Snug as a Bug

The GC82 comes in a sharp looking metal case that holds the card and its antenna. (You'll want to remove the card and keep it safely stowed in this case when traveling, to avoid breaking the antenna, which is highly probable if you leave the card in your laptop.)

Snap and Go

Before you can plug the GC82 into your laptop, you'll need to snap the antenna into place.

Once you've assembled the GC82, you can insert it into your computer's PC Card slot.

Swap Meet

One notable advantage of using EDGE is the ease with which you can switch devices. The Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) is a smart card that contains all the information needed to identify you to the network.

The SIM can be swapped into another phone or EDGE-enabled handheld (you'll need either a handset you got from your carrier, or an unlocked device). But be careful about using voice features when you make this swap -- if you don't have a voice plan attached, you could pay hefty per-minute fees.