http://www.1saleaday.com/
Link

Sierra Wireless AirCard 881 Unlocked High Speed Wireless Laptop Internet Modem World Wide 3G Network Card PCMCIA - NEW

$39.99

Does this mean wireless internet everywhere? Or does it require a monthly contract/service fee?

"Simply place your phones Sim Card (AT&T, Cingular, T-Mobile or any Sim Card) in the Air Card slot and insert the unit into your PCMCIA port."

only phones with a SIM CARD with internet service will work. This is still a good deal on an unlocked card. Too bad pcmcia. if it was USB I'd be all over...

I got the email from 1saleaday as well, too bad my new HP Dv4t from BF only has express card slot. It would be very cool to tether my laptop.

Anyone know the cost of shipping?

Can anyone testify as to the benefits of USB over PCMCIA with these devices? I've read that USB is better in that you can use an extension cable and place the modem where it gets the best signal, and I do buy into that.

Yes you need a data plan with AT&T or T-Mobile in the US to use this. As someone suspected, this won't work with T-Mobile's 3G network - but it will work on their EDGE network (which is anywhere you get a T-Mobile signal). This card will also work with 3G anywhere else in the world as it supports the 2100MHz 3G band.

So, if I have a data plan with at&t for my iPhone 3G, can I shuck-out the SIM, pop it in here and voila, internets?

I've got a T-Mobile data plan and have been looking for a decent wireless solution for occasional use. Tethering manually is kind of a PITA. I ordered one and I'll report back on how well this works...

What difference can I expect with this card plugged in laptop than directly using cell phone as a bluetooth modem?

I understand tethering is a PITA and I agree. However, it is a greater "PITA" to take your SIM out of your phone and insert it into the air card (for that matter you can't make calls for that time).

So are you going to purchase a separate data plan as the alternative so there will not be any "PITA" situations? Seems like this is a catch-22 situation here!

TheWags said:I've got a T-Mobile data plan and have been looking for a decent wireless solution for occasional use. Tethering manually is kind of a PITA. I ordered one and I'll report back on how well this works...

Swinnydon said:kentchristopher said:pantelones said:So, if I have a data plan with at&t for my iPhone 3G, can I shuck-out the SIM, pop it in here and voila, internets?
Correct. Same should apply for any AT&T device with a data plan. The device doesn't matter: it's the SIM which carries your service.

Would you be charged extra though?

Wasn't there a big cufuffle about not being able to tether with iphone because they didn't want you to slam the data usage too much?
Good question. The general consensus from what I've read on various forums is that it would be pretty difficult for AT&T or any company to tell whether the data you were pulling in was going to a laptop or something like an iPhone. I think this is especially true if you're putting your SIM into an AirCard like this, but ultimately I don't know. Perhaps the best thing to do is try it with a small amount of data and see whether you get any extra charges before using it freely. Even then, if you start streaming video or downloading torrents and your data usage spikes, you'll likely set off some red flags, as well as potentially run into overage fees if there are any hiding in the fine print of your plan.

I'm also having trouble getting this to work with T-Mobile. With the T-Mobile Connection Manager, I can't get the software to recognize the card. With the AT&T version, it can see the card and try to get a connection, but of course the AT&T network won't give service to the SIM. I have been playing around with the setting in the T-Mobile Connection Manager, but haven't had any luck yet.