Using the Nokia 6680 as a GPRS modem

I finally got to tweak the Nokia 6680 to work as a GPRS modem, following Russell Beattie's guide on Using the Nokia 3650 as a GPRS modem.

Good thing the phone had a Setting Wizard so it was a cinch to quickly configure its settings for the Smart network.

Next step is to configure the Packet data connection settings. Under Menu -> Tools -> Settings -> Connection -> Packet data, I had the following settings:

Packet data conn.: "When needed"
Access point: "internet"*

*The entry in "Access point" must be the same as the "Access point name" entry under Menu -> Tools -> Settings -> Connection -> Access points -> Smart Internet.

On the laptop computer with bluetooth, I just set-up Dial-up Internet Connection as usual and select the bluetooth modem. The username/password fields were left blank and *99# was entered in as the phone number to dial. *99# will instruct the phone to connect to GPRS when used as a modem by the laptop computer.

Presto! Instant internet connectivity outside the confines of a WiFi hotspot. No more blogging withdrawal symptoms for me.

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From a financial standpoint -- which is cheaper to use: using the phone as a GPRS modem or using the phone as a dial-up modem?

Assuming that I want to download a 1 MByte file to my computer:

Using the phone as a GPRS modem the computation is fairly straightforward:

Approx. download time for a 1 MByte file: 5 minutes
Charge: P0.25 per KByte
Total Bytes downloaded: 1 MBytes
Total Charges: P250.00

Using the phone as a standard dial-up modem, the computation is a bit more complex:

Approx. download time for a 1 MByte file: 15 minutes
Airtime charges (data charges for Smart Infinity): P3.00/minute x 15 minutes = P45.00
Dial-up internet charges (using Blast prepaid) = approx. P2.00 for 15 minutes
Total Charges: P47.00

Surprising, isn't it?

So if I'm in a remote, far-off place with no access to a landline phone or WiFi hotspot but with good cellular coverage and I need to download bulky e-mails, I'd rather use the phone as a dial-up modem and just dial into my favorite ISP over the air.

But for not-so-bandwidth-hungry applications like instant messaging (so I can be "online" most of the time), I would still use GPRS.

But hey, what the heck, if I really want to be online 24/7, I've got Agile Messenger for my phone. I'm online - I just stay "invisible" most of the time. There's really no need to use a computer for instant messaging stuff so now I can easily "text" anyone and send them a message for less than P1.00, even when they're out of the country.

Ain't technology great? If only everyone had Agile Messenger and GPRS phones... That would definitely save consumers a lot in text messaging expenses. This will mean less revenue for the telcos though :P

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This blog was inspired by Ka Edong's Technobiography, a great pinoy site for learning and knowing about anything and everything mobile.