You need to activate the data service at Cingular if you want to access the Internet from a separate device through your mobile.

db

My 770 has really made me more interested than before in mobile data plans. I've been with Verizon for several years and daily use a Treo 650. Though I haven't been wowed by Verizon, the Treo did its job well enough that I haven't seriously looked. The 770 has changed that.

As soon as I got my 770 I tried to connect via my Verizon data plan. I've suuccessfully paired via Bluetooth with both a Treo 650 and a Motorola E815. Both phones required some minor software modifications to enable bluetooth DUN (google verizon bluetooth DUN <phone> to find files and instructions). The Treo 650 is NOT EVDO -- 1xRTT only. My throughput as measured at toast.net was 80 kb/s download and 50 kb/s up. The E815 is EVDO enabled and pulled down at about 250 kb/s (which I'm guessing shows the limit of BT, not EVDO). Sadly the upload speed over EVDO was about the same. I don't have the USB tether kit for the E815 so I don't know what to expect when the BT bottleneck is removed. I've heard others say somewhere in the range of 400 - 800 kb/s for download speed.

I've also paired the 770 to the Motorola V360 from T-Mobile. Toast.net showed the 770 at 100 - 120 kb/s download speeds and 50 - 80 kb/s upload. My subjective experience is that the T-Mobile EDGE network is more consistent compared to the 1xRTT at Verizon.

Some of you might find this a bit surprising but I'm cancelling my account with Verizon and switching to T-Mobile. I've been with Verizon for several years but find the T-Mobile plans more compelling. With Verizon I have to pay $60/month to have USB tethering (though I don't think they care or know if you manage to do it via bluetooth). T-Mobile charge $19.95/month for tethering or $29.95/month for tethering + all T-Mobile hotspots. In Houston there's no shortage of Starbucks, Border or FedEx Kinko stores I can stop in and connect up (most airports also but I use those rarely). I've used the 770 at Starbucks with no problems at all. For my purposes high-speed internet sites coupled with ISDN-speeds everywhere else at half the price (even the voice plan was less) are reasons enough.

I didn't decide to switch in a vacuum, though. I also looked into Cingular and Sprint plans. Cingular aren't competitive at all since their fastest data plan is EDGE like T-Mobile and doesn't include the hotspots. Sprint look good, especially with the A900 Blade but there's no compelling reason for me to drop Verizon for Sprint. The data plans are about the same price. The voice plans at Sprint are a bit cheaper but not enough to pull me over. So that really left me with Verizon vs. T-Mobile.

A significant strike against Verizon (and Sprint) is that they disable features in their phones that I want to use -- most importantly bluetooth DUN and obex. As noted above, I had to make modifications to both my Verizon phones to use bluetooth DUN. The only thing T-Mobile do to their phones is lock the phones from use in Europe. After you've been a customer for 90 days they'll give you an unlock code (sooner, I guess, if you're travelling).

Given the above experiences and reasons, T-Mobile and their $29.95 Total Internet plan emerge as the best choice for me. (Did I mention Katherine Zeta-Jones is their spokesperson? )

--Aaron

Updates: minor clarifications.

Off topic but where are you at in Houston? I'm down in Clear Lake.

David

You may have discounted Cingular a little too soon... They just turned on their 3G network here in Houston (but they don't have any decent 3G phones yet). Data is pricier than T-Mobile but I have found that coverage is better with Cingular, especially if you travel away from the major urban areas.
David

Funny you should ask -- I'm in a Starbucks in the Galleria area using the wifi. I live further west but still in the area. If there are enough of us we should plan a meet-up. Get up to Houston regularly?

How fast will the Cingular 3G network be?

--Aaron

Well, there is advertised speed and there is actual speed. Cingular's 3G is capable of 200kb/sec but not likely they will allow it that high. I'm waiting for a decent BT nokia 3G phone to hit cingular. I'd like to have a flip but I hate the motorola UI.

David

I have a cingular account and a Sony Erricson s710a phone. Cingular has what they call Media-Net, which is theer EDGE network internet access on the phone handset. Well, the unlimited Media-Net access is only 9.95 a month. And when you connect via bluetooth:
APN: wap.cingular
Username: WAP@CINGULARGPRS.COM
Password: CINGULAR1

Make sure you set these as your settings on your 770 for your packet data connection. then pair up your phone with the 770. After that just hit connect wait a few seconds and you are connected!

Unlimited access for $9.95 a month. The data rate seems to vary between 80-165 Kbps. It works great for me.

Mike

Does cingular have different access plans for different regions. In my area,
the unlimited media-net is $19.99 which is still not too bad.

In my tests with the audiovox SMT 5600 i get around 100-120 kbps D/L speed with cingular's edge service.

DaScud

OK, using Toast.net I conducted some more formal speed testing on my Nokia 770 and Cingular Media-Net connection ($9.95/month). I used the shuttle + text test and ran it 10 times using the ADDR.com host. The lowest I got was 145 Kbps and the highest was 183 Kbps. This was done with 5 bars on the cell phone(Sony Ericcson s710a). I then moved to an area in my house where I had only 4 bars and repeated the testing. I got a low of 96 Kbps and High of 110 Kbps. Then I found a place with only 3 bars. I got a low of 55 Kbps and high of 69Kbps.

Hope this is helpful.

Mike

Were you able to do DUN via bluetooth thru you phone with this device?

I have connected to my ISP using a Prepaid Wireless phone as data call . It is it works good just that it is very slow . 14.4 it's like being in 1981 on a bbs .

But it aleast works .

I have callplus wireless prepaid it works off verizon network and works with any verizon phone . better prices than verizon prepaid as verizon will hit you with a day fee for each day you use the phone . Not the case with this service and you are still on verizon even if you call 611 it is verzion and a verizon nimber . http://ecallplus.com/cellular/locus-cdma.html


I have also tried to use 1x network but it I just can't seem to get it to connect . I will have to do more testing on that with this prepaid service .

I am useing my roadrunner backup dialup account for my isp.

The phone is an ebay deal i got for $4.99 A V710 this phone works great at DUN is already turned out of the box.

Hope this helps others that may have prepaid servies and just needs to check the email real fast or lookup something.


Computerfreek