.KEYWORD cable
.FLYINGHEAD PRODUCT REVIEW
.TITLE Get connected with a SupplyNet cable
.OTHER
.SUMMARY You’ve already got a cell phone, so why pay for a costly modem? There’s an inexpensive and often overlooked alternative. Phil Black reviews a handy little cable from SupplyNet that allows you to connect your Palm OS handheld to your Motorola CDMA cell phone. It’s wireless Web surfing made easy.
.AUTHOR Phil Black
Ever since I bought my first Visor a year ago, I had been curious about what browsing the Web wirelessly would be like. Over time, my curiosity grew stronger,. I upgraded my cell phone to an Internet-capable model soon after getting my Visor, in hopes that there was a way to connect the two.
I knew that with a certain cable, you could connect a laptop to the Internet via a cell phone, so I figured the same could be done on my Visor. After much Web browsing for some kind of solution, I came across Innogear’s site (at http://www.innogear.com) where I first saw their fabled "six-pak" Springboard that was to be released last October. As some of you might know, the release date on that module got pushed back further and further until they decided to pull it from their Web site completely. Bummer for me.
My only option at the time was a $200 to $300 OmniSky modem (at http://www.omnisky.com) and $40 monthly service. In my opinion, paying more for a wireless modem than I did for my Visor is ridiculous. Not to mention the $40 monthly fee. Heck, that’s what I pay for my broadband at home.
So, I gave up the idea of wireless Web access on my Visor for a long time, making do with AvantGo’s very decent offline content browser. That is, until three weeks ago when I was browsing VisorCentral.com (at http://www.visorcentral.com) and saw a blurb about a cable from SupplyNet that connects Motorola CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) cell phones to Handspring Visors. You can find SupplyNet’s Handspring Visor to StarTac, TimePort, TalkAbout, and V Series Cellular Data Cable at http://www.thesupplynet.com/productDetail.cfm?prodID=5307. It’s pictured in Figure A.
.FIGPAIR A With this cable from SupplyNet, you can connect your Visor to a variety of Motorola cell phones.
The very next morning, I ordered the cable for my Visor and added the wireless Web option to my phone. I came home from work three days later to find my package had come in. It was a simple cable. One end connected to the HotSync connector of my Visor, and the other connected to the bottom of my StarTac phone. I snapped it on both devices and proceeded through the connection and network settings per the included instructions.
Within 15 minutes, I was on the Internet, instant messaging my cousin. I was very surprised at how easy the whole process was. I’m usually the one to get stuck in the technical details, but this is truly a simple setup procedure that anyone should be able to handle.
One of the nice little extras included is the ability to use your wireless provider’s ISP (Internet Service Provider) instead of being forced to connect via a dial-up ISP. This was especially useful for me because, as I mentioned before, I have broadband at home, so there were no dial-up access numbers for me to use
I brought my newly connected Visor into work the next day, and it made quite a buzz in the office. Browsing the Internet in full color on my Visor Prism and getting maps from MapBlast (at http://www.mapblast.com) impressed even the most jaded of my coworkers. Even my boss, whom I originally convinced to get a Visor, was excited and decided to order one of these cables for himself.
I really have to give SupplyNet major kudos for developing this simple product. Those of us who don’t have a lot of money to throw around or don’t want another monthly bill can truly appreciate this nifty little cable. This is also a great way to consolidate your gadgetry, since I’m sure most everybody has a cell phone by now. I mean, who would make the leap to the wireless Web before even getting a cell phone?
Ordering the cable is a breeze, you may either buy it online, or you can call in your order (as I did with my 101 questions). Their customer service is absolutely excellent. I appreciated that I was able to talk to a knowledgeable human being right away. The cable only ran me $46 with shipping, and the wireless Web feature only costs me $7 extra a month with my wireless service. Delivery was quick; my package arrived two business days after the day I ordered my cable. I’m a happy man.
So I would recommend that everybody check out this low-cost solution to getting the wireless Web on your Palm OS handheld. It’s a very small investment, and you don’t have to be a total nerd to set up your connection. Best of all, this cable makes the "cool" factor of the wireless Web available to everyone. Have fun!
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H1 Product availability and resources
For more information on SupplyNet’s Handspring Visor to StarTac, TimePort, TalkAbout, and V Series Cellular Data Cable, visit http://www.thesupplynet.com/productDetail.cfm?prodID=5307.
For more information on Innogear, visit http://www.innogear.com.
For more information on OmniSky, visit http://www.omnisky.com.
For more information on VisorCentral.com, visit http://www.visorcentral.com.
For more information on MapBlast, visit http://www.mapblast.com.
For more information on Motorola phones, visit http://commerce.motorola.com/consumer/QWhtml/home.html.
For more information about Palm computers, visit http://www.palm.com.
.H1 Bulk reprints
Bulk reprints of this article (in quantities of 100 or more) are available for a fee from Reprint Services, a ZATZ business partner. Contact them at reprints@zatz.com or by calling 1-800-217-7874.
.END_SIDEBAR
.BIO Phil Black is a Senior Web Designer for SrV Unlimited Design. You can check out some of his work at http://www.srvdesign.com. He can be reached via email at designerboy8@hotmail.com.
.DISCUSS http://powerboards.zatz.com/cgi-bin/webx?50@@.ee6f53e
