The Web at my Fingertips

September 12, 2008 11:18 AM

How do I most efficiently surf the web using my phone? (Using Verizon) I picked up a LG Dare today mainly since I could for cheap and since it's compatible with the $1.99/meg plan. I only want to use the internet for 4 reasons (inside):

I'll use the internet to:

a) Check sports scores and stats when on the run
b) Check gmail intermittently
c) Look up quick reviews of food places when didn't do research ahead of time when walking around
d) Check air/bus/train timetables and tracking websites

What sites/methods would produce the least amount of megabyte usage and maximum speed and clarity?

I have semi good web skills, so I could set up something on my web space and use that as a bookmark. Could I set up RSS feeds?

posted by sandmanwv to computers & internet (6 comments total)

$1.99/megabyte will start hurting really fast.
posted by mkb at 11:25 AM on September 12

I've been playing around with a new Verizon LG Voyager and looking for similar solutions.

Howard forums is a terrific resource.

Here's a thread discussing custom, host yourself Voyager/Dare homepages.

BitPIM will help you bust outta Verizon jail (add your own custom ringtones, wallpapers, set up google calendar sync, etc).

Finally, an iGoogle homepage set to "mobile" access is a pretty good quick and dirty (and lightweight) page. Mine includes Gmail, sports and news headlines, search.
posted by notyou at 11:34 AM on September 12

With the exception of the Gmail, you can do the other 3 by sending SMS messages to 466453 (Google). Send "Red Sox score" and it returns almost instantly the score of the current game and previous game. Send 'Delta Flight 455" and you get back the flight status. It's much much quicker than the web interface on my phone. The list of SMS commands for Google.
posted by COD at 12:07 PM on September 12 [1 favorite]

I have GMail set up as a bookmark. I do all of the above -- except c -- pretty frequently (think checking e-mail 7-8 times a day, sports scores on the weekends, checking to see when my bus is coming 1-2 times a day) and my monthly bandwidth bill is about $10 or so. The key is to avoid images. It's a good idea to set up a home page with text-only links to the text-only or mobile versions of your sites.
posted by proj at 12:47 PM on September 12

You should switch to the other Internet plan, which uses your minutes rather than per-megabyte. It's $5 per month, but what they don't tell you is that if you have unlimited nights and weekends--you also have unlimited Internet on nights and weekends. It's great. I have checking GMail in my muscle memory now--takes less than a minute, usually.
posted by nasreddin at 1:45 PM on September 12

nasreddin: Obnoxious but true -- if you have a family plan, the minutes-as-usage option is not available. I had it when I only had one phone. Here is their response to my request regarding this:

You are currently on our Nationwide Basic 700 FamilyShare Plan. With this plan, data usage no longer is applied as airtime.

Data usage for browsing Get It Now and Mobile Web with the Nationwide plans is now billed at the low rate of $1.99 per megabyte (MB). This allows you to have more minutes to use for your calls and your bill will be easier to understand since all data usage will be displayed separately from voice usage. Plus, our $1.99 per Mb rate is by far the least expensive pay-as-you-go data rate in the industry. With approximately 1 MB you can do the following:

? Download four Get It Now games (does not include cost of game).
? View 100 pages of Mobile Web.
? Download five ringtones (does not include cost of ringtones)

Below I have provided you a detailed description of how data usage with our Nationwide Calling Plans is billed through the wireless network. You may also locate the below information in your Customer Agreement for future references.

Data usage for downloading, previewing and browsing Get It Now and Mobile Web is billed at $1.99 per megabyte (MB). A MB is comprised of 1,024 kilobytes.

To determine the size of a file in megabytes (MB) please do the following:

1. Select the application you wish to download.

2. Choose ?Info? for a description of the application and its size in KB.

3. To convert the file size from KBs to MBs, please use the following formula: Total KB of download divided by 1,024 (1,024 KB equals 1 MB). For example, the ?VZW Tones Deluxe? application is 787 KB or .77 MB.

Your total MB usage will be rounded up to the next full MB at the conclusion of your billing cycle.

The previous calling plans that billed for airtime versus data are no longer available. At this point, you have three options:

1. You can pay per Megabyte
2. You can add the VCAST Vpak for $15.00 per month which would give you an unlimited Megabyte allowance.
3. You can block the block the ability to use data features that charge for Megabytes.

If you would like to block the ability to use data features that charge for Megabytes or sign up for the VCAST Vpak, please respond to this email and please indicate which phone number(s) you would like to make changes to.

Please note: when blocking this feature, it also blocks the ability to send or receive picture messages.
posted by proj at 2:38 PM on September 12