We've been covering Omnisky a lot lately. That's because we like and use the service ourselves and see it as a key enabler for truly useful wireless PDA functionality.

Already available for Palms and HP Jornadas, Omnisky did a public beta of the iPaq service through March and April. We participated to see how their killer service works on the iPAQ. Well, it works great, they have done a super job, and I am hooked.

I tried the iPaq combination in the CDPD-rich New York City area and it was a happy experience. The hardware required is a Compaq iPaq, the elusive PC Card Expansion Pack, and the tried and true Sierra Wireless Aircard 300 (see Aircard/Expansion sleeve review in the March issue of Pen Computing). As this was a beta program, all of the documentation, including errata sheet and iPaq-specific instructions were all targeted to make the beta user feel at home. The Omnisky CD install was slick, easy and fast. The software installed on the iPaq included the Omnisky interface and the wireless modem software. I answered a few questions about the alternate POP3 email account I wanted linked to the Omnisky service and I was ready.

An errata sheet in the package said that the beta version required users to log on overtly while the final implementation would hide the login process. No big deal as the software did a nice job of starting the link without much prompting. And a couple of screens here and there activated the modem and called for updates.

One reason for the manual intervention is the fact that the Aircard goes into ÒsleepÓ mode at every opportunity to squeeze the most out of the expansion pack's battery. I thought that this constant waking and sleeping would slow things down but that was not the case. I didn't have the time to run any scientific burn-down test of the expansion pack battery with the Aircard but I know from experience that it is one of the lowest energy draining modems available. With sleep mode enabled inbetween requests the battery combo lasted a good seven hours of intermittent use. Omnisky's claim or 12 hours is probably achievable with the iPaq's sidelight off.

One of the keys to Omnisky's remarkable success is the amazing amount of compression they use to make the 19.2kbps link work like lightning. As long as you stay within the Omnisky service and portal screens you swear you are running at many times that speed. Movement between the main menus and most content menus is crisp, and the Omnisky portal covers just about everything you could possibly want. Available categories include Finance, Travel, Shopping, News, Sports, Portals, Local Information, Entertainment, communications and Reference.

So if you need to look up an airline schedule, check the weather at a travel destination, or view a stock quote, it is all available on Omnisky. When you leave the Omnisky service and go onto the web, the handoff to Pocket IE is smooth and the return to the Omnisky screens is equally smooth. While connected to Omnisky, you can launch Pocket IE via the ÒWebÓ icon and surf the web with URLs any way you like. The Omnisky software simply steps into the background and lets you browse. Once on the web, of course, you no longer have the benefit of Omnisky's compression and the limited speed of the CDPD connection can become painful. Perhaps Omnisky should consider working their software magic on a compression-based browser as an option to Pocket IE. As is, turn off pictures in Pocket IE and your surfing will speed up considerably.

Just like Omnisky's web service, its email is quick and responsive. That's in part due to a clever setup that provides headers only on initial connection. Request a full copy of selected email and you'll realize that you're running at only 19.2k. Still, I was pleasantly surprised how useful email can be with just headers and perhaps the first 1000 characters of a message.

By the time you read this, Omnisky service for the iPAQ should be open to the general public. The company has announced two pricing plans for their service. The first is a monthly commitment for the regular $39.95 per month with $299 upfront to buy the Aircard. The second is an annual agreement plan where you commit to a full year of service at $39.95. After paying $299 for the modem, you get a $100 rebate upon activation. With the already low price on the Aircard your total savings is $200 based on current pricing.

As one of the Pocket PC fanatics among Pen Computing's editors, I give Omnisky on the iPAQ two thumbs up. At times it was almost impossible for me to put this sweet wireless combo down.In my opinion, the Pocket PC implementation is far superior to even Omnisky's lauded Palm-based service. www.omnisky.com. -

– Dom Giangrasso