Today, we'll look at three alternatives offered by cell phone providers.

Two are standalone devices: the $449 Treo 600 smartphone, offered locally by Sprint and Verizon, and the $499 BlackBerry combination phone and e-mail device, offered by many carriers.

The third is a card that plugs into your computer and, using cell phone frequencies, makes a digital connection to the Net. Sprint, AT&T and Verizon all offer their own varieties of this approach. They cost around $300. Full Story...