Considering iPad

[bbob]

I am the sole PC and Blackberry user in my household where everyone else is on Macs and iPhones. I am considering going to an iPad for travel but am concerned that it only connects using WiFi. I do not want to lock into a data contract to use 3G - it's not cost effective.

When I travel, a number of hotels have no WiFi in the rooms but do have hard-wire connections to use the internet. Is there a USB accessory that allows hard-wire connection to the internet for the iPad?

 

[NumbLock]

There is no contract for 3G, buy when you want, cancel when you want!

There is a thing called AirPort Express that people seem to like. It is from Apple and you plug into the wall and the LAN cable and it becomes a Wi-Fi connection - but really any cheap and compact Wi-Fi router will do.

Apple - AirPort Express

I'm also a PC (Windows 7) user - Welcome!

 

[kheldour]

Airport Express is really the thing you want to have. It's really small and light and it's full wifi router.

 

[Seadog]

If the money is not an issue, consider the 3G model anyway. You can sign up anytime you need it, and for a reasonable price. With no service plan, you are not obligated for anything more than one month at a time. For $15 or $30 month it is a decent bargain. It also has the GPS chipset which will allow you to use any of the GPS programs for travel.