Digging AT&T Wireless' new 3G network

Despite the expected reservations, the Merc's Mike Langberg actually finds himself digging AT&T Wireless' new high-speed 3G service. He test drove it on a laptop equipped with a UMTS wireless card and was able to get downloads of up to 300kbps in places where the signal was strong, which is sort of like having a poky DSL connection anywhere you go
(as long as you stick to Seattle, the SF Bay Area, Phoenix, or Detroit, that is). Getting the service on a laptop costs
$79.99 a month; it's only $24.99 to get unlimited service on your cellphone (Motorola's ginormous A845, pictured at right, and Nokia's 6651 are the only two phones they're offering at the moment), but the catch is that if you try to hook the phone up to a laptop to use as a wireless modem you'll get charged per the kilobit at a pricey rate that will make you not want to bother.