Cell Phones Cellular Plans

For those who get shivers down their spine at the very thought of not being connected to the Internet with their laptop, as well as those that simply cannot do what they need to get done with a Blackberry or Treo or SmartPhone, EVDO is an option you should consider.

EVDO is a PCMCIA card or a USB card that plugs into your computer and allows you to connect to the Internet via the wireless carrier's network. Some of the newer laptops have this capability already built in, although it is typically for a specific carrier, and perhaps not the one that is going to give you the best bang for your buck in the area where you use it most.

The beauty of EVDO is that it allows you to get a decent Internet connection from virtually anywhere you can get a decent cellular signal from your carrier. This frees you up tremendously, because no longer are you limited to that coffee shop or hotel where they have wireless access.

But the downside is that EVDO is not everywhere, and the EVDO networks are specific to a carrier. For example, if you have Sprint EVDO service, you cannot use Verizon EVDO services when you cannot get a Sprint signal. As of this writing, both Sprint and Verizon have the widest coverage nationwide, providing their EVDO service in more than 200 metropolitan areas.

Performance is generally good in the cities where the service has been implemented, with some users saying they are seeing consistently 600k down speeds and even higher. Up speeds are a bit less, similar to the difference found in most residential Internet connections.

You will be paying for this flexibility. Using their top-end plans, you can expect to pay about $45-60 per month for this service, assuming you already have a contract with that carrier. Add about $20-$25 per month if you do not already have cellular service from that carrier. With a specific download cap in place, you can get it cheaper, but in our professional opinion, that doesn't make sense -- if you're going to do it, then do it right.

Not all plans are created equally. For example, the top-end EVDO plan with Verizon says "unlimited". But in typical Verizon fashion, it is not unlimtied. If you use the EVDO service "too much" (as defined by Verizon, apparently arbitrarily), they will shut off your EVDO service with no warning through the end of the current month. Verizon has since come forward and admitted that it is not "unlimited" but they have not stated what cap they put on it before they decide it's "too much". Our opinion is to pass on Verizon EVDO, it is not worth the hassle.

Sprint EVDO also offers unlimited with their top-end EVDO plan, and so far, is sticking with the dictionary definition of unlimited. The Sprint EVDO service is fast and snappy,and delivers what it claims to deliver.

The Cingular/AT&T EVDO service is not deployed in nearly as many cities as the Sprint and Verizon service, and reports indicate that on average, it is about two-thirds the speed based on how they have implemented it. However, if you are a Cingular customer and Cingular serves your location well, this could be a good choice depending on how you use it.

The T-Mobile offering lags the other offerings by a wide margin. The good news is the price, which is under $30 a month for unlimited access. Thr bad news is the performance, which barely rivals dialup speeds and some have not even reported speeds that high.

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