bbarker
06-04-2002, 02:59 AM
I finally upgraded my Verizon cell phone service to their 1x (Express Network) service. I bought a 1x-compatible phone (a Kyocera 2235) when I switched from AT&T a few months ago in anticipation of this. A few days ago I enabled the Express Network (an extra $30 a month) and unlimited nights and weekends (a $5 per month option). I bought their $80 Mobile Office package, which contains a couple of CDs and a cable that connects into the bottom of the phone and into the laptop’s USB port. The phone acts as a modem. There’s even a place to plug in the phone’s AC or car power adapter.
I've only tested the speed a few times, but it comes in at between 73kbps and 83kbps. It certainly seems faster than a dial-up modem. I’m pleased with it. They say to expect between 40kbps and 80kbps, with bursts of 144kbps. The time online comes out of my voice plan minutes, but with unlimited nights and weekends that’s no big deal; I tend to want wireless access mostly at those times. Even when online during the day, the service goes on standby after a shot time when no data is being transmitted and reconnects quickly when you start moving data again. So you can sit and look at a Web page or read an email without using cell time.
I don’t yet have the phone hooked to my Pocket PC. There are three ways to do that: with a PC Card, with a CompactFlash card, or with a cable. The PC Card costs $300 and requires a $150 PC Card adapter for my Jornada 568. A cable comes out of the card and plugs into the bottom of the phone. It also requires a separate cell phone line rather than just using your current line. This is a pretty expensive and bulky approach.
The CF card has a cable that hooks to the bottom of the phone, similar to the PC Card cable. Since it uses the CF slot I’d have to take out my memory expansion card to use it. And the card sticks out of the top of the Pocket PC. But it’s not as bulky as the PC Card approach. It does allow me to use an add-on keyboard while online. The cards cost between $110 and $130.
The cable is the simplest, cheapest and most compact approach. It’s a cable similar to what I’m using with my laptop. The cost is $55 to $65. It plugs into the bottom of the phone and the bottom of the Pocket PC (preventing the use of an add-on keyboard – no big deal, really). These cables are supposed to be available by late June.Verizon’s Express Network was originally available only along the east coast, in the SF Bay area, and here in the Salt Lake City area (because of the Winter Olympics). Now it’s available in several other areas and is expanding rapidly. In areas where it’s not available, but where digital is supported, I can drop down to their 14.4kpbs service.
I've only tested the speed a few times, but it comes in at between 73kbps and 83kbps. It certainly seems faster than a dial-up modem. I’m pleased with it. They say to expect between 40kbps and 80kbps, with bursts of 144kbps. The time online comes out of my voice plan minutes, but with unlimited nights and weekends that’s no big deal; I tend to want wireless access mostly at those times. Even when online during the day, the service goes on standby after a shot time when no data is being transmitted and reconnects quickly when you start moving data again. So you can sit and look at a Web page or read an email without using cell time.
I don’t yet have the phone hooked to my Pocket PC. There are three ways to do that: with a PC Card, with a CompactFlash card, or with a cable. The PC Card costs $300 and requires a $150 PC Card adapter for my Jornada 568. A cable comes out of the card and plugs into the bottom of the phone. It also requires a separate cell phone line rather than just using your current line. This is a pretty expensive and bulky approach.
The CF card has a cable that hooks to the bottom of the phone, similar to the PC Card cable. Since it uses the CF slot I’d have to take out my memory expansion card to use it. And the card sticks out of the top of the Pocket PC. But it’s not as bulky as the PC Card approach. It does allow me to use an add-on keyboard while online. The cards cost between $110 and $130.
The cable is the simplest, cheapest and most compact approach. It’s a cable similar to what I’m using with my laptop. The cost is $55 to $65. It plugs into the bottom of the phone and the bottom of the Pocket PC (preventing the use of an add-on keyboard – no big deal, really). These cables are supposed to be available by late June.Verizon’s Express Network was originally available only along the east coast, in the SF Bay area, and here in the Salt Lake City area (because of the Winter Olympics). Now it’s available in several other areas and is expanding rapidly. In areas where it’s not available, but where digital is supported, I can drop down to their 14.4kpbs service.