Everywair (Sony VGN-Z51XG)

It seems like all the 3g WWAN technology comes from the same Partnership.

HSDPA/UMTS is in the same family of technologies as HSPA 7.2, GSM (Global System for Mobile) and LTE (Long Term Evolution). All are represented by the 3d Generation Partnership Project, a collaboration of equipment makers and carriers.

Another link:
http://www.3gpp.org/

This stuff is way over my head, but, from what I've seen, the 3G connections work well with most flavors of Linux. The Sony laptops, on the other hand, I remember from a couple of years back, were problematic with Linux. I don't know from experience if that's true today, but if it was me, I would want to find some vendor that will allow that usb stick to be plugged in.

I had the same experience when I last shopped for a laptop, so, I told the store manager I was displeased, wrote an email to customer service (which was never returned), then, took my business to Dell.

We would definately want to hear how you made out.