HP and Vodafone in Ireland revealed over the weekend that Vodafone 3G Connect Cards will come bundled with every HP commercial laptop.
The offer is subject to the customer signing up for a business plan with Vodafone. The promotion is currently available across the entire range of HP laptops.
IT equipment distributor Sharptext has been appointed the official distributor for the promotion.
The news comes within weeks of Dell striking a similar deal with Vodafone to embed 3G connectivity within its laptops, followed by HSDPA (high-speed download packet access) functionality in laptops later this year.
Commenting on the 3G card deal with HP Paddy Collins, Vodafone Ireland’s head of solutions, explained: “These devices will give users access to Vodafone’s high-speed wireless data network, providing them with access to email, internet and file servers through the Vodafone mobile network anytime, anyplace.
“The Vodafone Mobile Connect 3G datacard provides users with single click access to email and the internet anytime, anywhere. With the Irish workforce becoming more mobile, the traditional concept of the office is changing as people need access to information from a variety of locations. The Vodafone Connect 3G datacard will enable HP customers to truly experience mobile working,” added Collins.
Speaking in recent weeks to siliconrepublic.com, Martin Cullen, country manager for HP’s Personal Systems Group, said it was important not to see wireless access as a cool technology for its own sake but one that can actually benefit businesses when integrated with the systems that a company might use.
“For us, it’s not about whether it’s an embedded SIM or an external card; it’s about the productivity you can gain from it,” Cullen said.
By John Kennedy
