The Wireless Laptop Made Simple

When I took a first look at a new wireless data service from VoiceStream

Communications (Tech & You,Mar. 4), I speculated that the clumsy

computer-plus-phone setup would become a lot more practical if I only had to

deal with a single device. It didn’t take long for Verizon Wireless to prove

me right by providing a way to use either a laptop or a Pocket PC on Verizon’s

Express Network. The direct connection, with no cables and no infrared link to a

handset, made all the difference in the world in ease of use.

In terms of basic function, both VoiceStream and Verizon provide mobile

connections to the Internet at speeds roughly equivalent to a standard dial-up

connection. Verizon claims speeds of up to 144 kilobits per second in short

bursts, but I found that typical speed was around 50 kilobits per second with a

good signal. In either case, your mileage will vary, since all wireless networks

slow down dramatically as signals weaken or as networks get jammed.

Express Network, which is based on Qualcomm’s CDMA technology, is currently

available on the East Coast with most major U.S. cities slated to be added in

the course of the year. Sprint PCS (PCS ) plans to launch a similar service

nationwide around midyear.

Unlike the VoiceStream system, Verizon does not offer a true "always

on" connection; your laptop or handheld actually has to dial a call each

time you want to connect to the Internet. In practice, this difference has more

effect on how the service is priced than on how it works.

For technical reasons, Verizon (and once its service starts, Sprint) cannot

bill for data by the byte. Instead, you pay for the time you are connected, with

your data minutes coming out of the same bucket as your voice minutes. Express

Network is available for a $30 surcharge on any calling plan costing $35 a month

or more. For a total of $65 a month, you can get 300 daytime minutes (combined

voice and data) and 3,000 minutes nights and weekends.

I tested the wireless AirCard 555 PC card with both a Windows XP laptop and a

Compaq iPAQ Pocket PC. Although the iPAQ with its PC Card adapter sleeve makes

for a hefty 11 1/2-oz. package nearly 1 1/2 in. thick, it worked very well. The

only difficulty I ran into was that the Verizon network does not currently work

with Microsoft’s virtual private networking software (a problem Verizon

promises to fix), so I was unable to get through BusinessWeek’s firewall to

read e-mail. The AirCard dialer also could be better integrated with the Pocket

PC’s software; you have to open a call using Verizon’s software, then open

the e-mail program or browser.

Using the AirCard in a laptop was generally a happy experience, but revealed

some shortcomings in software for the new wireless age. For browsing the Web and

handling e-mail, it felt about the same as a good dial-up connection, and I was

even able to log on to our corporate system with Nortel Networks’ virtual

private network software.

The biggest problem is that Microsoft software–is not well suited to

wireless use. The AirCard is designed to minimize charges by disconnecting if

you haven’t used the network for five minutes. But Outlook is a hyperactive

networker and will keep a connection open unless taken offline manually. And

Outlook Express tries to download attachments, no matter how big, whenever it

connects. At 20 cents to 40 cents per excess airtime minute, these programs can

get expensive if you are not careful. Windows, Outlook, and Outlook Express all

badly need a special wireless mode.

Verizon and Sprint both say their new data services are interim steps on the

way to a much faster always-on network due in 2003. But even in its current

imperfect state, the new service from Verizon is a promising sign of things to

come.

By Stephen H Wildstrom

in BusinessWeek. Copyright 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc