Registered: Oct 2000
Location:
Posts: 15

There is a lot of hype around the minstrel springboard modem that just came out. However, you also need to subscribe to a monthly service such as Omnisky.

Has anyone here been using their cell phones, with IR or cable, to connect to the internet? I'd rather not pay for another montly service and buy new hardware if I can just use what I already have. I would love to get my Prism online.

Comments on this topic are greatly appreciated.

Registered: Oct 2000
Location: Hong Kong
Posts: 16

We don't have OmniSky available in Europe yet, so I can't make any comparisons. However, I've been using various IR-enabled cellphones for a couple of years.

It works well, depending on signal strength and also if you're not moving (e.g. on a train). It also depends on your ISP. Some cell providers have dedicated numbers for their own ISPs, making things a little easier.

Because it's limited to 9.6kbps, I don't do much more than retrieve emails and synchronize AvantGo channels. Surfing is too slow to be much use, and it's a small screen anyway. It may change as we start seeing HSCSD/GPRS over the next year, UMTS after that.

I think you can use web clippings applications as well, but I haven't tried any.

I hope this helps!

Registered: Oct 2000
Location:
Posts: 93

Just sent Omnisky back

I just sent my omnisky back after less than a week because I could get similar responsiveness from my Sprint PCS wireless web connection. First off, I don't need to be on all the time nor do I need the email notification. The speed difference, 14.4 (Sprint) vs 19.2 (omnisky), was not that noticable to me (anything slower than DSL is slow to me). With wireless web being free on my Sprint account since I signed the 1 year agreement, I couldn't see spending an extra $40 a month for omnisky, let alone the $299 and hoping to get the rebate in 6 months. I am now toying with the idea of building a dedicated cellphone modem from a used QCP-1960 phone I picked up for $10 on ebay, it only works on a digital network and it will cost me an extra $10/mth on my sprint account but thats less than $40/mth. And I need to create a smaller connection cable, but in the long run, I will save $$$$. Oh yeah, it works will ALL versions of Visors as well!

Registered: Feb 2000
Location:
Posts: 64

There is a very long post on the Springboard discussion board about using a cell phone to connect wirelessly. "RS232 to cellphone connection"
Using the info there I have successfully used my sprint account and motorolla timeport phone to connect wirelessly. From what I have read, you need either a phone with a built in modem or to use sprint service because they have a modem in their towers. So far only a qualcom and the motorola timeport work. I used the data connection kit that came with the phone and a handspring serial cradle to connect the two. You do have to have an ISP provider that you can dial into. What I have found is that it is much cheaper than the springboard modules out there, but it took alot more time to figure it all out, too.

Marcy Fields

Registered: Oct 2000
Location:
Posts: 93

Sanyo 400 works too.

A Sanyo SCP-4000 works as well.

Registered: Oct 2000
Location:
Posts: 15

Thanks -another IR question

Thanks for all of your help. The thread "RS232 to cellphone connection" was very helpful, as was this site http://users.zipworld.com.au/~rmills/InfraredMain.htm and PDALIVE.com.

I just picked up my Nokia 8290, but was unsuccessful at connecting. It's a GSM phone on PacBell. I'm sure I'll eventually figure it out, but would appreciate it if anyone could suggest any tips/tricks. For some reason when I try dialing in to my Earthlink account, it dials but doesn't doesn't connect.

I was just wondering if it had to do with the IR update. I was under the impression that the Prism didn't need the IR update because it was running the latest Palm OS 3.5. Is this true?

Thanks again. I'll let you guys know when I get connected.

Registered: Feb 2000
Location:
Posts: 64

I couldn't connect to my MSN account until I added "MSN/" before my user name. Someone else posted that this is the case with earthlink also. You have to use the provider's name to identify yourself as a user if you are not dialing in using their software.

Registered: Mar 2000
Location: Hermosa Beach, CA
Posts: 222

lavatika, i am very interested on your progress (or lack of) concerning the use of the nokia 8290 for internet connection. i'm currently waiting for my current cellphone contract to end and wanted to get the 8290 for its IR and modem capabilities. i would also have to sign up with pacbell with this phone.

please keep me (and others interested) on your progress and lessons learned.

thanks.

Registered: Oct 2000
Location:
Posts: 15

connected!

Thanks for all the tips, Marcy. Works great now! The Prism is pre-configured for Earthlink (as well as a number of other ISPs), but I accidentally deleted the "ELN/"

Nhatman, the 8290 is a great phone. It's amazing what something that small can do. You will need to sign up for the "Data Connect" feature with Pac Bell ($5), then all you need to do is set up the phone and Prism the right way and dial your ISP. The funny thing now is that with this new phone, I don't need my Prism to send or recieve email.

So far I've only tested "Palmscape" and it worked fine and in color. I can't really compare it to anything since this is my first time. Small images get crunchy when they are shrunk even smaller to fit the palm screen, but that's understandable. I was afraid that I was going to have to set up all the ISP information in Palmscape, but it worked fine and connected right after I lauched the app.

Next on my list is to try out some of the other applications.

Registered: Oct 2000
Location:
Posts: 7

Lavatiki,

I'm assuming that you didn't have to install the IR update to connect with the Prism?

I've been trying to connect to my local ISP with a friends 8290 w/o any success. May be because he doesn't have the "data" connection through VoiceStream, I'm not sure. The VPR will dial the 8290 but then it just hangs on "connecting" until it finally times out with a TCP error.

--H

Registered: Oct 2000
Location:
Posts: 15

nokia prism configuration

Correct. I did not need the IR update.

There were some little changes that I needed to do on the 8290, which the Pac Bell operator helped me with. This won't work without the "data connect" feature (it will dial but will give you a service error).

Here is how I configured the Prism and 8290:

Prism:

Preferences/connection:
created new connection called "Nokia 8290"
Connection method- IrCOMM to Modem
Dialing- Touch tone
Volume- Low

Preferences/connection/details:
speed- 9,600 bps
flow ctl- Automatic
init string- (none)

Preferences/network:
service- Earthlink
username- ELN/username
password- assigned (input password)
connection- Nokia 8290 (the one I just created)
phone- (1-xxx-xxxx)

Nokia 8290:

Messages/message settings/text message/message center number/(operator gave me the correct number)

Messages/message settings/text message/messages sent as "text"

Messages/message settings/text message/message validity/ "maximum time"