Need a phone for internet connection with powerbook/macbook pro

K

kayta k

New member
What I need is a phone strictly for internet access and the ability to connect it to my powerbook (soon to be a macbook pro). I was thinking maybe a treo 650. I need to be able to use it as a bluetooth modem. What would be the best phone to get, and what would be the cheapest unlimited data service? Is there a fastest, or are they all about the same?

Thanks
 
Your location would help so we can recommend a phone/provider.

Look for a phone with EDGE capabilities for GSM phones, or EVDO for CDMA phones.
 
It looks like you're on the fringe of both the Sprint and Verizon Orlando EV-DO clouds, so you might be able to get high-speed Internet from either of those. It looks like you have OK T-Mobile EDGE coverage, too.

So it's just down to price (and double checking that coverage with stores and friends in your neighborhood).

Sprint has the best bang for the buck: $40/month if you also want a voice plan, $50/month without a voice plan, to tether a phone via USB cable to your Mac for unlimited high-speed access. I've regularly gotten speeds over 600 kbits/sec, up to 1 Mbit/sec, on their network. The Samsung MM-A920 looks like the cheapest phone you can do this with.

Verizon will let you tether a phone like the admirable Motorola E815 for $60/month, at pretty much the same speeds as Sprint.

T-Mobile will only charge you $30/month to tether with a whole bunch of their phones, but EDGE is a lot slower than EVDO ... think 100-150 kbits/sec, or about double the speed of dialup. On the other hand, you also get unlimited Wi-Fi at Starbucks for that.

Tethering EV-DO via Bluetooth (as opposed to USB) is not advised, because Bluetooth is slower than EV-DO ... so the Bluetooth becomes a bottleneck slowing down your connection! Go with a USB cable, you get a higher quality experience.

Read my stuff on pcmag.com for more - just search the site for EV-DO.
 
Right now I have a nextel i710 with just a voice plan w/ direct connect, ect. Would the cheapest solution be to just add an internet service, and upgrade phones? What phones could I use? Blackberry?

Thanks
 
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