[Birmingham Rain]

Hey, thanks Rockrr for your response.

Not sure what HSDPA is, but assume it's none cheaper than what I've been quoted thus far.

As you stated, and I'm sure of, the price will come down. As it is, most of us pay for home cable, internet, telephone, then cell phone. It's ridiculous, me sitting and thinking about it, how tied I am to people I don't know, never will, etc., and having to have info at the speed of light.

On the other hand, what heck would I do without it all?

[rockrr]

When talking about "wireless" technologies, it's important to differentiate between the different types of wireless that are currently available.

The simplest wireless devices are Infrared. IRDA is so slow and limited in range that they are virtually dinosaurs in the industry.

Wi-Fi is the 802.1X technology. Many laptops come with integral Wi-Fi cards now. When people talk of coffee shop "hotspots", they are referring to the Access Points where they can receive and send wireless signals. This is also the technology that is associated with home wireless networks. The effective range is limited to about 150 feet and the speeds are similar to (a little faster than) dial-up.

HSDPA is another in the evolving series of broadband wireless technologies. Also referred to as "3G" the basic technology is similar to cell phones with an effective range is about ten miles and some services allowing speeds up to 8mps (Megabytes per second).

This technology allows viewing full-frame video, large-scale file transfers, and a close to "in the office" experience. Obviously, it's also the most expensive.

Remember, time is money and the time I save by being able to work "on the fly" easily pays for the service.

Besides....I like toys ;'}