E1505 Verizon or Sprint cards

Looking to use a Verizon or Sprint card for internet with the E1505. Does anyone know if the E1505 supports either of these cards and is it available now?

 

This isn't my expertise, however a lot of information can be found here:

http://www.expresscard.org/web/site/

"Where to buy" is located here:

http://www.expresscard.org/web/site/cons_wtb.jsp

The top story deals with sprint and verizon here:

http://www.expresscard.org/web/site/wirelesswan.jsp

Hope this helps,

Inc

 

You can call verizon's data technical support and they might let you know. The best site for EVDO is http://www.evdoforums.com/. There are plenty of threads about this. Verizon has great service with EVDO but check the coverage area for your city to see which carrier is best for you.

 

Don't do it, it's about what? $200 for that card to be built in?

It's $49.00 to get the same card that plugs into your PCMCIA slot down at any local Verizon vendor in your area. It should not cost $150 extra to get the card onboard vs. the same thing but for a PCMCIA slot.

Traditionaly, anything onboard would have cost you less. People are getting jacked paying these prices to have the EVDO service built into their systems. They should be giving it away free just to attract people to their propriatary service. So look at what I have for you so far...

$49.00 total for EVDO PCMCIA card that plugs into you laptop

vs.

$200 total for internal EVDO card inside your laptop

both do the same exact thing mind you, but it gets worse when we keep looking at the numbers here as I continue...

Both require you to ALSO have a voice service plan (why? who the F knows?)

That's a minimum plan of minumum voice minutes of $39.00 a month for a 2 year contract. Mind you, niether the internal or the PCMCIA EVDO cards are voice capable. You still have to pay for a cell phone voice number though in order to use these services, even though they are not capable of using voice services either to send or recieve cellular calls.

In addition to that $39 a month cellular service you have to pay for (even though you CAN NOT use it as a cellular service) you have to pay for either per Mb data (at insane per Mb rates), or pay for unlimited data. In my area, for unlimited data rates it's $49.00 a month (in addition to that $39 a month for voice you HAVE to pay) for the PCMCIA card you can plug into ANY laptop (note also, thhe PCMCIA card was only $49 for the card).

Now look at this, get the internal EVDO service card installed in your laptop, ($200 for the card internal vs $49 PCMCIA) and the service is even more per month for unlimited data for some reason if you have the internal card, considerably more, like in my area, for me to of subscribed to the EVDO service through Dell had I of gotten the internal card it would have been $79 a month (plus the $39 for the cellular service) as opposed to only being $49 additional for the same exact service had I of gone with the PCMCIA card instead.

Do the math on that, over the course of the minimum 2 year contract, your going to pay an additional $720.00 for the same exact service, add to that the difference in cost of buying the plug in PCMCIA card ($49) vs the internal card ($200) and over the terms ov that contract you'll end up paying an additional $871.00 for getting that internal card.

Whats wrong with that picture? That's Dell (or who ever builds your laptop with these cards built in) getting their cut and your paying an insane amount for it, almost the cost of a new laptop just getting tossed out the window when it's money you could have saved.

That's pretty bad huh?

It gets worse if you put your thinking cap on.

If the EVDO card is built into your laptop, that means its stuck in that laptop. If you buy a new laptop, or that one gets stolen, your out. If you have more than one laptop, you need a seperate card this way for each one. Each card means a completely seperate service plan. At least with the PCMCIA card, it's only $49 for the card, and you can use that same card and single service plan on any laptop you want. Got a friend going out of town for the weekend, rent him your pcmcia card for that weekend and he just paid for your months service.

I use Verizon EVDO service as a secondary Internet access point for myself. You want to do it the smart way, check out how I looked at the system and found the best approach in achieving the same thing. After all, the goal here is to achieve broadband wireless internet anywhere, without having to be plugged in or in a WiFi hotspot right?

Don't buy the internal EVDO card, or the PCMCIA card from Verizon, Dell, or anyone else, your getting ripped off if you do. Check this out and think about it, you know, do the math.

Your looking to get the internal card, you are also probaly in the modern world and own a cell phone your paying on each month, so lets add up what you'd be paying just in the minimums to start and per month...

$200.00 for Internal EVDO card
$39.00 for EVDO Monthly Cellular service (required)
$79.00 for EVDO Monthly Unlimited data service
$39.00 for your current cell phone (minimum)
(note, add the cost of you paid for your cell phone itself into this as well)

Thats $357 just to get into the first month (not counting activation fees)

Look at the cost of going with the PCMCIA card instead...

$49 for EVDO PCMCIA card
$39.00 for EVDO Monthly Cellular service (required)
$49.00 for EVDO Monthly Unlimited data service
$39.00 for your current cell phone (minimum)
(note, add the cost of you paid for your cell phone itself into this as well)

Interesting, that's only $176 vs $357 to get in on your first month (not counting activation fees) by going with the PCMCIA card instead.

Hold on to your seat though, lets look at what I do, or maybe I should explain what I do first...

I have unlimited wireless broadband on my laptop, just like you will, in fact exactly like you will if you pay way more to do the same by getting that internal wireless broadband card.

I didn't buy the $200 internal card, or the $49 PCMCIA card, instead, I bought a $300 PDA type cell phone that runs Microsoft Windows version 5.0 Mobile. It's a Verizon phone model XV6700 to be exact.

(for some reason the forum software here wants to eat this first picture above? I've tripple checked my URL and its right but the PHP code here is messing it up)



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So feel free, ask the obvious, this is $300 vs $200 for the internal EVDO, or even $49 for the PCMCIA EVDO card, what's my point right?

Lets keep doing some math, and some thinking here...

This device is both a mini laptop running Windows, complete with as you see an Internet Explorer web browser running on the same EVDO network, amongst so much more, like I said, a mini laptop that fits in the palm of my hand. It's also a cell phone, so right off, I pay $49 a month for unlimited data on the EVDO plan, plus, I get full use of cellular service which you have to pay for anyhow, all for only $100 more total life in hardware. My cellular plan (I don't make alot of calls, mostly email) is $39 a month.

With Verizon, even though I'm not a business owner, but since I went with this phone/PDA and unlimited data, with minimal cell minute plan per month on a 2 year contract, under their business plans my monthly bill comes to a total of only $69 per month for cellular service I can actually use and unlimited data.

If your still with me, your probably wondering, sure that's great I can own a PDA/cell phone that I can take anywhere and surf the internet on, but how does that help me with my laptop?

Here's the real sweet part of this deal, note, Verizon doesn't support this, in other words, they won't walk you through doing this or help you if you have a problem, however, if you know how to make an internet connection (obviously everyone here does or you'd be unable to read this on the internet right now), you can use this XV6700 phone with the unlimited EVDO package as a wireless broadband modem to connect your laptop through either with a wireless Bluetooth connection between your laptop and the phone, or a wired connection from the USB ports on your laptop and your phone. Ok, some may say, but that's extra stuff I have to carry around with me. I say, isn't your cell phone always at your side and extra gear your carrying around with you already anyhow?

With a bluetooth connection you don't even have to plug wires or anything in between your laptop and your phone to connect your laptop to broadband speed wireless internet access through the xv6700 cell phone, so forget the internal card and the PCMCIA cards and all the additional charges you'll pay each month for them.

Just get an XV6700, use it's cellular service, and get the unlimited data plan for EVDO for it. Connect your laptop through it for internet access when wanted, or for those times when you want to travel really light without even the laptop, you can still connect to the internet and use this phone like a mini laptop that fits in the palm of your hand.

The real sad part is, a month from now this information will have drifted 6 pages back in the postings at this web site and will be lost to all but the few who happened to catch it right now.

 

I user the Verizon service and really enjoy it. I'd definitely pay for the integrated card option, I hate having to carry one more thing around with me.

 

For all your logic, you miss one important point, he has a E1505, an E1505 does NOT have a PCMCIA slot, rather it has an ExpressCard54 slot. Now What?

So far as I'm aware, neither Verizon or Sprint have ExpressCard EVDO/? cards on the market.

Hermit

 

Amen Hermit! It's probably our only complaint with the E1505. My husband's company paid Verizon wifi card DOES NOT FIT IN THE E1505 EXPRESS CARD SLOT. Bummer. I looked into buying a USB adapter for the Verizon card, but they're about $200 with a 4 week wait list. So...we don't have an immediate need to use the laptop while traveling and I'm hoping Dell or someone will come up with a more readily available, and cheaper solution for an adapter. I don't want to ask Verizon to replace the PCIMIA card with an Express card when it eventually comes out, because my husband's older company paid IBM Thinkpad doesn't have an Express card slot.

So, beware - Verizon cards probably will NOT work in your E1505 Express Card only slot.

 

Last I checked you couldn't get the internal card for anything but the business laptops from Dell.

I'm suggesting no one gets either the internal, or the PCMCIA card from Verizon, both plans are a rip off and you'll be paying for additional services that you can't use.

What I am suggesting is that instead of getting either the internal card or the PCMCIA card, you get the Verizon XV6700 Cell Phone they sell with the unlimited Broadband service package.

You won't be carrying anything "extra" around with you since everyone I know carries a cell phone around with them already.

You can use either a wireless bluetooth connection, or a USB connection to tether the phone and the laptop together, then you can have ALL the features of wireless broadband EVDO service on your laptop, without having to buy a internal card or a PCMCIA card.

Doesn't matter if the E1505 card has a PCMCIA slot or not, you can get the E1505 with Bluetooth, or it comes standard with a USB port on it. All you need is your choice, internal bluetooth, or a USB cable and then you can, like I said connect to the internet through the built in EVDO within the XV6700 cell phone Verixon sells. I know it works because I happen to be doing it exactly that way myself right now.