Various PAM/Phone Questions

[jwinslow]

I need broadband in the boonies (dialup only, dead area in map) that I can also take on the road, so I feel tethering is my best option. I transfer lots of data (ie 1 gig of photos every weekend), so sprint would catch on if I tried to sneak tethering in.

1) Is there any noticeable speed difference between PAM & a PC card? More importantly, is the lesser of the two still pretty fast?

2) I have a PC & laptop. Can I tether to one computer and then run that to a router (to connect my other computer)?

3) Or would you guys suggest getting a USB card to use on both?

4) If I sign up new for 2 lines for 2 years, do I get 2 phones at reduced price or just 1? If just 1, can I sign up for 2 plans, then later merge them?

5) Can I port 1-2 verizon #'s to a new SERO plan? Or must I skip SERO to maintain my phone #'s?

6) Do I need a Rev.A phone for max dl speed? I live in a Rev.A covered area.

7) I'm considering the Q for $99. Are there better phones for tethering?

8) My timetable is late may. If the 6800 & 755 launch in midmay, will older smart phones (ie 6700) drop in price?

Sorry if this is the wrong forum, I'm pretty new to this site.

[Dragonman]

Wirelessly posted (Treo 700p: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows 98; PalmSource/Palm-D052; Blazer/4.5) 16;320x320)

6800 launch has been pushed back to October. The 755 will be out on 5/14.

[Brandon]

I use my M1 for data every day, its pretty fast and is comparable to dsl, well maybe a little slower, i cant compare it to a card though.

[james2K]

i'd recommend a data card, the U720's are pretty nice if you want something that can be used on both a laptop and a pc.

rev a speeds are pretty good. i get 1500 kb/sec with the U.

phone as modem is a nice option but keep in mind you can't surf and talk at the same time.

[Brandon]

Yea thats true. You may recieve a text but you can't read it and it pauses your connection for a few seconds, which is a pain.

[olsen469]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/4.0 (MobilePhone MM-9000/US/1.0) NetFront/3.1 MMP/2.0)

You Could Get A Card And Get One Of Those Adapter Things That Allow You To Plug It Into A Router

[james2K]

there are mobile broadband routers available which allow you to plug your PCMIA aircard into the router, then distribute it wirelessly to other computers

[jwinslow]

If I get an unlimited data plan ($40), and use a U720, do I still get data on my phone?

Thanks for all the replies guys.

p.s. Is it possible to play games online (360 Live, PC games) over a PC card if I'm in a EVDO rev a area?

[james2K]

no, the data card is a separate device on a separate line with a separate plan.

[rodloos]

p.s. Is it possible to play games online (360 Live, PC games) over a PC card if I'm in a EVDO rev a area?

I don't think you would be happy with playing games over EVDO -- while the throughput is pretty good, there is a pretty noticeable lag time.

If you plan to have several computers use the EVDO connection, you should seriously look into the Kyocera KR1 routers -- I have one for my pcmcia card, and it also has a USB port. And it also comes with a 12v adapter for the car. Whenever I have to take my teenage daughters shopping at the mall, I often just stay in the car, plug in my pcmcia card into the router and plug it into the 12v plug, then I can use my laptop and pda devices quite well.

I believe Sprint does re-compress any jpeg images transferred over their network, which does make pages load faster but also degrades the image quality on web pages. Just something to be aware of if your are considering this for your primary internet usage.

[jwinslow]

I can live without online gaming.

Does the recompression merely apply to page browsing? It won't compress my 3 mb photos when uploading to my website, will it?

Also, if I sign up for a 2 year voice plan and also get a $40 data (via card) plan, can I cancel the data card and keep the voice? Or am I locked in for 2 years for both plans?

[oanju123]

If I get an unlimited data plan ($40), and use a U720, do I still get data on my phone?

Thanks for all the replies guys.

p.s. Is it possible to play games online (360 Live, PC games) over a PC card if I'm in a EVDO rev a area?


are you asking if you get to use the web on your phone directly, if you have the phone as modem plan?

the answer is yes then... i have a razr phone and i get to surf the web on it, which came with my phone as modem svc, that i tether to a pocketpc and laptop.......

[rodloos]

I can live without online gaming.

Does the recompression merely apply to page browsing? It won't compress my 3 mb photos when uploading to my website, will it?

Also, if I sign up for a 2 year voice plan and also get a $40 data (via card) plan, can I cancel the data card and keep the voice? Or am I locked in for 2 years for both plans?

Yes, I believe the recompression only applies to web images downloaded while browsing, files uploaded or transferred via ftp should be preserved.

Unfortunately both the phone and the card will likely each require a contract, if you cancel the data card they would want to charge you the ETF :mad:

I have 4 phones and a data card on my plan, with a contract on each.