March 1st, 2010 
- GPRS/EDGE and Wi-Fi enabled. Access fast, wireless connections from anywhere on the T-Mobile USA network
- Quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) Travel and call anywhere on the all-GSM T-Mobile network
- Wireless LAN IEEE 802.11b/g (Wi-Fi) Connect to the Internet wirelessly whenever you want
- Transfer files easily between your card and any computer running Windows 98, Me, 2000, or XP
- The power for this device comes from the PC Card slot, when you insert the network card
Product Description
Flexible, fast, efficient It doesn’t really matter whether you’re waiting at an airport, relaxing at your hotel or meeting a client – you’re just as connected as in your office or at home. True global mobility Enjoy seamless, global connectivity. The quad-band GC89 keeps you connected to email, the Web and company networks, wherever business takes you. GC89 provides convenient wireless Internet access for laptop and notebook users wherever they need to be online. Bridging the cellular and WiFi worlds, the GC89 PC Card combines global EDGE coverage with the popular WiFi technology in a single card which is compatible with both Windows and Macintosh computers. The GC89 card delivers connectivity through EDGE, GPRS, CSD, SMS over the GSM 850, 900, 1800 and 1900 bands world-wide. And, for those areas covered by wireless local networks: homes, offices, and hotspot locations such as airport lounges, coffee shops and hotels, the GC89 provides 802.11b and… More >>
Sony Ericsson GC89 GPRS/EDGE & Wi-Fi Laptop PC Card
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Considering I am a business women and I was a full-time student at the time I chose to get wireless internet with T-Mobile. I paid $150 for a wireless internet card that you can purchase for $35 on the internet and I didn’t realize that I was in a one-year contract. I used the internet service for 4-5 months at which time I had several interruptions in my service. The internet service was very slow at times and did not work properly. I often lost jobs due to the service of the internet. The internet service was so bad that I refused to pay them another $50 a month for service so I paid the $200 early termination fee. At that time I signed up service with Adelphia cable. If the internet service was not so terribly bad I would not have opted to terminate my service. I could not afford to go another day without internet service. T-mobile customer service did not help me with my service issue and I often had to leave home to use the internet somewhere else. I had no choice but to cancel my service and pay the $200 + $150 I already paid for the wireless card. The internet wireless card that I paid $150 for will also pick up WI-FI internet. After connecting my new cable internet in my ho
Rating: 1 / 5
I purchased my card used at a substantial discount and signed up for the 39.95 unlimited data plan. Connection speeds range from 150kbps down and 50kbps up (Home) to 50kbps down and 15kbps up (work). Speeds tested using speedtest.net. At home I get 3-4 bars on the T-Mobile Connection Manager software and only 1-2 bars at work. Previously I had 0-1 bars at work, but I bought an external 7db antenna and the connection is improved. With the antenna plugged in at home the increase in speed is not noticeable. I reside in Southern California and have not had any issues with coverage. I mainly use it for Online college classes and checking e-mail from work, so speed is not paramount. If you are looking to stream music/video or VPN you should look to Verizon, but be cautious of the 5gb per month limit. One of my classmates has the Verizon service and page loads are extremely fast; almost comparable to my cable service at home. They also have more modems to choose from so do some research. The free wi-fi HotSpots are a nice feature but I haven’t used one yet.
Rating: 5 / 5
Bought the Sony Ericsson GC89 wireless card one year ago. Total desaster. First OneStopWirelesshop is totally incompetent. I started getting inaccurate emails from them the minute I entered the order. They claimed that T-Mobile needed more info to enter a new account. T-Mobile is my carrier and had all the info necessary. Then, after five and a half months when I sent in the rebate forms, I was denied the rebates (two for[..]total) They(OneStopWirelesshop) claimed that T-Mobile had contacted them and said I had discontinued service.(I still have the service after one year). T-Mobile said they had not and were not allowed by law to contact a third party about my account.
Now about the service. The speed is slower than old 56K dialup. You may be connected but don’t expect anything except checking mail and occassionally Yahoo.com. Also, after I updated the software at T-Mobile’s insistance, it expires every few months. When I complained, T-Mobile’s solution was to drive around until I found a wi-fi hot spot and login to renew the software. (I deleted the update and reinstalled the original).
All tolled, mediocre-outdated equipment, criminal service by vendor (OneStopWirelesshop), and a we don’t care we have you under contract attitude by T-Mobile. (I could have gotten extremely better performance by getting cable broadband at a similar price and free equipment.)
Rating: 1 / 5
I wasted my time and nerves using this slow card/provider at so many different places in Chicago and nationwide that I can now claim with confidence it is practically useless.
We bought T-Mobile GC89 for Internet access via cellular network. We don’t typically use its Wi-Fi functionality because all of our newer laptops already have a built-in WLAN. I chose this provider because this card supposedly also works in most European countries where T-Mobile is very present.
So far I tried to use it at home and at work (Chicago), at my in-laws’ house (Chicago suburbs), in Minneapolis suburbs and at a conference in Las Vegas. Although I had a strong signal (4/5 bars) at every single place, the internet browsing experience seems to be worse than during my long-gone modem years. I even upgraded the firmware and downloaded the latest software version for the card, but that didn’t help. Various ISP bandwidth tests usually report around 100 kbps and rarely close to 200 kbps, but my subjective experience is so much worse that I’d rather pay $15 per day from my own pocket instead of using this card in a hotel and wasting as much time as I did.
We have several different Verizon PC cards at work and their speed is comparable to DSL service, which is an order of magnitude faster than this one. I used to give the PC5740 Verizon card to my staff when there was a need for weekend remote network administration or possible emergency and we all loved it. Last weekend I gave this GC89 card to one of my staff members whose DSL was down while he needed to perform some DBA work from home and to use his words, it was useless. I tried to use this for remote access to work via VPN and connect to my PC there via Remote Desktop and I have to confirm it is virtually useless.
One good point about T-Mobile is their customer service, which seems very quick and professional, while Verizon’s customer service was so poor that I swore the next card I buy won’t be Verizon, but I must admit I shot myself in the foot by bying T-Mobile. I’d rather have poor customer service with high speed Internet than vice versa.
After researching other providers, I found out that Verizon and Sprint typically have the much faster EV-DO networks with speeds close to DSL access, while EDGE and GPRS protocols used by T-Mobile and AT&T (Cingular) networks are miles behind.
This card and/or T-Mobile’s internet access speed is so slow it’s virtually useless for any remote administration work, remote desktop access via VPN, serious internet downloads or even browsing – avoid by all means.
Rating: 1 / 5
I type this review from the capital of Virginia with only 1-2 bars reaching, stretching, straining toward my distant EDGE/GPRS/T-Mobile tower. I’ve been with T-Mobile when it was Voicestream (in the Year 2k).
Before I decided to buy the card I checked the service map for my area and found it to be accurate; I basically get 2 bars on my cell phone, at home. Before I decided to buy the card, I read all the reviews I could find – some going back to 2006 – and still decided to give it a try. Before I decided to buy the card, I compared it to all the other carriers prices/plans/products and @ $50.00 a month including HotSpot access it was the best value so I ordered the card.
I rec’d the card today, called T-mobile to add the $50 sevice to my current Family Plan. When the rep told me it was only $19.99 including HotSpot access, I asked him to make sure it was only $19.99 and not $49.99. As I told the rep, I did not want to pay more, but I did not want a surprise later. I was pleasantly surprised as he confirmed the lower price.
So after dinner, I grabbed my wife’s laptop from her lap, installed the software and during the long 3 minute process I had to endure snickers and comments like, Is it working yet?, How’s it going? – as she made fun of yet another piece of plastic and wires entering the domain. As I scoffed at and ignored the do you want to reboot message, I snapped in the sim card from my little used family plan line, slid the card in and waited a technological lifetime – 2 minutes – for the card to find the Cell Tower.
As the previous reviewer detailed quite accurately, Edge is much slower than WiFi. While I’m not sure if the speed is fast enough to replace my cable modem, the ability to connect anywhere I receive a signal along with the many T-Mobile hotspots (that I used to drive/walk by) plus the pleasantly surprising price of $19.99 may just be compelling enough to get rid of 2/3 (internet/phone) of those $99 triple play bundles, with a net savings of about $45.00.
Now, does anyone know of a signal booster………
Rating: 5 / 5