Here is a strategy I am contemplating... 1. http://www.walmart.com/browse/Cell-Phones/Prepaid-Cell-Phones/Straight-Talk/_/N-7tpbZ1yzntqeZaq90Zaqce/Ne-a Use Straight Talk for $30/month. Get 1000 minutes, 1000 texts and 3 g of data. Use this service for phone, text & e-mail. It's Verizon service. Some good Samsung phones coming to the plan soon. 2. Get a verizon data only plan with USB receiver for my laptop, $60. Get cheap phone service with plenty of airtime plus good internet access. Allows use of the phone at the same time as internet access. Ed K www.starboardfilms.com

> Use Straight Talk for $30/month... An even better deal is the $45/month for unlimited voice minutes. That's really a very, very good deal. I think that Straight Talk is an interesting option. I have to say that I think about doing the $45 plan myself because of the minutes we use. I'll consider it seriously when one of my contracts comes up. The combination of using an unlimited mobile phone with something like Google Voice is a compelling solution for doing business on a boat. A couple of things to keep in mind about Straight Talk though... The provider is not Verizon. It's Tracfone Wireless. They might be licensing Verizon's network at the moment and that would be a good thing. But without a contract, Verizon could cut them off with a moment's notice - and you'd lose your phone at the end of the month. That's OK if you have a backup - but could be quite annoying if it's your only phone service and you're cruising on a boat. It's also possible that Tracfone could stop using Verizon and switch to another CDMA carrier like Sprint of Virgin Mobile. That would have a terrible effect on your connection ability along the cruising routes. All in all, it's definitely worth look at especially with Google Voice as an intermediary. ==================================== Jeffrey Siegel M/V aCappella DeFever 53RPH W1ACA/WDB4350 Castine, Maine www.activecaptain.com The Interactive Cruising Guidebook Our cruising blog: http://takingpaws.com Our live tracks: http://tinyurl.com/ActiveCaptainSPOT ..