apurvab
11-29-2003, 06:12 AM
Hi all. Sorry if this is very basic. I've tried doing multiple searches, and have gotten some decent info piece-meal, but there are still a few holes in my understanding of how this works.
I am interested in connecting my PDA to the 'net via a cellular phone. I understant that Sprint & Verizon's GPRS phones are the faster option in the states at this time. Here are a few things I'm not clear on:
1) Do you still need a ISP in addition to the cellular plan? Or do you connect to the cell companie's own ISP service?
2) If you can connect to either/or, is there a reason to go one-way or the other? For example, it seems that Verizon's cell plans start at $15/mo (on top of your basic package), and limit how much you can DL. Could I instead just use minutes to connect to netzero (who charges $10/hour, and has no limits on usage)? Or do I still need an internet plan with the cell company to transmit data regardless of who my ISP is?
3) Is there any one particular plan/company that is a no-brainer that anyone knows of, or are they all pretty equivalent or else very region specific? For example, I often heard people saying that they have a great internet package, where they only get charged minutes and have no limit on DL. Does this mean they don't have to pay any extra beyond their basic plan? If so, that would be the ideal solution for me, because I would only use the i-net infrequently, and spending an additional $15 for this doesn't make a lot of sense. Yet I haven't com across a plan that works this way yet.
4) Is there a thorough guide that anyone knows of (or a thread that I might have missed) that goes through all of this in a very basic way, for someone who knows very little about cellular internet? Even if I understand all of the above, I still feel somewhat unclear about the whole matter, and a basic guide would be very useful.
Thank you for your help, and any info is appreciated.
I am interested in connecting my PDA to the 'net via a cellular phone. I understant that Sprint & Verizon's GPRS phones are the faster option in the states at this time. Here are a few things I'm not clear on:
1) Do you still need a ISP in addition to the cellular plan? Or do you connect to the cell companie's own ISP service?
2) If you can connect to either/or, is there a reason to go one-way or the other? For example, it seems that Verizon's cell plans start at $15/mo (on top of your basic package), and limit how much you can DL. Could I instead just use minutes to connect to netzero (who charges $10/hour, and has no limits on usage)? Or do I still need an internet plan with the cell company to transmit data regardless of who my ISP is?
3) Is there any one particular plan/company that is a no-brainer that anyone knows of, or are they all pretty equivalent or else very region specific? For example, I often heard people saying that they have a great internet package, where they only get charged minutes and have no limit on DL. Does this mean they don't have to pay any extra beyond their basic plan? If so, that would be the ideal solution for me, because I would only use the i-net infrequently, and spending an additional $15 for this doesn't make a lot of sense. Yet I haven't com across a plan that works this way yet.
4) Is there a thorough guide that anyone knows of (or a thread that I might have missed) that goes through all of this in a very basic way, for someone who knows very little about cellular internet? Even if I understand all of the above, I still feel somewhat unclear about the whole matter, and a basic guide would be very useful.
Thank you for your help, and any info is appreciated.