As many of you know, I have the new Nexus One. It's the greatest cellphone ever invented. For those of you who don't have one: Nyaah! Nyaah!
I've been running it on Wifi and decided to configure GPRS as well. The thing is, other than a couple of games, all the programs on the Nexus want to connect to the Internet for this and that. If your telco offers a monthly fixed charge for unlimited data, go for it. If not, get a second job to pay for the data bill.
I looked up the Mobilink website for the connection settings but that site doesn't list the Nexus or any other Android-powered device. I contacted the Mobilink call centre and they were accommodating enough to send me the settings. Which didn't work, by the way. No problem, just a small change was needed. So, here they are.
A small note for those who are unfamiliar with GPRS settings: Your phone can have multiple connections defined. Typically, you need two; one for regular browsing and the other for MMS. The phone figures out which one is which by the Access Point Name (APN).
The Android settings on Nexus go like this:
1. From the Home screen, open the menu and click on the 'Settings' icon
2. Click on "Wireless & Networks"
3. Click on "Mobile Networks"
4. Click on "Access Point Names"
5. You'll see a black screen. This is because you haven't added anything yet. Press the 'Menu' button and click on 'New APN' from the menu
6. Type these values:
Name: Mobilink Internet
APN: jazzconnect.mobilinkworld.com
7. Click on the back arrow to save. It is important that you do not type anything else in any other field
Browsing service is all set. Now for MMS.
You should be at the "Access Point Names" screen still if you are following the above sequence.
1. Press the 'Menu' button again and click on 'New APN' to add a second connection
2. Type in these values:
Name: Mobilink MMS
APN: mms.mobilinkworld.com
Username: mobilink
Password: mobilink
MMSC: http://mms/
MMS Proxy: 172.25.20.12
MMS Port: 8080
APN type: mms
3. Press the back arrow and then press the 'Home' button.
Do note that there are different entries available for "Proxy" and "MMS Proxy". Enter the values in the fields that I have mentioned and do not type anything in the other fields.
As I was saying, Mobilink doesn't have a fixed monthly charge for GPRS usage. Instead they charge Rs. 18 per MB of download. There is no option in Android to turn off GPRS. Here is what you do to avoid large bills: Define a third APN. Give the name as "Disconnected" and type "dummy" in the APN field. Now whenever you want to disconnect, go to the APN list and select this connection. Your phone would then stop the background data transfer.
