Tethering Blackberries on Mac via Bluetooth: AT&T

In the same vein as tethering to a Windows XP system, here are brief instructions for doing it on a Mac OS X 10.5 system!
(Thanks to amkls704 at howardforums.com and Eugene Dong for instructions)

Extract this file (blackberry-3g-cid1.zip) to:

/Macintosh HD/Library/Modem Scripts

(Secondary Download Source, requires registration

You have your Blackberry and Mac paired, we actually need to remove that pairing and begin from scratch. Remove the phone from your paired devices list on your Mac, and on your Blackberry, remove your laptop as a paired device.

Re-pair your Blackberry and laptop. (Run the “Setup Bluetooth Device” wizard)

Choose:

- Mobile Phone
- Blackberry 9000
- Hit Continue Again
- Check the box next to “Access the internet with your phone’s data connection”
- For the Phone Vendor: Choose Other and for the Phone Model: Choose Blackberry 3G CID1 (the script you put into the modem scripts folder)
- Launch Network Preferences, and click "Bluetooth" in the list.
- Select "Add Configuration" from the Configuration drop list. Name the configuration AT&T via Blackberry Bold (or something like that)

o Username: WAP@CINGULARGPRS.COM
o Password: CINGULAR1
o Telephone Number: wap.cingular

- Check "Show modem status in menu bar"

That should do it! Click on “Connect Bluetooth” on the modem icon on the Mac, a connection timer should come up and let your mac in on the 3G goodness!

Tethering Blackberries via Bluetooth: AT&T

I figured I should start writing down some of the more obscure information I come across every day. I'm an aggregation machine that just happens to lose data every so often, so this is my backup strategy.I have a couple co-workers with the new Blackberry Bold (9000). Yes it works well, it's light, thin, flashy, etc... but what really makes this killer is that it supports 3G data, and a concurrent voice call. Verizon and Sprint have Blackberries that support 3G data, but not at the same time as a voice call. T-Mobile should "eventually", but they're still developing their 3G network. (I stick with them for the excellent customer service)

All instructions here are listed for Windows XP, but if you're using Vista, they still work... the places you have to look are just slightly different.

There are quite a few forum posts on how to tether Blackberries via bluetooth but none that get it right, and for the ones that get it right, none that refer directly to the Blackberry bold. So, let me state a couple items:

When attempting to tether the Blackberry Bold via bluetooth, do not:

• Use the AT&T Communication Manager software
• Add the tethering plan to your AT&T account (yet)
• Expect to be able to sync your Blackberry to your laptop via Bluetooth reliably
  

Please do:

• Find and install the latest Blackberry Desktop Manager software (v4.7 as of this post).
• Pair your phone with your computer via bluetooth after installing the desktop manager software
• Expect to sync your Blackberry via USB (or use an enterprise server).

After all that (install Blackberry Desktop Manager, pair phone and laptop via bluetooth), here's what to do:

You should have a new modem in your modem list called "Standard Modem over Bluetooth" or "Standard Bluetooth Modem". You also may have one that just says "Standard Modem" but when your phone is paired it will list the com port your phone is on for the com port of the standard modem. Identify this device.

Go into the device properties of that modem (Phone and Modem Options / Modems Tab) and click on the "Advanced" tab. Under extra initialization commands, enter this:

AT+CGDCONT=1,"IP","wap.cingular"

Click OK a few times to save / close everything, then go to your Network Connections list and run the New Network Connection wizard.

Set it up as a dial-up connectoin, and when it asks for an ISP name tell it whatever you want, but when it asks for a phone number give it the following:

*99#

Save the new connection, create a shortcut on your desktop, and that's it, you should be able to dial-up!

Now if you want to do the "right thing" (tm), you'll call AT&T and have them add the tethering plan to your account. You can then use "isp.cingular" instead of "wap.cingular" which might be a little faster... or at least better if you ever need to call AT&T for help.

Otherwise that's it!

The coolest thing my dad has said (in my presence) in recent memory:

I received an e-mail from my dad today, and it reminded me that he occasionally used to rock.

It is a Microsoft bug/feature related to 8 bit MIME. 2003 Exchange forwards in 8 bit MIME. Other Exchange Servers and many other Servers can accept it. Yahoo and BlackBerry do not. This MS Document tells us how to turn off this feature. It’s scary and reminds me of my days as an assembler programmer XOR’ing a packed data field but it works. I have tried it on mine and now Yahoo messages can be forwarded to my BlackBerry and Vice Versa. It’s something I’ll need to do on any Exchange Server I have that forwards mail to a PDA or server similar to Yahoo.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/257569/

I just looked at that and said to myself, "That's so cool... he used to be an assembler programmer... he knows what XOR is... hehe".

But anyway, to comment on Microsoft, 8 bit mime, ESMTP, and... how dumb SMTP is as a protocol, and why Blackberry/Yahoo/anyone else can't understand a few extra "introduction" lines (or why Exchange 2000 can't) is just... annoying. :)

Sony Support = WIN

So one of the clients I support purchased two Sony Vaio VGN-TZ195N laptops. They arrived with Vista Business pre-installed.



Sony VAIO VGN-TZ195N/XC 11.1" Laptop (Intel Core 2 Duo Processor U7600, 2 GB RAM, 48 GB Flash Drive, Vista Business)

I started out by removing Vista Business and installing our volume licensed Windows XP Professional software. Everything went great except for one thing...

The on board Sprint broadband card (Novatel Wireless Expedite EV-DO Rev.A) did not have Windows XP drivers on the Sony eSupport website. The eSupport website was pretty honest about it saying "we don't yet offer the SmartWi utility for Windows XP". however I figured I'd be able to hack something together.

I wasn't. I tried grabbing the XP Expedite drivers from the OQO website (which uses the same mobile broadband card) and it didn't work. I tried playing around with Novatel's support website to see if I could finagle it into giving me XP drivers, with no success.

So I had to give up, order Vista restore dvds from Sony (Yes, I forgot to make backups, and no Sony doesn't make some of their shared libraries available on their eSupport website!), wait for them to arrive, and re-install the Sony certified Vista installation.

It was not a happy day for me. It was not a happy month and a half for the two executives that received brand new Sony Vaio laptops loaded with Vista either.

That's where Sony's technical support comes in.

I called, mentioned the problem, told them I downgraded (hah) to XP and that even after installing the new SmartWi utility that it wasn't detecting the hardware.

It would give me four devices, "data interface" with no drivers.

I got referred to level 2 tech support with no hassle at all, told them the issue, waited about five minutes, and I was given a link from one of their technicians to download new Novatel drivers. I installed the drivers, and it worked!

The whole tech support experience? under 15 minutes.

HUUUUGE props to Sony technical support. Wow.

Dell has a lot to learn.