Steven J. Davidson, MD, MBA is the chairman of the department of emergency medicine at Maimonides Medical Center; professor of clinical emergency medicine at SUNY-Health Science Center in Brooklyn, NY, and a principal in Emerging Medical Concepts ( www.emedconcepts.com), a medical leadership development and support consulting organization.
My first choice for wireless connectivity with my Palm - a serial data cable and a cell phone - was the last choice listed in the recent PDAMD article, "5 Ways to Wireless." And if you already own both a Palm organizer and a data-ready cell phone it could be an excellent wireless solution for you as well. Why did I choose this method? Well, since I already carry a cell phone and a Palm around with me all of my waking hours, stuffing an additional 3-foot cable into my pocket-albeit one with a largish adapter on one end-just seemed like a small price to pay for access to the wireless web.
What follows are all of the details you'd need to make this "PDA-to-serial data cable-to-cell phone" wireless connection, if that's the way you choose to go. However, the examples I use in this article are based on my own real-world experiences with connecting my Palm organizer and data-ready Motorola StarTac 7868W cell phone with the Verizon (the merged combination of Airtouch, Bell Atlantic and GTE) CDMA wireless network. You'll have to research some of the specifics for your particular PDA, cell phone and provider combination.
Putting the pieces togetherThe first step is to check that your telephone is data capable and your cellular provider supports wireless data. As I mentioned, I'm going to describe how I connected using a Motorola StarTac 7868W (the "W" at the end means it's a WAP-enabled phone) which I use with Verizon's SingleRate plan. If you're using Verizon's SingleRateEast plan with a Motorola 7860W it will work for you in the same way. Regardless of the plan you have with these or other phones, you must typically sign-up for wireless data access. Verizon provides its "Mobile Web" service at an additional $6.95 a month.
In addition to your Palm, your cell phone and wireless data service, you'll need cables to tie them all together. What you'll need is a data cable that hooks your Motorola cell phone to your Palm's serial port. You can get one from Verizon at https://store.bam.com/oasys/accdetails/acc_details.asp?id=568 or try your local Radio Shack or Sprint store, which may be less expensive. Remember to ask for a cable for the Motorola 7867 or 8167 cell phone.
You'll also need an adapter to convert the female DB-9 serial port connector on one end of the data cable to your Palm's serial port. While you can carry your Palm's synchronization cradle, a DB-9 Male to DB-9 Male Null Modem adapter, and the cell phone data cable around with you, let me warn you, it is incredibly awkward. I suggest you obtain a custom cable from http://www.syncablesolutions.com, which is where I purchased my DB-9 male to Palm modem cable.
You might even want to pick up a belt clip while you're at it. This enables you to have your Motorola StarTac cell phone in a reversed position, which allows access to the connection at the base of the phone so that you can connect your data cable to the telephone and then hold your Palm. I've picked up email walking down the street in this way. You can get a belt clip directly from Motorola at http://commerce.motorola.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=207807&prmenbr=126&accessories_cgrfnbr=1102.
Configuring the softwareNow we come to the software. The Motorola TruSync software, which lets you synchronize your computer address book with your cell phone, is available on-line at many websites, including Yahoo and Excite. However, it does not include the modem driver software you'll need to use the cable and cell phone with your computer. That software is supplied only when purchased with the cable from Verizon or Motorola. If you use a different brand of cell phone, you will have to research the availability of a "data connectivity kit", which will include the software and the data cable you'll need to connect.
Before cabling everything together, you must set-up your Palm for its adventure into the wireless world. I'm assuming you're already using an email package through a dial-up modem with your Palm. Wireless connections require that you use client software that makes a direct TCP/IP connection to the Internet, rather than relying upon synchronizing with your desktop.
In setting up your Palm, let me warn you that the documents on the Verizon website are substantially, but not entirely, correct. For instance, you will need a different Palm Network and script setup than the one described in Verizon's Quick-Network-Connection text at http://www.bam.com/download/QNCsetup.doc. Others may refer you to information on the Airtouch site at http://www.messaging.airtouch.com/Net-Access/services/mobile_east/support_pages_palmos_east.html but here again I found that I needed to adjust the Palm Network details.
I started on my Palm IIIx (with TRG's xtra Pro memory add-in) by going to "Preferences" where I selected "Connection" and created a new connection named "cellphone." Under "Method" I selected "Serial to PC", then I pressed the "Details" button and selected a speed of 19,200 and "automatic" flow control.
I returned to "Preferences", selected "Network" and created a new service named "QuickConnect" with the user name "qnc" and the password "qnc" (all lowercase, no quotes) using the connection "cellphone". I tapped the "Details" button then chose "PPP" under connection type and entered a Primary DNS of 199.74.157.18 with no Secondary DNS. Finally, I checked the "automatic" box for "IP Address" to complete the network screen.
Next I selected the "Script" button and entered the following script:
Send atdt#777 Send CR Delay 4 Send at$qncknd=1 Send CR End
I chose "OK" to save and "OK" again to exit out to the main screen. This created my new network connection with a script to connect to Verizon. Now it was time to test the connection.
I hooked up one end of the data cable to my Palm and the other end my cell phone. I made sure I had a strong signal. I touched the "Connect" button on my Palm's screen, which dialed the number on my cell phone. This is the same process as when you dial-up over your modem using your desktop computer. Dialing directly from the cell phone will not work.
In less than a minute I was connected to the Internet and checking my email.
One area we didn't cover is what applications you intend to use. E-mail is a natural, but you may want to browse the web or do instant messaging.
I use Multimail 3.1 on my Palm IIIx and regularly check email accounts I have with several different ISPs. I've also used Proxiweb to browse the web with some success. While I can use my WAP cell phone for this, the Palm's larger screen size makes checking weather and email much easier.
That's it! I hope you are as successful and pleased with this wireless connection as I've been.
If you have any questions or have connected wirelessly using your PDA and cell phone let us know on the PDAMD discussion board.
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