On closer thinking: Actually Bruce Sterling is extremely old fashioned. In the quote below he pretends that the device he uses to connect to the network somehow matters. It doesn't. And why is he using a device that ties him to something like a desk?
To borrow a phrase from Cory Doctorow, Bruce Sterling may be an edge case, but he's a leading edge case:

So, where're all my records and CDs? They're inside the laptop. DVD player? Laptop. Newspapers? I read Google News in the morning. Where're my magazines? I read Metropolis Online, I write stories for SciFi.com. Where's my TV? I got no TV: Compared to Web surfing on broadband wireless, watching a TV show is like watching ice melt. [...] Where's my fax machine? Laptop. Mailbox? Laptop. Filing cabinet? Laptop. Working desk? Laptop. Bank? Laptop. Place of business? Laptop. Most people I deal with have no idea I'm here in California. They'd never think to ask me. Why should they? They send e-mail, they get what they want, game over.