I just got a 8703e last week from VZW, and will be using the modem tethering option. Is there anyway to receive phone calls while using the VZAccess software? Currently my phone just shows "modem mode enabled" and sends all calls straight to voicemail. I am attempting to replace my broadband card for access while sitting in an airport. If I can't interrupt data transfer with a phone call this is going to be a deal breaker. Anyone got any ideas?

Unfortunately that is not possible. As far as I know only UMTS-BBs (8707v and 8707g) have the option to make a call and data connection in parallel, but I am not sure if the data connections works also for tethered modem.

Calls should ring through when data is not actively being transferred. Whichever session is initiated first should hold the connection (so if you're on a voice call, for example, you cannot send/receive data) but if the device is sitting idle the both voice and data services should be active.

I often place and receive calls using my 8703e while tethered (my 7250 behaved the same way).

Actually, oddly enough I found this to not be true, much to my surprise as well. There is a PC game that I play (Final Fantasy XI) and sometimes when I cannot use my home connection, it actually works flawlessly through the blackberry tethered to my PC! Connection is always active, yet I am able to receive phone calls still. If I do not pick up the phone, data keeps flowing and the game keeps running. Should I answer, of course the data connection breaks.

It would make sense that no voice calls would come thru when there is a data connection present, as it appears that voice & data are mutually exclusive. One of my greatest pet peeves is getting stuck on a lengthy call, and as soon as I hang up the past hour (or however long I was on the phone) worth of data comes streaming in.

From what I have observed markhutchison is correct. If I am actively transferring data via the tethered connection the phone calls will go straight to voicemail. If I am idleing along, the calls will come through, but it will stall the data connection.

Unfortunately this is probably going to be a deal breaker with the BB. I love this thing, but I have to have simultaneous access, and the only reason I upgraded was to consolidate into one device instead of carrying the broadband card and a cell.

Are you sure that the data is in continual flow? Have a look at the transmission indicators on the BlackBerry (the arrows in the top right corner). If the arrows are flashing on and off there are, likely, breaks in the data transmission during which a call could filter through to the device.

I suppose it could also be a difference in the way the data is handled on the GSM network. (I'm assuming you're in an EDGE service area?)

Mark,
Is this a drawback of all the new tethered phones right now? I hadn't thought about this problem until I got into it, but it seems that unless the phone has seperate transceivers there is no way for simultaneous full time data and phone. It seems that there may not be any full substitute for a dedicated broadband card.

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.0) BlackBerry8703e/4.1.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/104)

I can't receive calls either while tethered with my 8703 on sprint. I wish I could buy an air card and link it with my bb plan and use it for data instead. That would be nice.

Yeah, Im in the same boat... I just use the 8703e + KPC-650. More convenient, better speeds/coverage on the laptop, and since I am paying for neither device, I could care less about the cost! If I were using my 8703e to tether, i assume i'd be killing batteries twice a day.

Yep, same behavior as my VZW 8703e. And if you're using a SSL VPN or IPSec VPN to login to your corporate network this is REALLY annoying. I'm unsure if it's a device/carrier/CDMA-EVDO/0/A limitation or what.. -Pk

After doing some additional research today it seems that the priority may behave differently depending on if you are in an EVDO area or not. I have read that many people are getting voice priority, but it seems everyone is in EVDO networks. I am out of town this week in a 1X only area so I can't confirm this. The only thing that I can confirm is that the priority seems to be related to whatever is transmitting at the time. Most of the people I have talked to have said that an incoming call will suspend the data connection and allow the call to come through, but all of them were on an EVDO network.