Throughout the United States, it is rare to find anyone still connecting to the Internet via a dial-up connection, or even DSL for that matter. With satellite Internet and new mobile broadband, it’s easier than ever to get connected, whether you’re in Atlanta, Boise or Chicago. These new technologies make surfing the web easier than ever no matter where you are in your hometown state. The office, school, your car. Browse the web from all of them!

More and more people have been making the switch from desktop computers to laptops because of the wireless Internet available all over the world. Almost everywhere you go, you can find a wireless network to connect to, making staying in touch that much easier. However, as Internet technology continues to improve, people in the United States are making an even higher-tech switch from laptops to smaller personal computers like netbooks. These have especially taken hold in the business world of major cities like Chicago, New York, San Francisco and Atlanta. The benefits of a netbook are seen in both its compact size and its mobile air card. The mobile air card helps establish an Internet connection even if there is no known Internet network available, whether it is landline or wireless. Netbooks are great for those who do a lot of travel and need instant access to information.

For those who are not ready to give up their precious Macbooks and make the switch to a WiMax and PC-based netbook, the options for instant Internet access remain in the cell phone. Many states with good cell coverage from the national providers have great plans that allow you to purchase a smart phone like an iPhone or Blackberry (or any phone with mobile web capabilities) at a low price with a reasonable monthly plan. These phones work with 4G technologies, or “fourth generation.” It succeeds 3G (third generation) technologies in that it works very similarly, only faster because it is the newer version. Just like a netbook, it allows constant connection where and when you need it. Some even prefer a smart phone and laptop combination because of the very reason that Internet is on your phone. You could be waiting at your local Starbucks for your coffee order, paying for groceries or on the Subway and you can still browse the web with mobile broadband or send a quick e-mail to let someone know you’re on your way over or thinking of them.

States like Georgia and Illinois are working diligently to bring 4G to the homes of those across their states. Already popular in places like New York and California, mobile broadband is certain to become the next big thing in the Internet world because of its ease of connectivity and ability to change the world around the world.

For young professionals, aspiring business heads, and anyone who has jumped into the remote work game thanks to the influx of companies that understand wireless internet means working from home is easy, there are plenty of reasons to take a job where you are your own office. And in cities like Chicago, where more and more twenty-somethings are actually making ends meet freelancing in this fashion, there are starting to be various different work spaces set up in cafe environments, as well as countless other establishments boasting numerous Wi-Fi networks or places to plug in.

In a bustling city like Chicago, having a place to go and work means more than just escaping from your apartment. It also means finding a spot that is quiet enough to actually get some work done. After all, if you’re simply fleeing the distractions of your own apartment but walk into a loud and stressful pub, you aren’t going to be any better off. And at the same time, there’s something to be said about the fact that a cafe with free Wi-Fi sometimes isn’t the best choice for anyone with serious work to be done. When a ton of different people are trying to use the same signal, or a cafe doesn’t password-protect its network, the speed of data transfer can slow to an unmanageable crawl.

One solution is to simply stay home, or to rent a work or office space with friends so that you can have a dedicated spot to work. And while this might be a must-do step for some people, most aren’t ready to throw that kind of money down on a second rent, essentially. There is always the option of just going with places where you can plug in, but these are often copy-style places, and aren’t the best working environments. However, if you decide to consider switching your net connection rather than your location, you’ll quickly find that the options present themselves a whole lot sooner.

With WiMax, you do not have to worry about whether or not where you are going has a Wi-Fi network, because your signal literally can be connected to from anywhere. This means that you could be in a bustling cafe where everyone else is fighting over the same connection, but you will be sitting contentedly, surfing the web on something that is fast and reliable. This is because towers and not routers are in charge of how you are able to get online, and this means that your signal area is not a few feet, but dozens and dozens of miles. And for someone who takes working outside of the home seriously, this is a major step in the right direction for productivity and flexibility alike.

One of the biggest adjustments newcomers to the city have to deal with is the fact that sometimes, a cramped apartment is not the best place to get things done. Whether it’s telecommuting, writing a paper, or finishing up some business at home, there are plenty of reasons to figure out alternatives to spending all of your time at home. One of the most common ways of getting out and about while still accomplishing goals for the day has traditionally been to locate a cafe in the neighborhood, preferably one with free wireless internet. This way, you can drink a coffee, socialize, and check your email from a room that is roughly four times the size of your apartment.

But the downside to having wireless available is that too often, it’s not that reliable. When the whole coffeeshop is using the same connection, things tend to lag. It might not matter if you’re just going to be working for a couple of hours, but professional freelancers and those who are doing things like downloading movies and music for later will find that not as much can get done in a coffeeshop with a slow connection.
There’s always the option to spend time surfing the web using a phone or an mp3 player, but for those who need the internet for something more serious than just checking a phone or using Facebook status updates, a phone isn’t going to cut it.

Those with laptops, small apartments, and urban zip codes have been abuzz about the latest option for getting online from just about anywhere. Using the same technology that cell phone companies do to bounce signals from tower to tower, allowing for more reliable coverage all over the city (and state), WiMax definitely offers something that did not previously exist. Rather than just a faster version of the same way of getting online, this is actually a step forward.

Think of it this way: most people who are using wireless networks are confined to the range of the network, which is not even a city block. With this new version of wireless, it’s possible to ride the train across town and never lose your signal. Likewise, you can go to any cafe and turn it into your freelancing hot spot, because the super-fast 4G network will be right there.

So for busy and wired city dwellers who need somewhere to get online other than at home or the office, a world of options has now opened thanks to WiMax. Whether you’re finishing up something for a business presentation, catching up with friends on Skype, or simply working on your own projects, it’s a lot easier to be online.

For those exploring Chicago who are more attune to things like checking one’s email on the go and taking laptops into coffeeshops  to get a little bit of web surfing or freelancing done, rest assured that you are in good company. Whether it’s a growing population of twenty-something freelancers who spend their days wearing carefully distressed jeans and scowling over their MacBook Pros or the 30-something well-coiffed yuppies who take their lunch breaks in downtown restaurants, enjoying salad while recapping the morning’s deals and transactions, laptops are a big part of life in the windiest of cities.

One of the reasons that so many people are wired is because the city has definitely been forward-thinking when it comes to things like wireless internet. Many of the public buildings have been wired longer than other spots around the country, and Wi-Fi is practically ubiquitous. However, everyone is aware of the shortcomings of Wi-Fi connections. Sometimes, the password doesn’t work, even though the barista swears she gave you the right one. Other times, your favorite table at a restaurant is too far away from the router, meaning that your connection is lagging. And of course, if every broke college student living in Wrigleyville is poaching your wireless internet connection, it’s going to move as slow as molasses.

However, since Chicago is so forward-thinking when it comes to technology, it’s no surprise that it is one of the first cities in the United States to really get on board with WiMax. Unlike Wi-Fi, which depends on a router that basically magnifies a regular broadband connection to cover a couple of feet, this version of wireless is known for sending its signals via towers. The towers can actually provide a solid amount of coverage to numerous people for an area of over 30 miles, and towers can bounce signals from one to the other. This means that it would be possible for you to get all the way from the heart of Chicago’s south side to the leafy suburbs of the north side and not have to worry about dropping your internet connection once along the way.

With WiMax, it’s possible to be truly wireless while exploring Chicago. And in a city with so much to do, and so much thought towards technology, there’s never been a better spot to get along, knowing full well that your wireless connection will be there with you no matter where you choose to head next.

But the trouble with business travel isn’t keeping in touch on your phone; cell phones are actually extremely reliable devices and work in most areas, except for remote regions where you wouldn’t be planning a conference, anyway. No, the trouble comes when the internet enters the equation. Especially, unfortunately, in the case of hotels and their desire to provide wireless internet.

In most business hotels in Dallas and Chicago, wireless is a given. It is one of the reasons that business travelers choose an establishment. After all, no one wants to get off of the plane, get onto a train, and check into a hotel, only to traipse right back out to find the nearest place to get online. Business travelers rely on these in-room connections because they need to do their work in the room. Whether it’s having a pre-conference call conference call or researching last pieces of data for a presentation, there is a lot to get done.

Only sometimes, it just doesn’t seem to work out with wireless internet. Either the signal keeps dropping, or it doesn’t even reach your room to begin with. Calling down to the front desk often does nothing, because what more can an employee really do than just unplug the router and hope that the signal is stronger the next time? It’s a sticky situation, and one that has resulted in more than one frantic run to a 24-hour Kinko’s, at the cost of precious beauty sleep.

For business travelers who are in need of a better option, though, the time has finally arrived for something that is actually an improvement. Using the technology of towers, instead of the small and limited power of a personal router, WiMax is able to provide a network that offers fast internet no matter where you go. With expansion to major cities including Las Vegas, Chicago, Portland, and Dallas, a wider area is being covered now than ever before. This means that if you’re on the road for business, chances are you are within 30 miles of one of the towers. And this means that you can get right online.

The reason that WiMax is so successful is that it brings together two effective forms of technology and makes them work for a purpose that anyone can identify with. After all, you don’t have to keep turning your cell phone on and off for it to pick up a network, nor do you end up waving it out of your hotel room in frustration. The network is based entirely on the way that cell phone companies are able to provide service, but with an eye for what is needed for anyone who does business–or gets online–from multiple locations. And with more and more people opting for the internet on the go, it makes sense that a company finally realized a fast speed and a network that travels where you do is far more important than any other type of bell or whistle that makes the internet look new while actually accomplishing nothing.

Whether you’re making your way through the midwest for business meetings or enjoying the west coast for a two-week long trip, at some point in time, you’re likely going to want to check your email. And while bigger cities and even some smaller towns usually have a cafe or even an internet cafe where computers and wireless internet are available, it can get tough on longer stretches of highway. Even some hotels can’t always promise that their advertised Wi-Fi is going to work.

And while travelers who are just checking their email for leisure purposes might be able to let these sort of things slide, those who are in the middle of any sort of business that is conducted through the internet need a connection with a higher level of reliability. After all, if you’re going to be your own boss, it’s important that you are always reachable. So in these cases, something besides a somewhat reliable wireless internet connection at a mid-range hotel needs to be accessible.

Some people have taken to using their portable devices for getting online, and while this might be great for an occasional check-in email or quick Facebook status update, it doesn’t quite work out for more involved endeavors. Others are looking into WiMax, which provides a connection method that travels wherever you’re going. This means that, unless you are in a particularly barren stretch of land where there isn’t much in the way of cell phone coverage either, the internet will be there when you need it to be. Whether from a hotel room after a long stretch of driving or the living room of your new apartment in your new hometown, getting online is based more on pressing the power button for your laptop than anything else.

This is also a huge blessing for travelers who are on the road with younger members of the family, especially for that time in transit. After all, you might start out on a road trip with the best of intentions, a lot of juice boxes, and everyone’s favorite television shows and movies on DVD. But after a few hours of driving, sometimes children start to get impatient and want to watch something else or play a favorite video game. If there is a WiMax-enabled laptop in the car, it’s possible for real-time activities, including streaming video and even chatting, for teenagers who want to keep in touch with their friends back home. Both parents and children will find the trip considerably more enjoyable with this option in place.

So no matter your reasons for being on the road, consider the benefits of looking into better ways to get online ahead of time. You and your whole family will find it a considerably more enjoyable way to explore.

There are quite a few legitimate complaints about wireless internet as it currently stands. Most people find that it is difficult to use, whether you’re setting it up at home or taking advantage of it in a hotel or in a restaurant. After all, so often the router doesn’t provide reliable reception, leaving people with a shoddy internet connection where you can’t get anything done.

But this is no reason to ignore the technology altogether. After all, the idea of getting online from just about anywhere is an important one, no matter where you are. And the technology is finally catching up with the service, meaning that business travelers and locals alike are finally seeing a better version of the internet at their disposal.

To understand WiMax, it is best to think of how your cell phone works. This might sound a bit weird, but go with it. When you turn on your phone after a long flight, it automatically configures, making it easy for you to place calls. But what it is really doing is connecting to the tower closest to where you are, providing you with a strong signal, and connecting. In the same way, this new version of wireless connects to local signals, making it practically effortless to get online.

Think of it this way: you don’t need to set up a network or find out the password to your local coffee place to get online. Instead, you just need to turn the computer on. This saves you a lot of time, because you don’t have to figure out how to make things work. If there is a tower within 30 miles from you, it makes it work automatically.

Like most types of technology, this form of wireless is first catching on in major cities, and slowly spreading to other areas. This means that if you’re living in Portland or Las Vegas or Chicago, you’re more likely to see WiMax in the next couple of months than if you’re in the middle of nowhere. But because the basic premise of the technology is that it can stretch anywhere, it is the sort of thing that will roll out quickly, even to more remote areas.

With current internet options satisfactory, though not excellent, tech-savvy users and travelers alike will find that the benefits of getting online from wherever you are, without needing to set up a network, are far superior to dealing with the service currently available. After all, the internet was meant to be experience from just about anywhere. Finally, there’s something that makes it possible.