Thanks ggoodale! I posted the details below for those who need it.
Quote:
Use your BlackBerry Pearl as a Bluetooth Modem under OS X
Posted by: grant on Wed, 13 September 2006 9:41 AM -08:00
Update 3: A few people have pointed out that my directions are incomplete - I’ve updated them to include a few extra steps. If everything’s working for you, I doubt you’ll see any benefit from setting things up again.
Update 2: I just registered 208kbps download speed on the Speakeasy speed test, which is pushing the practical limits of EDGE. I’m therefore prepared to say the download speed’s about as good as it’ll get.
The upload speed, however, is another matter. I’m getting 8kbps on that same test, which seems really low. So further work is necessary. If you get a better upload speed than me, by all means let me know.
Update: I’ve uploaded a new version that improves performance (at least download performance) by a factor of 2x for me - I’m now reliably getting 135-150kbps speeds. It’s only a one character difference from the previous version - what have you got to lose!
In the long tradition of only writing software when it solves something that annoys me, I’ve written an OS X modem script for the BlackBerry 8100 (a.k.a. Pearl). If you have an 8100, you can now use it as a Bluetooth modem with your Mac. Here’s how you use it:- Download the script here.
- Copy the script into /Library/Modem Scripts.
- If you’ve already paired your Pearl with your Mac, open Bluetooth Preferences, Select your Pearl from the list of devices and press ‘Configure…’. (If you haven’t, choose ‘Set up Bluetooth Device’ - the following dialogs will be shown after you’ve paired your phone with your Mac.)
- Make sure ‘Access the Internet with your phone’s data connection’ is checked. Also, make sure ‘Use a direct, higher speed connection’ is selected. Click Continue.
- In the Modem Script pulldown on the following screen, Select ‘BlackBerry 8100’. Use the following settings for the other fields, then click Continue:
- Username, Password: leave blank
- GPRS CID: *99***1#
- Open the Internet Connect application. Select the Bluetooth icon at the top. Under Phone Number, put your APN (for T-Mobile and the BlackBerry Unlimited plan, I use wap.voicestream.com). Type a username and password (I use guest/guest) in the appropriate fields.
That’s it! Let me know if it works for you. I don’t believe my settings are getting the most out of the device’s EDGE support, so I’ll be tweaking as I learn more. Credit to Ross Barkman and Tim Hatch for the original scripts I tweaked to make it work.
Caveats: I’ve only tested this with my G4 PowerBook and OS X 10.4.7, so I have no idea if it works with anything else.
|