PulpLit.net

Real Wireless

So let me start by saying that I won't normally do this, but I had to, because I am so darn proud.

I figured out how to hook my cell phone (a Motorola V.66) to my Powerbook G4 with a $20 USB cable. You can buy a $120 kit some places that includes the cable, but as I have a Mac, this would be useless, as the kit is for PCs. Besides, it's more expensive.

Anyway, the cable allows me to do three cool things. I've listed them in reverse order of coolness.

1. I can charge my cell phone by attaching it to my computer.

2. I can sync my calendar and address book with my phone, making my phone into a fast, cheap, and semi-efficient PDA. Gone are my beleaguered attempts at using a Palm Pilot, a device too heavy for me to carry around all the time. My phone, on the other hand, is about the size and weight of two large boxes of matches; besides, I already carry it with me like a diabetic carries insulin.

3. I can use my cell phone as a modem. That?s right! If I?m in a airport, or cafe, or park, or where-ever, I can dial up the internet, check my e-mail, browse, you name it. It?s only at 9600 Baud (which is like 1/6 the speed of your standard dialup), but that?s fast enough to send and receive text e-mails on my laptop. And also makes me feel super cool.

I achieved this miracle through a variety by following a few simple steps:
a. I attached the phone to my TiBook with the cable mentioned above. The TiBook automatically recognized the phone as a new modem, and added the appropriate interface in the ?Network? control panel.
b. I selected the "Motorola Phone (V. series 66)" interface.
c. Under ?PPP?, I entered the appropriate dialup phone number, username and password for my ISP (in my case, an Earthlink access number in the (415) area code.)
d. Under ?Modem?, I selected ?Sprint PCS Vision?.

That?s it. The hook up can be very temperamental. Some of the behavior I?ve seen is downright weird. For instance, it will sometimes only work with one USB port, and not the other. Also, I often have to detach and reattach the phone to re-initiate a connection. And the cable has to be attached directly to the back your Mac, not through a USB hub.

But all that said, it does work. As far as I can tell, the minutes are deducted from my plan as if I was making a regular phone call. And with my new T-Mobile 1000 minutes for $40 a month plan, I can cruise for a good while without worries.

This is the neatest hack I?ve done since I was a kid fooling around with 2400 Baud modems on my Powermac LC. Back then, I could get a modem to initiate a 300 baud connection by whistling the right tones. Oh, to be young and foolish again.