Sprint, Cingular offer new ways to connect

Many of you have been asking how the highspeed cellular Internet cards are working… so now that the story is done and complete, here’s the rundown. BTW, I should be getting a demo on Sprint’s new phones with TV and video and music downloads soon as well as a Toshiba Gigabeat. I’m looking forward to both, especially the Gigabeat. I’ll let you know know how they work if and when I get them. I may just need to start another blog for my tech talk column… we’ll see….

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Sprint, Cingular providing new Internet options

By JONATHAN BLUNDELL Daily Light staff writer
Thursday, January 26, 2006 10:58 AM CST

Back in the day I listened daily to Air 1 Radio over the Internet.
It was 2000 and right before Power FM 89.7 in Dallas was on the air and there was nowhere to get a good mix of “Christian Hit Music” anywhere in the Metroplex.
So with my trusty 56 Kbps modem, I listened to the AM quality music over my home stereo system — often religiously.
I remember commenting to my friend that I couldn’t wait till the Internet somehow expanded to your vehicle so you could listen to Internet radio from all over the world while driving down the road.
Little did I know that within six years it would become a reality.
Thanks to new services from Sprint and Cingular, laptop users can now connect to the Internet wirelessly, just like they were sitting at home or in the office.
New technology being put in place by both cellular services will give you broadband-like speeds anywhere within their high-speed networks.
The services use a PCMCIA (type II slot) card that connects to the Internet via cellular towers.
I tried out a card from each service over the last week to see if the service was worth the monthly cost.
Sprint sent its Sprint PCS Connection Card by Novatel Wireless, the Merlin S620.
Cingular sent its Sierra Wireless Aircard 860 PC Modem.
Both cards were similar in size and weight, but I was a little nervous about the small moveable antenna on the Cingular card.
I was afraid it might get annoying or in the way, but after a week’s use I hardly realized it was there.
The Sprint card uses a built-in antenna that sticks out about half-an-inch from the PCMCIA slot. Cingular offers a similar card from Novatel as well.
Unfortunately for users outside the initial high-speed service areas, broadband speeds are not yet available, although users can still connect to older networks at lower speeds.
Both highspeed networks are currently restricted to the immediate Dallas and Fort Worth areas in North Texas. But both services say they plan to extend their networks; however, it is unknown as to when or if the service will be extended to Ellis County.
With high-speed service, not only will users be able to get broadband Internet access on their laptops, but cellphone users will be able to access more content on their phones, including video and faster Internet browsing.
And despite the lower speeds in Ellis County, I was initially pleased with both services.
Without a home phone line and being left out in the cold by the other broadband providers, coming home to check my e-mail was a welcome change.
Score one for the cellular providers.
Both cards were super easy to set up.

I installed the software that came with the cards in a matter of minutes. The install was effortless and basically automatic. Once the software was installed I did a quick restart and inserted the PCMCIA card. My Toshiba laptop recognized both cards right away and moments later I was surfing the Web.
I was impressed that both carriers kept a consistent connection, more than I can normally say for my actual cellphone conversations.
When sitting in my cubicle, laying in bed at home, sitting in my recliner or walking around my apartment I maintained a consistent and steady connection.
I tested both cards around Ellis County and found them to be reliable at every test site.
I averaged between 48 Kbps and 63 Kbps with both services. Most home modems with dial-up Internet access max out at 53 Kbps.
I expected to see huge differences in service quality depending on my location, but of the tests I ran, the service remained consistent.
My computer showed the signal from the cell towers varied depending on where I was located, but I still connected at roughly the same speed.
With the lower connection speed I appreciated the accelerated option for both services.
While the connection speed never changes, users can choose to load graphic heavy pages at a lower bit rate than normal.
The resolution on the graphics is lowered while downloading so the page loads faster. If you need to see a clearer version of the image you can reload the page or the individual picture.
The feature was great on both services but I felt my pages seemed to load faster with the Cingular service.
My real surprise came when I put the cards to the driving test to see if Internet radio was ready to go mobile.
I took off with a friend heading north on Interstate 35E. When we passed Interstate 20 I turned on my laptop and fired up the Sprint card.
Right away I was surfing the net and sending instant messages to friends in Belton and Corsicana.
I ran a connection test and found that I was averaging a connection around 824 Kbps. That’s slightly faster than average broadband (768 Kbps) and slightly slower than high end broadband (1.5 Mbps) and about on par with my office.
I watched videos, checked my e-mail and continued chatting with my friends without a problem until my computer’s battery ran out on U.S. Highway 75, just south of U.S. Highway 121.
I have to admit, I was impressed and pleased – despite my mistake of forgetting to charge my battery before I left home.
When we arrived in Frisco, I charged my computer again and swapped cards.
Immediately I was connected to Cingular’s 3G network.
But unlike Sprint, my average connection speed was near 464 Kbps. It wasn’t a bad connection and I barely noticed the difference in speed.
As we left Frisco I kept my connection active to test Cingular’s network capabilities.
My connection was dropped three or four times as we made our way back to Highway 75, which was a slight irritation, but each time I reconnected within 30 seconds. As we made our way south on Highway 75, I pulled up my preferred Internet music site, Yahoo! Music Engine with Launchcast Radio.
The service offers unlimited music downloads as well as more than 30 high-quality commercial free music stations.
I connected to the Coffee House and was very surprised to hear the station play continuously without pausing to buffer or reconnect. The only time the station buffered was while I was downloading several music files as well as visiting a Flash-heavy Web site. As we neared downtown Dallas I rechecked my connection speeds and saw that I was now averaging around 684 Kbps, much better than the previous 464. The connection stayed consistent until we neared the U.S. Highway 67 merger where the service dropped down to 56 Kbps.
Needless to say I was pleased with both cards and services.
I was worried that there would be a number of dropped connections, especially while traveling down the road at 70 miles-per-hour, but both cards remained strong.
Pricing for service and cards vary, but according to its Web site, Sprint is offering each of its three cards for free after instant savings and special discounts. The suggested retail price is $249.
The Cingular cards sell for $99 each after discounts from a suggested retail price of $199. Service areas vary with Cingular launching its 3G, or Third Generation, Network in Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, and other cities.
Sprint’s Web site shows its EV-DO network available in more cities nationwide, but coverage from city to city varies.
”We do have the largest high-speed network nationwide,” Sprint representative Roxie Ramirez said. “We’ve been building our network for over a year now and will continue to add more areas and locations in 2006.”
So before you choose or purchase the cards be sure the coverage area is where you need it.
But if you’re spending most of your time on the road or away from traditional Internet connections, this service could be invaluable to your business along with letting you listen to All India Radio, while chatting with friends and catching up on e-mail while you sit in a construction zone on Interstate 35 – just be sure you’re not the one driving.