Cell phones and computers

A personal computer (PC) is hooked up to telephone lines for use with on line networks such as Internet. For some people, getting on Internet is most important justification for buying a computer.

You connect a laptop or notebook computer to a cell phone with the portable modem which converts incoming computer data from analog to digital and converts out going data from digital to analog. This will let you get on-line from anywhere within range of a cellular base station. Figure given below is a block diagram of this scheme

            Figure--A cell phone can be equipped with the modem, allowing portable or mobile access to on line computer networks.


Most of the commercial aircraft have telephones at each row of seats, complete with jacks into which you can plug a modem. If you plan to get on line from an aircraft, you should use the phones given by the airline, not your own cell phone, as radio transceivers can cause interference to flight instruments. You should also observe the airline’s restrictions concerning operation of electronic equipment while in flight. If you are not sure what these regulations are, ask one of flight attendants.