Best ExpressCard for the MBP

Question

I think it's time for me to get a wireless card. I don't care about which service provider it's on, I just want the best performance. I travel all over the country for work so coverage is important. I'd rather have the ExpressCard but will use the USB dongle if it's better. TIA.

Answer 1

dawiyo,
Notice that I didn't even mention Cingular. Nothing against them, and they have a fine network, but I think Verizon's is better and more comprehensive over the largest area possible.
I mentioned that I used Verizon at one time. This was during a lengthy tour of the US and (just a bit of) Canada with an opera company from the UK, and we covered the entire US. Really. With Verizon, the only "dead spots" I encountered, where no data connection of any kind could be made, was in Northern Maine (on the way to New Brunswick), then going from the Dakotas through Wyoming, and then North to Montana. In both cases, connections could be made once in a town or city (crossing the border into Canada in the first case, Gillette WY, Billings, etc. in the second), but absolutely nothing in the "wastelands" in between.
In one case during the tour, we were in a mountainous region of far-western Virginia. The entire cast, crew and orchestra was completely cut off as far as mobile phone service for several hours; no contact with the outside world, regardless of carrier. Once back on the road, cellular service continued to be unavailable for quite some time. However, I was able to use my connection card to get a "barely alive" data connection. Even other Verizon users could not make a voice call (not enough signal/bandwidth), yet I was able to text chat in iChat perfectly well with my wife. Because of the Verizon card, I was the only person on the tour that could maintain communication wit the outside world. No voice, and certainly no video (BTW, video conferencing in iChat while on a moving bus is just TOO cool!!!), but communication nonetheless.
So, I would say that Verizon's coverage is pretty good; about the best available. I live in Florida, though. I travel a great deal in Florida, and Sprint has most excellent coverage in all of my travel "corridors." I have tested my connection using my phone, and I can maintain a high-speed connection all the way from point A to point B, almost all of the time. The same wouldn't happen with Verizon. Verizon provides coverage over a wider area, but not necessarily high-speed. Are you following me?
So, it's really going to come down to how you travel, and where. If you are going to be mainly in heavily populated areas where you know Sprint has good PCS coverage, you might be better off with Sprint. Also, a need for higher bandwidth service might give the plus to Sprint. If you are going to be in outlying areas, or traveling through them with a need for connection, Verizon might be the way to go. Note that these areas might not provide the higher speeds, and the best you might get is slooow browsing, and email (downloads of any significance would be out).
Have you used cellular connection devices before? Do you know what to expect (and what not to expect) from them?
Scott