Complete Mobile Warrior's Product Guide

If a hotspot on nearly every corner still isn't enough, you need cell data. High-speed cell data service in a smartphone or laptop card can fill the gaps between Wi-Fi hotspots, or even replace Wi-Fi altogether in some areas. The wide coverage of cellular gives it the advantage, although at a premium price. You'll pay about $80 per month for unlimited service plans ($60 if you have a voice plan with the same provider), and more for the phone or card to access it.

Shop around for the best deal on equipment bundled with the right plan for you. Also check coverage maps to make sure your favorite cities are on the list. Sprint and Verizon have fairly extensive EV-DO coverage across the U.S., Cingular's HSDPA network is behind due to a late start, but the company is working hard to catch up. Buy a phone you can tether to your laptop if you only expect to use the service occasionally. Buy a card if you want to be connected all the time. If you buy a phone, be sure both it and your data plan allow tethering, some don't.

In our tests of data cards, we've found most provide similar performance -- the network itself is the most important fact in the speed you're going to get. Choose the strongest network in your area, if you can (unless your voice plan dictates a different cell data provider for economic reasons). For owners of late-model laptops, EV-DO ExpressCards are now available from Verizon, and Sprint and Cingular are expected to ship ExpressCards for their broadband data networks this fall as well. All will work with the Mac as well as the PC, happy news for MacBook Pro owners. Those without a PC Card or ExpressCard slot (iBook and MacBook users, among others) can look forward to USB adapters this fall, probably from both Sprint and Verizon.

We prefer phones based on Palm, Windows Mobile Edition (sometimes referred to as Pocket PC), or BlackBerry technology, because all three let you open and view Microsoft Office documents you receive in enclosures, and their calendar and contact managers are more complete than the ones contained in most so-called smartphones.

For those of you who prefer carrying a full-featured PDA along with a compact cellphone like the popular Motorola RAZR V3, we suggest pairing a Bluetooth-capable PDA with a data-capable Bluetooth phone.

PDA SMARTPHONES

Palm Treo 700w (Verizon)

Treo lovers no longer have to feel like second-class corporate citizens, thanks to this marriage of Palm and Microsoft technology. The benefits that Windows Mobile 5.0 brings to the Treo platform are true multitasking, robust multimedia playback, and native Office/Outlook support, while Palm adds its user interface expertise. And the 700w's broadband EV-DO access, which is 10 times faster than that of the Treo 650, is hard to resist. You'll also get full Windows Media support, a 1.3MP still/video camera, and Bluetooth for headsets, synching and printing. What you won't get is integrated Wi-Fi, but you can add Palm's $99 SD card for that.

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HP iPAQ hw6515 Mobile Messenger (Cingular)

Smartphone lovers who want it all will love the brand-new iPAQ hw6515. This cameraphone runs on Cingular's GPRS/EDGE network, for high-speed data connections and worldwide roaming. It also has built-in GPS navigation with popular TomTom software, and a BlackBerry-like thumb keyboard. Add in Windows Media music and video playback, and it's hard to ask for more.

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Sprint PPC-6700 EV-DO/Wi-Fi Smartphone

The PPC-6700 is the most capable Windows Mobile smartphone to date, with triple-threat EV-DO, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, all in a compact package. It also has full Office and Exchange support, very good voice quality, an excellent slide-out keyboard, and a 1.3MP camera with flash. All the built-in wireless features leave the SD card slot ready to accept more memory for your tunes and documents.

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CELL DATA CARDS

Sierra Wireless AirCard 580 (Sprint)

If you can't go two minutes without checking email, or if you're always looking for the next Wi-Fi hotspot, you need an EV-DO laptop cell data card. Running at 400-700Mbps everywhere within Sprint's EV-DO coverage area (most major metro areas and airports), the AirCard 580 has a flip-up antenna that gives great reception. You'll never need to drive out of your way looking for a hotspot again.

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Verizon V640 ExpressCard

If you have a laptop with an ExpressCard slot, the Verizon V640 EV-DO card is currently your only option. It's a good one too, since it runs on the network with the widest U.S. coverage of any mobile broadband provider. Both Mac and Windows drivers come with the card, making it an ideal choice for MacBook Pro owners.

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Sierra Wireless AirCard 860 (Cingular)

Tap into Cingular's growing high-speed HSDPA data network with this quad-band GSM-based laptop card. It manages Wi-Fi connections too, so you can switch with ease. It has a port for an external antenna and SMS support, and the four bands allow worldwide roaming, something you can't do with EV-DO. HSDPA runs at similar speeds to EV-DO, about 400-700Mbps.

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