I need to find out what sort of PCMCIA card (PC slot card) I need for
my laptop, a good place to get one at a good price that will ship to
France. Also, I need to know who provides service, how to get that
service, good prices, etc. I know about cellhire.com, if you have any
other info, that'd be best. I'd like to purchase the card separately
but if it makes service cheaper, then that's fine. I only need the
service for one month. Basically I want front to back info on getting
internet access through cellphone providers. For GPRS, I'd like some
info on how to use my Motorola v400 phone for internet access too.
Please ask for clarifications and post comments before officially
answering. THANKS IN ADVANCE!

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Clarification of Question by justwannaknow-ga on 06 Jun 2005 13:49 PDT

I'll give details on my situation - I'm not near a lot of wifi
accessable places (like cafes, etc.) and I don't really have access to
a phone line (the line is there, but there is no phone service,
something which I don't care to purchase). Any ideas from there?

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Clarification of Question by justwannaknow-ga on 08 Jun 2005 13:09 PDT

Yea, I've had an Orange SIM card for a little while now (useful except
for the glaring lack of having options read in english OR french). I
apparently have 10 minutes of WAP access - does this mean that if I
get the cable to connect my phone to my laptop I have 10 minutes of
access available there? Or does this mean that I have 10 minutes ONLY
if I access the net through my phone?

Thanks

Are you absolutely sure that you require wireless access? Data roaming
fees in Europe are horrendously expensive. You may want to consider a
combination of Wi-Fi and dial-up access instead.

You can use your Motorola in France as it is a GSM enabled handset.
However, the best option for you would be to purchase a pre-paid SIM
card for use in France. This is only possible if your mobile has not
been 'locked' by your current service provider.

The easiest option in that case is to purchase a pre-paid SIM card for
your mobile phone that also offers GPRS access.

You can buy these from any Orange store in France.

Again, I stress that your handset must be 'unlocked' to use this SIM card.

In addition, you will need a data cable to connect your mobile phone
to your laptop. As far as I'm aware, the V400 is not Bluetooth
enabled.

You could also purchase a 3G Data Card (also available from Orange on
a pay-as-you-go basis). The card itself costs about US$350. Data
charges are approx. US$3-4 per 1MB - as I mentioned previously, very
expensive!

Would certainly prohibit internet surfing but should be fine for emails.

Obviously your location will determine whether or not you can access a
3G network. Otherwise the card will allow you to connect using GPRS
(about 56K, same speed as a dial-up connection).

WAP is basically an internet 'lite' for your mobile phone. It allows
access to internet pages that have been optimized for viewing on
mobile devices.

It is designed for phone access although it is possible to connect to
a PC. Connection is much slower than GPRS.