The first thing I did when I finally got a Smartphone was turn on T-Mobile’s “unlimited internet” plan, which costs an additional $19.95 a month. This would allow me to use Internet Explorer, MSN Messenger, Inbox, etc., all over a lightning fast (ehem) GPRS connection. My wireless data needs weren’t extreme - I wasn’t going to tether the phone to a laptop (which has built-in 802.11 anyways), I just wanted a way to email some pictures, check movie times, and generally just screw around on the Internet with the phone.

What I quickly discovered was that GPRS access was extremely spotty (half the time I couldn’t even connect), and GPRS was s-l-o-w. It was frustrating, and somewhat annoying.

Now, I usually end up with oodles of extra minutes at the end of the month (I have the 1000 minutes, unlimited nights and weekends plan). I decided to explore the possibility of just using a “dialup” connection rather than GPRS for data (called CSD in the cellular world) - this way, when I accessed the internet, it would eat minutes instead of bytes, since it was using the phone as a modem.

I created a new dialup connection, set up my login information, deleted my GPRS connections, and fired up Internet Explorer. It took a few seconds to login (it has to “dial and connect” first), but up came my homepage. Inbox, MSN Messenger, etc., all worked without a hitch.

So I cancelled my unlimited GPRS access that afternoon. Remember, this is not a super speedy connection - I believe CSD works at a whopping 9600 baud. But for me, it’s been working out well, and is $20 cheaper a month.