This is a device review for the Overdrive Pro 3G/4G Wireless Hotspot by Sprint.
Working on the road can be frivolous unless you have a good connection to the World Wide Web. There’s only so much you can do from your smart phone. The Overdrive Pro is very ideal for this type of situation. I tend to travel quite a bit for conferences and this is little powerful device is perfect for me. Living in NYC I get a strong 4G signal anywhere I go excluding the subway and my apartment. The subway is obvious but my apartment’s lack of good signal is due to faulty construction. Anywhere else, the park, coffee shops, work, and etc. I have had no problems. I’ve read a lot of other reviews of this device so I’d like to go through some of pros and cons.
A lot of people complain about the battery life and I would concur it’s not the best in this department. From a full charge I get about 4 hours before it needs to be plugged in. Granted the Overdrive is tiny in size and therefore the battery itself is also tiny in size, making it difficult to have long battery life in such a compact package.
Battery Life 7.5 out of 10
I used it non-stop so I always had it plugged in. Another concern I heard was a problem overheating. From my experience the device did get a little hot but for all intents and purposes it never affected the connection stability. In fact I never had any problems finding and keeping a strong signal. I think connection stability is a more important factor than battery life for this type of device.
Connection Stability 9.9 out of 10
Usability of the Overdrive Pro couldn’t be easier. You simply turn it on and wait till it connects. Then read the password displayed on the front and plug it in to your network settings on your computer, iPad, Smart-phone and etc. Shazzam your surfing the web at high 4G speeds. Watch videos and whatever else you want; like it’s a wired broadband connection.
User Experience Design 10 out of 10
Speed is also very important when you are dealing with the wireless hotspots. Many people use the Internet for many different things. I for one use the Internet for the full spectrum so I’d like to be through. For web surfing and watching movies on Netflix there were absolutely no problems. The only problem occurred with online gaming and only occurred in my apartment building with the faulty construction. To test it elsewhere I ran it through the rigors and had a buddy of mine test it on his PlayStation. His conclusion was it worked more than a decent amount with online gaming; however his FiOS connection was still faster than the 4G wireless Hotspot. In conclusion although 4G is wicked fast, online gaming still requires more speed for optimal playtime.
Speed 8.7 out of 10
The Price tag of Overdrive Pro is extremely reasonable and the value you get from Sprint’s 4G network is awesome. The base price of the Overdrive Pro is $349, but if you sign a 2 year contract and send in for the mail-in-rebates; your effective cost for the device is only $50. Service is also only around $50/month depending on which data plan you sign up for. In my opinion this is an incredible deal.
Price Tag: 10 out of 10
Overall Value 9.22 out of 10
Image by Global X via Flickr
