Registered: Aug 2002
Location: St. Louis
Posts: 108

GSM, GPRS, CDMA, TDMA, CDPD, aargh!

OK, GPRS is a subsystem of GSM as I understand it. Visorphone is a GSM cellular phone Springboard for Visors. If I get GSM service, and the provider has GPRS capability, will Visorphone become my GPRS modem? Or do I have to us a dial-up ISP with Visorphone when I want to surf the web?

Thanks for any help.

I am trying to decide if I should wait for my Cell provider of choice to begin GSM service this fall (they are now saying October) in my area (St. Louis) or go ahead and use their current TDMA technology and a data cord to connect through a dial-up ISP with my Visor Prism. If I sign-up now I cannot get a discounted GSM phone (and SIM card to use in a Visorphone).

Or should I just go another way to one of the CDMA providers and user their wireless internet option through the CDMA modem in their phone?

Another possibility is the CDPD service offered by Earthlink and some CDMA providers. The Minstrel S modem for Visor is now available cheaply, even bundled with a Visor (read: FREE!)

Decisions, decisions!

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The Prismer

"I am not a number, I am a person!"

Registered: Jan 2000
Location: New York City
Posts: 158

The Treo, we are told, is upgradable to GPRS. The VisorPhone, they say, is not.

So you will always have to dial up to a ISP with the VisorPhone. You can use the VoiceStream ISDN connection published here in other threads (don't ask me, do a search) to sunbstantially quicken the dial up/authentification process, but you will still be connecting at 9600 or whatever the VisorPhone sends data at.

Registered: Aug 2002
Location: St. Louis
Posts: 108

OK, but do you have to have VoiceStream service to use the VoiceStream ISDN?

Sorry if that is a dumb question. Trying to figure out what my options are before committing to the wrong cellular contract.

Cingular will be getting GSM capability in this area (St. Louis) very soon, and I like some of their features better than VoiceStream, which has more limited coverage in this area.

Thanks!

__________________
The Prismer

"I am not a number, I am a person!"