Orange and the legendary SPV Modem Facility.

[Guest rogerbates]

Just thought that I should draw your attention to some information that came my way. Don't know whether this has been mentioned before in the posts but here we go.

My uncle plays golf with one of the directors at Orange. My uncle knows that I have an SPV as I have been moaning about it and he asked this director (who shall remain nameless) about the modem as it has annoyed me the most.

Apparently the main selling point of the SPV was going to be the GPRS and full HTML access. It was thought that the ability to surf the net and downloads songs/videos would make this phone popular. Then someone realised that the GPRS was pretty bloody expensive and that it was likely to put off a lot of people. You only get 20 websites to 1MB and 1MB was a couple of quid. So the £6 SPV GPRS bundle was born. They thought that once people bought the phone and were used to using the GPRS they would carry on after the offer ended.

Some bright spark then pointed out that with this £6 GPRS bundle and the phones modem the buyer had unlimited internet access through their phone and computer for just £6 a month! Apparently this didn't go down too well at Orange as they had visions of the amount of data that would be transeferred. They had to have the £6 GPRS package to get people to buy the phone but couldn't have everyone having full internet access via GPRS for £6 a month.

So they removed the modem function! Still advertised it as being able to be connected to a laptop/PC and used as a modem though as that was a major selling point too. They then blamed it on faulty drivers. They thought that as the buyer would be unaware that it couldn't be used as a modem till they bought it, it wouldn't make any difference. The buyer would then wait patiently for the update that would resolve this issue which would be released soon. This update would then be held back until the £6 GPRS offer had ended.

I can't believe that they did that. Not only that but got away with it! That is why they have been saying since around Sep/Oct 2002 that the update will be released soon but it still hasn't! The offer doesn't end till the end of April.

The modem function was the reason that I bought the phone if I had known this I would never have bought it!

[Guest Monolithix [MVP]]

Interesting....

If it is true, why have you waited so long before saying anything, or have you only just found the site? (if so welcome aboard)

[Guest Gorskar]

Sounds very plausible. It's something that has been guessed at by various people.

If they enforce the 10Mb for £6 limit there wouldn't be a problem.

[Guest PhilA]

The only flaw in this story is that the phone works perfectly as a modem and has for several months

[Guest badlad]

Was about to say .... I use mine as a modem with no problems.

[Guest midnight]

hehe, a few other flaws in the story actually :wink:

[Guest superkingdave]

just checking... the only way to use it as a modem is if you have the danish update right?just checking... the only way to use it as a modem is if you have the danish update right?

[Guest fozzie]

Mine works with the UK update.

[Guest midnight]

yeh, the uk update is fine

that was another of the flaws in the above little tale :wink: it quotes as though the update hasnt happened yet and would only happen after april. EVERYONE who owns an spv knows of the update, or should do at least, which brings me to the conclusion, does this person even own an spv? did his uncle really play golf with a director of orange? how come the director of orange didnt know there an update a couple of months ago? why would a director admit it to someone who could then blad to the whole world about it? how come its a complete lie about the modem not working anyway? etc etc

it is true that the modem did not function before the uk update, but i think it generally was a screw up on either the orange or ms side

just my opinions, but something dodgy is going on here, all we now is for someone to cough when theres a correct answer ;)

[Guest Monolithix [MVP]]

Assuming you don't use this site, or go to orange-today.co.uk or orange.com...

How would you know there is an update for the SPV?

[Guest midnight]

ok, i'll correct myself 90% probably know about it, but if his uncle plays golf with a director of orange then dont you think he'd know aboiut it :wink:

[Guest Monolithix [MVP]]

Don't worry, theres no doubting the inconsistency in the story hehe.

I'm still unconvinced that the majority of SPV users even know of the update. We have 5000 users on this site, and theres what, 50,000 Orange SPV customers world wide?

I seem to remember reading some stats somewhere about how many people had updated...can't remember where it was though... :/

[Guest midnight]

hmmm, orange should have sms'd everyone, but thats a seperate story

[Guest Monolithix [MVP]]

Yep, or emailed. I've only seen advertising for the update on this site or the Orange website (and i don't use the SPV version bookmarked on the phone....)

[Guest casper508]

Does a director KNOW what a modem is?? Hmm...another flaw in the story ;)

Cas

[Guest fozzie]

just checking... the only way to use it as a modem is if you have the danish update right?

I take by superkingdave's silence that he's now feverishly at it, getting his SPV modem working ;)

[Guest superkingdave]

i actually went out to get my lunch... i cant try yet because my computer is in my flat in london and im in manchester where my parents computer doesnt even have a usb port. still im going back tomorrow. it works through usb not just infra see right?

[Guest midnight]

it works via ir aswell

[Guest midnight]

err,thats not what you asked is it hehe, erm, only ever tried it ir, but theres usb dongles to convert usb into ir, but i dont see any reason why it wouldnt work usb anyway

[Guest superkingdave]

cheers i will try it when i get back... hopefully it will work though im not sure my finals will agree

[Guest PhilA]

I USB as my notebook doesn't have IR capability. You just have to remember to activate the modem on the phone before you plug the USB in, otherwise it will try and activesync. I use mine with a combined charge / sync cable I got off ebay for a tenner, and I've never had a problem at all.

[Guest midnight]

there ya go then :wink:

kinda makes a whole mockery of that first post now doesnt it ;)

[Guest rogerbates]

Seems that I didn't make myself clear before as I didn't want to have too long a post I may have missed out a few things. So just thought that I should clear up a few points.

1. I have owned a SPV for a few months but only found this site a week or so ago.

2. My uncle only asked the director about it a few weeks ago.

3. I am talking about two separate updates. I have got the update that came out beginning of April. I found it when I accidently went to the Orange-today site otherwise like many have said I would have been none the wiser till I found this site.

4. I installed the update but still couldn't use it as a modem so I phoned up Orange. They told me (and someone else has asked the same thing on their most recent FAQ section on their website and been told the same thing) that this function is not available in the UK yet until an update comes out that will address the modem issue. I said that the update is out and they said that this update was for battery life and some other stuff (forget exactly what they said) NOT to allow it to be used as a modem. This is where I got pissed off told my uncle who then asked the director.

How is everyone on here doing it then? Are they using a foreign update? Or just using it through infra red. Incidentally I tried it through infra red when I first realised that it didn't work through USB when I first got the phone and that didn't work either. It just wouldn't recognise it as a modem like it does other phones (such as my old SL45).

Am I being just a complete muppet and doing it wrong? If so why did the director say that they were holding back the modem function until after the £6 GPRS offer had ended? Not only that but why would Orange tell me that I can't use it as a modem yet if the update in April allows that?

Also someone on here mentioned a 10MB limit on GPRS, is there one? I didn't know that, it wasn't mentioned when I bought the phone or the £6 GPRS. I have been over 10 MB twice but not been charged as far as I know, will have to check my bill now to make sure.

If there is a limit and they are not enforcing it maybe that was plan B if they did bring the update for the modem issue out earlier. I don't know I am only telling you what I was told by both the director and from Orange.

[Guest fozzie]

How is everyone on here doing it then? Are they using a foreign update? Or just using it through infra red.

No, UK update and by USB.

Am I being just a complete muppet and doing it wrong?

Possibly - we're all muppets at some stage ;)

Also someone on here mentioned a 10MB limit on GPRS, is there one? I didn't know that, it wasn't mentioned when I bought the phone or the £6 GPRS. I have been over 10 MB twice but not been charged as far as I know, will have to check my bill now to make sure.

It's a theoretical limit. Orange reserve the right to give you a warning if you exceed the limit and then if you consistently do, bill you.

[Guest Monolithix [MVP]]

The USB modem has worked fine since the first UK update. You can dlownload the latest USB driver from my website.

Activate "modem link" on your SPV and lpug it into the cradle, then install the USB driver when prompted. You then need the USB modem settings

Edit: settings in this thread: http://www.modaco.com/viewtopic.php?t=2361