Help with Palm TX bluetooth connectivity question

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Kunmui

New member
I did a quick search and didn't find anything previously posted covering this topic so forgive me if this topic has already been explained.

I am a long time user of the Palm handheld PDA. In fact I've still got the first 512k model that came out. I've owned several models since including one of the IBM WorkPad models. I recently (within the last six months) upgraded from a Vx to a TX. The only reason I bought the TX was to have a pocket sized WiFi based web browser to monitor a couple web sites during the day. So for most of my PDA "stuff" I've continued using the Vx. But recently I've been looking to get a Treo 700p because I'm running out of pockets to stuff my PDAs and cell phone into. I thought I'd sell the TX as it has some value and put the money towards the 700p but checking around it looks like I could only get about $150 out of my TX and accesories, only about half or less of what I'll have to put into a 700p. So I'm thinking that instead of a 700p I'd just get a new cell phone with Bluetooth capabilities if I could BT DUN the TX to the cell. I'm a Sprint user and they have EVDO networks in my area, North Texas but access to the high speed network probably depends on the phone I get as well as it's ability to support DUN to the TX.

So to my question, does anyone have any experience getting internet connectivity on the TX with a Bluetooth enabled cell phone? If so any suggestions or experience in doing this?

Thanks for any and all help and if I missed a FAQ or something just point me there.
 
BT runs at about 19,600 kbps - basically an old analog modem. Fast enough for voice but not much else.

The process for connecting the TX to a BT phone is simple enough and you can browse without issue. The process is normally as easy as pairing the two devices then launch the browser on the TX and typically the phone handles the login etc so there isn't much too it assuming the phone is internet enabled. I've enabled my T5, T3, LD to either a Cingular phone or a Sprint phone sometime back.

You won't be able to do so using a Palm phone - as DUN is not enable via BT because the phone is enabled as a modem itself in most hardware configurations. And if you connect the 700p to EVDO network of Sprint's in North Texas and then pinch that 170K+ down to 19K - I think - nope I'm certain you'd be disappointed in the speed.
 
Thanks for the info. What you told me is very important. If I understand you correctly, if I want any kind of speed while browsing then I'm only going to get it by using a Treo (or other EVDO enabled phone) with the browser on board that can take advantage of the EVDO connection. Where as if I try and connect on down to an external device via the BT I'll see a huge bottleneck and terribly slow speeds. :eek:

Which makes me have to re-think this again.

Thanks again for that eye opener. That was a case of not seeing the forrest for the trees or something like that. :)
 
You interpreted correctly - BT is a tremendous bottle neck and will slow down the world - if given the chance.

Stay warm here in North Texas.
 
Not true. Bluetooth v1 is specced to 1Mbit/s, the actual throughput max over the air is about 750kbit/s. Even on a Palm TX it should run way faster than 19.6k!

What WILL limit it is your cellular connection - with GPRS it depends how many downstream channels your supplier and phone let you use. Two would be 28k on most networks, but some phones support four (=56k) or more.

In the spirit of curiosity, I connected my TX to my Nokia N70 over Bluetooth and used Blazer to pull down a 100kB file, it took approx 20 seconds on Orange and 18 on Virgin Mobile, so that's 40-45kb/s.

(The N70 is class 10 multislot GPRS, so up to four channels down.)

I then connected my TX to my PC over Bluetooth and transferred a 100k file to the TX - it took a couple of seconds, so 50kB/s or 400kb/s. Over Wi-Fi it wasn't much faster.

So yes, there is a chance that your Palm will be able to pull stuff through your EVDO phone at 400kb/s, if your tariff supports that.
 
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