Phones from the likes of Apple, Palm and RIM tend to keep a data connections alive at all times, but on Nokia’s S60 handsets, things are done a bit different. These are set to leave it up to applications to initiate a new data session each time they need to communicate, hence the “Allow connection to network?” message every time an app needs to connect the internet. In some ways this is handy for folks who don’t have unlimited data and want to control their monthly usage. By using a connection only when needed you do save on battery life.

But for those with an unlimited data connection this can be more of a burden. Keeping a data connection alive should allow your data-dependant apps to launch a lot faster, but again be aware that battery life will suffer. To enable this option, simply go to Settings>Connection> Packet Data and change the Packet data connection to “When Available”

For newer S60 devices like the N97 and 5800 XpressMusic it should be Settings>Connectivity> Admin. Settings>Packet data.

Do you prefer a always-on connection or one that’s used only when needed?

Via: BGR