Mobile Computing Tips: In-Room, High-Speed Net Access
James A. MartinPros and cons of hotel broadband offerings, new PDA accessory--a cutting board.
Feature: A Skeptic's Guide to In-Room, High-Speed Net Access
The lure of a plug-and-play, in-room, high-speed Internet connection using my notebook was a prime reason why I stayed at The Park hotel on a recent business trip to Charlotte, North Carolina. (The fact that the hotel has an outdoor pool and hot tub didn't hurt, either.) And yet, I was highly skeptical: How many times had promises of "plug and play" turned into "crash and curse"?
Easy Set-Up
On the desk in my $149-a-night room was an STSN Internet access box. STSN is a Salt Lake City-based company that supplies high-speed Internet access to participating hotels in the United States and a few other countries. The box is about the size of a standard external Digital Subscriber Line modem; you lift the lid for instructions on how to make Ethernet, Universal Serial Bus, or standard dial-up modem connections. As the instructions promised, I found the required connection cables in a plastic bag hanging in the closet. The bag also included a CD-ROM that included the drivers I would need if I chose to connect via USB--a convenient option, as practically all notebooks have a USB port but some (particularly older) models don't have Ethernet ports.
I used the supplied Ethernet cable to connect my notebook to the STSN box, turned on my notebook, and launched my Web browser. To my surprise, an STSN Web page appeared. So far, the whole procedure had been delightfully uncomplicated, particularly compared to the dial-up modem connection nightmares I've experienced in other hotel rooms.
Test Drive
At the STSN sign-up page, I chose to buy 24 hours of service (from noon to noon) for $9.95. The other options were $39.95 for a week and $119.95 for a month. The charges were added to my hotel bill. And that was it. Suddenly, I was surfing the Web at DSL-like speeds of approximately 300 to 500 kilobits per second, incredulous at how easy it had been. (I could also view my hotel bill online and get information about the hotel.)
I noticed a toll-free tech support number listed in the instructions. When I called, I was further impressed by the fast, courteous, knowledgeable response. And the next morning, I printed a three-page black-and-white Word file using the STSN service ($1 per page for color or black and white); it was waiting for me when I checked out.
Corporate-Friendly Surfing
It's important to note that STSN supports virtual private networks--a plus for corporate, security-minded users--though I didn't test that feature. The company's Web site lists the VPNs it supports; among the 13 currently supported are Microsoft's Windows 98, NT, and 2000 VPNs, and Shiva's LanRover.
Based on my experience, I'll be checking STSN's Web site for participating hotels the next time I travel on business. Currently, there are STSN-equipped hotels in Canada, Germany, Norway, Singapore, and the United Kingdom, with the majority (several hundred) found in the United States, primarily in Marriott properties. The STSN Web site lists all participating properties, but doesn't break them out by state, so you'll have to scroll through a long list--or do a keyword search on the Web page--to see if there's a hotel at your destination.
More High-Speed Options
STSN isn't your only option for high-speed, in-room Internet access, however. Austin, Texas-based Wayport delivers in-room Internet connectivity at near-T1 speeds in more than 450 hotels and business centers for about $10 for 24 hours. Wayport also offers broadband wireless Net connections in some hotel conference rooms, lobbies, and guest rooms.
MobileStar offers wireless high-speed Internet access in selected hotels. The service, which was teetering on oblivion's edge when acquired by VoiceStream Wireless in January, is fast and reliable, based on my tests at a Hilton hotel in Charlotte last year. Various service plans are available, ranging from $2.95 for 15 minutes to $59.95 a month for unlimited minutes. MobileStar is offered at many Starbucks and other locations, too.
You can read more about Wayport and MobileStar in an earlier newsletter, "Mobile Computing Tips: Broadband To Go, Safe Notebooks."
Notebooks
News: A Sony Notebook That Records Video
One of Sony's latest notebooks, the Vaio C1, can also serve as a digital video recorder--letting you record TV shows on its hard drive for playback, say, on your next long flight. (The trendy TiVo device is an example of a stand-alone DVR.) With the included external TV tuner unit and GigaPocket software for TV recording, the Vaio stores TV shows on its 40GB hard drive.
Though GigaPocket has been bundled in Sony Vaio desktops, the Vaio C1 is the first notebook to include the software. The Vaio C1 also features a wide-screen, 8.9-inch TFT LCD with 1280-by-600-pixel native resolution; it is topped by a video camera with 350,000-pixel resolution. And, oh yes, it is also a computer. Currently, the Vaio C1 costs about $1755 in Japan; launch plans outside Asia have not yet been decided, according to Sony. Read more about the Vaio notebook in "Sony Shows off Cool New Vaio Notebooks."
Review: Affordable, Well-Rounded Micron Laptop
The new Micron TransPort XT2 is one of the best-designed, most-affordable one-bay laptops on the market, says PCWorld.com's notebook goddess Carla Thornton. The attractively designed XT2, dolled up with soothing blues and grays, features conveniently located, dedicated music controls for using the notebook as a stand-alone CD player, and the optical drive (a DVD-ROM/CD-RW in the unit we tested) is easily reachable as well.
Unfortunately, the XT2 doesn't include any applications at the $1999 price. It also has a few design problems, such as a cumbersome lid release and battery pull handle. The XT2 configuration Thornton tested--which included a 1-GHz/733-MHz Pentium III-M CPU, 256MB of RAM, 512MB of L2 cache, Windows XP Home, a 14.1-inch active-matrix screen, an Intel 830M graphics board using main memory, and a 20GB hard drive--earned a solid PC WorldBench 4 score of 96.
Tip: Stretch Your Phone Cord's Reach With a Portable Surge Protector
On a recent business trip, I spent several nights at an old college friend's house. After setting up my notebook on a desk in his office, I discovered that neither of the phone cords I had was long enough to reach from my computer on his desk to the RJ-11 wall jack. Fortunately, I had brought along my new portable surge protector from APC.
The APC SurgeArrest Notebook Pro C6 100-240V includes data-line protection for modems and faxes, with jacks for each. As a result, I was able to string one phone cord from my notebook to the surge protector's input phone jack and the other cord from the protector's output phone jack to the wall jack. Voila, I could set the notebook on my friend's desk and still reach the wall jack to make a dial-up Internet connection, with the SurgeArrest acting as a kind of extension for my phone cords. The surge protector costs about $30; read more about it at the APC site.
Handhelds
News: A Wireless PDA Keyboard
Manufacturers of keyboards for handheld device are getting increasingly creative these days. In the May 16, 2002, issue of this newsletter I reported on the Logitech KeyCase, an electrically sensitive cloth keyboard for Palms that also acts as a protective carrying case.
The latest innovation is a wireless keyboard from a Vancouver, Canada startup called Pocketop Computer. The company claims its Pocketop Keyboard is the world's first wireless keyboard for PDAs. The $119 keyboard works with Palm and Pocket PC 2002 OS devices, folds for easy carrying, features keys large enough for touch typing, and comes with a stand for propping up the PDA for viewing.
News: Stop Squinting at Your PDA
Typical PDA screens are about 3.5 inches diagonally--not exactly a copious amount of screen real estate. For $30, you can buy a magnifying lens that clips onto your Palm or Pocket PC PDA. The device, called Magnfico (believe it or not, that's how it's spelled), is available from a Port Washington, New York-based retailer, Officeonthegogo.com.
Tip: The Ideal Palm Accessory--a Cutting Board
When the weather is nice, I can be found in the park or on the beach, working diligently on my Palm VIIx. By attaching the Palm Portable Keyboard to my PDA, I can type (into a Word file using DataViz's Document To Go 4.0) nearly as fast as I can in the office. The folding keyboard is a great way to save space, but once unfolded, it must be supported on a solid surface.
Most hardcover books aren't big enough to support the PDA and the keyboard; portable lap desks are too heavy; magazines are too flimsy. My solution? I use a lightweight acrylic cutting board as a stand for my keyboard and Palm. The 14.5-by-10.5-inch cutting board is perfectly sized for the job. I bought mine at Bed Bath & Beyond for about $10, but you can probably find a similar board at any kitchen supply store.
Wireless
News: Don't Get Excited About 3G Mobile Phones Yet
Mobile phones operating on high-speed, third-generation (3G) networks promise speeds from 384 kilobits per second to 2 megabits per second, which means they could conceivably handle high-speed multimedia and serve as all-in-one communications, entertainment, and information devices.
But not so fast--in our early tests, performance was significantly slower, closer to that of a standard dialup connection. See "Connect Fast With 3G Nets" for details.
Moreover, 3G mobile phones are still months away from becoming widely available, particularly in the United States. Motorola and Siemens, for instance, recently announced they would have 3G handsets available for the European market by the fourth quarter. Nokia has set a September 26 launch date for its first mass-market 3G mobile-phone service and handsets. Samsung Electronics and Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications are aiming for European product launches by the end of the year, though both companies have said 3G products won't be readily available in stores until 2003. U.S. availability for these products is expected to follow the European market.
For more about the state of 3G mobile phones, check out "Siemens, Motorola Team for 3G Handsets."
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