OK to answer my own questions, it's working out great in Italy. I purchased a TIM SIM at FCO along with the unlimited data monthly plan for 39 Euro total.
Configuring it was a bit of a problem. There is an auto-config default which doesn't let you set the APN. My guess is, since these devices were intended for "3" in the UK and uses software with "3" branding (you reach the admin page either by loading 192.168.1.1 or 3.home), the auto-config was setting it to the APN for "3" in the UK.
So you have to go through the advanced settings and find the mobile profile and there, you can enter the APN and save the profile.
So in most places, I'm getting 3G, good signal, sometimes it goes to "H" for HSDPA. Highest speed I've measured, using speedtest.net, which has some servers near Sicily, is about 2.65 Mbps down and 1.35 Mbps up.
Sometimes, the indicator drops to 2G, such as in the Taormina hotel room that I stayed in.
When I took it out during the day, the OLED display is very hard to read. It's also got a reflective cover over it so you have to shield it from light to make out the display.
Battery life I'd estimate at 3 hours give or take another 30-60 minutes. I didn't keep it on battery most of the time, just turned it on and off as needed. I did have a second battery, which goes for about $8 on eBay delivered.
It gets hot but the documentation says it's normal. One time, it showed good signal strength but the MacBook Pro wouldn't get email or load any pages. I just power cycled it and waited for the MBP to re-connect to the Wifi network and it worked again.
Can't beat the price. I tried the iPhone SIM and it was only getting 2G back home so I'm guessing that it doesn't support the 3G frequencies used by AT&T. But I got it for use overseas, since the prepaid data products are non-existent in the US.
The Novatel products go for about twice as much on eBay. They're probably fine products but I'm happy for the price I paid.
Looks like tepwireless.com, which is a UK-based service like iPhonetrip.com or Xcomglobal, are also using this model, just cosmetically altered to cover up the "3" logo.