770+Samsung (Blade)+Sprint=Works!!
 

For years, I've wanted a handheld that would display a webpage at 800wide with "decent" wireless download speed. The false promises by all the PDA manufacturers caused me to just wait to buy. I've used a Palm for years but as a PDA.

I've been keeping up on what the telcos offer and discovered that Sprint finally supported tethering with Phone-as-Modem service.

Well, last October I read about the the 770 and I thought my want might be satisfied. I finally got my mits on one last Thursday.

On Sunday, I bought into the Sprint service and got a Samsung A900 (AKA Blade) which is equipped with both EVDO and Bluetooth.

Connectivity didn't work out of the box (Bluetooth did but not net access) but I was routed to Sprint EVDO support today and got the tip I needed.

It works, finally! I can carry useable web access in my pocket.

The 770 is good enough and better than needed in some ways.

The tip I needed for net access was putting Phone Number = #777 in the Pocket Data connection config which makes the 770 get the required authentication info (name, P/W, phone number etc) from the phone.

There was only basic doc for net access with the phone.

Sprint FVDO support is @ 866-585-8871

Stuart in Vancouver, WA

I've been using the same setup for the last few months, and it works great! I'm rarely somewhere without being within reach of Wi-Fi, but the EVDO on the Blade sure has come in handy...I even use it to watch my SlingBox via my laptops...

For anyone using Sprint: They recently changed their terms of service, effective 2-1-06, regarding "tethering" of EVDO phones...now they charge something like $49 a month for a "phone-as-modem" plan, which for those of us with grandfathered Vision (me included), means we are cut off from tethering without upgrading our plan with the new $49 mo. fee.

Turns out there is a quick and easy fix for this "problem"...I have tried it and it definitely works, but I won't know about any extra data charges until the next bill comes out, so try this at your own risk! Don't blame me if you get a very high $$$ Sprint bill...

http://www.sprintusers.com/forum/showpost.php p=880423&postcount=175

This sounds great. Of course, the $50 mo fee doesnt, but I will look into it. The maemo wiki said that the newest blade firmware works better than the old one. Which one are you using and has there been any bt problems?

I'm using the newest firmware on mine, and I am having no problems with BT...but I haven't had a any problems on any of the firmwares, even the original one that came on the phone...

Orbital--I have been waiting for someone to provide a positive report like yours on the speed of Sprint's network. I currently have a Verizon PC Card which is speedy enough for my work VPN and I am quite happy with it. But I wanted something to use with the 770.

So is there a place where there are instructions for getting the blade to pair up and work? I am only mildy tech savvy.

I'm sure it is easy to do, but as rr0123 said, if you can write a howto on here for future users, that would be great! Also, that $50 plan covers normal cdma data too, correct? And there is no need for a vision plan in addition to that?

Pairing the Blade works just like pairing any other Bluetooth phone on the 770...I didn't do anything special, just made sure the phone's BT was on and discoverable.

As for the $50 phone-as-modem plan, yes that includes standard 1xRTT data speeds if you are not in an EVDO area. I believe you still need a Vision plan to use the data features on the phone itself, such as the WAP browser and picturemail...

If it's needed, i could probably retrace my steps on the pairing and write down exactly what I did. i really don't remember each step, I just know it took less than a minute or so to get setup...

Sprint charges an ADDITIONAL $40 for unlimited 'tethered' EVDO data. 'Tethered' means you are using a laptop or PDA connected to your phone.

So, if you normal voice plan is $40, you would pay a total of $80.

Sprint also has an unlimited data plan called 'Power Vision' for $15. This plan only works for browsing and watching media inside the phone. If you try to use it 'tethered', some software in the phone detects it and disables Vision until you order the $40 service.

It is possible to disable this detection software on the A900 through the service menu. This allows you to use your laptop or 770 with the $15 service without being forced to upgrade.

The A900 is an amazing phone for data use; able to connect you to the Internet via bluetooth or usb at DSL level speeds where Sprint has rolled out the new 3G EVDO network and at modem speeds in most other places. It's also a great phone for voice. I have a writeup on the A900 with some pics on my site:
A900 Blog Posting & Pics

Some of the S/W on the A900 is awful
 

I've used Kyocera phones for years and I like to use speakerphones. Kyocera phones have a dedicated button to turn on/off the speakerphone.

What ya have to do to turn on the A900 speakerphone is crap. It's as if they didn't do any Human Factors Testing.

I want to turn on vibrate mode but after screwing with the phone for about 10 minutes, it still rings. Bad design.

In this age, it shouldn't require reading documentation to do such basic things.

Stuart
Vancouver, WA

Also, I'm guessing that the A900/CDMA settings do not show up in the connections list? Do you have to go into the connections menu and select "use without asking" if you want to connect to it? That is what I have to do with the Treo, and I think it's because there are no default CDMA settings in the 770.