I see that on page 47 of the instruction manual for my Ericsson ER500 mobile 'phone an option is for "Fax and Data Card" which uses PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) Type 2 connection to a laptop computer.

Being able to send e-mails whilst away from home would be an asset as I am often away for days at a time, but I am unsure about this system as I have never fully understood what it entails. Any enlightenment would be much appreciated. May be just what I need or may be rubbish!

I have a Gateway laptop computer and the Mobile, but never bother taking the computer out of the house as it is only connected there. Would this system as described above allow me to receive and send e-mails? What server does it use - Orange?

I really don't know about it so ANY input appreciated.

Thanks.

Basically it involves connecting you phone to a computer and using it as a fax modem to make data or fax calls using the mobile network just like you would with a conventional fax modem and a landline.

To connect to the internet this way you would need a dial-up account with an ISP and you would pay per minute for data calls. I suspect most networks only allow data calling on business tariffs now though, and they won't be cheap either.

These services faded out as phones began to get large colour screens and as 3G technology became mainstream and most things that data calling was useful for became possible directly from the phone.

I would not recommend using this as a method of internet roaming nowadays as there are cheaper and more flexible solutions, such as data tethering with a modern handset or mobile broadband dongles.

Thank you. Sounds like it is not worth persuing then - interesting as it sounds.