CONVENIENT, LIGHTWEIGHT WIRELESS communication is the traveling computer user's Holy Grail -- and the goal of a new PC Card from Megahertz (800-527-8677 or 801-320-7000) that connects to messaging services in order to bring wireless e-mail, fax, and file transfer to PowerBook and Newton users.
The Megahertz AllPoints Wireless PC Card carries its own battery and antenna in a PCMCIA Type II card. The $499 price includes WyndMAIL and RadioMail software, each of which runs on Macs, PCs, and Newtons as well as other PDAs. With either the WyndMAIL or the RadioMail service, which is charged on a per-message basis, the package allows e-mail, fax, and data communication via the radio-based RAM Mobile Data Network, available throughout the U.S. and several foreign countries.
Megahertz is not the first to bring wireless communication to the Mac, but the AllPoints card is notable for providing all you need in a compact form. Other schemes require brick-sized radio modems for connection to wireless networks.
The WyndMAIL and RadioMail services provide users with an Internet e-mail account that can forward messages either directly to the AllPoints card or to any designated e-mail address. Users can send and receive e-mail with the card or can simply receive notification of waiting messages. The software can also filter messages.
The WyndMAIL service (800-549-6000 or 805-547-6460) costs $49 to activate and $49 per month, with 50 free 1,000-character messages included in the monthly fee. Additional messages cost 29 cents each, and dial-in mail retrieval costs 19 cents per 1,000-character message. The RadioMail service (800-597-6245 or 415-286-7800) costs $99 to activate (fee waived with a two-year contract) and $39 per month with 100,000 characters' worth of messages included in the monthly fee; additional messages cost 32 cents each. News and stock quotes are also available from RadioMail. Both services can send faxes via the wireless network.
