Tethering on a $30 Verizon e-mail and web smartphone data plan

If you're on Verizon Wireless and you'd like to tether using your smartphone, then you have to be on a data plan (or Mobile Broadband plan) that costs approximately $49.99 plus you have to pay a $15 tethering fee. Your monthly costs are $65.

On the other hand, Verizon offers a $30 data plan (called "e-mail and web for smartphone"), but you're not technically allowed to tether on this plan. So, is it possible to tether if you're on the $30 plan?

I only know of two ways this can be done:

1. Use PdaNet (must run on your smartphone and your PC)
   
2. Load a custom ROM that allows you to tether without the need for any special software

The proper way to tether on Verizon is to pay $65 each month and use VZAccess Manager (found at http://www.vzam.net).

HTC smartphones on Verizon Wireless

In my opinion, HTC makes some of the best Windows Mobile smartphones. They're now making more devices that run Google Android, but as long as Microsoft remains alive, Windows Mobile will be a popular smartphone operating system. So, if you're on Verizon Wireless and you're looking for a Windows phone, get one made by HTC. Remember that many of these devices end up getting rebranded as an XV6800 or XV6900. You'll have to do a bit of research to identify them as an HTC product.

Windows Mobile 6.5 custom ROMs for the HTC Touch Pro

I've been testing several different Windows Mobile 6.5 custom ROMs for the HTC Touch Pro. So far, I find that the one made by DCD gives you the most free memory after a reboot. However, if you really like having different utilities and options, then you may want to try MightyROM6 or my personal favorite as of right now: NFSFAN

I prefer installing my own apps so that the system RAM is freed up for memory-intense applications such as Opera Mobile.

GPS on the HTC Touch Pro

The HTC Touch Pro that I received from Verizon must have had a strange setting because the built-in GPS did not work out of the box. I loaded a custom radio ROM and a custom Windows Mobile 6.5 ROM and the GPS still didn't work! I had to dig through several forums to finally get the GPS to work.

At this point, the built-in GPS is locking to satellites very quickly. It's not receiving assistance from the network because the speed of achieving a GPS lock is the same whether the phone is on or off. I will continue to perform additional tests.

Right now, I'm using Might ROM Windows Mobile 6.5 and I have radio ROM 1.12.34F

I ordered an HTC Touch Pro

My XV6900 (Vogue) gets a slow GPS lock because it's not getting assistance from the network.
My XV6800 (Titan) gets a quick GPS lock because it's getting assistance from the network.

I can't seem to get my XV6900 (Vogue) to connect with QPST. I'm unable to find drivers for this phone. I was able to get the XV6800 (Titan) to connect so that I could tweak the aGPS settings.

Well, it appears that it's time for me to move on from the Titan. Therefore, I'm getting the HTC Touch Pro (for free with my "new every two" credit). This device has an unlocked aGPS, so I won't need to flash any custom ROMs. However, since I'd like to run Windows Mobile 6.5, I'll probably still install some type of custom ROM on this device.

Testing the XV6900

Yes, I'm now testing the XV6900 (HTC Vogue). I was able to flash a custom radio ROM and a custom Windows Mobile 6.5 ROM. However, I'm having a few issues:

• the built-in GPS isn't working very well (difficult to get a lock, so I must not be getting any network assistance)
  
• the Internet Sharing (for tethering) isn't working (the "connect" option is grayed out)

Will continue to perform a few additional tests...

Samsung Saga: a thin Treo

The Samsung Saga is like a really thin Treo. I really like this phone, but the price on it hasn't come down yet. Maybe I should wait until the price drops and then snatch this phone for a good price.

The Saga has a square screen and a built-in hardware keyboard. It's a really thin device, so I'd probably need the extended battery. Since the Saga has a built-in GPS chip, it could eventually be a standalone GPS.

Windows Mobile 6.5 on the XV6800 (HTC Titan)

I'm actually quite impressed by the way Windows Mobile 6.5 runs on this old machine. It has a relatively slow processor and is limited in RAM, but the optimized version of Windows Mobile 6.5 isn't too bad. I like the larger fonts, the large buttons, and the overall touch-friendly feel of the operating system. I will continue to run my tests on the XV6800 (HTC Titan, Sprint Mogul).

Next week, I may order the HTC Touch Pro. If I do, I'll be running Windows Mobile 6.5 on it and I may have to rename this blog.

I Returned the BlackBerry Storm

I'm back to Windows Mobile. I returned the BlackBerry Storm after using it for a few days. Want to know why? Take a look at these posts:

• Transitioning from Windows Mobile to BlackBerry

• BlackBerry Storm: my initial impressions

Testing Windows 6.5 on the HTC Titan (XV6800)

I'm taking the plunge. After using Windows Mobile 6.1 for such a long time, I decided to give Windows Mobile 6.5 a try. Let's see how my little experiment goes over the next several days. Hopefully I won't end up with a brick (paperweight).

Installing build 23017. Since the XV6800 (HTC Titan) has very little RAM and a slow processor, I'm not expecting dazzling results with Windows 6.5. However, I'd like to know if it's usable, so this is really just for my edification.

Switching to the BlackBerry Storm

I've ordered the BlackBerry Storm. Let's see how I like using that as my next smartphone. Since I have 30 days to try it out, I'll be writing about my experiences on MedicalSmartphones.com

If the transition is successful, then I'll be using my XV6800 (HTC Titan) as a standalone GPS for my car.