I’ve found the magic go-anywhere solution for my iPod Touch and its library of wonderful wi-fi based apps. Women now want me. Men want to be me. I am a wireless ICON.
Seriously though, I really wanted an iPhone, but the THREE FRICKIN’ YEAR ROGERS CONTRACT pisses me off to no end so, NO. GO.
But the iPhone apps beckoned me. They mocked me. I had to have them.
And I needed a new mp3 player so it was easy to rationalize purchasing the iPod Touch. Heck, I even convinced myself I’d be able to find enough Wi-Fi spots in just the right locations. HA! That was a good delusion – Wi-Fi coverage sucks in Edmonton and I was forced to resign myself to the fact that many of the really cool apps would be unusable to me.
But! Things suddenly changed when I traded my cell phone (I never use the damn thing) in for a mobile data plan The plan is with Telus Mobility and the hardware used to connect to their network is the Sierra Compass 597 USB Modem – a marvelous little piece of wizardry with fantastic reviews. It works great with my MacBook Pro.
But I was still not satisfied – I wanted mobility for my iPod Touch. Today, I found the solution courtesy of David Appleyard at AppStorm. Using David’s article, I was able to figure out how to connect to the Telus network, share that connection with my iPod Touch (or any Wi-Fi device), and use any wi-fi reliant app anywhere Telus has coverage.
Of course, it’s not perfect – I must have my laptop with me for all this to work (I carry it pretty much everywhere already). But, then again, I’m not tied to a $60/month three year iPhone plan either.
Want to go for coffee? Free wi-fi is on me! Some restrictions may apply. 
Edit: The Sierra Compass is also available in the U.S.