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Novatel Wireless CONTACT

A few years ago I went wireless with a Hewlett Packard 95LX palmtop PC and an Ericsson Mobidem wireless modem. I had an account with RAM Mobile Data. The whole thing worked like a charm. There seemed to be coverage wherever I travelled, and the Mobidem's battery lasted seemingly forever. I loved the package that came in a handsome leather bag, but not enough to keep paying for the wireless account out of my own pocket after the evaluation period expired.

Last year I tried wireless again but couldn't warm up to any of the PC Card modems I tried on a number of HPCs. Reception seemed weak and battery life was much too short. Besides, HPCs are bulky enough as is, without the "baggage" of a wireless card sticking out of its side. This was the reason why E.Com built the Discovery, to give people an all-in-one, integrated handheld with wireless communications capabilities.

Now, however, there is another option, and it may be just what a lot of road warriors have been looking for: the CONTACT from Novatel Wireless.

The CONTACT essentially combines a handheld PC with a wireless modem. To be more specific, Novatel Wireless started with the Phenom II, a second generation Windows CE device from LG Electronics, and skillfully added a fully integrated 0.6 watt full duplex Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD) modem.

What can you do with the CONTACT? You can send and receive e-mail, browse the Internet, access your intranet, and remotely synchronize files and data, wherever you are, without a wire connection.

There are, of course, some limitations. First of all, the CONTACT will only be able to use its wireless modem when you are in an area that has CDPD service. CDPD is a packet data protocol that works over the existing cellular network and also over the emerging PCS digital system. Currently, CDPD is available in over 130 US metropolitan areas that cover about half of the population. For a detailed explanation of all things CDPD, connect to http://www.cdpd.org. My review unit came with AT&T's "National Unlimited" wireless IP service account. For a monthly fee of US$64.99, you get unlimited usage across the US wherever there is wireless IP coverage by AT&T Wireless. Incredibly, there's also no extra charge when you roam areas outside AT&T coverage that are covered via interconnection to other wireless IP carriers. What all of that translates into is that wireless Internet connectivity has drastically come down in price, but you still need to pay close attention to coverage maps. Fortunately, for those occasions when you find yourself truly out of range of the nearest CDPD tower, the CONTACT also has an internal 14.4 wireline modem.

The next thing to consider is that wireless Internet access is quite different from modem or LAN access. The CONTACT's wireless modem operates at a maximum speed of 19.2Kbps, which means that web browsing isn't as fast as you're used to. And, depending on the wireless plan you subscribe to, there may be limits as to how much data you can move back and forth before extra charges kick in. If you're not careful, your monthly bill could be skyhigh. This is where companies such as GoAmerica come into play.

My tester had an e-mail account at GoAmerica which provided great additional functionality. The GoAmerica middleware server, for example, compresses data two to three times, and GoAmerica's E-mail Plus allows selective filtering and downloading of messages. A header preview feature shows who's sending information and you can then decide whether to download or wait until you're back in the office. There are a number of subscription offers and services which you should check out for yourself at http://www.goamerica.net.

Bottom line: you need to do some research and make some decisions before you commit to a service. Pick the right combination and you'll be rewarded by totally transparent and painless access to the Internet (almost) wherever you are. You won't even know how you ever managed to get any business done with all that running around in search of a suitable phone line and modem jack. Pick the wrong one and you'll be frustrated over coverage and shocked at the bill.

Solid hardware
But what about the CONTACT hardware itself? As stated above, it's based on the LG Phenom II. Amazingly, the wireless modem barely increases the size and weight of the unit, even though the CONTACT has a Li-Ion battery pack to handle the heavier load. The Phenom II is a solid second generation HPC, powered by a Hitachi SH-3 RISC processor, and offering all the standard HPC amenities, from a PC Card slot to (weak and tinny) voice recording. The CONTACT is no speed demon, running through our PCM scroll test in 29 seconds, but it's no slouch either. And like its LG cousins, it comes with a built-in VGA-out port, a huge advantage if you plan on doing Powerpoint presentations on the road.

The CONTACT's greenish monochrome screen measures a large 7.1 inches diagonally and is as sharp and legible as monochrome HPC screens get, and the bluish backlight also performs at par.

There is no CompactFlash slot, but internal RAM and ROM can both be expanded to 32MB. The 7-inch wireless modem's antenna is neatly integrated into the unit and swivels up into a position perpendicular to the keyboard.

Novatel Wireless claims a battery life of eight to twelve hours for the CONTACT and that's probably about right. It could be longer if you don't use the wireless modem, and much shorter if you use it a lot. However, even an extended web browsing session won't kill the battery within minutes (as many PC Card modems do) or even within an hour.

If it weren't for the recent introduction of the LG Phenom Ultra, we'd probably be blissfully happy with the CONTACT. But with the Ultra a bright and colorful reality, we can't help but wish for a CONTACT Ultra that would combine Novatel's fine wireless modem with the Ultra's gorgeous screen and almost full-size keyboard. Novatel Wireless said the company was fully behind Windows CE and hinted at some future announcements. For many, this may or may not matter. If you need wireless e-mail and Internet access, the Novatel CONTACT is just about as good as it gets.