X61s (Re: [ltp] Self-install or commercial install?)

[Theodore Tso]

On Thu, Feb 21, 2008 at 11:22:06AM -0500, Haines Brown wrote:
> David, thanks for the encouragement. As for WWAN being a no-go, I'm a
> noobie on these issues. I gather WWAN entails cellular phone APs
> (WIMAX, WMAN); an integrated WWAN means the computer has a cellular
> radio built into it, and for the service, I would pay a (hefty?)
> fee. I suppose the advantage is that you can gain Internet access more
> broadly geographically, for you have access to cell phone repeaters
> (or whatever they are called) rather than close proximity to a WLAN
> access provider (AP).

EVDO service is a really big win, and for $60/month, I love it.
***However***, it's a bad idea to get one built into the laptop.  It's
better to get a PCMCIA card with EVDO service.  That way, you can
share the EVDO card between multiple laptops, where as if you get the
support tied to the laptop, you can't use it anywhere else.

Be warned that EVDO service requires a Windows system to initialize
the card and establish the account with either Sprint or Verizon.
Once the service, you will need to boot into Windows from time to time
to update the PRL list, which updates the list of cell towers that can
be used by your Verizon or Sprint account.  Using a PCMCIA card makes
it easier to initialize the WWAN hardware without needing to use a
dual-boot system.

For people who are philosophically or theologically opposed to using
any Windows code or any proprietary code at all, WWAN cards are an
absolute no-go. 

For myself, the first time I was sitting in a plane in Chicago, and
then got stuck in the "Penalty box" for 3 or 4 hours as we waited for
a thunderstorm pass by, and thanks to fact that I had power and
connectivity via EVDO, I was able to get a huge amount of work done.

> As for the Thinkpad X61s, the first major option is to choose whether
> or not to have "Mobile Broadband". It adds $140 to the price, but not
> sure what it refers to beyond that it offers broadband data transfer,
> such as VoIP. Is this the WWAN to which you referred?

Yeah, Mobile Broadband is an EVDO card that either works with Sprint
or Verizon.  If you buy the WWAN option with Lenovo, it generally
comes with a month free service with the wireless ISP.  (I refer to it
as the the "Here little girl, would you like some candy" period --- my
first use of the WWAN while being trapped on an airplane during a
thunderstorm happened during the free period when I had my T60p
laptop.  Fortunately I was able to transfer my account from the WWAN
card built into the T60p into a separate PCMCIA card that I use with
my X61s --- or whatever laptop I happen to be using at the time.)

> I've no idea whether I expect to be out of range of a WiFi AP. My main
> need is to access my home machine by SSH from a laptop. I suppose that
> WiFi would probably work in any city, in airports, on a cruise liner,
> and in city suburbs, some hotels, some campuses, etc., but spotty when
> in small towns and countryside. Is there any hotspot coverage map?

WiFi != WWAN.  WWAN coverage is pretty good in most urban areas.  In
rural areas it can be spotty, though.  Check with Verizon Wireless or
Sprint for their particular coverage map.

							- Ted