Sometimes you want to check your email and there’s no wifi and there’s no signal for your Sprint wireless broadband modem. Stuck? Maybe, but you think, well, gee, my Verizon Treo 700p with an unlimited data plan has EVDO and Bluetooth. Shouldn’t I be able to get online with that?
Start off simple – try pairing the Treo to your Macbook Pro over Bluetooth and using network connect. No luck. Apple’s connection across the Bluetooth can’t actually get the Treo to go online. So you try a USB data cable betwixt the Treo and laptop. Same error.
So you do some research and discover that Verizon requires a program called VZ Access Manager for using a smart phone as a tethered modem. Fine. But for the Mac, the program only supports one smartphone, the Motorola Q. Treo support is Windows only. Nonetheless, download Mac version and try it. Nada.
Ok, boot up Windows XP Pro in VMWare’s Fusion and download Windows version of VZ Access Manager. Program says it can’t install unless Palm Desktop is installed. Install correct version of Palm Desktop for Treo 700p on XP Pro (it’s called version 4.1.4e, if you can believe that). Finally install VZ Access Pro. Hook up Treo with USB data cable and link to VMWare virtual machine. Click “connect” on VZ Access Manager. Oh yeah – we have a connection. Crank up Internet Explorer and learn that the connection is really not going through. It’s blocked until I agree to pay the piper (see below). Oy vey.
Leave a Reply