Data tethering is a go on Palm Pre
By Chris Ziegler 
posted February 11th 2009 9:01PM
posted February 11th 2009 9:01PM
[Via PreCentral]
posted February 11th 2009 9:01PM
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The fact that Sprint will require an "Everything" plan with this, and does not allow or have a Phone As Modem add on or usage capability for said plan above is kinda misleading the fact that the phone itself CAN do it! The same thing was said about Samsung Instinct - which Ive been able to hack to enable PAM.
I dont think Sprint will enable PAM or allow its use to better compete over Apple iPhone or any other phone for that matter Its just something they dont like doing, although Id much rather use their EVDO A network over any other carrier.
It's been possible to add PAM on top of Simply Everything for awhile now. You can even add unlimited international CDMA data roaming for $40 a month with included domestic access.
This isn't that big of a deal.
*looks around to make sure Sprint's not listening*
Psst... If your phone has the phone as modem stuff intact on the handset, just use it. So long as you have an unlimited data plan Sprint doesn't seem to mind a bit of modest tethering.
Going backwards, I've had a Mogul, PPC6700, and three versions of Sanyo dumbphones. The first goes back to the days of text-based web browsing! All of the manufacturers included tethering as a feature, and all of them worked. So far I've never received data overages.
The Disclaimer: Sprint has yet to smack me around about it, but I'm also careful not to abuse the unadvertised privilege. Just some light laptop browsing when I visit my mother who's internetless and while away at conferences where there's no wifi. If tethering is going to make your data consumption explode, it's only fair to add-on the PAM plan.
I've been using my Sprint phone as my primary modem for over two years with only the $15 Power Vision added to my account. Started using BT PAN on the 6700, then WMWiFiRouter on the Mogul and now my Touch Pro. So, yeah. It's easy to do and I never go above 5GB.
Ive never been able to successfully add PAM to a "Simply Everything" or "Everything Data" plan - EVER.... So please tell me how you did it, or the SOC codes so I can beg Sprint to do so - currently I just hack into it, and use it, but Im sure one day Ill get charged.
As for Unlimited International CDMA Roaming, my understanding is that its only on RIM, PALM, and Windows Mobile devices. Of course for $40.00 who can complain when AT&T charges at least $60.00 for only like MB's worth not "Unlimited".
So yeah - please tell me the way to get PAM added - because Sprint still says "NO"
...ah, I didn't notice you in the new thread. But yeah, I've always seen the PAM plan offered and never used it as I don't lean on the quiet tethering they seem to allow within fair use. It's saved my butt a couple times on the road. Their constant, unspoken allowance of this behavior is part of why I like the company and a good example of why I've stuck to them. Seeing the Pre allows this as well is yet another nail in the "I can't afford this right now, but still might buy a Pre" coffin.
[Reposted due to "where's my post?"]:
...ah, I didn't notice you in the new thread. But yeah, I've always seen the PAM plan offered and never used it as I don't lean on the quiet tethering they seem to allow within fair use. It's saved my butt a couple times on the road. Their constant, unspoken allowance of this behavior is part of why I like the company and a good example of why I've stuck to them. Seeing the Pre allows this as well is yet another nail in the "I can't afford this right now, but still might buy a Pre" coffin.
What about apple and no SD cards and also almost taking half a gig of the storage away for software?
"we'll be pushing close to a megabit per second upstream"
I consistently pull around a megabit DOWNstream, but CDMA is asymmetric AFAIK. Typically upspeeds I get are at best half of whatever my downspeed is.
To those who commented above...
Thanks for explaining that if your phone still has modem stuff intact (Samsung Instinct was blocked out in revisions by disabling the ##USB ##MDM - I hacked mine BEFORE the block so it still works), like my current BlackBerry - then all is still good.
Okay, so PAM isnt even a thought for me, since Sprint doesnt care, and its enabled on the phone... Good to go.... But still wanna know how people on Simply Everything plans are able to do that.
Oh... oh my. Yeah, PAM plan doesn't show up as one of my options anymore either. Well all-knowing Google yields:
http://www.sprintusers.com/forum/showpost.php?p=2050283&postcount=19
(Check the full forum post for background, but there's your answer from Sprint as of a week or so ago.)
Being a Sprint employee,
I can tell you that there is a $15 PAM add-on plan.
The problem comes into play that it "officially" cannot be added to an Everything plan, or an Everything Data. Which basically means they don't want you to get a discounted bundled plan and just have the freedom of adding PAM for $15. Instead, they want you to go with the Minute Plan you'd like and then add a PRO/Blackberry Plan to it ($30), and then do the PAM plan ($15).
This is no big deal for people who have individual plans, because its the same price as the bundled ones, but for those who have the instinct, there is no solution. Also, those who have say 5 people on a Everything Data shared, the person wanting to do PAM will have to separate from the plan and go individual.
Granted, this is the official way, but I never really seen a bunch of people enforce it, just because its inconvenient.
PalmOS and WinMo both have solutions to tether using ONLY the power vision service. NO ADDED PAM PLAN NECESSARY. I doubt this will be available on the Pre, at least for awhile.
this was one thing i was curious about with the Pre. i know usually if a phone is able to connect to a computer, you can use it as a modem one way or another. i use PDANet on my WinMo Treo right now and it works like a dream. i was hoping that JuneFabrics (the people who make it) would extend it to the webOS since they already have it on just about every major smartphone OS right now. not sure if this will be an extra feature in the Simply Everything or if it's already included but i'll tether it one way or another, i just dont like paying extra for the data i already pay for.