cable to connect phone to pda/what can i do with gprs?

[pheral]

I want to be able to use my Vodafone pay as you go GPRS contract to access emails on my Acer n311. A Sagem mobile i can get hold of for free (from family) has GPRS functionality but no bluetooth. The cheapest phones with both those features are about 90quid, so i'd rather stick to this phone and get a cable to connect it to my acer.

Anyone have a clue what kind of cable i need to be looking for, what connectors it needs, where i can get, who i can ask?? Any kind of help will be great, even if you don't know all the details, i can piece it together bit by bit.

EDIT: new query, see my message below!

[Sven Johannsen]

I'd check at Gomadic for the cable. I'd also check to see if data comes with a pay as you go plan. You can't even pay by the kb on a T-Mobile pay as you go in the US

[pheral]

unfortunately it seems gomadic don't even have an acer section! but thanks, it was my first thought too. i can certainly get a pay as you go gprs tariff with Vodafone... but a different concern has come up now. I was just talking to a Vodafone customer service bloke, and he said that it's unlikely i'll be able to use the gprs connection to do things on my pda. He implied it was very limited, and was really only for use on the phone, that hotmal wouldn't work with it, etc.

I was under the impression i could get connected using the gprs, have my pda getting the internet from that connection, and checking email and browsing the net through that connection.

Sorry, this thread has morphed into a completely different question... but what can i actually do with a gprs connection?

[Sven Johannsen]

"a" gprs connection, or a vodaphone pay as you go gprs connection? I know you are interested in the latter and I can't help there. T-Mobile I can download things they want to sell me, ringtones, wallpaper, over gprs on pay as you go.

On my regular Cingular full phone & gprs/edge data plan I can check mail, surf the net, get streaming radio/video . All what you expect. That's why I commented on the pay as you go thing. Don't know what Vodaphone does or how it relates to plan type.

[GSmith]

but what can i actually do with a gprs connection?

With an unlimited gprs connection, you may want to try FeederReader and downloading podcasts. Works great!

Greg Smith
Author, FeederReader - Pocket PC *direct* RSS text, audio, video, podcasts
www.FeederReader.com - Download on the Road

[pheral]

Thanks Sven, despite you not being able to advise on Vodafone specifically at least I now know to ask them! Before I was simply unaware they could limit it's use at all. I have talked to one user now who uses it as regular email, and I will be maing sure I also get to do this. Pity thier customer service guys are so damn clueless. I was guiding one of them through their own website earlier! lol.

And thanks Greg, but at those MB prices i'll be sticking to strictly crucial email! :P