Can Medianet bet used on a PDA?

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?

--
http://www.daviddfriedman.com/ http://daviddfriedman.blogspot.com/
Author of _Harald_, a fantasy without magic.
Published by Baen, in bookstores now

---

› See More: Can Medianet bet used on a PDA?

It is alleged that David Friedman claimed:

> 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?

As log as you don't abuse it, you should not have any problem. I've
got a Treo 650 +without+ a data plan, so my data by default is via
MEdia Net and I just pay by the kilobyte.

--
Jeffrey Kaplan www.gordol.org
The from userid is killfiled Send personal mail to gordol

Peter's Top 100 Things I'd Do If I Ever Became An Evil Overlord, #150.
I will provide funding and research to develop tactical and strategic
weapons covering a full range of needs so my choices are not limited to
"hand to hand combat with swords" and "blow up the planet".

In article <[email protected]>,
Jeffrey Kaplan <[email protected]> wrote:

> It is alleged that David Friedman claimed:
>
> > 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?
>
> As log as you don't abuse it, you should not have any problem. I've
> got a Treo 650 +without+ a data plan, so my data by default is via
> MEdia Net and I just pay by the kilobyte.

And you can access any web page?

--
http://www.daviddfriedman.com/ http://daviddfriedman.blogspot.com/
Author of _Harald_, a fantasy without magic.
Published by Baen, in bookstores now

"David Friedman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>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

In article <[email protected]>,
"Cavity Search" <[email protected]> wrote:

> 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

Sort of a Don't Ask, don't tell policy.

Obviously one should sign up for the $19.99 Media Net BEFORE buying the
PDA phone.

Cavity Search wrote:

> 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).

I thought that the TOS said something like, "not intended for
tethering." That's not quite forbidding it to the point where they'd get
away with charging you if they caught you, they'd just warn you to stop.

Personally I think that they've figured out that $20 is $20, and that
most Medianet users aren't going to pay the higher rates for data access
from Cingular anyway, given the much smaller data coverage that Cingular
has versus Sprint or Verizon. It's better for them to wink, and ignore
what's going on.

"Cavity Search" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "David Friedman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> >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
>

Of course should you ever have a problem connecting or using the service
then you would be on your own as the data support department will insist you
have the right plan on your account before they support you.

SMS <[email protected]> wrote:
> I thought that the TOS said something like, "not intended for
> tethering." That's not quite forbidding it to the point where they'd get
> away with charging you if they caught you, they'd just warn you to stop.

The language at http://www.cingular.com/media/media_legal says "Cingular
reserves the right to remove customers from MEdia Net packages for the use
of a wireless device as an interface to other devices or networks, as
determined by Cingular, including but not limited to device tethering. "

This does not say "move you to the correct package", favorable package, or
anything of the sort, but "remove customers from MEdia Net packages", which
would leave you at the pay-per-use plan of $0.10 per KB, $10/MB.

--
---
Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley Lake, CA, USA GPS: 38.8,-122.5

It is alleged that David Friedman claimed:

> In article <[email protected]>,
> Jeffrey Kaplan <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > It is alleged that David Friedman claimed:
> >
> > > 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?
> >
> > As log as you don't abuse it, you should not have any problem. I've
> > got a Treo 650 +without+ a data plan, so my data by default is via
> > MEdia Net and I just pay by the kilobyte.
>
> And you can access any web page?

Yes. At least, any web page I've tried. The only problems I've run
into are the fact that it's a small display, low bandwidth, etc, no
java/flash/etc, so I can access and/or display by the limitations of
the device itself, not by the service.

--
Jeffrey Kaplan www.gordol.org
The from userid is killfiled Send personal mail to gordol

DISCLAIMER: Use only in a well-ventilated area.

On Tue, 18 Jul 2006 17:15:10 +0000 (UTC), [email protected]
wrote in <[email protected]>:

>SMS <[email protected]> wrote:
>> I thought that the TOS said something like, "not intended for
>> tethering." That's not quite forbidding it to the point where they'd get
>> away with charging you if they caught you, they'd just warn you to stop.
>
>The language at http://www.cingular.com/media/media_legal says "Cingular
>reserves the right to remove customers from MEdia Net packages for the use
>of a wireless device as an interface to other devices or networks, as
>determined by Cingular, including but not limited to device tethering. "
>
>This does not say "move you to the correct package", favorable package, or
>anything of the sort, but "remove customers from MEdia Net packages", which
>would leave you at the pay-per-use plan of $0.10 per KB, $10/MB.

<https://onlinecare.cingular.com/my-account/legal/service-agreement.jsp>:

If you misrepresent your eligibility for any Rate Plan, you agree to
pay us the additional amount you would have been charged under the
most favorable Rate Plan for which you are eligible.

--
Best regards, FAQ FOR CINGULAR WIRELESS:
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cingular_Wireless_FAQ>

John Navas <[email protected]> wrote:
> On Tue, 18 Jul 2006 17:15:10 +0000 (UTC), [email protected]

> >This does not say "move you to the correct package", favorable package, or
> >anything of the sort, but "remove customers from MEdia Net packages", which
> >would leave you at the pay-per-use plan of $0.10 per KB, $10/MB.

> <https://onlinecare.cingular.com/my-account/legal/service-agreement.jsp>:

> If you misrepresent your eligibility for any Rate Plan, you agree to
> pay us the additional amount you would have been charged under the
> most favorable Rate Plan for which you are eligible.

I contend that you are making your own definition.
The difference is between "Rate Plan" and "package". You say these are
these are the same, covered by your Service Agreement. Others contend that
the Service Agreement covers voice service plans, and that features or
feature packages are covered under their own associated agreements.

--
---
Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley Lake, CA, USA GPS: 38.8,-122.5

On Wed, 2 Aug 2006 15:54:09 +0000 (UTC), [email protected]
wrote in <[email protected]>:

>John Navas <[email protected]> wrote:
>> On Tue, 18 Jul 2006 17:15:10 +0000 (UTC), [email protected]
>
>> >This does not say "move you to the correct package", favorable package, or
>> >anything of the sort, but "remove customers from MEdia Net packages", which
>> >would leave you at the pay-per-use plan of $0.10 per KB, $10/MB.
>
>> <https://onlinecare.cingular.com/my-account/legal/service-agreement.jsp>:
>
>> If you misrepresent your eligibility for any Rate Plan, you agree to
>> pay us the additional amount you would have been charged under the
>> most favorable Rate Plan for which you are eligible.
>
>I contend that you are making your own definition.
>The difference is between "Rate Plan" and "package". You say these are
>these are the same, covered by your Service Agreement. Others contend that
>the Service Agreement covers voice service plans, and that features or
>feature packages are covered under their own associated agreements.

"Wireless Data Service Terms and Conditions"
<http://onlinestorez.cingular.com/cell-phone-service/common/legal/pop-planterms.jsp?q_planterms=postpaid#cn2>
(or <http://tinyurl.com/mxcgh>):

Furthermore, unlimited plans (except for DataConnect and Blackberry
Tethered) cannot be used for any applications that tether the device
(through use of, including without limitation, connection kits, other
phone/PDA-to-computer accessories, Bluetooth® or any other wireless
technology) to laptops, PCs, or other equipment for any purpose.
Service is not intended to provide full-time connections, and the
Service may be discontinued after a significant period of inactivity
or after sessions of excessive usage. Cingular reserves the right to
(i) limit throughput or amount of data transferred, deny Service
and/or terminate Service, without notice, to anyone it believes is
using the Service in any manner prohibited above or whose usage
adversely impacts its network or service levels and (ii) protect its
network from harm, which may impact legitimate data flows.

That would seem to put any issue of a big surprise bill to rest.

--
Best regards, FAQ FOR CINGULAR WIRELESS:
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cingular_Wireless_FAQ>