Total Wi-Fi Freedom

These wireless services provide a broadband-like

experience, with download speeds consistently topping 500 megabits per second.

There are three competing offerings: Verizon Wireless BroadbandAccess, Sprint

Mobile Broadband, and Cingular BroadBand Connect. A couple of years ago PC

makers started providing access to such services with add-on cards. Now

they're building the access right into the laptop, which is much more

convenient for the user.

I tried Verizon's service on a Lenovo ThinkPad T60 and

Cingular's service on Dell's forthcoming Latitude D620, both corporate

workhorse notebooks. With these cell-based systems, the laptop is tied to a

carrier. All manufacturers are planning to offer versions for different

carriers, in the US and elsewhere, but changing carriers may require that a

technician yank out one radio and install another. Even if that's unnecessary,

to get a decent rate you have to lock yourself into a two-year contract.

While Cingular uses a different technology than Verizon and

Sprint, I found all the services comparable. But there are differences in

coverage. Verizon's high-speed network is the oldest, and it's available in

most major metropolitan areas. Sprint's is spottier, and Cingular is in just

16 metro areas. In each case there's backup service at dial-up speeds if the

fast network is not available, but it's a painful step down.

Cell-based services for PCs connect with a click and work in moving trains

For now, at least, verizon is probably the best choice in

the US. It offers unlimited data service for $60 a month on a two-year contract,

provided you also have a Verizon phone with a voice plan. If you don't have a

laptop with built-in wireless, they'll sell you a PC Card radio for just $50.

Sprint offers a similar deal with a free card-which you'll need since no

laptops are currently sold with built-in Sprint service.

Cingular may be the best deal for the globally mobile.

Unlimited US service costs $80 a month for customers with a Cingular voice plan.

Its technology is compatible with the high-speed networks being rolled out in

Europe and Asia. Cingular offers a $139-a-month plan that provides unlimited

data in the US plus 100 megabytes in monthly downloads in more than a dozen

countries. If that sounds expensive, you probably have never gotten a bill for

international data roaming. Cingular also offers access to several thousand

Wi-Fi hotspots for an additional $20 a month.

That last deal highlights the fact that phone-based

wireless services should be seen as a complement to Wi-Fi rather than an

alternative. Unlike Wi-Fi, these services can be used throughout the coverage

area, not just in hotspots. You can connect simply by clicking, as opposed to

registering separately for each hotspot. And the service works in moving trains

and cars. On the other hand, regular Wi-Fi is generally faster, especially for

data uploads, such as posting your vacation pictures to a Web site. And Wi-Fi

often performs better than cellular inside buildings.

Laptop makers should be doing a better job of getting Wi-Fi

and cell-based wireless to work together. Lenovo at least lets you manage both

using its Access Connections software, but you still have to change profiles to

switch. Ideally your computer would simply connect you to the best available

network without any intervention.

For people who connect away from home or the office only

occasionally, these cell-based services are probably not worth the extra cash.

But for a road warrior the ability to connect anywhere, anytime, will more than

justify the cost.