On Fri, 28 Mar 2003 00:24:08 -0500, Dave Thompson wrote:
> "Frank Krygowski" <
[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>> So, three of us are planning an extended tour. Presently, we've got one cell phone, which somehow
>> seems to offer very spotty coverage - as in, no service when we tried to use it just south of
>> Cleveland Ohio on the turnpike!
All cellular networks have blank spots. You learn to live with it. Usually, freeways are the most
likely to have coverage out in the country.
Lots of deals are now available with nationwide long distance. You may get stuck with a 1-2 year
contract, though.
>>
>> I know next to nothing about cell phone coverage, plans, etc. Is there anything markedly better
>> than anything else? How do you avoid exorbitant roaming charges?
Don't use the phone...
>>
>> And a related question: It would be nice to have occasional e-mail access, too, other than by
>> stopping when we happen across a library. Are any gee-whiz, compact portable e-mail devices worth
>> taking along? How does all that work?
I had a PDA with wireless access (Palm VII). Royal pain in the butt. The network was very iffy -- no
service even in my home, 10 miles from the center of Philadelphia. And even when I had service, it
was dreadfully slow. The service is very expensive as well; the minimum contract is a year often, at
$30-$50/month.
Last year, I switched to a PDA that accepted a modem (Zaurus) or LAN device. Worked much better
when I was in motels for the night. Some of their charges can be rip-offs, too. Next time I will
sign up for a 800-type ISP to avoid hotel charges, which apply even to local calls over 30
minutes. I managed to teach an on-line class while on tour, but I would spend evenings on-line.
There is a wireless cellular connection for that, but my previous experience suggested it would
not be worth it.
Some cell-phones now do their own e-mail. You need to be kind of geeky to type a message using a
telephone number-pad, but it can be done. They have some word-recognition that helps, but it is not
a real keyboard.
If e-mail is all you want, thay may be the way to go. For things like Web access, you'd need to
basically do what I did. Taking a portable computer is IMO not a good idea. I have done that, and
even the very light machine I took was too much weight, too much hassle, and not enough benefit. A
PDA and a cell-phone is enough.
One possibility is the Treo. It does PDA stuff, I think there is a version which _is_ a cellphone,
and it does e-mail, with a real-ish keybpoard. Not as powerful as the Zaurus, and probably no
phone-line connection, but it might be a good all-in-one solution. About $400 plus a cellphone
contract, probably.
--
David L. Johnson
__o | "Business!" cried the Ghost. "Mankind was my business. The _`\(,_ | common welfare was my
business; charity, mercy, forbearance, (_)/ (_) | and benevolence, were, all, my business. The
dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!"
--Dickens, "A Christmas Carol"