I've been intrigued since upgrading to the latest Ubuntu release where NetworkManager has a shiny new "Mobile Broadband" tab. This is something I've wanted to get working for a long time. I don't want a built-in 3G unit, or one of those USB dongle things, and I don't want an expensive monthly plan. All I want is to use my existing 3G phone to connect to the Internet occasionally.
The new "Mobile Broadband" tab, however, requires that you have already set up the appropriate serial connection over Bluetooth with your phone. There are command-line ways of doing this, but I wanted to see if I could do it in a GUI. Hunting around I found this excellent description of how to do it with Blueman and NetworkManager. I tried it out last night and it works a treat!
Blueman seems to be a decent Bluetooth tool for Linux, at last. For far too long we've had really poor Bluetooth tools, and now we have a rather sensible, and most importantly fairly comprehensive, front-end to it.
Now with the combination of a tiny Bluetooth USB adaptor, an Eee 900 and my mobile phone, I'll be able to connect from anywhere. Yay!