Will Kemp wrote:
[...]

[About configuring/using a Bluetooth USB-'stick' and mobile phone under
Linux:]

I think so, if you get the right one. However, that depends on whether
or not there's decent bluetooth support in the distro you're using (if
it's what comes pre-installed on the computer, and the computer hasn't
got bluetooth, it may not have it. You'll need to ask about that in a
forum that's specific to that distro.

Last time i did it was about a year ago and i was using fedora 8. It was
reasonably easy, although it took me a little while to work it out. Of
course, i intended to write it up at the time, but i didn't - and now i
can't remember clearly what it involved.

Basically, the phone acts as a modem - which is a standard bluetooth
service. You have to pair the computer and the mobile, using hciattach
(with the help of hcitool to find the phone's bluetooth address). This
creates a pty (pseudo tty). Then you use something like wvdial to
connect to the modem/phone via the pty and dial. The principle's simple
really, but it's not necessarily easy to work it out.

The above is my recollection from a year ago - i'd recommend googling
connect internet bluetooth linux 'mobile phone" or something along
those lines. You'll need to find the code to "dial" for an internet
connection over telstra NextG (although i think that's standard and not
provider or network dependent). I got it off the web somewhere, when i
did it. I'm sure i documented it somewhere, but i can't find it now!

Thanks for your explanation and help! In the meantime I have
re-searched the "Acer Aspire User Forums" [1]. The information is all
over the place (Software - Linux, Networking / Communications /
Internet, How to Guides and Drivers / Downloads), but some of the
bluetooth stuff and "wvdial" you mention looks familiar, so it's looks
like everything I need is there somewhere, I 'just' have to find the
needles in the haystacks! :-) Your help enabled me to realize *which*
needles I'm looking for, so thanks again.

However there's also 'bad' news: I thought I checked the costs per MB
for the USB-'stick' NextG modem, versus using a NextG phone as the
modem, but apparently I made a big error. The costs for the latter are
*much* higher than for the former:

USB-'stick' NextG modem (Telstra "Pre-Paid Wireless Broadband"):
----------------------------------------------------------------
Recharge Amount: $20/150Mb, $30/225MB, $40/300MB, $50/625MB, $60, 750MB,
$80/3.5GB, $100/6GB, i.e. 13.3/13.3/13.3/8/2.25/1.65 *cent*/MB.

NextG phone as the modem (Telstra "Pre-Paid Mobile Broadband"):
---------------------------------------------------------------
Browse Plus Packs: $5/5MB, $10/20MB, $29/80MB, $59/200MB, $89/1000MB
i.e. 1/0.50/0.36/0.30/0.09 *dollar* per MB.

I.e. on the low end, the USB-'stick' NextG modem costs more or less
*start* (13.3c), where the NextG phone as the modem costs *end* (9c).

So I guess I'll have to prepare (at home) for both using a NextG phone
as a modem and using a USB-'stick' NextG modem. When I get to Oz, I can
first buy the phone (which, as I said, I probably need anyway for rural
coverage) and try that, and when I can't get it to work or the data
costs are too high, I can buy and try the USB-'stick' NextG modem. Don't
ask what will happen if I can't get neither to work! :-)

Responding to your other post:

Frank Slootweg wrote:

N.B. An added complication is that I have to prepare, configure, etc.
this stuff at home in The Netherlands, *without* the phone, NextG
network, etc., because I can only buy the phone on arrival in Oz. And
once I am in Oz, I have no (other) Internet access, so I can't lookup
things on the web before the mobile Internet connection works, Catch-22.

Has your current phone got bluetooth? If not, can you borrow a bluetooth
phone? If so, you can try getting it to work using that phone. Even
without 3G connection, the principle's the same for GPRS. The dial
string might be different with Telstra's network, but at least you'll be
able to find out if you can get it to work.

Great minds think alike! I was thinking the same thing. No, my phone
has neither Bluetooth nor GPRS et al. My wife's phone doesn't fit the
bill either, so I'll have to be very nice to my son or/and son-in-law
and hope they have something which I can borrow.

Thanks again for all your help and that of the other respondents. I
think I have all the information I need, but feel free to continue the
discussion, afterall this is Usenet, isn't it!? :-)

[1] http://www.aspireoneuser.com/forum/index.php