Use Your BlackBerry as a Modem tether your laptop to your BlackBerry and connect at modem speeds.

Imagine you are in a remote location, far, far away from the nearest WiFi hotspot or Ethernet connection. You have a deadline and you have to send a proposal from your laptop as soon as possible. Sure, you could print out the proposal and fax it, but where is the fun in that? The BlackBerry 7290 and 7100 come with a built-in modem that can be accessed through the USB cable. It won't connect at EDGE or EV-DO speeds (yet!), but this hack can come in handy in certain situations.

The technique of using a mobile phone's data connection is commonly known as "tethering." Normally this is done through a wireless Bluetooth connection on a mobile phone. Despite the Bluetooth capability on recent models, the modem on the BlackBerry can, unfortunately, only be accessed through the USB cable.

Set Up a Dial-up Connection

You'll need to set up a dial-up connection on your Windows machine to use the BlackBerry modem. When you installed the BlackBerry Desktop Manager, it should have automatically installed the modem drivers to use with your device, and you should have a modem called "Standard Modem" in the Phone and Modem Options section of your Control Panel. The drivers are located in the following folder: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Research In Motion\Modem Drivers. Use the following steps to set up your connection:

1. Connect your BlackBerry to your computer using the standard USB cable that came with your device and start the BlackBerry Desktop Manager software.
2. Go to the Control Panel, then Network Connections, and select Create a New Connection.
3. Select Connect to the Internet, then Set up my connection manually, then Connect using a dial-up modem, and select your BlackBerry modem from the device list.
4. Choose a descriptive name for the ISP Name (e.g., BlackBerry Modem Connection).
5. Enter the phone number for your service provider. You'll probably have to check with your carrier to get the right number. For Cingular and other GSM carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile), it's *99#. For CDMA providers (Sprint, Verizon), the number will be #777.
6. The username and password will vary by carrier as well. Cingular just accepts null values for both fields.
7. Complete the wizard, being sure to deselect the "Make this the default connection" checkbox

The technique of using a mobile phone's data connection is commonly known as "tethering." Normally this is done through a wireless Bluetooth connection on a mobile phone. Despite the Bluetooth capability on recent models, the modem on the BlackBerry can, unfortunately, only be accessed through the USB cable.

Set Up Your BlackBerry Modem

If you have CDMA service, you can skip this step. If you have GSM service for your BlackBerry, you will need to add an extra init string for the modem to use when it connects. This string is specific to each provider, so you'll have to contact your provider for the proper setting. Go to the Modems tab in Phone and Modem Options in Control Panel. Find the "Standard Modem" that was installed with your BlackBerry Desktop Manager installation and double-click it.

On the Advanced tab , you'll need to enter an extra initialization command that is specific to your carrier. Enter +cgdcont=1,"IP","APN" where APN is your carrier's access point name.

Establish the Connection

You should be able to use the new dial-up connection in Network Connections to establish an Internet connection. You can right-click on your new connection and choose Connect. Click Dial without entering a username or password. If all goes well, you will have an active wireless Internet connection!

The data connection that you get from your carrier typically provides access for the most popular Internet protocols (HTTP, HTTPS, POP3, IMAP, SMTP, etc.). Access to anything beyond those major protocols may or may not be allowed. Your mileage will vary widely.

Connection Speeds

You'll notice that Windows shows that I connected at 115 Kbps—that's pretty fast for a GPRS connection, right? Actually, the value you'll see for the connection speed is a little misleading. It's referring to the connection speed between your laptop and the phone. The actual throughput you'll experience is capped at 40 Kbps for GSM networks and roughly 143 Kbps for CDMA networks. To get a reasonable estimate of the realized bandwidth on your GPRS connection, you can use the Mobile Speed Test

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Makes the BlackBerry as a modem for the iPad

Apart from the existence of pro and cons about iPad presence, it seems the latest tablet device from Apple has brought new waves around the world, not only those users who feel eiphoeria with this iPad presence, even some computer manufacturers have chimed in to make a similar device.
And the most exciting thing for us is, that the BlackBerry device was very friendly with the iPad, so we can make the BlackBerry as a modem (tethering modem) to access the Internet using the iPad. By using the WiFi feature also owned a BlackBerry and iPad apparently this can be done, and this method becomes warm conversation at one of the leading BlackBerry forums.
To do this, we are required to download an application called iBluever cydia and install it on iPad device and install the application on the BlackBerry, called PDANet (maybe we are not unfamiliar with the last application, yaahh, it was never used on Palm devices, long before the BlackBerry comes … oops).

After all applications were installed on each device so we can activate the WiFi on the iPad. For the record, we must have access to Internet data packets using Internet access using a BlackBerry, because it makes data access a BlackBerry with a BlackBerry device as a modem does not enter into the unlimited data package (yes, I know most readers know this Twitteling .. ). For more details, we observe there are good references are the steps to do it through a forum that I meant earlier.

Good news for those iPod Touch users, that the tricks above can also be used for the iPod touch device and not just for the iPad. although the connection is not as fast as 3G connectivity but is more than enough to connect the iPad or iPod Touch with the virtual world while it is far from a WiFi connection.

AT&T Just Killed Unlimited Wireless Data (and Screwed Everybody in the Process)

Unlimited, all-you-can-eat wireless data was a beautiful thing for Apple devices on AT&T, delivering streams of Pandora, YouTube videos, a million tweets, and hundreds of webpages without worry. And now it's dead.

AT&T's new, completely restructured mobile data plans for both iPhones and iPads have officially launched the era of pay-per-byte data, which we've known was coming. We just hoped it would take a little longer. It's the anti-Christmas.

AT&T is likely just the first, since carriers rarely do anything alone (like when everybody launched unlimited voice calling in lockstep), and Verizon's CTO has rumbled that plans with "as much data as you can consume is the big issue that has to change." And so it is.

If you look at the costs per megabyte, you can see how, despite the fact AT&T is pitching the availability of lower priced plans as a value move, you actually are paying more for less. (Update: Corrected chart, moved a decimal place.)

Under AT&T's old iPhone and smartphone plans, $30/month bought you truly unlimited data. With their new plans for smartphones, arriving June 7 (not coincidentally, the day of Steve Jobs' WWDC keynote) the confusingly named DataPlus offers 200MB of data for $15 a month, while DataPro gives you 2GB for $25. With DataPlus, if you run over 200MB you get another 200MB for $15. But, AT&T tells us that if you're running over the 200MB limit, you can actually switch to the beefier 2GB DataPro completely pain-free (no ETFs or any of that business), and then switch back to the skinnier plan "over time." With DataPro, if you run over 2GB, you get another 1GB of data for $10, ad infinitum. So, if you use 5GB of data, you're looking at a $55 bill for data.

Tethering for the iPhone is here, finally! Hurray! Right? Wrong. First, consider that the old, non-iPhone tethering option offered you 5GB of tethering data for an extra $30 a month. The new plan charges you $20 extra to use the same 2GB pool of data for tethering. You are not buying extra data. You are simply paying extra to use it for tethering.

Let me repeat that: AT&T is charging you an additional twenty dollars a month based purely on how you use your data. This is bullshit, plain and simple.

Why does it matter how you use that 2GB? Why does it cost extra to use it in a slightly different manner, if you're paying for it all the same?

It's asburdity—especially when you consider the basic math. Under the old plan, you paid $60 a month for unlimited data, plus 5GB worth of tethering. Under the new plan, you will pay $45 for 2GB of data, total.

When you break out the dollar-per-byte value, showing just how much data you get per dollar, it becomes clear how outrageous the new pricing schemes are, whatever AT&T murmurs about how much data 98 percent of users actually consume.

The new plans apply to the iPad as well. Meaning the no-contract $30 unlimited data plan, the plan both Apple and AT&T pitched so hard, assuring us that we would never have to worry about data or contracts, is no more. If that $30-whenever-you-want-it unlimited data was a part of your calculus in buying the 3G iPad—it was part of mine—you've effectively been baited-and-switched. They promised one thing, and in just two months, it's gone. I suppose that's the downside of not having a contract with a multi-billion dollar corporation—you're free to ditch them, but they're free to screw you in return.

There is a way out, though it's really more like a way in, since it requires you to dive more securely into the vice grip of AT&T. If you already have an unlimited smartphone data plan and you renew your contract after June 7, as long as you don't change your plan, you can keep on keepin' on with your unlimited plan. In other words, you can get a new smartphone, but keep the same plan—then you're grandfathered in with unlimited data. Same deal with the iPad: If you start an unlimited data plan before June 7, and let it keep automatically renewing, you'll keep unlimited data.

If you add the $20 tethering option after June 7, though, you move to the new plans (which obviously screws iPhone owners interested in tethering). If you don't already have an unlimited smartphone data plan, and buy one after June 7, you'll get one of the new plans. If you come to AT&T after June 7, you'll get one of the new plans. If you start a new iPad 3G data plan after June 7, you'll get one of the new plans. (Here's a bit more on various scenarios and what'll happen with different configurations.)

So, what'll be? Tie yourself up more tightly with AT&T to preserve your data privileges, or join this brave new world, where you pay for every byte you eat? Any hopes you could've possibly had for unlimited 4G, you might as well shred them now. It's true, for most people (98 percent of users, says AT&T), 2GB a month might be fine—I've only used 1GB on my iPad 3G, even after streaming a ton of movies with the intent of killing my battery. And I'm not opposed to metered internet, per se. But I am opposed to higher costs per megabyte, BS charges for tethering, and broken iPad promises. And there's a principle at stake here, dammit. [AT&T]

BlackBerry BIS 3.0 Upgrade Now Live

That outage you BlackBerry BIS users may have experienced last night was the March 28 BIS 3.0 upgrade happening—in real time!

Details:

- Additional language support for Basque, Catalan, Galician, Romanian
- Increased attachment compatibility for OpenDocument presentations (.odp), OpenDocument spreadsheets (.ods), OpenDocument text (.odt), OpenDocument text templates (.ott), Windows Media® Audio (.wma)
- Improved email setup flow for HTML access that will allow BlackBerry uses to "reclaim their email address if their BlackBerry Internet Service account is ever deleted."
- xHTML Support for non-Thick Clients (allows for the use of buttons, additional fonts and color controls when users access and toggle their user settings)
- Device switch revalidation
- Hosted email address passwords

The Gmail functionality alluded to in the link above are still listed as "coming soon." Probably the 28th. [BlackBerry via BGR]

Your Blackberry as a Modem

As if the Blackberry didn't have enough uses already, it can be used as a modem too. Read this to find out more about how to use your Blackberry as a modem.

Most of the time when you are traveling, you have access to free wi-fi connections in your hotel room, and even in the local McDonald's. In the event that you find yourself stuck, needing to use your laptop with no wi-fi connection in site, all you need to do is use your Blackberry as a modem. You will need to make sure that your Blackberry is one of the models with the “tethered modem capability.” These phones are:

• BlackBerry® 7130c
• BlackBerry® 7130e
• BlackBerry® 7250
• BlackBerry® Curve 8300
• BlackBerry® Curve 8310
• BlackBerry® Curve 8320
• BlackBerry® 8703e
• BlackBerry® 8705g
• BlackBerry® 8707g
• BlackBerry® 8800
• BlackBerry® 8820
• BlackBerry® 8830 World Edition

If you are using one of those Blackberry phones, follow these instructions to tether your phone to your laptop to use it as a modem.

Make sure you have a USB cable, and the BlackBerry Handheld Manager installed on your laptop. Blackberry Handheld Manager is part of the Desktop Manager software that is required in order to install applications to your device. If you do not have it, you can download it to your laptop from Blackberry. (If you do not have this before needing your phone as a modem, you will have to find a source of wi-fi before you can do it.) All you need to do is open the Desktop Software and the Handheld Manager will also run.

You'll need to make sure you have the necessary modem drivers on your phone before using it as a modem. Most of the models above come with the drivers already loaded on them. If not, you'll be able to get the necessary drivers from the Blackberry Desktop Manager software.

Once you have determined that you have everything you need in order to use your Blackberry as a modem, you'll need to go into your phone and configure the settings specific to your provider and ensure that your modem drivers are working correctly. Another how to for this will be coming along soon.

Setup a new connection in your laptop. The setup for this follows the setup process for any other Internet connection and will vary depending on which version of Windows you are using.

Now, disable IP Header Compression with the following steps:

1. Start Menu->Network Connections->”BlackBerry Modem” (or whatever you chose to name the connection you set up in the previous step.
2. Click Properties Button
3. Click Networking Tab
4. Select “Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)”
5. Click Properties.
6. Click Advanced.
7. Disable “Use IP header compression” with the checkbox.
8. Close out all the menus by clicking OK.

Connect the phone to the laptop with USB, open the Blackberry Desktop Management Software, click the Modem icon and find the available connections. You will be able to use the Internet on your laptop with the Blackberry serving as your modem.

How to Use Blackberry as a Modem

Did you ever imagine that your blackberry can be used as a modem too. Yes, thanks to berry4all, a free, open-source software for using your Blackberry on alternative OS’es (Linux, OSX)It has been tested on Linux (Debian, Ubuntu, Mint, Fedora) and OS X (Tiger (PPC & x86), Leopard) and is found to be good. Let's see and learn how to use your blackberry as a modem in Linux and OSX.

Linux

This script requires python, pppd, libusb and the python usb(pyusb) module installed:

sudo apt-get install python libusb-dev ppp python-usb

or if you have an rpm system:

yum install python libusb-dev ppp pyusb

If you want to use the GUI, you will also need wxpython

sudo apt-get install python-wxgtk2.8

Mac

if you are a Mac, you better find the installation procedure from here

Download berry4all

Blackberry Internet Service 3.0 Documents Leak: Gmail Syncing Ahoy

Blackberry users who have been frustrated by their phone's inability to properly sync Gmail can unclench their fists. Documents detailing the new features of the upcoming BIS 3.0 show Gmail syncing and WMA support are on the way.

RIM is finally updating BIS so that Gmail will accurately sync read and unread status of your mail. It's about time.

The update will also add support for Windows Media Audio attachments as well as OpenOffice documents. BIS 3.0 will also include the decidedly less exciting updates of a reconfigured, more secure E-mail setup application and more accurate error messages that will direct users to their specific carrier. I'm not kidding.

Carriers are themselves responsible to roll out the new Blackberry Internet Service so it's hard to say exactly when it should be popping up on your Blackberry. But just be glad that Gmail syncing and more exacting error messages are on their way. [BBLeaks via Crackberry]

Blackberry As Modem

Blackberry As Modem in Windows XP / VISTA

Blackberry handset you can use it as a modem to connect to the Internet.
The trick is as follows:
1. Make sure Desktop Manager you have installed at least version 4. How to check the desktop version
Your manager is as follows open desktop manager - Help - General ..



2. Connect the BlackBerry handset with a PC / Laptop using the USB cable. Then open
Desktop Manager you from your PC / laptop. The use of BlackBerry as a modem only
walk if the desktop manager running
3. Make sure Modem Driver function. From PC / laptop, click on Settings - Control panel - Phone and
Modems Options. In the Modem tab, you'll see a new Standard Modem on a new port
(eg COM3, COM6 or COM 11).


Then click Properties - Diagnostics - Query Modem ago
will look like one of the following:
ATQ0V1E0 - OK
AT + GMM - BlackBerry IPmodem
AT + FCLASS =? - OK
AT # CLS =? - OK
AT + GCI? - OK
AT + GCI =? - OK
ATI1 - Research In Motion / BlackBerry IPmodem
Ati2 - Research In Motion / BlackBerry IPmodem
ATI3 - Research In Motion / BlackBerry IPmodem
ATI4 - Research In Motion / BlackBerry IPmodem
ATI5 - Research In Motion / BlackBerry IPmodem
ATI6 - Research In Motion / BlackBerry IPmodem

then click Properties - Advanced and add the Extra Initialization follows:
AT + CGDCONT = 1, "IP", "indosatgprs"


ADD A NEW INTERNET CONNECTION
Close the Phone and Modem Options and Control Panel. Create a new connection in a way as
follows:
1. Click Start - Connect To - Show all connections - Create a new connection - Next
2. Select "Connect To The Internet" - Next
3. Select "Set up my connection manually" - Next
4. Select "Connect using a dial-up modem" - Next.

5. Check mark on the Standard Modem (if prompted).

6. Give the connection a name such as "BlackBerry Modem", click Next.
7. On the next screen select the following telephone numbers, depending on the reply card masing2
used. If you use GSM: enter no phone * 99 *** 1 # or * 99 #
8. Click Next. Clear the User name and password
9. Click Finish.
Then please try browsing the Internet using the new connection is made above



http://www.blackberry.com/btsc/search.do?cmd=displayKC&docType=kc&externalId=KB05196&sliceId=SAL_Public&dialogID=1114305&stateId=1%200%201132277

Tethering a Blackberry on AT&T

Much of this is ripped from forums.crackberry.com/f3/how-use-your-blackberry-modem-19093/ but it doesn't work for AT&T if you follow these instructions to a tee, so I modified it to work. Also these are primarily for XP, though I'm sure if you're savvy you can adapt them to Vista.

You need Desktop Manager loaded and running for set up and to actually dial up

Query the modem, using the modems properties:

1. Click Start, Settings, Control Panel.
2. Double-click on Phone and modem options.
3. Click on the Modems tab.
4. Left-click on the modem installed above. (Standard Modem or Standard Modem over Bluetooth)
5. Click Properties.
6. Click the Diagnostics tab.
7. Click Query Modem.
8. If dialog shows in the box, modem is responding
9. Click the Advanced tab.
10. In the Extra Initialization Command field, enter: AT+CGDCONT=1,"IP","wap.cingular"

Create dial-up networking :

1. From your computer, click Start, Settings, Control Panel, then Network Connections.
2. Click Create a new connection, then Next.
3. Select Connect to Internet.
4. Select Set up my connection manually.
5. Select Connect using a dial-up modem.
6. Select the Standard Modem, then Next.
7. Enter Blackberry or AT&T or something as the ISP Name.
8. Enter *99# as the Phone number.
9. Click Next.
10. Leave the User name and Password fields blank.
11. Deselect all the optional check boxes in the bottom portion of this window.
12. To create the connection, click Finish.
13. In the Connect window, click Properties.
14. In the Properties window, verify that Modem - Standard Modem appears beneath the Connect using heading, then click Configure.
15. In the Modem Configuration window, clear the Enable hardware flow control check box and make sure none of the other check boxes are selected. Click OK. In the Properties window, click OK.
16. Make sure there is no username or password in the Connect window
17. Select Save this user name and password for the following users.
18. Select the appropriate option.
19. Confirm that the BlackBerry Desktop Manager is running.
20. Click Dial

This whole arrangement works nicely over Bluetooth but I find it seems a little less laggy if I'm running it cabled. With 3G the performance is pretty darn good for basic web surfing, email etc. EDGE is a little laggy, but hey, it beats a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.

http://dledeaux.livejournal.com/4671.html

Blackberry As Tethered Modem (for Maxis and Celcom)

You computer must have Blackberry Desktop Manager. This is the most important software must be installed into your computer. You can download at Blackberry Official website.

Please connect your Blackberry Phone to computer with USB cable

If you already install Blackberry Desktop Manager, you should see a “Standard Modem” under Device Manager. Right click the Standard Modem, and select Properties

Go to Advanced tab – insert the Extra initialization Command as below

For Maxis
at+cgdcont=1,”ip”,”unet”

For Celcom
at+cgdcont=1,”ip”,”celcom3g”

Go to Diagnostics tab – press Query Modem button. Make sure you are successful query the modem. If you fail to query, check the USB connection or restart your phone. If you successful, click ok button to close the windows.

Create new internet connection
Go to Control Panel -> Network connections -> click “create new connection”
New connection Wizard will popup – click next
Select “Connect to the internet” – click next
Select “Set up my connection manually” – click next
Select “Connect using a dial-up modem” – click next
Select “Modem – Standard Modem” (See below screenshot) – click next

Give any ISP name – click next
Enter the Phone Number that need to be dial, which is *99# – click next

At this point, you should reach the account and password screen,
For Maxis
Username: maxis
Password: wap

For Celcom
Do not key in anything, just leave it blank and click next

Select “Add a shortcut to this connection to my desktop” – click finish button

How to connect to the internet
Make sure Dekstop Manager is running and Blackberry phone is connected to computer with USB cable.
Double click on the newly created connection at desktop and click on “Dial”.
Start to surf internet….. Enjoy

http://anygreatidea.com/blackberry/2009/09/19/blackberry-as-tethered-modem-for-maxis-and-celcom/