[drummerboyz24]

I'm still a little confused about this whole pairing idea,
if i pair my playbook to my torch i will get bbm, text, email, etc...
but will i get 3g internet connection as well?
I just don't want to buy a 3g plan then realize that i could just pair it and save 10 bucks a month

[wayoung]

Yes. There are two different options: Pair it for your bbm, e-mail etc. and/or tether it for 3g internet access. Having these two as separate capabilities means you can connect your playbook to a wifi network and pair your phone at the same time. If both these capabilities were combined into one then you'd be stuck on 3g internet whenever you paired your phone to your playbook.

[xxplosive82]

I'm still a little confused about this whole pairing idea,
if i pair my playbook to my torch i will get bbm, text, email, etc...
but will i get 3g internet connection as well?
I just don't want to buy a 3g plan then realize that i could just pair it and save 10 bucks a month

There are 2 ways to pair your BlackBerry to the PlayBook: bridging and tethering.

Bridging is a secure bluetooth connection between your BlackBerry and PlayBook. Bridge is used to display and modify your PIN services (e-mail, calendar, contacts and BBM). Bridge cannot be used to access the internet.

Tethering is either a bluetooth or USB connection to the PlayBook (or PC) that uses the BlackBerry's data plan for internet access. It's unclear to me just exactly how tethering will be implemented, but tethering is how to access the internet on a wifi-only PlayBook (besides wifi, duh lol). Tethering does not give you access to your BlackBerry PIN services.

[mickeyboat]

So when will we know if a company like Verizon will charge a monthly fee to use the Blue Tooth connection to your Black Berry to connect to the internet via the BB Verizon 3 G network? Doesn't matter what you call it, it is the cost that is important. To get email, calendar, etc. looks like there would be no way Verizon would know if you had a PB connected. Using the PB for internet access via the BB 3g network, will Verizon be able to tell if you are using this connection to a PB? If Verizon will charge an extra monthly fee for this type service that is a Major deal breaker at least for me.

[Kerms]

From the way I understand it, carriers can tell if data is tethered.
It looks like using bridge for email won't cost you but I'm bet to tether you will be charged

[kcmo]

OK, I'm sure I sound like a complete *****, but I still am not totally clear as to how this will work. I just want to know if I will be able to surf the net on the PB via the data service that I currently pay for on T-Mobile for my 9700, if I don't want to use Wi-Fi for whatever reason.

[Kerms]

I don't think there is an offical answer but I'm going to say if you want to tether your PB to your BB and use your current data plan for internet you should be able to but the real question is if the carriers are going to charge you a tethering fee which I'm going to say yes.

The bridge is just for PIM stuff so no packets from your PB would be going over the internet, your BB would be the host device sending and requesting email.

Tethering would be going over your data connection and the PB would be the host device sending and receiving packets.

[kcmo]

Thanks Daps!

[Kerms]

Don't hold me to that
But from what I've read that's how it's going to work to my understanding.

Carriers in the US charge for it. AT&T is so bad they charge you $20 just for the right to tether, that doesn't include any extra data just the 2gb.

I can't see them allowing the PB to tether for free but no other device. If they do I would suspect there to be an outrage

[rmr2]

So this means I can only read my email through my BB connection and not through wifi? Or can I use the wifi from my BB?


_______________________
Don't touch my crackberry!

[Kerms]

So this means I can only read my email through my BB connection and not through wifi? Or can I use the wifi from my BB?


_______________________
Don't touch my crackberry!

See RIM has confused everyone with this originally I would say that's correct only with your BB connection but now RIM is saying there is also a native email app. I'm starting to think they are adding that after hearing a lot of complaints. Heck the native app may only be for the 4G tablet because they could then have you going through the BIS

I still don't know if it will support Exchange Activesync or just smtp/pop

[stevejb]

Can't wait for Crackberry to get one and really dig into these kinds of questions.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[kcmo]

Can't wait for Crackberry to get one and really dig into these kinds of questions.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Exactly!

[xxplosive82]

Verizon will almost assuredly charge to tether to the PlayBook, just like tethering to a PC. If Tether, the app, releases an app for the PlayBook, then that's an alternative to going through Verizon.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[iN8ter]

Don't hold me to that
But from what I've read that's how it's going to work to my understanding.

Carriers in the US charge for it. AT&T is so bad they charge you $20 just for the right to tether, that doesn't include any extra data just the 2gb.

I can't see them allowing the PB to tether for free but no other device. If they do I would suspect there to be an outrage

T-Mobile chargets $15 for it. Sprint and Verizon charges as well. Only Verizon gives you a separate data limit, but they have the most expensive tethering, as well.

Paying for tethering is to tether you device's data connection and data limit.

This isn't a new concept. Why are people suddenly so surprised that tethering doesn't give you twice the data limit, when carriers have had USB Dongles/PCMCIA Cards/etc. and WebConnect plans for about a decade?

If you want to use your phone's data connection as a primary internet access on other devices, tethering is not for you. A MiFi or USB Dongle would suit you best (or wait for a 3G or 4G device to come to you carrier, or change carriers to get one, etc. etc.).

[lawguyman]

It's unclear to me just exactly how tethering will be implemented, but tethering is how to access the internet on a wifi-only PlayBook (besides wifi, duh lol).

Maybe through OS 6.1's mobile hotspot feature?

[barrist]

Some details here:

PlayBook to allow tethering to BlackBerry smartphones - Computerworld

Bidan said IT managers using BES would be able to control how long information is cached on a PlayBook, and that control would extend to sensitive contact information that a company wants to protect. When the PlayBook is out of range of a BlackBerry smartphone, the cache could be set to immediately deplete any data on the PlayBook or the IT shop could dictate that the data remain there for hours, days or even weeks, Bidan said.

Interesting thing about the "cache".. i wonder if consumer users can also set it to keep the data on your playbook even if it loses connection with the bb.

[Kerms]

I was always under the impression that once the bridge was gone,the data was gone

[mookish]

T-Mobile chargets $15 for it. Sprint and Verizon charges as well. Only Verizon gives you a separate data limit, but they have the most expensive tethering, as well.

Paying for tethering is to tether you device's data connection and data limit.

This isn't a new concept. Why are people suddenly so surprised that tethering doesn't give you twice the data limit, when carriers have had USB Dongles/PCMCIA Cards/etc. and WebConnect plans for about a decade?

If you want to use your phone's data connection as a primary internet access on other devices, tethering is not for you. A MiFi or USB Dongle would suit you best (or wait for a 3G or 4G device to come to you carrier, or change carriers to get one, etc. etc.).

It's not a new concept, but it's slliy, If I'm paying for 2GB of data, then it's my data and I should be free to use it how I please, youtube on my phone or youtube on a playbook or pc or whatever. It's my data. If you bought 10 gallons of fuel, it's your fuel to use in any vehicle you want, why should you have to buy another 10 gallons for your other vehicle when you only use a total of 8 gallons a month between the two?

I have no shame in circumventing this restricted access to use MY DATA just as I have been doing for years on my bold 9000 and 9700. So if they choose this dumb access model on the PB as well, as soon as a way to get around it is available, I'm using it, be it some internal code (ie jailbreak) or a third party app. I refuse to pay for addidional data unless I've used the 2GB I started with.