The fastest wide-area network gets even faster with the Novatel Wireless V620 PC Card, the best solution for anyone looking to get high-speed wireless Internet access throughout 32 metropolitan areas nationwide.

Verizon's EV-DO network, our Editor's Choice among wide-area wireless data networks, lets traveling types get throughput averaging 600 to 800 Kbps in cities from Boston to San Diego. Using a newer Qualcomm chipset than its main competitor, the Verizon Wireless PC 5220 card by Audiovox, the Novatel V620 squeezes a bit more throughput out of Verizon's excellent network, and it costs less.

We tested the V620 against a Verizon PC 5220, which uses the same hardware as our previous Editor's Choice Sierra Wireless AirCard 580. The 580 is available only to corporate customers, making the 5220 and the V620 your primary choices if you're an individual buyer.

In tests over four days in various locations around the Miami and New York metropolitan areas, the V620 was faster than the 5220 63 percent of the time. Its average download speed of 699 Kbps across all our tests beat the 5220's by 53 Kbps; when it beat the 5220 in individual side-by-side tests, it did so by margins averaging 147 Kbps. Uplink speeds between the two cards were almost exactly the same, though, averaging 110 Kbps.

The Novatel's internal antenna didn't damage the card's performance in low-signal conditions, either; it did just as well as the 5220 card at picking up weaker signals. In low-signal conditions, the two cards were pretty much even on speed, and they both dropped to Verizon's slower 1X network at roughly the same point. Still, we'd like to see the V620 go up against a final version of Kyocera's Passport, a card that's not yet on the market, but which promises excellent low-signal speeds.

The V620 uses the same VZAccess Manager software as the 5220 card; Verizon says it's also moving the AirCard 580 to VZAccess Manager, so software won't be a differentiator between the cards. Installation is painless and quick, and the interface is easy enough to use even when you're engaged with other applications. (You can dodge VZAccess Manager by setting up an ordinary Windows dial-up networking connection with the V620.) Our V620 didn't conflict with the internal Wi-Fi or the Bluetooth PC Card on an IBM ThinkPad.

If you can afford Verizon's $80-per-month service plan and the coverage map looks good to you, EV-DO is a revelation—it's like having your own personal hot spot. The Novatel Wireless V620 lets you get the most out of this excellent network.