Thinking about getting a gomadic cable but...

[PapaSmurfDan]

Well, I am thinking about ordering a Gomadic cable for my Axim and my Motorola V120 phone. I have done a bit of traveling of late and it would of been nice to have reached the net while waiting at airports, hospitals, or waiting for a table.

1) Which Verizon data plan will I need to subscribe to? The extra 5 bucks for the wireless web access will hardly hurt me, and its not like I use my voice minutes as is.

2) In gerneral, how useful is this setup for just catching up on e-mail, IMing, and basic web browsing?

3) Are Verizon's connections reliable? Well, not 24/7 reliable, but reliable enough to stay connected to AIM for 15-20 minutes and send small attachments.

Thanks guys.
-Dan

[Brad Adrian]

I've used this setup for quite a while using Verizon and it works pretty well. Plans may have changed, but with my plan, I only had to add the data services, and the extra $5 gets data services with no size limits, but the connection time does come out of your total plan minutes.

This type of connection works very well for IM because of its low bandwidth requirements. It also works well for e-mail and basic browsing, but you can expect some wait times for pages to load.

Of course, the connection reliability varies with location, but I've found that if I'm able to make a reasonably clear voice connection, I can also make a reliable data connection.

If you have any other questions or problems once you get the cable, just let us know.

[nickl]

I've got the Gomadic cable for the Dell Axim X5 <--> LG5350 phone, and have Sprint Vision service, so I can't speak for Verizon. After some problems setting it up (my bad, I forgot to add the "pound" symbol to the dialing sequence) I haven't had any problems with it. I travel a lot, so it's perfect for checking e-mail and VERY BASIC web browsing, as it is a tad slow if you're used to having fast access at home.

All in all, if you don't have the luxury of a Bluetooth setup and don't mind lugging the cable around, it's an excellent, affordable option.

[PetiteFlower]

I'd hardly say you have to "lug" the cable, it's pretty tiny ;) Smaller then the Axim, that's for sure!

I honestly thing this cable is the coolest thing ever invented though. Not even kidding! I'm connected anywhere I go. I've just set up a wireless network w/broadband at home and still trying to work out the kinks so if the router goes down and I can't reset it because the person whose room it's in has gone to bed, I can still get my email/IM fix :) I'm never cut off, it's just the best thing!

[PapaSmurfDan]

I just ordered the cable. For the extra 7 bucks a month on my cell bill, it could be really handy. Also, sure will beat trying to find a free public hotspot while traveling (I refuse to even drink starbucks much less stay at one for the costly net access). However, I really wished Verizon had a month by month Express Network plan. I may be going on a long vacation and it would be nice then to have net access at a decent speed for just that month.

What convinced me to go with the cable was the fact that there is free exchanges whenever you upgrade PDA's or Cell Phones. Given that my current cell phone is not aging well, I may upgrade to a new phone this summer (I don't think I can wait another year for the 100 buck credit on a phone).

Thanks for your views on it.

-Dan

[Underwater Mike]

I just spent five days in Miami without my notebook computer, using my Axim, LG5350 and ComCube for connectivity. Remote synchronization via Vision was slow but acceptable, as was basic Web browsing. I have to say, though, that Thunderhawk is a LOT more tolerable via WiFi than 1XRTT. Between the normal Vision speeds and the jerky TH scrolling, I found myself using PIE a lot more than I thought I would. 8O

IMO, the only drawback of the ComCube is that it precludes the use of an add-on keyboard, unless you're using the PocketTop or something similar. Still, much better than shelling out triple the money for a Socket CF serial card. Since I have the Dell folding keyboard, I finally sprung for Spb's Full Screen Keyboard SIP for IMing when connected via the ComCube. That worked great, except for my habit of hitting the wrong keys...

[PetiteFlower]

yeah, I'm gonna have to get an IR keyboard because of that. Maybe the ROM update will help the IR transmission for that. I'm glad I didn't already spend the money on the Dell keyboard though!

[Underwater Mike]

:idea:

I have a related question for anyone who knows about wiring and stuff:

I have a Socket CF DPC for Samsung phones that I've been unable to sell. Ignoring for the moment the issue of drivers, would it be possible for me to lop off the Samsung connector on the Socket card, wire the leads to an RJ45 connector, and run the ComCube-to-LG5350 connection off the CF slot instead of the Axim's serial port?

I made an inquiry to Socket's tech support about this but, needless to say, they weren't keen on providing assistance.

[nickl]

I use my foldable keyboard to write all my emails, then my Gomadic GoCube to log on and send 'em all. No biggie.