mobile browser

ok, why does bell offer unlimited mobile browser/data for $7/month for my smartphone but if i wanted the same type of thing for a blackberry type device i would have to pay MUCH more money, somewhere near $50/month or more? why does it make a difference and what is the difference between the 2?

There is no difference, they just assume that you'll use it more cuz the blackberry can send emails, attachments and documents.

wow....that is the biggest scam going! why defines a pda then...? (to qualify for this rather large price increase)

A pda has that ability to view the same websites that a PC can and it has unrestricted file transfers, where cell phones are limited to transferreing ringtones and streaming music and TV and mobile browser pages.

Dan is correct, 1X data is used on PDA/Smartphone devices, which is basically an unrestricted access to the data network.

but there are mobile versions of popular browsers (like opera for example) that allow smartphones to view webpages the same way you would on a computer, so that cant be the only way to classify it. mind you though i've never been able to get portable opera to work but i think that's just because my phone is a dinosaur (i can get very few j2me apps to work) I think the whole data thing will single handedly kill the iphone in canada. (i know its rogers not bell but it will be the same story).

The mobile versions of PC browsers still use 1X, so you still need a data plan.

what do you mean by 1X data?

1X is the way cell phones access the internet.

but what im trying to say is that bell lets you use those java apps (and their data use) as a part of the mobile browser you dont need a special data plan to use the mobile pc browsers with your smartphone.

All data use is covered under the plan, whether it's the browser or a Java app. If I went to Music Store on my phone I would be charged data usage, same as if I had used the browser.

Exactly! But what im saying (and the point of this whole post really) is that smartphones and pda's use the same data but bell (and every other company) for some reason charges WAY more when its being used by a pda.

They charge more because PDA users transfer more data and they aren't limited to only downloading from the media store.

If I called a phone company and asked them to enable my cell phone for Phone-as-Modem to use it with my computer they would charge $40-50 a month.

Aghhh!! why do people keep saying this! you can download out of the media store....there are tons of things to download on the internet for your smartphones not sanctioned or even acknowledged by bell aka not part of the media store.

Here's the bottom line:

PDAs and Smartphones require a "mobile data" plan. This consists of x amount of MB for an x amount of dollars.

A regular handset requires the "1X mobile browser" feature, which is $7 a month for unlimited.

End of story, whether we like it or not.