Connect laptop to cell phone possible?

Sorry if this is a really lame question. Is there a way to connect my computer to a cell phone to get dial-up internet access on my laptop?

I rarely use the phone at home, and want to cancel land line service. However, periodically I do want to check for email, search the internet, etc., and am looking for a cost effective way to do it.

I do not want to get a PDA, Blackberry or any of those fancy devices with tiny, little keyboards and screens. I'm looking for a basic cell phone that allows me to make/receive telephone (voice) calls, plus dial-up connection to an internet provider.

I'm thinking that an adapter or specialty cable should do the trick, but I'm no techie, so don't know if such a thing is even possible. I just talked to Verizon and AT&T, but they seem to be talking about something else entirely, and keep trying to push me to a PDA. They also mentioned tethering, and a cable to keep the phone and computer "in sync and up-to-date," but that doesn't sound like what I'm looking for.

Thanks in advance for any input or alternative ideas.

I know software and drivers are available to turn my Motorola cell phone into a modem. I assume then you'd just hook a cable from the PC USB output to the phone's micro USB input. I would assume the same per minute charge would be in effect though.

My friend has an aircard with his laptop but it costs him $60 a month for unlimited service and I believe the speed is only around 100kbs.

Absolutely. I did that for years on the road with an LG phone and a laptop. You get about 2XDialup speed and the only cost was airtime. Call Verizon and tell them what you want. Don't let them sell you the high speed data plan, it's called something like the 1X network. The most expensive part was the $70 cable from the phone to the USB port on the laptop. It came with software and was called Verizon mobil desktop or something. Check HowardForums for all types of cell phone info.

if you have tmobile, you can pay for their tzones plan, $6 and have dialup speed.
you just need to setup the proxy in internet explorer.

The "tethered" mode is where you use the cell phone as a modem.

I use my Verizon LG 5300 as a modem for my PC and PDA. A $20 bluetooth adapter plugs into the laptop's USB port.

I also have a USB cable that plugs directly between the phone and the PC. When I connect that way the PC says it sees a new modem and sets it up automagically.

It does cost air time for every minute that you are checking your e-mail, so be careful as you start to use it or you may find your bill to be outrageous. I have the $75 unlimited data plan because I use it for business purposes.

Daniel

I teather my blackberry all the time...but thats a blackberry. I have seen people do this with basic phones.

I read on the Internet Tablet Talk Forum that you can use a Boost Mobile unlimited SIM card in a Nextel phone (purchased from eBay) to access Sprint's iDEN network for 35 cents a day.

There are several threads regarding all types of ways to get mobile data connections.

That is one of the few forums that I would rate up there with CPF in terms of quality of info.

The place to go for all the details is howardforums.com
I use my Verizon KRZR to tether via bluetooth with my laptop and PDA. Works quite nicely.

Wow! Thank you for all the replies. Using cell phone minutes is exactly what I'm interested in doing. I figure that I can use the "savings" from canceling the landline phone to add more minutes to my cell phone plan.

Thank you also for the links. Scanned through them briefly, and they're a bit "techie," but hope to spend some time and learn more. Was astounded at the Howardforums board--they have almost 800,000(!) members, and when I visited, almost 7,000 people were actively participating/lurking at the same time I was. I guess cell phones are a little more popular than flashlights...

Used my LG8100 as a modem. works pretty good.