NewsDude
09-12-2008, 04:01 PM
Wi-Fi nomads are a sorry bunch, wandering with laptops open, hoping their modern-day divining rods can locate a free Internet connection.
Here's a tip: check your pocket.
The cell phone there makes it possible to bypass the laptop cards and dongles that turn cell signals into Internet connections. New technologies are making it possible to bypass the wireless phone companies' old approaches as well as the steep monthly fees that accompany them.
At the moment, the Internet alchemy needed to turn the phone into a wireless Web transmitter is only available to a small subset of phone owners, since one needs a smartphone new enough to feature Wi-Fi connectivity. Those include newer generation Nokia smartphones and some of the later Palm Treos, though more devices arrive each week. IPhone owners -- we'll get to you later, but the news is not good.
Why use a Wi-Fi phone to send an Internet signal to your laptop when you could just use that phone to jump onto the Web? This trick is for times when your phone or laptop cannot get an Internet signal in the first place, or you can't use the phone to send documents.
And why would you want to go through the bother I'm about to outline? The best reason is that a data card or dongle costs up to $150 or it is rented for a monthly fee, like your cable box.
Here is the alternative. Getting the software for a smartphone is fairly easy. People with smartphones featuring Windows Mobile software can go to WMWiFiRouter.com, where the application costs about $30. Those with smartphones featuring Symbian software can visit Joiku.com, where the software costs about $21.
Both sites include a full list of compatible devices, as does WalkingHotSpot.com, a similar service that made its debut this week. That service costs $7 a month,...
More... (http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=61810)
Here's a tip: check your pocket.
The cell phone there makes it possible to bypass the laptop cards and dongles that turn cell signals into Internet connections. New technologies are making it possible to bypass the wireless phone companies' old approaches as well as the steep monthly fees that accompany them.
At the moment, the Internet alchemy needed to turn the phone into a wireless Web transmitter is only available to a small subset of phone owners, since one needs a smartphone new enough to feature Wi-Fi connectivity. Those include newer generation Nokia smartphones and some of the later Palm Treos, though more devices arrive each week. IPhone owners -- we'll get to you later, but the news is not good.
Why use a Wi-Fi phone to send an Internet signal to your laptop when you could just use that phone to jump onto the Web? This trick is for times when your phone or laptop cannot get an Internet signal in the first place, or you can't use the phone to send documents.
And why would you want to go through the bother I'm about to outline? The best reason is that a data card or dongle costs up to $150 or it is rented for a monthly fee, like your cable box.
Here is the alternative. Getting the software for a smartphone is fairly easy. People with smartphones featuring Windows Mobile software can go to WMWiFiRouter.com, where the application costs about $30. Those with smartphones featuring Symbian software can visit Joiku.com, where the software costs about $21.
Both sites include a full list of compatible devices, as does WalkingHotSpot.com, a similar service that made its debut this week. That service costs $7 a month,...
More... (http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=61810)