yes you can - use a mobile phone !

Connect to the mobile using infrared, bluetooth or a serial cable and you can connect at any time, and any place.

Would probably end up quite costly though.

sometimes the need for communication exceeds the financial picture.. some sales reps for example always need the latest info...

I timed once what it would cost to pick-up an email... using GPRS.... d.a.m.n.

It will connect anywhere in the world. nice. But 1 email would cost approx. 1 euro....

I was just checking this online, because Verizon has started to advertise plans that provide wide coverage wireless. Their plans can include both mobile phone and laptop (data) coverage. The cheapest is about $35/month. Setup is costly.

I also checked Earthlink, or SK-Earthlink. Their plans are not as clear, but the cheapest, for 10 Mb of data--I have no idea how much or how little that is--per month is $19.95 monthly.

Both have top plans that provide unlimited data send/receive, plus various phone options.

Checking the US maps, the east coast is well-covered. The Midwest and Intermountain West outside of cities is not, less well on Verizon.

I don't remember the URLs, unfortunately.