[rescue] Semi-OT: Verizon phone with SSH

[N. Miller]

On Thu, 6 May 2004 08:41:33 -0400, "William Enestvedt"
<William.Enestvedt at jwu.edu> said:
> Bill asked, clear-headedly:
> >
> > Why not a laptop with wifi?
> >
>    Because I have a laptop, and I just want something that I can get &
> send email on, make calls on, and ocasionally use to log into my Suns.
> When our third baby arrives in June, [s]he'll be living in the same room
> as my Mac and for quick sessions I'd like to avoid waking him/her.
>    Plus, if I tried to hang a laptop from my belt, I'd go from Batman to
> Pantless in one chilly, embarassed moment.

All good reasons, 'specially the last. ;-)

>    Then Nadine asked:
> >
> > Doesn't Verizon have some nifty new high-speed data stuff better
> > than AT&T's Edge, if connectivity is the issue?  Or do you just
> > want to get a cool phone since $job is paying? ;-)  It's OK to
> > crave the toys.
> >
>    I dunno, and yes, I do crave. :7)

As with all of us gadget junkies.

>    We have a university-wide deal with, if I understand correctly,
> Verizon, so that's whose stuff I'm looking at. I don't like PDAs, and I
> am not interested in a Windows CE (or whateverE) device. The
> Blackberries appeal to me for that reason, but they seem a little
> pricey. (I wonder if we'd get a deal; must remember to ask.)
>    Thanks for the advice, everyone!

SSH is available for the Blackberry (later models), but it's part
of an administrative "suite" that some company sells. Due to the 
"enterprise" nature of the device it's a bit pricey.  And, if the Univ.
doesn't do MAPI mail (did I get my protocol right?--Lotus Notes, 
etc), you'll also have to pony up for an IMAP/POP3 client as an
add-on.  I can dig through my emails later if you'd like and dreg
up links from a conversation I had with a "data geek" in sales
at Nextel (remarkably knowledgeable about business applications
in that space, but relatively clue-impaired regarding what I 
would consider to be basic protocols such as IMAP, etc.)

For an individual, it's a bit over the top to my way of thinking.
I'd suggest getting Bluetooth phone, if Verizon has any that 
supports their high speed data technology and a Bluetooth/
Bluetooth-PDA PDA.  Or go with a Symbios or PalmOS-based 
(e.g. Treo) phone.

I bought a Zaurus for this purpose, though I have yet to put
it to use that way...haven't had enough cycles to decipher 
the oddness of an embedded Linux device, much less to get
a BT CF card.

=Nadine=

-- 
  N. Miller
  vraptor at promessage.com