A few months ago I switched to a Blackberry Curve - hoping to see some speed gains with T-Mobile's data network. I had been using an older T-Mobile SDA phone and it was working okay, but just didn't work with the EDGE network. Compatibility wise, it was a fantastic phone - with an unlimited data plan, I could tether it to my Nokia 770/800, Asus EEE or just about anything.

The BlackBerry had better PIM applications and support for the EDGE network, so I switched over. Most things work better; except tethering. Bluetooth DUN via Linux has just never worked. I can get Bluetooth DUN to work on XP Pro, but nothing else - not even Vista. To get tethering to work on Vista I have resorted to using a USB cable. On CNET bandwidth test, I get around 110k - which I realize is nothing near 3G speeds, but for some basic surfing, email and SSH needs, it works good enough.

Blackberry and T-Mobile posted an update to the OS a couple weeks ago - v4.5. I upgraded my phone and after using the new version, I have to say it is a worth while upgrade. Not enough to stop me from keeping an eye out for a 3G phone that's friendly with Linux and supports tethering. (Yes, I am aware of the G1, but since it does not support tethering yet and it is unclear if it will ever, I haven't ordered one - if it did support tethering this post would likely have been about upgrading to the G1.)

Anyways, there are several things in this BlackBerry upgrade that are useful:

  • HTML emails and attachments (presuming you like that kind of thing)
  • Youtube - I could only get smooth streaming when connected to WiFi or crystal clear EDGE signal (if you don't have 5 bars on the signal strength meter it will probably be very jerky)
  • The camera supports full motion video now (or so they say, my camera is broken and in spite of being only a few months old, it isn't covered by warranty - T-Mobile customer service wants over $200 to fix it...)
  • The desktop manager for Vista seems to have improved quite a bit; however, I still get that annoying error where it keeps finding a bluetooth peripheral for which it cannot find a driver. This I suspect is why I am still using a USB cable to tether.
  • My favorite feature: the browser is working again - I was getting an error about an invisible node, but that has disappeared.

I hear there are more benefits. I haven't had a chance to spend any time to determine if the update puts BlackBerry on speaking terms with Linux. Hoping to do that soon.