I've used both. PCMCIA modems are a major battery drain. I wouldn't try to
use one unless you've built the AC adapter suggested on the mailing list.
In my experience they're also unreliable. Sometimes the Og will recognize
it, sometimes not. I've had various crashes and problems using PCMCIA.
My external modem has always performed flawlessley and has it's own power
supply. It's a less sexy, but much more practical. And unless your using a
cellular, you're not really being "mobile" anyway, so being tied down to a
desk is not so bad. They way I've used it, when I go on vacation I set up a
little station where I will use it. I'll sit down with the Og, plug in the
serial cable and dial away. It's actually much easier than swapping cards,
which usually require a reboot, and I get to keep my RAM card in use. I
still use the AC adpater because the serial port is also a power user,
although I think not as bad.
I did it this way on my honeymoon, and it was very nice. I was able to
download all my mail as a text file, then disconnect and take the Og out on
the back porch and look out over a beautiful lake and drink coffee while
reading and replying to email. But I was in one house for two weeks. If
you're traveling a lot and will be in a different hotel every night, then
lugging around an external modem may not be so good for you.
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Michael Halleen The Grand Area www.mcs.com/~halleen/
Chicago, IL PGP me for my finger