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The Novatel Wireless Minstrel m500 modem is a perfect example of what's right and what's wrong with wireless WAN connectivity in the United States. This cleverly engineered, sledtype add-on device is designed to wireless-enable the slim new Palm m500 series of PDAs (personal digital assistants), but the Minstrel m500 is hobbled by the limitations of its underlying CDPD (Cellular Digital Packet Data) infrastructure. Regardless, one of these modems paired with a Palm m500 series device is about the best portable solution you'll find for accessing e-mail and other data over the Internet. Unfortunately, it may not always be enough. But if you need portable wireless data access now-and can live with the inherent limitations of CDPDthe Minstrel m500 is definitely worthy of your short list.
CDPD is an IPcapable data network that taps the unused capacity of analog (AMPS [Advanced Mobile Phone Service]) cellular networks in the United States, most commonly over the AT&T Wireless IP network. It has a theoretical throughput of 19.2 Kbps or 9,600 bps, depending on the local infrastructure. I used AT&T's own CDPD service for my tests, but you can get affordable service plans ($35 to $50 per month for unlimited data) from a number of vendors, including GoAmerica Communications Corp., OmniSky Corp. and Verizon. (For more information on CDPD coverage areas and other wireless WAN services and products, see...