Using Samsung A-900 phone as modem

I found myself in the Apple store with much to think about. The Macbook has no expresscard slot and the Pro versions; who knows when the expresscard will be available? As I pondered these things, trying to provoke a Macbook Pro to heat up by running a very high res HD version Batman Returns demo over and over, a nerdy Apple guy drew near. I commented about the expresscards and he checked and said Verizon had them! He was sure of this. Being the Doubting Thomas that I am I left off my assault of the 15" Macbook Pro, which was extremely warm underneath, but only the left handrest was mildly warm after 20 minutes of the demo, I went to the Verizon Kiosk, also in the same mall. "Sure! We have them!" was the reply, as I asked if he was sure of what I ment by EXPRESSCARD. He pulled the card up on his computer; the Kyocera KPC650...oh brother. Anyway I went to plan "B"; off to the Sprint kiosk. I inquired about the Samsung A-900, if it was able to connect Broadband via USB and the Sprint guy said yes. I wasn't even thinking about Bluetooth, which it could also do. I should mention I have a Verizon KPC650 card which is eating me alive with a $80/month fee, but after a year the contract is now expired. So with a 200 minute a month Sprint voice plan of $29 and a plan to connect using phone as a modem for $40/month I get to both talk on a voice plan and connect via USB and Bluetooth for about $86 per month, including tax, as opposed to an $80/month with only the verizon card.

The problem after I signed all the papers with the understanding I had 14 days to undo everything with the only penalty being the voice minutes I used, is...will it work on my 17" Powerbook as will as my Sony T250 PC laptop. The guy said no it would not, and when I called to add the phone-as-a-modem part to my contract they said no, but I know Apple...there is a chance. So I get home and yeah, I downloaded the PC software onto the Sony and it worked fine via USB. So I get my Powerbook out and try to figure what to put in the System Prefs settings.

Service Provider (optional) I put Sprint
Account name I put my Sprint account name xxxxxx##@sprintpcs.com
Password: I was stumped, so I just put the part of my account name without @sprintpcs.com
Telephone Number: #777

Then I connected and it worked flat out. Needless to say I was not a little overjoyed. Next I used practically the same settings after setting the phone up for bluetooth and setting it on discoverable. That worked to, but I suspect the connection is not as reliable as USB; time will tell. Understand as of this posting all of this has transpired within the last 3 hours from comming from the mall. So I would advise anyone considering this route to wait and see about my evaluation in the next few days.

Conclusion: The Sprint Reps said it could'nt be done, but I have connected a Samsung A-900 (almost as thin as a Motorola Razor) to my Powerbook via both USB and bluetooth. In fact I am posting this while connected via Bluetooth. If this has already been done then...never mind!

It is so cool to not even have to take out your phone, just open your laptop and click connect via bluetooth.

 

www.speakeasy.net/speedtest

That is a awesome idea but l'm curious what kind of speeds your getting.

 

Using this link:

http://www.dslreports.com/mspeed?t=4&s=600&r=56821&w=

I took an average of 4 readings for the A-900 and the KPC650 on the same machine

KPC650= 532 Kbits/sec

Samsung A-900= 427 Kbits/sec (Using USB cable)

Samsung A-900= 229 Kbits/sec (Using Bluetooth)

The KPC650 wins, being one of the best cards on the market, but I still feel the Samsung A-900 is well worth the money, especially since it saves money.

Verizon voice plus KPC650 = $40+$60 = $100/month
Sprint voice plus A-900 = $30+40 = $70/month

That's $30 less per month. But if you have a Mackbook or Macbook Pro PC/expresscards right now aren't even an option. This was basically why I posted this thread, to let owners of such laptops consider that there is an alternative much faster than dial-up.

 

badass

i have a samsung a-900 also, good to know that this is possible

 

That is awesome. Be careful how much you use it though. If Sprint catches a spike in your usage they will likely ban your vision permanently and charge for what you used. I would use it sparingly.

**EDIT** I am an idiot! I didn't read the part where you said you purchased the modem plan. Sorry. For those with Sprint that don't have the modem plan (like me) be careful.