Let me begin by saying that I love my iPaq, and I live online. Therefore, when the opportunity to test out a new way to access the Internet presented itself, I leaped at it. Longing for the days of an iPaq / Internet connection at T3 speeds, I was a little disappointed with the connection speed, but the ease of use and convenience more than made up for the lack of speed.

The cable arrives in a bag with instructions on how to set up the connection based on your wireless phone provider. This took all of five minutes to set up…the only problem was the Transcriber program not recognizing my handwriting!

Once the proper settings have been inputted, you are finished with setup. Just like my compact flash modem, there was no extra software to install, which saves memory space, and makes it easy to use the cable, even with other iPaqs.

The cable connects the recharge connector on the bottom of the StarTac, with the sync connector on the bottom of the iPaq. This allows you to use the iPaq naked, or in a sleeve with a compact flash card, PCMCIA card, or both.

When you connect the cable between both units, you will hear a confirmation noise, just like when you connect the StarTac’s recharge cable. Go to the connections link on your iPaq, and click on the connection you created using the setup instructions. The unit will automatically dial the appropriate number and connect you to the Internet.

Once you are online, you can begin surfing using the built in Internet Explorer.

The best thing about the cable is the ease of usage. Unlike a regular modem, you don’t have to be tied to a specific place. You can surf just as easily while sitting at a table as you can walking around the room. That is something you never consider…the sheer pleasure of not being tied down by a trailing wire.

Another benefit is the fact that you don’t have to set up a different ISP in order to use the cable. The set up sheet included with the cable tells you the access number and username/password combination that you need, depending on your wireless provider. This cuts down on the extra ISP cost required for a Sierra card, or a compact flash modem.

The main problem is the speed while connected. A compact flash modem can connect at speeds up to 56K, while the cable can only connect at half that speed. Since you are using up wireless minutes while connected, you definitely want to watch how long you are online. Of course, if you have a plan with unlimited minutes, feel free to stay connected at all times! Otherwise, surf during off-peak times, or for very short periods.

The second problem is a logistical one…how to hold the StarTac and PDA at the same time. I’m sure that someone will develop a carrier that holds the two units together, but for now, the best I was able to do was to "sandwich" the cellphone in-between my hand and the iPaq. It worked, but it was not the most comfortable method. (While lying on the couch, I was able to lay the phone on my chest, which worked pretty well.)

Another problem was power. Since the cable is plugged into the phone through the same port that the charger uses, I could not plug the phone in. It didn’t seem like the phone was drawing power from the iPaq, but as long as you have a phone with a sufficiently large battery, this should not be a problem…unless you’re online a long time!

The last problem is one of coverage area. The cable only works in areas with digital coverage, not analog areas. I believe that the Sierra card has the same limitation, but am not sure. In those situations, a regular modem would be the only way to access the Net.

TOTAL SCORE:

  9 out of 10 stylus taps.

Excellent method of accessing the Internet while reclining comfortably in the Lazy Boy^®. If you like to surf the web, and crave flexibility, I would highly recommend this cable.

--Andy Ai