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Since buying a Nokia 6300 and signing up to a mobile data plan with Optus, I have embraced mobile internet in a BIG way. Despite long dismissing it as little more than a gimmick, the combination of Opera Mini, a phone with a decent-sized screen, and affordable data rates has changed my attitude 180 degrees. I am now certain that the question ought not to be “why should I”, but “why don’t I”, access the internet on my phone. Read on to find out what you can do with the internet in your pocket in Australia.

Before diving into the Top 5 Reasons, let me tell you briefly how you will access the mobile internet. Many sites will work in your built-in WAP browser, but not all. For the best all-round mobile internet experience, the only option is the excellent Opera Mini. If you are on a low data plan (and most of us are), I recommend turning images off. This will substantially reduce your bandwidth, make pages quicker to load, and will not greatly impact on the quality of your browsing experience. I wouldn’t say this if I didn’t do it myself.

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1. Email. 24/7.

Picture this: you’re out in town, busily running around as we all seem to these days. Something triggers a vague recollection that you should be somewhere you’re not. Was it a meeting? A lecture? If only you had organised your diary better you wouldn’t be in this mess. Thankfully, your inbox is available on your mobile web browser and you quickly find the note you were looking for.

Even the most organised person sometimes leaves some snippet of information behind. Email has become the universal way of communicating, and having access to all of your messages wherever you are can sometimes really save your skin.

Of course, if you are a heavy mobile emailer, you’ll want a more serious alternative such as a Blackberry or Microsoft Exchange-enabled email application. For those occasional uses as outlined above, having access to your webmail account should suffice. I strongly recommend Google’s Gmail, for two reasons: firstly, the non-mobile interface is fast and no-fills; secondly, a superb Java applet is available for your mobile. I can’t emphasise this second point enough, and it is almost worth forwarding all of your email to a Gmail account to use specifically for this purpose.

To download the Gmail applet, point your WAP browser to gmail.com/app.

To access a limited HTML version of Gmail in Opera Mini, head to m.gmail.com.

2. Phone Directory

Imagine having the phone number and address of any individual or business with you wherever you go. Sure, you could stick the White Pages and two-volume Yellow Pages in your backpack, but that’s so 2006! In Australia (and most developed countries), the national phone directory is available online. With Opera Mini, if it’s on the web, it’s on your phone.

Aussies have it one step better. Both the White and Yellow Pages have specially formatted versions that are designed to fit well on small screens.

Yellow Mobile (mobile.yellow.com.au) is a WAP version of the Yellow Pages. It displays perfectly in both your built-in browser and Opera Mini.

The White Pages doesn’t have a mobile version per se, but the text only version (www.whitepages.com.au/wp/initBusSearch.do?textOnly=true) renders much better in Opera Mini than the standard Web version.

3. Cinema Times and Gig Guides

Knowing what’s playing and where can turn a dull night into something more. While nothing beats advance planning, things change, people cancel and sometimes you’re stranded away from your computer, desperate to make some last minute decisions.

yourMovies is the number one cinema guide in Australia. By setting your favourite local cinemas, finding what’s playing near by is only a few clicks away. Until recently available to Telstra customers only, a mobile version is now free to the masses at mobile.yourtime.com.au/movies.

ourbrisbane (see Top 5: Web Sites) is another non-mobile website that has been tried and tested in Opera Mini. It’s easy to see what events are on around town wherever you are. Go to www.ourbrisbane.com.

4. Getting Around

Whereis.com is the next-best thing to having a GPS in your pocket. The mobile version (wap.whereis.com.au) is designed for the phone user in mind, and will give you maps and directions for getting to almost any address in Australia. You’ve looked up an address in Yellow Mobile, but don’t know where it is? Whereis will draw you a zoom-able, scroll-able map. Want turn by turn directions from your present location? If you’re with Telstra, your phone already knows where it is. If not, simply enter in where you are. Magic.

If you happen to live in Brisbane, TransLink Journey Planner (jp.translink.com.au/mobile) will let you know which public transport to catch to get from A to B. Covering buses, trains and ferries, you’ll never be stuck again. Most other capital cities have similar services.

Not sure if you need your brolly? Check the Bureau of Meteorology forecast before you hop on the bus. Go to www.bom.gov.au on your desktop, and browse to the forecast page for your area. Then copy the address into your Opera Mini bookmarks for future reference.

For Brisbane, the link is www.bom.gov.au/products/IDQ10095.shtml

If you want to be really tricky, copy the last part of the address between the “/” and the “.shtml” (eg. IDQ10095) and enter it into the following address:

ftp://ftp2.bom.gov.au/anon/gen/fwo/[yourcode].txt

for a neat, text-only, mobile-friendly version.

5. News

Whether its your daily commute to work or waiting in the Centrelink queue, if you’re looking for something to read, you have today’s paper waiting in your pocket. Although any web site will work in Opera Mini, you’ll be happier if you stick to mobile-optimised editions. Thankfully, many of our nation’s newspapers come in just such a format.

If you vote Labor or Greens, add The Age (www.theage.com.au/handheld) to your bookmarks.

If you vote Coalition or Family First, head to The Australian (www.theaustralian.news.com.au/wireless).

For Australian mobile internet surfers, the following links will be your most-frequently visited:

• Gmail. m.gmail.com
• Yellow Mobile. mobile.yellow.com.au
• Sensis Mobile. wap.sensis.com.au
• White Pages (Text Only). www.whitepages.com.au/wp/initBusSearch.do?textOnly=true
• yourMovies. mobile.yourtime.com.au/movies
• Whereis. mobile.whereis.com or wap.whereis.com.au
• TransLink Journey Planner. jp.translink.com.au/mobile
• BOM Brisbane. ftp://ftp2.bom.gov.au/anon/gen/fwo/IDQ10095.txt
• The Age. www.theage.com.au/handheld
• The Australian. www.theaustralian.news.com.au/wireless/