – Internet Key E1553

• High-speed HSDPA 3.6
• Plug & Play installation
• Windows 2000 SP4, XP SP2, Vista (32+64 bit) or Mac OS X (Mac OS 10.4, 10.5)
• Processor: Intel Pentium 4, 2.6 GHz or higher
• Memory: 256MB RAM or higher recommended
• Hard Disk space: 50MB
• Standard USB port
• Supports quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz
• Supports dual-band 3G UMTS 850/2100MHz
• Micro SD Card slot (up to 8GB – sold separately)

3 Mobile – Internet Key E1803

3’s new slim-line, lightweight Internet Key E1803 has a rotatable USB connector that can be turned 270 degrees, allowing you to optimise reception and position it for ultimate convenience. It also has a Micro SD memory card slot (up to 8GB) and is plug and play for both PC and Mac!

• High-speed HSDPA 7.2 downlink
• High-speed HSUPA 2.0 uplink
• Plug & Play installation
• Windows 2000 SP4, XP SP2, Vista 32/64
• Mac OS X, 10.4, 10.5
• Processor: Intel Pentium 4, 2.6 GHz or higher
• Memory: 256MB RAM (512MB or higher recommended)
• Hard Disk space: 50MB
• Standard USB port
• Supports EDGE/GPRS/GSM: 1900/1800/900/850MHz
• Supports 3G UMTS 2100/900 MHz
• Micro SD Card slot (up to 8GB – sold separately)

3 Mobile – Internet Key MF6273

• High-speed HSDPA 3.6
• Plug & Play installation
• Windows 2000, XP SP2, Vista 32/64
• Mac OS X, 10.4, 10.5
• Processor: Intel Pentium 4, 2.6 GHz or higher
• Memory: 256MB RAM (512MB or higher recommended)
• Hard Disk space: 128MB
• Standard USB port
• Supports EDGE/GPRS/GSM: 850/900/1800/1900MHz
• Supports 3G UMTS 2100/850MHz
• Micro SD Card slot (up to 4GB – sold separately)

Optus – Huawei E160e

• Dual Band 900/2100MHz
• SMS Services
• Plug and Plan Auto Installation
• Micro SD Memory (optional) up to 2GB
• External Aerial (optional) attachment

The offer is available to all new mobile broadband customers and all current customers as well.

A full list of mobile broadband plans with the special anti-virus offer is on the Three website.

Now, the situation is that the telcos offerings the iPhone 3GS have no stock available. Telstra has blamed the “global shortage of iPhone models”. It looks like it will be a couple of weeks before new shipments arrive for Australian carriers. Apple have said that they can’t keep up with the demand for the iPhone 3Gs and are working to address the current shortfall.

The iPhone 3Gs can be purchased directly from Apple at a cost of $879 for the 16GB model and $1040 for 32GB.

The previous versions of HP netbooks have been impressive and the HP 5101 comes with a larger keyboard, bigger hard drive, high resolution display and in-built 3G mobile broadband.

The finish is professional with a beautiful, matt black, aluminium and magnesium chassis. It’s protected from shocks and bumps by HP’s DriveGuard technology.

The basic model in Australia will be on a sale at a price of around $799 with Windows XP Home and a 160GB hard drive. The next model up comes with Windows XP Professional or Vista Business and a 320 GB hard drive.