Review and How-To: Novatel Wireless MiFi 2372 3G Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot
The $230 Novatel MiFi @AMAZON creates a personal WiFi hot spot using a cell phone network. You can connect to it with up to five computers (Mac or PC or iPad, etc).
In sparsely populated areas, it's a lot easier to find a cell phone signal, which blankets a wide area, rather than a WiFi signal, which is a tiny bubble extending ~50 feet in diameter from the wireless node.
This is a terrific solution for internet access when WiFi hot spots are hard to find, or just a hassle to get to.