Re: [a/s] Cell Modem/Phone/Provider Info Request

[Bob Kiger <myairstream@xxxxxxxx>]

         Before I left on my trip I bought an AT&T National Plan and a 
Nokia 6190 cellular phone with a PC card modem.  Cost me over $600 and the 
damn thing hardly ever worked.

What's frustrating is that once in a while it would work.  I would be able 
to upload and download my email.  But 90% of the time the system would 
"time out" before the mail was delivered.  The costs for wasted calls 
topped $250 in one month.  I finally just put the rig away and went without.

My recommendation for those on the road is to use hotmail.com and local 
internet cafes and other computer outlets.  They're everywhere and 
relatively cheap.  Local libraries almost all now have internet access.  If 
you are going to stay on the list using such a routine, you would have to 
check your mail fairly often so you did not overload the quota of the 
hotmail.com system but you certainly could send and receive email, do your 
personal banking and research with internet cafes and libraries.

If you have a laptop in your Airstream you can write all your letters 
off-line and then just take a floppy to put them on the computer that will 
be sending them out.  That saves a lot of money in computer time at the 
internet cafes.  A side benefit is that these places are nice social 
environments.

Bob Kiger
http://members.home.net/bobkiger