The Wireless that Wi-Fi Promised

I was thrilled when Apple announced its AirportThis is unfortunate, because Verizon
Wi-Fi hardware. Like many others, IWireless has made EVDO technology extremely
envisioned walking down the street with myaccessible to all levels of computer
iBook constantly connected to theuser. Verizon has made true wireless broadband
Internet. We all soon found out how difficult thatavailable. What Verizon offers with
was, at least without buying a cupits EVDO service is computer access to the
of coffee. A small culture was born from peoplehigh-speed data network that their
driving through neighborhoodsphones use for streaming video content and text
looking for Open (Without a password) wirelessmessaging. The most astonishing
access points. This scavenger huntthing is that it is not dialup speed, but DSL
was not the wireless network we had envisioned.speeds of up to 2 Mbps. Actual speeds
That dream connectivity camevary considerably as you drive down the
many years after Wi-Fi, and it is calledInterstate, but you will stay connected. Your
EVDO.EVDO is short for Evolution-Date Optimized,signal is handed off from one cell tower to the
which like all too many acronyms usednext.
these days tells you nothing about the service.