[watermon12]

Purchased the Playbook at Best Buy so I could Bluetooth tether to obtain Internet access via Verizon Wireless on my BB Curve 8330 OS 4.5 No success. In contrast, Wi-Fi access works great at Starbucks. After many hours on the phone with Verizon and RIM tech support discovered that Verizon does not support tethering internet access with Playbook on a Blackberry smartphone. Returned the Playbook the next day to Best Buy for a refund. RIM needs to work more closely with major carriers before advertising that Internet access through tethering is possible with BB smartphones.

[livejam]

You need OS 5.0 or above.

[jpg]

why do you need to tether when you have bridge?

[urgod]

uhh you can bridge it.

Do you always give up the second you fail?

[watermon12]

Correct livejam, OS 5.0 for BB Bridge covering BB Smartphone/Playbook utilization. In contrast, Bridge and Bluetooth tethering Internet access is two separate topics. Currently a BB user on the Verizon Wireless network will not be able to gain Internet access tethering as Verizon does not support this option. A work-around might be a non-BB hotspot phone (i.e. HTC Thunderbolt) on the Verizon network for Playbook internet access.

[jpg]

again, why do you need to tether? when in bridge mode you can browse with the bridge browser.

[watermon12]

uhh you can bridge it.

Do you always give up the second you fail?

So you seem to have a solution with your Droid? All of us BB users with Verizon would love to hear it. After several hours speaking with Verizon/RIM tech support they had no solution neither.

[urgod]

again, why do you need to tether? when in bridge mode you can browse with the bridge browser.

This^^

10char

[psiclne]

For those that are missing it - OP is on OS 4.5 so no "bridging" since Bridging requires OS5+

[jpg]

yes i did miss that. but the requirements to bridge were clearly indicated so i say fail to the op for not noticing that. it's called operator error.

[watermon12]

again, why do you need to tether? when in bridge mode you can browse with the bridge browser.

Good point jpg. Yet Verizon does not provide OS 5.0 updates for BB OS 4.5 phones. A Catch-22, need OS 5.0 to Bridge. As a result no internet access with Curve 8330 on Verizon network.

Wish the BB Playbook advertising and marketing would of communicated this issue with all BB users.

[sylvaing]

Good point jpg. Yet Verizon does not provide OS 5.0 updates for BB OS 4.5 phones. A Catch-22, need OS 5.0 to Bridge. As a result no internet access with Curve 8330 on Verizon network.

Wish the BB Playbook advertising and marketing would of communicated this issue with all BB users.

Telus didn't provide OS 5 for my 8330, but that didn't stop me from upgrading to it...

Check this link : Latest-official-os-8330-5-0-0-438

[watermon12]

yes i did miss that. but the requirements to bridge were clearly indicated so i say fail to the op for not noticing that. it's called operator error.

So where is the Bridge OS 5.0 requirements listed in the RIM BB Playbook marketing and sales literature prior to a purchase? In contrast, when setting up the Bridge "after purchase" the OS 5.0 requirement is listed on the Blackberry App World Bridge web page.

[TheScionicMan]

Good point jpg. Yet Verizon does not provide OS 5.0 updates for BB OS 4.5 phones. A Catch-22, need OS 5.0 to Bridge. As a result no internet access with Curve 8330 on Verizon network.

Wish the BB Playbook advertising and marketing would of communicated this issue with all BB users.

No catch-22, it merely means you need a phone capable of running OS5. They communicated it, you either misunderstood or just hoped for something else... You should have added the bolded part to your title because you make it sound like it's a VZW thing and not an 83xx thing...

[watermon12]

No catch-22, it merely means you need a phone capable of running OS5. They communicated it, you either misunderstood or just hoped for something else... You should have added the bolded part to your title because you make it sound like it's a VZW thing and not an 83xx thing...

Geez, you make it sound so easy that it was communicated in the Playbook sales and marketing literature that OS 5.0 was a requirement for Bridging. So can you back it up with a sales and marketing literature web link to the resource that you are referring to? I doubt it.

Where are you coming from with such an off the wall statement that I "make it sound like it's a VZW thing and not an 83xx thing?" Especially since your carrier is T-Mobile. So I guess you have been on the phone with Verizon tech support for a couple of hours also?

It's both a 8330 an VZW issue, with not supporting BB/Bluetooth tethering internet access. Additionally, 8330 cannot robustly handle a OS 5.0 update. That is why Verizon does not provide this update from OS 4.5 to 5.0 as it results in the 8330 becoming all buggy.

Check out this link Latest Official OS: 8330 5.0.0.438

[TheScionicMan]

Every time I've seen Bridge mentioned, it had the * with the footnote for OS5 Try a thing called Google or the search in this site and you'll see it's been known since we knew about Bridge...

BTW, I support about 80 VZW BB's for work and we knew a long time ago, due to the * that the PB would not work with the 83xx series. I had a VZW 8330 prior to my 9000 with OS5 on it but I would have been suspicious of it running Bridge since it was a leaked version. Doesn't mean I wouldn't give it a shot.

Time for a new phone or another tablet but you don't need to get all worked up over it.

[watermon12]

Every time I've seen Bridge mentioned, it had the * with the footnote for OS5 Try a thing called Google or the search in this site and you'll see it's been known since we knew about Bridge...

BTW, I support about 80 VZW BB's for work and we knew a long time ago, due to the * that the PB would not work with the 83xx series. I had a VZW 8330 prior to my 9000 with OS5 on it but I would have been suspicious of it running Bridge since it was a leaked version. Doesn't mean I wouldn't give it a shot.

Time for a new phone or another tablet but you don't need to get all worked up over it.

I love it, you mention that it was communicated but you can't back it up with a resource. Ever heard of the hyperlink link option above when you make statements that the issue was communicated in the Playbook sales/marketing literature? Thanks for the sarcasm. Geez, I've never heard of Google search, thanks for the helpful tip.

I'm real impressed that you support 80 VZW BB. Like all of us average users also support dozens of VZW BB's and were aware months ago that 8330 OS 4.5 wasn't supported with the Playbook

Only place where you make any sense at all, "is time for a new phone." (i.e BB OS 5.0 or higher). Correct.

[TheScionicMan]

!4 posters before me mention OS5 and you're getting fired up on me? LOL.. Good Luck. Bye

[watermon12]

!4 posters before me mention OS5 and you're getting fired up on me? LOL.. Good Luck. Bye

Just what I thought, "Don't talk the talk if you can't walk the walk." Can't provide the resource where the Playbook requirement of OS 5.0 was mentioned prior to the consumer making a Playbook purchase. Good riddance.

Your the one on the deep end mentioning a Google search as a unqualified resource... ya da ya da. Wikipedia might pick up on that one.

[OniBerry]

https://www.blackberry.com/blackberr...ook_Tablet.pdf

Here?

http://docs.blackberry.com/en/admin/...001-1.0-US.pdf

Just two places. I can list more.

[OniBerry]

System requirements: tablet - Security Technical Overview - BlackBerry PlayBook - 1.0

Here is one from 2010

Cheers,

[watermon12]

https://www.blackberry.com/blackberr...ook_Tablet.pdf

Here?

http://docs.blackberry.com/en/admin/...001-1.0-US.pdf

Just two places. I can list more.

Awesome! Thanks Oniberry for taking the time in providing the valuable and helpful resources with the appropiate links. I see that the BlackBerry PlayBook Version: 1.0 Security Technical Overview was published seven days ago on 04/18/2011. Would of been great to of read these excellent resources prior to Playbook purchase.

Unfortunately RIM marketing in addition to the retailers (i.e. Best Buy, Staples, Radio Shack, etc) do not provide such detailed important information to potential consumers.

[trsbbs]

why do you need to tether when you have bridge?

Cause bridge stinks for any sort of real Internet/web browsing.

Tim

[OniBerry]

Awesome! Thanks Oniberry for taking the time in providing the valuable and helpful resources with the appropiate links. I see that the BlackBerry PlayBook Version: 1.0 Security Technical Overview was published seven days ago on 04/18/2011. Would of been great to of read these excellent resources prior to Playbook purchase.

Unfortunately RIM marketing in addition to the retailers (i.e. Best Buy, Staples, Radio Shack, etc) do not provide such detailed important information to potential consumers.

Probably, but that is what I got typing in RIM Playbook Requirements

Something that you could have, and should have done, before picking up your PB.

[watermon12]

Probably, but that is what I got typing in RIM Playbook Requirements

Something that you could have, and should have done, before picking up your PB.

Yeah right, the average consumer can easily access technical documents that were published 4/18/2011 a day prior to the US/Canada 4/19/2011 launch. Seems the RIM Playbook customer support should of read these documents also. It wasn't till after many hours and two days later and after talking to the 4th Tech rep that it was discovered the OS 5.0 was required and OS 4.5 would not work.

So basically what you are inferring is that it's satisfactory that RIM is transparent in it's web marketing of the product. If you honestly believe that, then I have some ocean front property in Arizona for sale...real cheap.