Verizon Express Network and a PPC

[peterac]

Hi,

Can anyone share their experiences using a PPC (preferably and iPAQ) with an Aircard to access emails and browse the web over the Verizon Express Network. If you use a VPN even better. I am in the NY Metro Area and I am considering this option so I can switch the card to and from my laptop and PPC.

Thanks,
Pete R.

[peterac]

Wow, I can't believe nobody is using this option or at least if they are they are not so exited about it as to post their thought.

Anyway, if anyone is using an Aircard in their PPC over the Verizon Express Network please just at least say something like yes it work or no don't go there.

Thanks!

[Janak Parekh]

Wow, I can't believe nobody is using this option or at least if they are they are not so exited about it as to post their thought.
The problem is that the number of Pocket PCs with PC card slots has diminished tremendously, and as such the popularity of this setup has gone down.

Anyway, if anyone is using an Aircard in their PPC over the Verizon Express Network please just at least say something like yes it work or no don't go there.
I've had EN on my Samsung i700 and i600, and it works very well. Of course, that's not going to be of much help to you. :(

--janak

[peterac]

Wow.. I did not even give too much thought to the idea that I would have a problem with expansion slot availability.

Are there ways around this? Is there an adapter I could purchase so that the Aircard could fit into a CF slot? Or, is there a CF Aircard that I can purchase?

Thanks,
Peter R.
Malverne, NY

[Janak Parekh]

Wow.. I did not even give too much thought to the idea that I would have a problem with expansion slot availability.
The only remotely current Pocket PC with a PC card slot is the iPAQ 5550, and you have to get a bulky sleeve for it.

Are there ways around this? Is there an adapter I could purchase so that the Aircard could fit into a CF slot? Or, is there a CF Aircard that I can purchase?
There are CF-to-PC card adapters, but they're clunky and ill-suited to the purpose of handling an Aircard with its own antenna. Essentially the PC card "hangs out the back". In addition, Pocket PCs with such an adapter are ill-suited to the battery requirements of a cellular PC card (the iPAQ 5550's PC expansion sleeve has an extra battery).

If you do not yet own a Pocket PC, I would suggest buying a CDMA-enabled Pocket PC directly from Verizon instead. You can get cables to hook up such a Pocket PC to a laptop, which is what I did with the Samsung i700. Even better is the upcoming Audiovox XV6600 (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=35540) (actually, it's available now, but only through their "business channels", with consumer availability soon); it has Bluetooth, so you can keep the Pocket PC in the pocket and theoretically connect through it using a Bluetooth adapter in the laptop. Plus it has 1xEV-DO support, which offers up to ~ 350kbps bandwidth where available.

A third alternative would be to use a Bluetooth-enabled CDMA phone, like the Motorola V710, which can act as a dial-up modem to both a Pocket PC or a laptop. It's only 1xRTT (up to ~ 100kbps), however, but if you need a smaller phone it's a choice worth investigating. (Verizon is rumored to release a 1xEV-DO Bluetooth-enabled cell phone in the near future, although this has not been confirmed.)

--janak

[peterac]

I thought I heard that Sprint or one of the other carriers offered a CF Aircard? If so, how does their high-speed network compare?

Thanks

[Janak Parekh]

I thought I heard that Sprint or one of the other carriers offered a CF Aircard? If so, how does their high-speed network compare?
Sprint does (did?) offer a CF card for 1xRTT service. I'm not sure how much it cost, but assuming they still offer it, it's certainly a choice. It has an extra battery to power it, as long as you don't mind the bulk.

As for GSM carriers, I don't think any in the US actually sell it themselves, but you can buy third-party GPRS cards. GPRS is slower than 1xRTT or 1xEV-DO, but that may also be a valid alternative.

From my experience, most people are taking either the Pocket PC Phone or Bluetooth route.

--janak

[Robrecht]

(Verizon is rumored to release a 1xEV-DO Bluetooth-enabled cell phone in the near future, although this has not been confirmed.)

--janakDo you have a source for this rumor or a link or any additional info?

[Janak Parekh]

Do you have a source for this rumor or a link or any additional info?
It's the LG VX-8100 (http://www.mobiletracker.net/archives/2005/01/04/lg_vx8100_specs.php). Google for more links -- people are really excited about this, and no-one's sure why this is coming so fast on the heels of the VX-8000. Of course, FCC certification doesn't guarantee Verizon adoption, and that's why I pointed out it's still in the rumor stages.

--janak

[Robrecht]

no-one's sure why this is coming so fast on the heels of the VX-8000.
--janakHmm ... end 2005 or maybe not until 2006.