I need a new cell phone for Internet

[koolguynet]

I figure there are a lot of you that are very knowledgeable about cell phones on this forum. I am the proud owner of a N800 and am getting ready to review my cell provider and phone choices. Here is what I would like to have...I want a phone that can act as a conduit for my notebook and N800 to access the internet while I am away from Wi-Fi (using bluetooth). The phone can be a smartphone, but really doesn't have to be. Just about any basic phone that fulfills this need will work. Really I have two questions:

What cell provider would you recommend? (I am in the US and am a little biased against Cingular)

Which phone from your provider of choice will work for my needs?

Thanks!

[mk500]

I like my Sprint "blade" phone. Works great for data over bluetooth. Just buy the vision service for an extra $15/month, and you can have unlimited EVDO speed data. You do need to make small tweak to your phone to make sure Sprint doesn't try to force you into paying $40/month for tethering. Info can be found in the various unoffiial Sprint user forums.

[binjinx]

yea thats the only problem sprint has been updating phones to fix that little loophole as for the A900 they have removed that model now in favor of the A900M so not sure if you can do the same trick or not

[imagineit]

I just got the Samsung M610 this week for use on the Sprint EVDO network and it is a fantastic phone! It is considered as an upgrade to the Samsung A900m. It has the many of the same features as the A900m, but also has gps, a micro-sd slot, 2 mega pixel camera and is the slimmest phone on the market. One downside is the m610 uses a proprietary connector and doesn't come with a USB cable while the A900 has a mini-usb connector built in. The battery life has been good, I haven't had it long enough to test myself but the reported talk time is 3.5 hours. A setting can be modified to allow "free" tethering with your n800 using the "Power Vision" (EVDO) service (search other forums for particulars, but you will need your MSL). Note that doing this you run the risk of have your account disconnected. If you plan on using the service regularly I would highly recommend adding the "phone as modem" option to your account. The phone is a little pricey (~$170 with a new contract) in contrast they have deals for the a900m now which can be had for $30.

[yumheart]

Has anyone here actually hooked up to the net with an a900m/sprint?

Any problems?

[gisborne]

I believe the ideal combination with a N800 is a smartphone like a Treo. That way, you get your BT dialup covered, you can just carry the phone and still get online if you don't want to carry the N800, and you get the PDA functions the N800 is missing.

I use a Treo 650, but I think you can now get faster connectivity with a more recent model.

[koolguynet]

Thanks for the suggestions. Anyone using T-Mobile for Internet to the N800?

[jdk410]

I started off using t-mobile and was thrilled that it worked with the nokia 6133. Shortly after using it - I was bummed about the 144 kbs speed. I just switched to Sprint and got a Free MOTO Razr 3vm and in the suburbs of Baltimore - I am getting 618 kbs up and 61 kbs down. This is a much better experience.

I'm not sure if I like the RAZR 3vm. It is not as user friendly as the nokia 6133 was.

[jdk410]

I just got the Samsung M610 this week for use on the Sprint EVDO network and it is a fantastic phone! It is considered as an upgrade to the Samsung A900m. It has the many of the same features as the A900m, but also has gps, a micro-sd slot, 2 mega pixel camera and is the slimmest phone on the market. One downside is the m610 uses a proprietary connector and doesn't come with a USB cable while the A900 has a mini-usb connector built in. The battery life has been good, I haven't had it long enough to test myself but the reported talk time is 3.5 hours. A setting can be modified to allow "free" tethering with your n800 using the "Power Vision" (EVDO) service (search other forums for particulars, but you will need your MSL). Note that doing this you run the risk of have your account disconnected. If you plan on using the service regularly I would highly recommend adding the "phone as modem" option to your account. The phone is a little pricey (~$170 with a new contract) in contrast they have deals for the a900m now which can be had for $30.

I was wondering if you can use the GPS from the M610 to power Maemo Mapper? Is the SPP bluetooth profile enabled on your phone? I just got the Razr 3vm and the only profiles active are DUN, FTP, OPP.

Thanks

[bakerbaker]

bump also for the m610, looks like a cool phone


I was wondering if you can use the GPS from the M610 to power Maemo Mapper? Is the SPP bluetooth profile enabled on your phone? I just got the Razr 3vm and the only profiles active are DUN, FTP, OPP.

Thanks