I can't believe I figured this one out... It was so ridiculously hard (appx 10 hours of work...) and Sony nor Sprint tech support could help me with. I HAD to share this one with the forum;
Problem: Sprint Smartview application installed on the laptop would not detect the BlackBerry to tether.
Laptop Hardware: Sony VAIO VGN-FW370J
SmartPhone Model: BlackBerry 8330
OS: Vista 64 SP2
Service Provider: Sprint
1) You do not need Sprint SmartView. Don't even bother installing it even though Sprint will tell you that you need it.
2) Install BlackBerry Desktop Manager that comes on the disk that they provide with your BB. This software will not install all of the drivers to connect to the internet that you need on the Vaio. (I tested this with an HP and a Dell both with Vista 64 and it worked just fine.) Make sure to configure the BB Desktop Manager to open on Start Up to save some steps later.
3) Copy the most up to date version (there may be more than one) of mdmgen.inf to another folder anywhere on your C drive. mdmgen.inf may have as part of the name with an underscore, numbers or letters tacked onto the end. The mdmgen.inf file can be found in C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository.
4) Go to Device Manager and go to "Ports". Look for available com ports and activate them if they are not already. If Ports does not show up as an option in Device Manager, restart the computer in Safe Mode, open Device Manager and you should see the option for Ports as "Ports" or "Ports and LPT". You can then restart in normal mode and Ports should be available in DM.
5) Open Control Panel -> Phone & Modem Options -> Select the Modems tab, Add, tick "Don't detect my modem. I will select from the list", click Next, Click Have Disk and navigate to the path where you saved your mdmgen.inf copy. Select "Standard 33600 bps Modem" and click Next. Tick "All COM Ports" or just select one COM port from the list below. Name the new modem connection something intuitive like "BlackBerry". The dial up number is #777, leave the username and password blank. You can also set the properties to not show the username, password and other dial up details when you connect to network. It helps save a lot of button clicks.
6) Make sure the BB Desktop Manager is running. Connect the BB to the laptop using the USB cable provided. Go to Network and Sharing and Connect to Network. Select your newly configured BlackBerry modem to connect. You should get a confirmation message that you are successfully connect to the BlackBerry.
7) Open your Internet browser and start surfing
Hope this helps someone else avoid several hours of work and painfully disappointing customer service. I must say that if you can get it working like I did it is worth it! BB rocks.
Problems tethering your BB to your Vaio? 
