How does GPRS work?

[gai-jin]

I'm buying a new phone and pda both bluetooth compatible. Now that I'm switching to GSM carrier, how does GPRS work? Is it just like a dialup connection, where your phone is tied up when you're connected?
or is it more of an always on connection, where you can have be connected but still receive phone calls?

anyone have any experience with the T637 and a 4155 using cingular as carrier?

Gai-jin

[manywhere]

GPRS is a per transferred data (kilobytes, megabytes) billed service that connects only to the internet or in some cases WAP only. Whereas GSM data calls are billed per connection time, GPRS is not and you can in theory stay connected forever with little or no charge. GPRS is billed based on the data transferred both ways, ie. to and from you phone device.

If you wish for a more technical desciption, then I'm not the one to ask such things... :lol:

[gai-jin]

so, if I have a gprs phone and pda connected via bluetooth, can I still accept phone calls?

i.e. could I have the pda/phone always ready to receive email and yet still be ready to receive a phone call?

[Janak Parekh]

so, if I have a gprs phone and pda connected via bluetooth, can I still accept phone calls?
In theory, yes. Both GPRS and 1xRTT have a "dial-up" process that establishes the connection, but both protocols allow, in theory, for calls to occur at the same time.

That said, it really depends on the type of device as to what it'll let you do. I believe there's the notion of "GPS classes" to distinguish these, but I don't know them off the top of my hand.

--janak

[Kowalski]

so, if I have a gprs phone and pda connected via bluetooth, can I still accept phone calls?
class A phones be connected to internet and make calls at the same time
example: SE z600( i use one)
class B phones suspend the connection when making a call and then continue
example: siemens me45( i used to have one)
class C phones halt the connection with an incoming call.

since t630 and z600 have 95% similar software, i bealive that t630 can transfer data over gprs while making a call