Using a mobile phone to access the internet.

[G-CPTN]

My mobile phone is just that - no camera and PAYG, but, realising that a decade ago I probably wouldn't have even had that, and also realising that there are phones capable of internet access, I'm curious to learn how effective this is?

I can accept that a simple device could display text-only emails, but if I include a web address that relates to a jpeg image, what can the recipient see?

Another question, does the recipient pay for connection time (like a conventional voice call?) or does the download get reckoned according to the size of the image?

I ask this because I sometimes send 'high resolution' camera photographs as attachments, and don't want to inconvenience anyone who chooses to use their 'i-phone' (or Android) to read my message.

[Loose rivets]

does the recipient pay for connection time (like a conventional voice call?)

Erm, you don't pay to receive calls in the UK, do you? We do in the US, but not there, shirly.

Sometimes G-Mail seems to show quite large pictures without invitation. Not sure when it chooses to do this, but mostly I would have to instruct it to download anything that was akin to a large .jpg The phone user could choose not to do this of course.



A regular Ppruner and I were walking along the Essex coastline, and I made mention of a ship/boat moored near the windfarm. He pulls out his iPhone I think it is, and soon shows me a plan of the sea and the boats and the names of the boats and the speed of the boats and where they are going.

One was impressed.

The only APP that I covet is one where you hold the phone over your head and look at that patch of stars. I haven't really put it's accuracy to the test however.

[themidge]

Today, mobile internet is exceptional. If you include an address to a picture in an email, that's what the recipient will see - the address. If it's hyperlinked they'll be able to click on the link and then the image will load. It's possible to embed the image in the email if you had a capable phone so the image would appear inline with any text.

In the early days of mobile internet you had to pay for connection time, well, I did any way. Today, it's all done by the size of the download. I have a 500MB limit on my calling plan so I could receive 500 emails with a 1MB picture attached or any ridiculous number of combinations of message sizes.

Just today I received a signed reference from a previous employer while on the go which I could read on my phone and send a message back saying thanks for the kind remarks. Mobile internet is great.

I'm impressed at your consideration for your recipients!

[mixture]

G-CPTN,

Mobile voice is calculated in time units
Mobile data is calculated in data units

The minimum billing size and billing increment is dependent on the commercial terms you have agreed with your provider.

Mobile internet is great.

I wouldn't go that far midge'.

It's useful yes. But great ? No. Give me a laptop or desktop any day rather than trying to any sort of constructive work on a mobile device.

[FullOppositeRudder]

My mobile phone is just that - no camera and PAYG, but, realising that a decade ago I probably wouldn't have even had that, and also realising that there are phones capable of internet access, I'm curious to learn how effective this is?Firstly my comments are based on my local experience (Australia).

Six months ago I bought a low cost android device (Huawei Sonic) and purchased a sim card from a third party telco for which I use only the data component of the monthly renewable arrangement. For $9.90 AU I get 1 Gb of data per month. I could also use this device as a mobile phone for quite reasonable prepaid rates. However I've retained my existing prepaid mobile phone and provider because they offer better network coverage.

The results have been astonishing. I've found this works so well that I've been almost totally neglecting my previous netbook and wireless dongle traveling companions. I can manage almost all of my internet needs with the smaller and faster package. I've yet to use any more than 15% of my data allocation in any given month.

The major limitation is replying to emails, primarily because of the micro on screen 'keyboard' and my size 10 fingers. However for all other uses - weather, monitoring emails in, and casual on demand information requirements it's been a real boon.

I understand that with my contract, I pay for data received as well as sent, so it's worth keeping an eye on incoming traffic and the size of attachments you are about the receive.

As a. bonus it can also function as a self contained wireless hotspot or be tethered to a host computer with it's usb cable to give full and private internet facilities on that machine anywhere the service provider's network is available.

As I see things, it really depends on how much outgoing internet work you might do, and how much of a limitation the micro keyboard might be.

Personally I wouldn't be without this little device these days. :ok:

[G-CPTN]

Thanks for the replies so far.
I'm impressed at your consideration for your recipients!
Usually I don't - I send the highest resolution images that I can (from my laptop over a landline) - what's the point of sending low-resolution pictures when I'm taking them on a proper digital camera?
However, I've recently become aware that sometimes I get a reply to an email that is sent from a mobile 'phone, so, remembering painfully slow dial-up internet connections, I cringe when I think that maybe the recipient of the email might struggle to view my images (or maybe even not be able to 'see' them). Worse still, if the recipient had to pay £££s for airtime just to be able to see something that would be FOC on a computer using broadband . . .

Of course, not having a smartphone, I don't know anything about what I was asking.
I don't even have a contract for my mobile (apart from PAYG) though I pay for every call that I make.