Re: Can Medianet bet used on a PDA?

"David Friedman" <ddfr@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:ddfr-1B5DD6.17563817072006@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I have a Nokia 9300 PDA phone, and am currently paying about $40/month
for the PDA connect package, which is a little less than the Blackberry
package but a lot more than the $19.95 medianet unlimited.

Is there any reason I can't switch to the less expensive package? I'm
not sure Cingular will let me do it--it's hard to tell, since different
people say different things--but if they would, is there any reason it
wouldn't work?

One of the Cingular people I talked with seemed to be claiming that the
less expensive package wouldn't let me access ordinary html pages, just
the ones that are specially designed for a cell phone. But my experiment
with tethering a Medianet phone, although it ran into various
difficulties, did provide evidence that one can access ordinary pages.

Anything I am missing?

Cingular's Terms of Service for Media Net specifically forbids, well,
practically everything, including tethering and, in your case, connecting
with a PDA (which your phone is classified). Of course, tethering is
possible, and it's likely possible on your Nokia, however, assuming you got
your Nokia from Cingular, they'll know your using it with Media Net, and may
not let you sign up for it.

You have two things going for you. One, most folks don't bother reading the
Terms of Service. Two, salespeople at Cingular are just like most people.

If you can't get it on the phone or at their big stores, find a small store
(these are independant franchises) and sign up there. These guys don't
care, they'll sign you up for anything you want, rules be damned. If
anybody gives you grief, just tell them you got sick of the big Nokia 9300
and bought a normal phone on Ebay. Ebay phones, as well as other third
party phones, are like Kryptonite to bothersome Cingular people, especially
if you start asking questions on how to set it up.

Now, if somebody at Cingular has an extra cup of coffee some day, a little
digging will most likely show your using the wrong phone with Media Net, as
well as your visitation to unapproved web sites (which are also prohibited
with Media Net). This may result in a nasty letter/call telling you to cut
it out, cutting off your service, or even charge you for access, which might
be Very Costly. One penny per Kilobyte doesn't sound like much, but I
racked up a $17 charge in just 20 minutes when I first tried it.
Personally, I doubt very much they'll try to retroactively charge you, but
the nasty letter or cutting the service is very likely.

I'm using it on my smartphone, both on the phone itself as well as tethered
to the laptop. As long as you don't get greedy, keeping the usage light,
avoiding huge downloads, and don't surf 16 hours a day, you shouldn't have a
problem.

CS


.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: All-you-can-eat 3G may not last
    ... MEdia Net packages are not intended for tethering. ... devices or networks, as determined by Cingular, including but ...
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  • Re: Can Medianet bet used on a PDA?
    ... practically everything, including tethering and, in your case, connecting ... your Nokia from Cingular, they'll know your using it with Media Net, and may ... salespeople at Cingular are just like most people. ... PDA phone. ...
    (alt.cellular.cingular)
  • Re: Tethered Data Connection Plans
    ... >>> Cingular reserves the right to remove customers from MEdia Net packages ... >>> networks, as determined by Cingular, including but not limited to device ... >> same page, says nothing about tethering, and explicitly says that no ... > the media net plan or they can - at their option - cut you off. ...
    (alt.cellular.cingular)
  • Re: Can Medianet bet used on a PDA?
    ... for the PDA connect package, which is a little less than the Blackberry ... Is there any reason I can't switch to the less expensive package? ... One of the Cingular people I talked with seemed to be claiming that the ... practically everything, including tethering and, in your case, connecting ...
    (alt.cellular.cingular)
  • Re: Tethered Data Connection Plans
    ... >> Cingular states clearly on the Media Net page, ... >> are not intended to be used and can not be used as a tethering plan. ...
    (alt.cellular.cingular)