Imagine being online at the grocery store, flipping open your cellphone, and connecting to a webcam where you can watch your kids at school, live, in real time. Or shopping for a new refrigerator at Sears and being able to pull up the Consumer Reports Web site to read reviews.

Starting later this year, Southwest Virginians will be able to do just that, among many other things all but impossible with the area's current cellphone technology. That's when high-speed Internet connections for cellphones, courtesy of Verizon Wireless and its VCast technology, will come to the area. AT&T will be following with its Mobile Broadband service in mid-2008.

Both technologies allow cellphones and pocket computers to use the Internet much the way you would on a full-size computer -- notably browsing the Web, sending and receiving e-mail and downloading music and video.

VCast and Mobile Broadband, which are known as third-generation capable wireless data services, are already available in several dozen major and mid-size cities. They provide users with an Internet connection of up to about 3 megabits per second, which is as fast as many home-computer broadband connections, and is 12 to 20 times faster than the wireless technology currently in use in Southwest Virginia.

Matthew Peregoy, who has used his broadband-capable BlackBerry 8703e in cities that had Verizon's technology, called it "wicked impressive." The 18-year-old will be studying engineering at Virginia Western Community College in the fall. He uses his BlackBerry to send and receive messages, check movie times and occasionally read the news.

"It hardly drops a connection and it's mighty fast," he said. Then he returned to Roanoke, where, "In regards to cellular service, we're slower than molasses."

When VCast and Mobile Broadband come to the region, you'll need a phone or pocket computer that supports the technology. Verizon offers about 40 models, including the LG Chocolate phone and the Motorola Q pocket computer. AT&T sells the Samsung BlackJack and Palm Treo, among several others. (Apple's iPhone, which uses the AT&T network, does not support broadband.)

Prices for 3G-capable devices range from about $50 to $400 with a two-year contract, but savvy shoppers can find used models on eBay for significantly less. Non-3G devices can range from free to $600.

With VCast at least, no special calling plan is required, either. Of course, as Verizon Wireless spokesman John Johnson points out, browsing the Web can eat through your monthly minutes quickly, which is why the company also sells unlimited-data plans.

For some, the arrival of high-speed Internet on their cellphones will be a welcome upgrade.

Johnny Hsu of Boones Mill is one. He's hoping to see high-speed cell service catch up to the broadband available for computers.

"I personally think we need more and better cell and broadband availability before we need to worry about bringing in faster [computer] broadband," he said.

According to Johnson, the biggest use of the high-speed capabilities of a phone is for downloading music and video clips. Verizon offers a 2 million song library, for example, where two bucks gets you two versions of any song -- one for your phone and a higher-quality version for your PC.

But if you want the full Internet experience, Johnson said, you need a pocket computer such as the Motorola Q or Palm Treo.

"Where wireless broadband really makes a difference is if you're using a pocket PC," he said. Although larger than a typical flip or "candy bar" phone, pocket computers offer QWERTY keyboards, larger screens and full-featured Web browsers. You can send and receive e-mail, including photos and videos, and you can browse the Web in full color.

Once a high-end item for business executives on the go, pocket computers have increased in popularity over the past several years as prices for the devices, and the cellular connections they use, have dropped.

"We've seen demand for multifunction devices go way up," Johnson said. What's more, "the increase has not been limited to business users. What we've always thought of as consumers have been migrating to business devices."

Parents use their calendar functions to manage ever-growing schedules while also being able to e-mail changes in plans to other family members -- and check the weather before soccer practice or look up movie show times.

Students use them to keep in touch with friends and classmates. "Usually, I use my BlackBerry for AIM [AOL Instant Messenger], e-mail notifications for sites such as MySpace and Facebook and ... fast SMS [texting] with the full QWERTY keyboard." With a faster connection, Peregoy will be able to update his Facebook or MySpace pages with pictures and videos sent directly from his BlackBerry.

For the next few months, though, Southwest Virginia will remain in the wireless slow lane, with connections not much faster than those you could get with an analog modem and a dialup account.

Phillip Speck, a junior technician at a Roanoke technology company, also groused about that, and the limitations it gave his Internet-enabled cellphone.

"It's so slow," he said. "Barely the speed of dial-up most of the time."