MAKING AN INTERNET CONNECTION WITH YOUR CELL PHONE AND YOUR PALM

Can I use my cell phone to connect my Palm and AOL Mail?      

Unfortunately, there is no easy yes or no answer.

A modem is much more than the RJ-11 jack that you plug a phone cord into. Phone lines were originally designed to carry sound (the human voice) and nothing more. And, without the intervention of some additional hardware, that is still all the phone system can do. Modems are the additional hardware that turn computer data into sound and sound back into data, so that it can be sent and received over phone lines. Your computer also needs communications software to control your modem. In the old days of slow, external modems and VT100 terminal emulation, this was all pretty obvious. You had to learn the basic AT commands, you had to worry about Flow Control and other gibberish. Now, with internal modems and web browsers, this process has become invisible. You can be online for years without once pulling up a terminal session and typing "ATDT." But, in the background, every time you call AOL, your modem is still responding to the same old AT commands sent by your communications software. It is still modulating and demodulating data, allowing your computer to "talk" to another, distant computer in ways Ma Bell never planned for.

Cell phones, like landline phones, were designed to carry sound, not data. In most cases, the cell phone itself is not a modem. To add to the complexity, the cellular industry in the US has not settled on a transmission standard. Most American phones are CDMA. Some are GSM. Some are TDMA. Some CDMA phones are digital, some are analog. Which standard your cellular provider adheres to will determine which type of phone you have. And that, finally, will determine whether you can even begin to think of using your cell phone as a modem.

Keeping all this in mind, how do you hook your PDA up to your cell phone so you can retrieve your email on the bus?

Making The Connection:

The easiest way to connect your cell phone to your PDA is to live anywhere but the United States. Most of the planet has adopted the GSM standard, which, by default, allows for data transmission. Sadly, you didn't have the foresight to be born French and no one will grant you a visa just because you want email on your Palm, so what are you going to do?

Step 1: Find a GSM carrier

If you already have a cellular contract, call your cellular provider and ask what sort of connection you have or go to the web site of your phone's manufacturer and look up your phone. You will need the exact model number. The Nokia 6100 line, for instance, includes CDMA, TDMA, and GSM phones. So you need to know if you have a 6120, a 6160, or a 6190 Nokia. If you have both a GSM carrier and a GSM phone, you're in luck. If you have a CDMA Sprint PCS phone, you might be able to use it on the Sprint Wireless Web service, but you'll have to pay extra. Check Sprint's web site for a list of compatible phones.  Verizon now also offers a wireless data service. You may have to switch cellular services or buy a new cell phone.

If you're new to cell phones or looking to switch providers, make it easy on yourself and sign up with a company that offers data service. Although CDMA is still the most common standard in the US, GSM is gaining ground. That's good news for PDA owners, since GSM is the simplest, least expensive type of cellular/PDA connection. You can look for a GSM cellular company in your area by going to http://www.gsmworld.com/gsminfo/cou_us.htm

Step 2: Does Your Cellular Company Provide Data Transmission

Some cellular companies, like SprintPCS, will provide data transmission over cellular connections for an additional price. You may have to call your cell phone company and sign up for an additional service. Read the small print and shop around. Not all pricing plans require surcharges. Full GSM companies like T Mobile treat data calls and voice calls the same. There are no surcharges or extra plans to sign up for.

Step 3: Sign a contract, buy a phone

Don't expect a phone salesperson, who has to remember the details of twenty three different service contacts on sale this week from six different cell companies, to know about PDAs and to give you the correct answer to your questions. Do your research before you buy and you'll be much happier.

Do you really need to buy a new phone? You already have a phone, don't you? And you love your phone. Sorry. You're going to have to buy a GSM phone if you want to use it on a GSM network. There are many GSM phones from a variety of manufacturers, including Nokia, Motorola, Sony, and Ericsson. You're going to have to get an "Internet Ready" phone if you plan on using a CDMA service. When you sign up with your new cellular service (if necessary), they'll offer you a range of phones to choose from. The low end GSM phones (like the Nokia 5190) will need additional software and cables to work with your PDA. The high end phones may work right out of the box (or they may not). Investigate before you buy. The money you save buying an inexpensive phone may be spent later buying additional software and cables.

Why do you need a cable?

Your PDA has an IR port and IR Beaming capability. Your cell phone has an IR window. You can just beam your PDA/cellular connection -- right??? Dream on. On many, if not most, US cell phones that IR window is just a piece of colored plastic. There is no built in IR receiver. If this is the case with your phone, you will have to buy a data cable to connect your PDA and your cell phone.

Beware: just because you can buy a cable, it doesn't mean you can use the phone to connect to the web!

Here is the really annoying part. Many cell phone companies sell what they call "tethering" cables to connect your phone to your PDA. With software and the cable, you can upload your PDA's address book to your cell phone's memory. BUT, and this is a big but, just because you can exchange data between your PDA and your phone, it does not necessarily follow that you can use your phone to connect to computer networks. That is a data call, which requires a data capable cellular network and a modem. Remember -- your cell phone is a phone, not a modem. In America, even a GSM phone may not have built in modem capability right out of the box.  

Where do I get a cable?

Cell phones have a special jack that requires a special cable. The manufacturers of most data-capable cell phones sell cables for their phones. Unfortunately, you may run into a situation where the only cable for your phone is a Cell Phone to PC Serial Port cable rather than a Cell to Palm cable. Or your phone's manufacturer may market a cable for a Palm V and you own a Visor Platinum.  

Now what?

You can always string several cables together to make a connection between your Palm and your cell phone. First, if you don't already have one, get a HotSync cable (rather than a HotSync cradle) for your Palm. Then, if you can, get the Cell-to-Serial-Port cable. This cable will allow you to use your cell phone to as a wireless modem for a laptop. You'll also need two pieces of intervening hardware:

Attach the Null Modem adapter to you Serial Port plug on the Cell-to-PC cable. Now attach the Gender Changer to the Null Modem adapter. Now attach the Serial Cable-Null Modem-Gender Changer to your Hot Sync Cable.

It's a bit long and a bit clunky, but that combination will allow you to attach almost any cell phone to any Palm, even when there is no ready made cable available. You can buy Null Modem adapters and Gender Changers at almost any electronics or computer store. You can also find a combination Null Modem/Gender Changer, as well as other cables and goodies, at Syncable Solutions online. The SupplyNet offers a wide selection of cables for a variety of PDAs and phones.

I have a Palm IIIc, a Nokia 5190, the TDK Global Pulse kit (which provides a data cable to connect the Nokia to the Palm and a "soft" modem to connect the phone to the web) and GSM service through T Mobile.  I'm happy with this system and would recommend it to others. But there are many, many other possible combinations. 

Here are some links to other sites that discuss Palm / Cellular connections:

TDK's Global Pulse FAQ

Dr. Salami's MyWirelessPalm.com including information on using your IR port to connect your phone and your Palm and much more

Palm to Cell Phone Info including lots of helpful links

Dave Furey's Palm-SprintPCS page

A version of this article first appeared in Pocket Press, a weekly newsletter for PDA users.

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