rudis dot net

While Mary and Tori were here, I picked up an AT&T GlobeTrotter Express ExpressCard cell modem for my MacBook. I'm not AT&T's biggest fan, but I also do not want to be dealing with bills from multiple carriers, so I stuck with the beast that wields control over our iPhones.

My reason for getting one (since the monthly bill is not exactly cheap) is that - while Seattle may be bleeding 802.11 signals everywhere you turn - I needed a guaranteed, reliable means of Internet connectivity no matter where I am in the city. iChat Video is the only thing keeping me remotely sane when I'm away from work and it helps make the 4800km not seem like such a large distance. I get to hear and see all the chaos I'm missing back home. It means some early days for me and late nights for Mary, but it's worth it.

The connectivity also helps at work. We use Windows 2000 still (while we also wait for a migration to Vista) and we lock down the network pretty tight. I *tried* living within the bounds of W2K and without real Internet and it just didn't work. So, I used VMware Converter to make an image of my W2K laptop and run that on my MacBook Pro with it tied to the Ethernet port (so it can do all the work stuff). I then use the GlobeTrotter to let the Mac connect to the Internet and can work sanely again. Apple's iWork '08 makes it even easier to get things done and I can keep in contact with fam & friends much easier.

I grabbed launch2net from nova media to make it easier to use the modem with OS X. The software is not without quirks, but is better than just hacking the driver config (which requires a manual download without support from AT&T, unlike it's EV-DO counterpart over at Verizon).

I get decent download speeds (over a meg a sec at times) and iChat Video looks about as good as it did over the best Wi-Fi connection here (remember, I'm vid-chatting all the way back to PA from WA).

If you have AT&T, the card is not a horrible option, but I'd go with Verizon's if you have any other carrier. Since I'm blogging this from Peet's Coffee in Fremont via the GlobeTrotter, it can't be all that bad.

Yesterday, I received my AT&T bill (just as poorly designed as the ones from Verizon Wireless) and noticed it was way too high. After some inspection, it was blatantly obvious they charged me an activation fee *again* for the two iPhones we purchased.

It took 30 minutes talking to a customer support rep - and eventually threatening legal action - to get it straightened out. Ultimately, they removed the charges.

So, keep an eye on those bills, especially if you decide to enroll in auto-bill pay with them.