Internet Card Thing

[Shao Feng-Li]

What kind of card can you get for a laptop that gets you internet anywhere? I have a feeling it's cell-phone related.

[Mr. Rogers]

That is something you would have to ask your phone provider about. You live in New York, do they have city wide Wi-Fi? I can't think of any services off-hand, but I think they are usually pretty expensive (the last one I heard of was around $60/month). If money is an issue, you would be better off just going to Starbucks.

[Shao Feng-Li]

I live in New York state, not city. But city wide wi-fi? Holy... I'm moving there!

[rii namuras]

[color="Red"](I'm pretty sure you're thinking of Verizon. Other than that, I have no clue.)[/color]

[Mr. Rogers]

I don't know if they have it there or not. Some of the major cities are starting to put that together. They are doing that in my city, but it's still in the works.

[Kaligraphic]

On Verizon and Sprint, you can buy an EVDO card for your laptop. T-Mobile and AT&T offer GPRS/EDGE cards. In either case, the cards connect to the carrier's wireless data network. You would need a data plan to make use of these cards.

Depending on the model of your handset, you may also have the option of adding a data plan with tethering and connecting your laptop through your handset. While typically a little cheaper, this usually has the drawback that a handset cannot do both voice and data at the same time. In my experience, it's usually the case that getting a phone call closes the data session, which would mean that any incoming call would turn off your Internet connection. It may, however, be acceptable if you only need the connection occasionally, or while traveling.

Please confirm that the network you select has data coverage in the areas that you intend to use the service. Simple voice coverage is not enough.

These cards are unrelated to Wi-Fi.

[Mithrandir]

Kali's pretty much hit the nail on the head, here. I'll add this, though: If you only need it occasionally, it's probably not worth the $. I'd say you're better off looking to pick up a WiFi card and find a few hot spots (places that let you connect to their WiFi).

It's mostly a question of what your city has available, though. A city very close to me has wifi connectivity throughout the whole city. Of course, it would cost you $1 million just to buy a small house there, so it's probably not the best investment.

I have WiFi access at work, and WiFe access at home. That makes it more fun to stay at home than to go to work.

...

Sorry, that was a typo that I simply had to run with.

[Shao Feng-Li]

Mine's got the built in Wi-Fi.

I see... kinda like dial up XD

[Etoh*the*Greato]

You'd be surprised at the large number of places you can find free wifi. Most of the places I visit on a normal day do. For instance, most colleges provide it for free, and McDonalds has started offering it to compete with places like Panera/St. Louis Bread Company and Starbucks.

[Shao Feng-Li]

The wi-fi thing is just the coolest.