Use Your PDA to Access Internet from Anywhere

Why?
Because it is so nice. You can check the latest UpToDate edition online (subscription required but you can get a one-month-invitation) without going through the cumbersome process of installing it on your PC, buying the bulky 1 GB card and transferring it to PDA. Pure and simple. You can also check eMedicine, Pubmed, or if everything else fails to answer your clinical questions - check the plain old Google.

How to do it?
If you have a new PDA like HP iPaq hx 4705 (the best on the market right now), there are two buttons in the wireless connection area:

-Wi-Fi
-Bluetooth

Wi-Fi is great but only a few places have open networks, the University Circle in Cleveland and the Cleveland Clinic are among them.

We will talk more about the Bluetooth connection because you are independent when you use it. Like a cowboy in the prairie. Just your PDA and a cell phone.

The PDA connect to the cell phone via Bluetooth, then the phone connects to internet and that's it - you have Google on the iPaq!

What do you need?
-iPaq (HP) or Axim (Dell) with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
-Bluetooth phone
-GPRS or EDGE network provided by a cell phone company

Suggestions:
-PDA - the above mentioned - iPaq or Axim
-Phone - T-mobile Bluetooth enabled phone
-Mobile company - right now T-mobile has the best price on GPRS data - $ 20 per month (on top of the regular cell phone bill)

How fast is the connection?
-Wi-Fi is DSL/Cable fast, this is broadband
-Bluetooth-GPRS is slightly faster than a 56K-modem
-EDGE is 2 times faster than GPRS (not offered by T-mobile yet)

One more advantage - you will never be lost again - you have Google maps, MapQuest and Yahoo maps in the palm of your hand.

Enjoy!


References:
T-mobile Personal Coverage Check offers detailed map showing what is the coverage in the areas where your live and work. This is something that all mobile carriers should do.

With Cell Plans, It's the Coverage, Not the Phone, That Counts - WaPost
T-Mobile’s Personal Coverage Check offers street-level cellphone coverage maps - Endgadget

Useful Pocket PC Programs
Free Medical Programs for Windows Mobile / Pocket PC

Nokia 770 Internet Tablet
Beyond Wi-Fi: Laptop Heaven but a Price - NYT 6/05
A Dizzying Array of Options for Using the Web on Cellphones - NYT 6/05
HOW TO: Setting Up a GPRS Connection for Win XP and USB using Smartphone 2002 - Unwired
Ohhh. The pain, the pain: The Bluetooth pain - ZDNet, see the photocast here
Securing Bluetooth Devices - PC Mag 9/05
Good Laptop Gains Little From Built-In Cell Receiver - WaPo 7/05