Larry Bodine Law Marketing Blog

As I write this, my train is approaching Elmhurst, IL, on my way home from Chicago.  I'm sitting on the upper deck of the train, which has no outlet and no connection to the Internet.  However, I'm online using my Verizon Sky Card.

I've finally joined the 21st century. I can get online anywhere with my laptop now.  I got sick and tired of searching around for wi-fi hotspots.  I was completely annoyed with Starbucks that would not be hotspots.  And I was frustrated with building my schedule around the hotspots I knew existed.  Now I have canceled my $29/mo T-Mobile hotspot subscription.  It was OK while it lasted.

The Sky Card pops into a slot in the side of my computer.  It's a cell phone with its own number, but no one will every call it.  And the beauty is that I can connect online at broadband speeds, not ridiculous 14.4K modem speeds. Of course, it isn't cheap at $59/month, but for a guy like me, it's totally worth it.

I was able to update my Web site www.Lawmarketing.com just now.  I was able to check my email and reply to a number of messages.  I posted a couple of messages to the LawMarketing Listserv. And the sweetest thing is that I can log onto my blog and update it -- from a moving train.

I had seen businessmen with Sky Cards plugged into their laptops when I was traveling.  They'd be at airports and hotels, logging on the clicking away.  I didn't know where they got it until I bought a new Verizon cell phone (Verizon was listed No. 1 in service by Consumer Reports).  I bought a Treo 650, which syncs to my computer and carries all 4,000 of my contacts.  It turns out that the Sky Card was an add-on in a package deal I bought.

If you don't have one of these babies plugged into your laptop, you should consider it.