[sickbird]

Has anyone tried navigation using the bridged connection?

[lmoreno21]

This is AWESOME!!!!!

[trsbbs]

I just cancelled my $20/month tethering plan with Verizon because this works so nice!!

This is probably why RIM is keeping this new feature "under the radar"
and maybe AT&T won't try to block it or some carriers getting upset at RIM
for cutting into their sales.

Either way it's cool and hope it improves even more.

Tim

[sssutanto]

This is pretty interesting. I'm in Australia and not charged seperately for tethering so this is about convenience. I always found tethering took a bit of time to establish whereas this is instantaneous. Tethering was also very unreliable (that little noise it makes when dropping the connection was the bane of my existence!).

I'm in Australia as well.. strongly agree with you +1000 tethering is pathetic while bridging works like a charm (turn on bluetooth and you bridged at that moment instantaneously).. so yeah LIKE the new update

[anon973381]

I am quite happy about this development however would like to hear something from RIM at some point... Or maybe another update under our belt with this functionality intact if they don't speak out.

I get the feeling this is either an issue with the PB/Bridge "rules" that went untested (seems quite unlikely) or paving the way for native email and BBM functionality for non WWAN models (ie: ALL PBs to date) (seems very likely).

These are subtle killer features and the reality is that most of us simply aren't using mass amounts of data over our bridge connections anyway. Does it make sense for us to really shell out for such minimal usage when we are already using generally little on our phone to keep our future native BBM online or email synced? I suspect the backlash of reviewers once we have native email and BBM yet no way to keep them connected without active Wi-Fi and no confirmed WWAN capable device on the horizon would have been seen as a massive blunder without this capability intact. Can you imaging having to pay for each computer you wanted to connect to your home network to gain internet access even though there is only one gateway (in our case the BlackBerry is simply a gateway and we should only be charged by the data used as a whole)?

Of course I would also like to see BES policies come into place to give control for enterprise devices (I have a feeling this is going to be implemented in the new console and enterprises can force the use of enterprise provisioned tablets with managed smartphones, etc.) but with these controls being "available" also often means that carriers can come in and muscle RIM into shutting the party down since RIM needs carriers to sell their phones and services (and more than ever). This is a tricky place to be in and carriers generally aren't in favor of turning down an opportunity to monetize at RIM's expense. RIM has been silently fighting back with things like the Enterprise Activation app and such.

Long winded thoughts sorry...

[samab]

So then I tried without tethering. Now I'm apparently in China and my ISP is Research in Motion Ping is massive 700ms ish and speed is slow (0.12Mbps). One test used a server in Xiamen and another in Macau!

Anyone care to speculate as to WTF?

All bridge traffic goes through RIM's NOC.

[CaptainNachos]

will this mean bridge will not be as secure as before? our IT dept is saying this could open the possibility for viruses.

so, does this change anything?

thanks

[anon973381]

Well, the reality is that their are different types of traffic on a BlackBerry device. It's network stack is quite advanced.

I do not believe the non-bridge browser and apps have access to any internal resources at this point.

In fact if you took part in the security webinars they explained how each app resides in a container that is given network access (controllable via the new console on it's way by app definitions, etc.) to permitted networks (internal/external, etc). This is the most advanced architecture on the market and we are only seeing a tiny bit smidgen of it's capabilities at this point. I could write paragraphs on this but won't. There are diagrams available detailing some of this from their security slide decks.

That said, I will always be testing...

[T_Touch]

I don't understand. Please enlighten me. I thought the PlayBook bridge connection is through Bluetooth. So the Wifi thing should be no surprise.

And why are so many people mentioning apps?

I'm so confused. :P

[smfa1965]

This is absolutely amazing! Woot!! Using the main Browser and not the Bridge Browser seems so much faster while bridged and WiFi turned off. Great job RIM!!

[samab]

I don't understand. Please enlighten me. I thought the PlayBook bridge connection is through Bluetooth. So the Wifi thing should be no surprise.

And why are so many people mentioning apps?

I'm so confused. :P

If you launch the weather app in the middle of nowhere, you will not get any information because there is no wifi connection.

But with this update, even if you are in the middle of nowhere --- your weather app will still work because the weather app in the Playbook is automatically bridging a connection (via bluetooth) with your blackberry handset and pulling the weather data off the internet via your blackberry's 3G connection.

[togardergrosse]

People can be so greedy sometimes..
With this update, I'm grateful that most PB apps now running on BB Bridge!
I just regret that why RIM didn't put Bluetooth 3.0+HS on the new BB7 and PlayBook...
But again, just as I said, people can be sooo greedy

[Barefoot_Kevin]

if that happens...i'm smashing my pb..

If the next update requires WiFi and we all have it turned off (because we don't need it anymore), what's the problem?

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[anon973381]

I just regret that why RIM didn't put Bluetooth 3.0+HS on the new BB7 and PlayBook...

Maybe we'll get to see what the TI WL1283 brings to the table if this device has a decent life-cycle interval.

[abedauhajre]

This update means the world to me, since now I can have access to information that I only could access it through Wifi.

One thing I've noticed is that the Android Player is not loading up. Has someone else noticed this

[samab]

Let's just hope that the reason why it takes forever for the Playbook bluetooth keyboard release is that RIM is doing Bluetooth 4.0 low energy on the Playbook.

[PDSchofield]

Whilst to us as end users, this is a very significant development, I am thinking from RIM's standpoint it is just a minor bugfix just to enable things that the Bridge has been capable of for quite some time.
We probably didnt see an announcement as in RIM's big picture it is an underlying requirement for the sweeeeeeet stuff we will hopefully see on PBOS2.0.

Downside is I can see the Canadian carriers billing depts rubbing their hands together in anticipation of data overage charges.....

[jonty12]

If you launch the weather app in the middle of nowhere, you will not get any information because there is no wifi connection.

But with this update, even if you are in the middle of nowhere --- your weather app will still work because the weather app in the Playbook is automatically bridging a connection (via bluetooth) with your blackberry handset and pulling the weather data off the internet via your blackberry's 3G connection.

this worked tethered as well. the difference here is you don't need to tether anymore, and for many people that means significant cost savings.

[anon973381]

Downside is I can see the Canadian carriers billing depts rubbing their hands together in anticipation of data overage charges.....

Fear not my Canadian friend, with Verizon being the largest carrier and AT&T being the second (soon to be largest again) with only distant 3rds, etc. down here they muscle their vendors by crippling functionality, not carrying products or simply not promoting products...

While I do not miss my years of paying for data in Canada by the KB through the nose with Rogers and the joy of begin charged long distance for "receiving" a "long distance" call I must say things are about to get pretty sour down here where the wireless landscape once looked much greener...

[mathprof08]

I don't see how you can access the apps on your phone through the PB. I have the latest PB OS and latest version of Bridge, but I don't see the apps on my phone. Will someone please enlighten me?

[samab]

I don't see how you can access the apps on your phone through the PB. I have the latest PB OS and latest version of Bridge, but I don't see the apps on my phone. Will someone please enlighten me?

We are not talking about accessing the apps on your blackberry handset.

We are talking about your 3rd party Playbook apps accessing the internet via automatically bridging through your blackberry handset --- without tethering. For an AT&T subscriber like you, you have to download the Bridge software from somewhere else because the official AT&T Bridge version is crippled.

[mathprof08]

We are not talking about accessing the apps on your blackberry handset.

We are talking about your 3rd party Playbook apps accessing the internet via automatically bridging through your blackberry handset --- without tethering. For an AT&T subscriber like you, you have to download the Bridge software from somewhere else because the official AT&T Bridge version is crippled.

I do have the OTA Bridge app on my phone to bypass ATT. I misunderstood what people were saying is all. Thanks for clarifying for me.

[kasoo10]

Question:

If I am using WiFi on my 8900 and Wifi is truned off on PB and bridge is on, my PB will use bridge for data. Question is will my phone be using WiFi or data?

I think it should be using WiFi but I need someone to confirm it for me.

[lamnguyen2020]

HAHAHA, One finger salute to carriers not jumping on the 3g/4g models!
Go RIM!!!

[anon973381]

Question:

If I am using WiFi on my 8900 and Wifi is truned off on PB and bridge is on, my PB will use bridge for data. Question is will my phone be using WiFi or data?

I think it should be using WiFi but I need someone to confirm it for me.

To be honest this is not going to be optimal but your phone will route all traffic through RIM's NOC over Wi-Fi provided your phone is indeed connected to RIM's infrastructure over Wi-Fi (this is the default mode of operation unless the network conditions or a policy is applied preventing this).