The AT&T USBConnect Shockwave 4G, made by Sierra Wireless, is the best way to connect a PC or Mac to AT&T's '4G' network right now. Though it doesn't offer many significant improvements upon previous 3G cellular modems, the Shockwave (free with a two-year contract) is a world compatible modem that balances size, features, and speed better than competing devices, making it out Editors' Choice for cellular modems on AT&T.

Much like the AT&T USBConnect Velocity (free - $279.99, 4 stars), the Shockwave looks like a large flash drive. But at 2.6 by 1 by .5 inches (HWD), it is even smaller than the already-compact Velocity. The USB port has a removable cap, which is tethered to the device by a short, unobtrusive string that has a lock for an included carrying strap on one end. The modem sticks directly out of your computer, and it fit just fine thanks to its petite size. A screen clip and USB extension cable are also included, allowing you to clip the modem to the top of your monitor, which is good for especially thin notebooks and vertical or crowded USB ports. The modem has two multicolor LED lights to indicate that it is properly connected and which network it is connected to. There is also an external antenna jack on the modem's right side into which you may choose to connect a booster antenna.

Plugging the modem in automatically starts software installation on Mac or Windows machines. The Velocity works with the latest version of the AT&T Communication Manager software on both Windows and Macs, allowing you to connect to your modem quickly and easily. I was able to plug in and connect to the internet in less than 10 minutes upon my initial installation. Each time after that it was just a matter of seconds.

There's a MicroSD card slot on the left of the device, which was quick and easy to read from and write to, and made it very simple to transfer files on and off my PC. The Shockwave does not have GPS.

We tested the Shockwave with 13 rounds of downloads on a rainy day in Manhattan and Queens, New York City. We compared it head to head against LG's AT&T USBConnect Adrenaline ($49.99 - $299.99, 2.5 stars) and our previous Editor's Choice, the AT&T USBConnect Velocity.

We were disappointed by AT&T's network performance overall, especially on uploads. It looks like AT&T has turned off HSUPA on many New York City towers, throttling uploads to under 384kbps. The Shockwave, overall, performed similarly to the older Velocity modem, perhaps because AT&T's network rarely hit high speeds in any of our tests. Average FTP speeds came in around 1.16Mbps down, and average HTTP speed tests came in at 2.64Mbps down. That was much faster than the Adrenaline, and not very different from the Velocity. The Shockwave was by far the fastest modem for HTTP uploads, though, at 783kbps compared to the Velocity's 335kbps average.

And while the Shockwave has '4G' attached to its name, it only supports AT&T's current HSPA+ network (which AT&T declared to be a 4G technology at CES earlier this year). With LTE right around the corner, this is the best AT&T modem you can get right now, but plan to replace it in a year or two if you want to access LTE.

We can't tell Velocity owners to go out and grab a Shockwave as its performance isn't that different from the older model, but the Shockwave is the best AT&T modem for now. The HSPA+ technology will enable higher speeds in cities where, unlike New York, AT&T's network can handle them. Even in poor network conditions it managed well, and the modem's small size is very convenient.