Comments on: Quickies: Acer in U.S., T675C, NR70V Case, Brando

well, you most likely could connect to a tnc (terminal
node controller) which would allow you to do packet
radio work in ham radio. a very compact solution if you
use a kpc-3+ and a handheld transceiver. a completly
portable, battery operated system.

if you were paranoid and didn't want to leave your login
password on an unfamiliar system then this might be the
ticket to some piece of mind for the occasional but
required modem connection when away from your home.

This is one area where sony really comes up short. I love their devices - but they seem to completely avoid the possibility of allowing you to connect easily to the internet. What gives? Does making a wireless Clie violate some arrangement that Sony has with Ericson?

I guess I've been using PalmOS devices with cellular phones for so long, I can't fathom people carrying a huge (relatively speaking) PC modem for their clie.

I mean, if you are travelling from office to office, or from your home to a friend/family, you'd think that nowadays, you can pretty much expect that there will be internet access at your destination via a PC. Then, if you are really desparate, you can bring a hotsync cable to sync your clie with that PC, otherwise you can just get your e-mail etc on the PC.

What I'd love to see is some sort of ethernet adapter for a PDA... not a network hotsync cradle, but an actual ethernet adapter. I've been to so many hotels with an ethernet jack in the wall for internet, and rarely have a laptop with me.

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Wooo!

"What I'd love to see is some sort of ethernet adapter for a PDA..."

Me too, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. I've been considering the Xircom 802.11b sled for work, but that would be useless in most hotels. I'm waiting for the wireless to come down in price before I go that way.

Raji, do you use the IR for your current cellphone, or have you moved on to BT?

Altema

>To use the cellphone as a wireless modem is a
>special service requiored? Can you just dial the
>same ISP that you use for a landline?
>What cellphone service do you use?

I use Verizon wireless. You can use your own dial-up ISP or use the service provided by the wireless company. Verizon as you dial #777 then use the username and password of QNC. It connects at 14.4 but is fine for email and text web. I modem sync Avantgo and also have the Eudora browser for regular sites. Works fine.

>What phone do you use that has an IR "connector"?

I use a cable from a M105 to my Motorola v120 that I got at thesupplynet.com

>Does that call get billed in as a normal call based
>on minutes of use, or is data charged at a higher
>rate?

It just uses minutes just like I was talking. So during the nights and weekends I get vertually unlimited use (3000 min)

Quote:
>Does that call get billed in as a normal call based
>on minutes of use, or is data charged at a higher
>rate?

It just uses minutes just like I was talking. So during the nights and weekends I get vertually unlimited use (3000 min)
Endquote

Are zou sure about this_ I have Sprint and when I tried to do the same and called mz own ISP using mz cellphone thez charged me a separate rate over and top of mz normal minutes. I had to sign up for their internet service for 5 bucks a month to use mz minutes and not get an extra per minute charge.

"and people wonder why others like the HandEra 330 so much."

Yes, that would have been a logical upgrade path for me, as all the accessories for my IIIc would have worked, including the IIIc modem which I still have. The deal killer was spreadsheets at work: they're color coded.

Altema

"Can Anyone tell me if the V60t from Cingular will work with the senario? Which cable do I get?"

Nope. The V60t is a nice phone, but uses TDMA which means no wireless data access. Ask for one which is web-enabled. The Nokia 7160 is one example, but works better as a modem than a phone (poor audio quality).

Do not ask for one which is simply "data-capable" because they sometimes use this phrase to describe phones which can sync with your computer, but do not have web access.

Altema

> Raji, do you use the IR for your current cellphone,
> or have you moved on to BT?

I wish I had BT... I'm still using IR with my cellphone. I've had a BT cellular for over a year now, and haven't used the BT feature yet. Argh. What's even more frustrating is that BT is rumored to be built in on the first Palm OS5 devices, but not the first Sony ones.

It's good to see that there are a few ethernet options out there. Hopefully, there will be some for the Sony T/NR/SL/SJ connector when Sony OS5 devices come out, otherwise I might have to actually go back to buying Palm hardware.

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Wooo!

Quote:
>Does that call get billed in as a normal call based
>on minutes of use, or is data charged at a higher
>rate?

>It just uses minutes just like I was talking. So >during the nights and weekends I get vertually >unlimited use (3000 min)

>Are zou sure about this_ I have Sprint and when I >tried to do the same and called mz own ISP using mz >cellphone thez charged me a separate rate over and >top of mz normal minutes. I had to sign up for their >internet service for 5 bucks a month to use mz >minutes and not get an extra per minute charge.

That's Sprint plan (which is a ripoff), however I use Verizon wireless and it offers mobile office included with your normal minutes. They do charge $7 or so a month for mobile web, which uses the phone's built in browser (which sucks BTW) but Mobile web is not necessary if you use your palm. See more info here:

http://www.verizonwireless.com/internet_data/mobile_office/index.html

Per their website:
How much does it cost to use the Verizon Wireless data service?
Verizon Wireless does not charge a monthly fee for the Mobile Office service. The service is billed at the same low "per minute" rates as your Verizon Wireless voice service today.

I've been using Verizon's QNC program for about 2 years now, first with my Vx and Startac, then with my m505 and Startac...and now that I've got a v60 I need to buy another overpriced cable for it. But Blazer, Eudora, even avantgo work wonderfully on the wireless connection. No trobules whatsoever and no excess charges or hidden fees. I DO subscribe to their Wireless Web service but it's _not_ necessary to use the Quick Network.

Now, if you are not in a Verizon digital market, I don't think it'll work (ie if you are on a Sprint etc tower) but if you are on the National Single Rate or America's Choice plans,and are in a roaming-free region, you can just dial into your ISP w/ no long distance fees and connect that way. I've been to some fairly remote locations (Driving from Gatlinburg to Oak Ridge Tenn. and Myrtle Beach SC among others) and still managed to use the Verizon quick connect, so I'd say that the coverage is surprisingly good.

My Nokia 3360 uses TDMA and has optional mobile web (but i'm not signed up for it, which is a rip-off for $5.00/mo extra) I was looking to upgrade the firmware to GSM through the IR when Cingular turns into GSM in Chicago. I believe you can use TDMA for data, but it is very slow.

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Senioritis: The chronic inflammation of the Senior.