Re: road warrior?

[Philip Choi]

Hi Gang

Have any of you ever used a cellphone with a Pismo (or any other
Powerbook) to go online out in the wilds whether there's no
wireless, phone jack or LAN point? If so, please let me know how
it's done. What phones, software and connections between the two did
you use?

I have both 10.3.9 and 9.1 on my Pismo.


Long message, that will (hopefully) demystify things...

As others have said, this is definitely possible, and an EXCELLENT use 
of technology that cell phone providers have thus far provided dismal 
support for.


Almost any cell phone can connect to the computer and will interface as 
a modem device.  Bluetooth is the new rage, but USB connectors work too 
(and I prefer, because often they will provide power to the phone as 
well, so it doesn't run down the battery while online).  This 
compatibility will be dictated by high-level USB architecture, which OS 
9.1 does pretty well.  People make a big deal about modem scripts and 
seem to have a lot of trouble with them.  In reality, the digital 
chipsets in these phones are all made by a few manufacturers, and they 
are all based on standard AT command interface (with some cell phone 
command extensions) from days of yore.  So don't worry about scripts 
not being compatible either.  So from that standpoint I wouldn't worry 
about Mac compatibility.  To answer your question, you shouldn't need 
ANY EXTRA SOFTWARE, apart from a simple text file connection script.  A 
good source for cables is www.boxwave.com.


Primarily there is the CDMA and GSM network in the US.  Both have their 
respective "slow" connections, roughly equivalent to 14.4kbps, "fast" 
connections, somewhere around 100kbps (depending on cell load), both 
available almost anywhere you get a digital signal, and "faster" 
connections that rival WiFi speeds, being deployed these days.  I have 
only used CDMA equipment with Verizon (also the network used by 
Sprint), so I'm not too familiar with the GSM terms.  For CDMA, the 
specification for "fast" connection capability is 1xRTT or what is 
termed "National Access".  "Faster" is EVDO or "Broadband Access", 
which only the newest phones have.  I believe on the GSM side 
(Cingular) they call it EDGE.  You never have to worry about a separate 
ISP, because the connection that's made is a special data connection, 
and your phone's service provider acts as the ISP.  To answer your 
question, any modern phone, even a few years old, will do the trick.  
Look for the buzzwords.


Now, here's the part you're not going to like--the data access (at 
least anything faster than the slowest form) is not cheap.  It can cost 
you upwards of $40 nowadays.  I added the option to my account with 
Verizon a long time ago, so it doesn't cost extra, and just comes out 
of voice minutes.  Great on nights and weekends ;).  If you're 
persuasive enough, maybe you can find some loophole.  It's kind of sad, 
really, that wireless companies seek to make so much money on these 
data connections, which in fact require less bandwidth on average than 
voice; text-messaging not withstanding!  But I digress...


Anyhow, do you have a phone already?  Odds are it will work.  You can 
verify this, and then start by finding a cheap cable to connect to your 
laptop.  If you are looking for a new phone, pick a provider you like 
(Cingular is probably cheapest), and find a phone you like.  Double 
check that it is data capable.  Ask if they sell a USB "sync" cable for 
that particular manufacturer (often, several phones of one manufacturer 
will share the same connector).  Ask about the data plan.  I believe 
there is a 30 day trial period so you can exchange the thing in the 
rare case that it's incompatible.


I've been connecting online with my Lombard like this for almost two 
and a half years now.  Great while traveling.  Airports, hotels, in the 
car on the highway, you name it.  Can fax too, with the proper setup.  
Free printing at hotels ;)


Keep in touch with your progress and any difficulties.  It really is 
convenient once you get it working.


Phil


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Re: Rebuilt batteries & calibration.

[Philip Choi]

 > Laurent,
 > I had a Pismo battery rebuilt. It was not necessary to recalibrate;
 > mine automatically did it over 5 or 6 recharge cycles; Pismo would 
just
 > continue to operate long after indicating zero; next charge would 
show
 > a longer time until it stabilised.
 >
 > However the charge LEDs no longer function; small loss.


 Did you do this rebuilding yourself or have it done? Id love to 
rebuild my
 own Pismo batteries and any info you've got would be appreciated.
A month ago, I rebuilt two Lombard batteries.  I used 2400mAh 
lithium-ion cells (maybe 50% more capacity than the stock Panasonic 
cells Apple used?).  They also seem to have lower internal resistance, 
so that I'm able to run about 4.5 hours on one battery, without any 
power saving measures (screen on full brightness, HD spinning, some 
moderate CPU usage).  I found them at www.batteryspace.com.  The raw 
cells are priced quite affordably--in the end, I spent about $150 
rebuilding the two batteries.  How much does one new battery cost?

I used Apple's Battery Reset after booting in OS 9 to reset the 
batteries' circuitry.  The LEDs work fine.

I have a third battery that I removed all but three cells from.  It 
holds enough charge to power the Lombard for about 1 minute while on, 
but perhaps several days while in sleep.  I leave this in the laptop, 
and it shaves a few pounds off my back on the way to and from the 
office.  I keep my "new" hi-capacity batteries in the fridge and use 
them while traveling.

Phil
http://www.umich.edu/~choip/
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