Other ways

Using your own computer is not the only way to connect to the internet.

You can get online with a mobile phone, PDA or also with your TV.

This guide will show you a range of different gadgets that will get you online, and exactly what you can do with them.

Internet on your mobile phone

Nearly all new mobile phones can connect to the internet.

The difference between GSM, GPRS or 3G phones is the speed they connect with and what they can do
once they're online.

The faster the phone, the more things it can do on the internet.

GSM mobile phones

GSM phones were the first mobile phones to be used in the UK.

Sadly, GSM phones are very slow, with a bandwidth of around 10K - five times slower than a standard
computer modem.

However, they can be used for e-mail or to show simple web pages using WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) - a kind of limited version of the world wide web.

WAP pages are normally very small, with few or no pictures - they are not full web pages .

On GSM phones you are charged by how many minutes you stay online.

GPRS mobile phones

Most new mobile phones are GPRS phones.

Their big advantage over GSM phones is that they have a bandwidth of up to 170K - three times as fast as a
standard modem.

This makes viewing WAP pages and sending e-mails much quicker.

Even though GPRS phones are fast enough to view full web pages and send e-mail, you really need a bigger screen than one on a mobile phone to show them.

GPRS phones normally don't charge by the minute, but by how much data you transfer so watch those phone bills.

3G mobile phones

3G stands for 'Third Generation' and they are the latest type of mobile phone on the market.

They can connect to the internet at up to 2MB per second - over forty times the speed of a standard computer modem.

Because they are so fast they are great for short videos like film trailers.

3G phones can be used to watch and send your own video, but beware because you are charged by how much
data you transfer.

Internet on your PDA

PDA stands for Personal Digital Assistant.

PDAs are used for storing calendar, address book, notes and other personal information.

Some PDAs are also mobile phones that can go online to get internet content, and some simply 'synchronise' with
your computer.

The better the computer and screen technology in the PDA, the more it can do online.

PDAs with mobile phones

Some PDAs are like very complicated mobile phones.

But because they are more powerful computers and have bigger screens they can do more.

Newer PDAs even have enough processor power to run web browser software that show full web pages.

However, the PDA browser may shrink the page or reorganise it, so you may have to scroll to see more of it.

PDAs without mobile phones

Most PDAs do not have mobile phone functions.

But they do allow you to download web pages onto them from your computer via a process called
synchronising or 'synching'.

To 'synchronise' with your computer means you can look at web pages on your PDA even though it cannot connect to the internet.

Many websites make less complicated pages designed specifically for people who synch with less powerful PDAs.

It does mean that you can only look at the web pages you have downloaded from your computer. If you want to go anywhere else you will need to connect your PDA to your computer.

Internet on your television

You can get the internet and other interactive content through your television.

It depends on the TV, the set-top boxes you attach to it, and the media packages you buy.

Digital TV is great for the extra channels and interactive services, but if you want to use the internet a lot, then you will probably want to use a computer.

Satellite TV

You can't surf the web with satellite TV, but you do have access to a range of interactive services such as quizzes, voting, news and sport.

None of these services are the internet, but instead, they are special extra services made by the TV
programme makers.

The BBCs's website bbc.co.uk has many extra interactive services available with your favourite TV programmes.

Sadly, you can't go on the web with satellite TV, but you can send e-mail via the phone line in the set-top box.

Cable TV

Cable TV also offers many interactive services and e-mail just like satellite TV and some cable companies even offer the web through your TV screen.

However, because TV screens are not as clear as monitors it can be difficult to read small text on web pages.

In addition, as most TVs don't come with a keyboard you have to use your remote control to enter text and move around the web - this can be time-consuming and tricky.

Freeview TV

Freeview is free digital TV that offers seven BBC TV channels and nine BBC radio channels.

It has fewer channels than the others, but you do not need a satellite dish or cable connection to use it.

Freeview boxes are not currently used to view web pages or send e-mail, but you can access the same interactive services offered on other television set-ups.

Future Freeview boxes are planned to allow users to connect to the web and e-mail.

Internet on other gadgets

Every day more and more new internet gadgets are coming out.

There are complicated ones like watches that check e-mail and fridges that display recipes or order your groceries.

There are also really simple ones like landline phones that also have basic e-mail functions.

New wireless technologies like Bluetooth allow the gadgets to talk to each other as well as go on the internet.