WWAN GOBI 4000 AT&T questions

[crazeazn]

Hey guys,

After using my x301 for 4 years, its time for a new notebook. I'm looking at the x230 but I have a specific WWAN questions. I'm considering purchasing the Gobi 4000 for At&t for the road.

1) Are these WWAN devices carrier locked? If I travel abroad, can I throw in a different sim in? I know the LTE bands are US, but it does have international HSPA+ bands.
2) Does At&t or T-Mobile USA have proprietary software i have to use to "dial-in" to use the LTE/HSPA+ services? Meaning, can I configure the APN settings through windows (assuming sierra's drivers are installed) or will I require lenovo's access connections and/or 3rd party?

Thanks a bunch!

[barrywohl]

I can part way help with "2)".
I have a X230T purchased new in August, 2012 with a Sierra Wireless MC8355 Gobi 3000 HS USB Modem. I'm running Windows 8 Pro as my OS and a driver from Lenovo Windows 7 for the wireless card.
After installing the driver and setting up the wireless modem account, you can use Windows 8 Pro built in software to connect to the network. I used a Lenovo buy-a-session to test it out, since I rarely need the wireless wan card and I didn't want to pay ongoing fees. I almost always have a WIFI connection. However, when the monthly cost to add a device to my AT&T Wireless account comes down, I'll keep the WWAN card active all the time.

I hope this helps.
Barry

[crazeazn]

I wonder if that is windows 8 only. I've done some digging and it seems windows 7 does have some WWAN client built into the OS but it is nice to see that it is fully supported in 8. How do you like windows 8 vs. windows 7? I've actually debated whether to just purchase two new batteries for the x301 and continue using it as I downgraded it back to XP and I forgot how fast the machine was.