+planetrobert Posted March 3, 2004 Share Posted March 3, 2004 Here is the senerio. I have a Mac running osX I can get any of 3 options 1) cable to a cellphone capable of data 2) bluetooth 3) PC card modem Cable is the cheapest... $30 Bluetooth is a stinker to setup. a BT phone would be almost free. PC card is spendy 150-300$ Im thinking of going for the cable method due to ease of setup and price. Has anybody else around here used one or more of these type of setups? Opinions, ideas, thouhts on the matter? Also if i use a cable method I can get a cable that attaches to my palm if I leave the laptop at home, which makes me like that idea. Quote Link to comment
+sk8rdi16 Posted March 3, 2004 Share Posted March 3, 2004 I am currently using my Pismo with my Sprint Sanyo-8100. I use a data cable I bought from Radio Shack for about $17. The best part of it, OS X has a driver for the phone!!! It is Sprint PCS vision. I tell it to dial #777. There is talk that this is against Sprint's TOS, but it was not when I signed the contract. If you have any questions let me know!! Quote Link to comment
nieleyde Posted March 3, 2004 Share Posted March 3, 2004 I am using Sprint phone and USB cable from a PC right now. It works pretty good. Sometime I need to reconnect, but it's no big deal. You can't beat the price. See my weblog entry from last year. Unlimited Has Secret Limits for Sprint Good Luck, Niel GPS101.net Quote Link to comment
+Treasure_Seekers Posted March 3, 2004 Share Posted March 3, 2004 I'm using a cable from rpiwireless.com, great company, a bit slow on shipping. Took about a month to get my cable?! It is a USB charging cable, so I can charge my phone off the laptop, sync my standard flip picture phone to Outlook appointments and calendar, and use it as a modem. If I was in a Verizon Broadband area, I'd be able to use it for that as well. I'm in an Express Network area, which limits me to 144kbps transfer rates. I just have their standard America's Choice plan, but you can use the Express Network as MOU (minutes of use). Since I have unlimited nights & weekends, this is perfect. I suggest looking at www.howardforums.com for more information on the cell phone modem topic. I learned a ton from that site! Quote Link to comment
+Yak Man & Yak Girl Posted March 3, 2004 Share Posted March 3, 2004 (edited) I was using a Sony T610 with my laptop. I found that Bluetooth is the slowest option. When I had it connected via IR it was noticeably faster. Connecting via a cable is even faster (according to the tech I talked to). A USB cable that would charge the phone while online would be a big advantage. My 2 cents. Yak Man Edited March 3, 2004 by Yak Man Quote Link to comment
+GeckoGeek Posted March 3, 2004 Share Posted March 3, 2004 I've connected my PC laptop to my old StarTac and gotten 14.4. Slow, but better then nothing at all. Some day I may be tempted by faster services. All I pay is the air time and since I have unlimited night and weekends ..... who cares? Bluetooth or IR might be an option. One thing to consider on the PC card modem is that it might require a service plan of it's own which would really add to the cost. Quote Link to comment
+planetrobert Posted March 3, 2004 Author Share Posted March 3, 2004 One thing to consider on the PC card modem is that it might require a service plan of it's own which would really add to the cost. If i go that option that would be my only wireless service. Many have voice capabilities also. I think I will be going with a cable connector due to price and speed. Plus I can have the laptop strapped to the passenger seat and the phone on the dash or some other better reception location. I was also thinking about setting up my home computer as a ppp server for dialing into so that I don't have to get another isp for dialup, i have cable at home. Also I was thinking about maybe using a strap-on magnet attached to the cell phone so when I am parked somewhere I could throw the phone on the roof and hopefully get a better signal if the magnet doesn't cause interferance. If I could get a strong enough magnet I could leave it on the roof when I drive, maybe route it out the rear slide window in my truck and attach it to the back of the cab. Ideas, too many Ideas. Quote Link to comment
+st_richardson Posted March 3, 2004 Share Posted March 3, 2004 I have a data cable for my Verizon phone that will allow my to go online with my windows laptop. Only cost is air time which is free on nights & weekends. Faster than dial up. Not as fast as wireless DSL at home. Quote Link to comment
+SNEN Posted March 3, 2004 Share Posted March 3, 2004 Mostly i use a Nokia card D211 on my laptop for dialup and wlan access. Sometimes i use my Sony Ericsson t68i for dialup with a RS232 cable. Quote Link to comment
+GeckoGeek Posted March 3, 2004 Share Posted March 3, 2004 I was also thinking about setting up my home computer as a ppp server for dialing into so that I don't have to get another isp for dialup, i have cable at home. For Verizon and I think Sprint, you get PPP service for free just by calling that special number, so don't bother. Besides, you'd end up tying up your home phone line. The only reason I can think of to do that is to get access to your ISP's SMTP server. But you can use your carrier's SMTP server as long as you remember to change it in your laptop's config when you're in the car. Quote Link to comment
+RobAGD Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 I use my Sanyo 8100 and Sprint Vision for my Palm to get data access. I will also use it with my Laptop if I ever get it sorted back out. Woprks well, you do need to tweak some of teh setting in the phone to get best speeds. Works well, I have a Cable that connect the Palm and Phone with a charger port that will charge both devices while plugged into the cig lighter. -Robert Quote Link to comment
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