Not long ago, carrying a cell-phone ensured that you'd be accessible, at least most of the time. Barring the inevitable snafus -- a dropped connection, or no connection at all -- your cell kept you in touch with clients and coworkers, whether you were waiting for a flight at O'Hare International or stuck in a cab in midtown Manhattan.
But those days are over.
Today, a new generation of smart cell-phones has emerged -- phones that are designed to act as your full-fledged communications hub. These master multitaskers can double as your personal digital assistant and as your connection to the Web. So the next time you're flying standby at O'Hare, you can dash off an email, log onto the Net to look up a company's prospectus, or sell that dog of a dotcom stock -- all from your cell-phone.
Net-ready phones use a standard called WAP (wireless application protocol), which provides a common interface for displaying Web pages. As long as you have a WAP-enabled cell-phone with data service, and the Web pages that you want to view are WAP compatible, you can use your cell to cruise the Web. If you don't have WAP support, then your cell-phone is ? just a phone.
To see how this Web-on-the-go world really works, I spent several weeks testing many of the most promising WAP-enabled Net phones. I tracked stock quotes. I checked news headlines. I even made a few calls. My conclusion: Smart cell-phones are ready for the Net, but don't expect them to replace your PC. Entering information on a phone's keypad can be a struggle. You can't read email attachments on a cell, and you'll have to remember yet another email address for the phone.
That said, if you're buying a new cell-phone, get a smart phone that's WAP enabled for the Web. Just like caller ID and voice mail, Web access will soon become a standard, must-have feature for mobile phones. By making your next cell-phone a smart phone, you'll be prepared for tomorrow -- today.
Claim to Fame: No-frills Web access.
It's not the sexiest cell-phone to hit the market, nor is it the lightest. But the Ericsson R280LX is an inexpensive mobile phone that will get you Web access whenever you need it. Depending on your service contract, the phone's price tag ranges from $89 to $129. That will buy you a 6.1-ounce, fully featured phone with up to 4 hours of talk time and 135 hours of standby mode.
Initially available on AT&T Wireless systems, the R280LX model will work on all AT&T systems -- both analog and digital -- enabling you to make a call from just about anywhere. The phone's clarity is better than average, and the AT&T Digital One Rate calling plans start at $59.99 a month.
Internet access is a little faster than some services (9.2 KBPS versus 14.4 KBPS), but you probably won't notice the slightly faster speed when you're accessing information via the phone's built-in Phone.com browser. The phone will connect you to the standard WAP-compatible Web sites, such as ABCNews.com, Bloomberg.com, and Info-Space.com; its screen will display about four short lines of text at a time.
For receiving and sending email, the R280LX has one big advantage over the other phones reviewed here: It lets you reply to multiple-choice questions on an email (such as "Do you want to meet in your office or in a conference room?"). And the phone's 400-entry phone book can be supplemented by storing as many as 5,000 to-do items and appointments on AT&T's PocketNet servers.
Coordinates: Ericsson, www.ericsson.com; AT&T Wireless Services, www.attws.com
Claim to Fame: Walkie-talkie features and a great mobile modem.
One of the more unusual phone-and-service plans available for mobile motormouths is the Motorola i1000 plus on the Nextel system. The i1000 plus not only gets you on the Web but also has two-way radio features via Nextel's network.
The i1000 plus ($199) is a 6-ounce, flip-top phone with a see-through window so that you can ID the number or name of an incoming caller, read email, or have a conversation on speakerphone without having to open the cover. One battery charge gives you up to 3 hours of talk time or about 50 hours of standby time. For basic voice calling, Nextel charges $49.95 a month for 150 minutes (additional minutes are 20 cents each). One downside: Out-of-towners will discover that they can't make voice or Web connections in rural areas that don't have digital service.
Nextel's service includes what it calls Direct Connect, which essentially works like a two-way radio. Push a preprogrammed button, which dials someone's personal ID and instantly connects you to that person's Nextel phone. These calls are free but can only be made to other Nextel users within the same calling area, such as the Dallas-Fort Worth-Houston region.
To check out its Internet abilities, I tried a trial WAP-enabled i1000 plus that Nextel plans to introduce in select metropolitan areas sometime in April. Its Phone.com browser let me connect easily to the Web. Onscreen icons alerted me to power consumption and menu choices, and I could read about four lines of Web information at a time. But the i1000 plus was an even better wireless modem when I connected it to my laptop -- perfect when I needed a monitor larger than the phone's tiny monochrome screen to surf the Web.
Coordinates: Motorola, www.motorola.com; Nextel Direct Connect, www.nextel.com
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