Comments on: Earthlink Absorbs GoAmerica CDPD Customers

GoAmerica has announced it has sold its cellular digital packet data (CDPD) -networked subscriber base to EarthLink, which will continue to offer the wireless service. GoAmerica and EarthLink will work together to ensure a smooth transition of these subscribers and expect to complete the transition by the end of this year. Financial terms of this subscriber acquisition were not disclosed at this time.

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Hardware

Rhauer @ 10/24/2002 11:32:40 AM #

Earthlink seems to be serious about this business, its acquisition of Omnisky was a good one as well. Are they ever going to update the hardware. I know a lot of wireless users that have stopped the service because they haven't kept up with the new PDA's. The people that are buying this service are usually the same people that buy the new models.

Tell us something about modems for current models, that would be interesting.

RE: Hardware

smhaney @ 10/24/2002 2:03:34 PM #

I'd really like Earthlink to support the Treo 270 (once it has a GPRS connection) and have a client that syncs with the mail server and (somehow) my desktop. Bascially, it'd be great if they could "blackberry" my Earthlink mail with my Treo. TreoMail does this to some extent, but it'd be nice to get it all from my ISP.

RE: Hardware

Coyote67 @ 10/24/2002 2:39:22 PM #

I thought people knew this. First, you really don't need GPRS for what you want with your email. Check out Treo Mail on Handspring's site. It does everything you want. I don't see earthlink getting support for the treos, as they aren't CDPD and earthlink isn't a wireless carrier, even if they sell CDPD service (they just resell verizon and att service).

Also, can people stop bashing handspring about the GPRS, the patch is out. It has been out. Its on their site. THe problem isn't HS, its the carriers.

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BACK OFF! I'll make you fun size!

GPRS Patch

Ninja @ 10/24/2002 6:23:39 PM #

The GPRS patch has NOT been authorized for use in the US. Sure lots of people are doing it. But if anything goes wrong you are on your own. I am mad because something that was marketed still isn't being provided. Early on I couldn't even use dial up until they fixed that problem. I don't think it is bashing HS to complain about not being provided a funtion we were promised when we purchased our devices. Especially when almost everywhere else in the world already has the patch.
http://support.handspring.com/esupport/forms/hsFileList.jsp?Type=Updates

RE: Hardware

Coyote67 @ 10/24/2002 9:52:35 PM #

From what I understand the patch isn't out because there really isn't much use for it. GPRS is a little child in the cell market in the US. The only one doing anything with GPRS is Sprint, and the Treo 300 comes with it turned on from the getgo.

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BACK OFF! I'll make you fun size!

RE: Hardware

··metaCOREtex·· @ 10/25/2002 12:00:49 AM #

sorry but sprint is NOT coming out with GPRS .. they are a CDMA provider .. and have a CDMA2000 1X [aka PCS Vision] ..

GPRS [offerd on GSM/TDMA networks] is already available or coming soon from cingular, voicestream, and at&t wireless ...

RE: Hardware

jimski @ 10/25/2002 12:27:47 AM #

Been using GPRS on my T68i (AT&T) and iPAQ 3870 w/bluetooth for the past two weeks and it is a dream come true. Small lightweight phone + easy to read PDA screen = satisfaction.

No more Palm VIIx monthly bill. No more Air Card monthly bill. One service, one bill, anytime Internet access and email on the fly. What could be better.

And last week was the first time I could go to Canada and access the Internet via GPRS (yes, it does work). Have not been able to do that for more than three years (Palm VIIx, Kyocera 6035, Air Card).

RE: Hardware

Rhauer @ 10/25/2002 10:12:21 AM #

I'm ready to make the switch. How is the email retreival? Can it be sent to do automatically. There doesn't seem to be much info re: getting email remotely. Maybe I need to wait until the W.

Earthlink monopoly?

GregGaub @ 10/24/2002 1:09:29 PM #

So, doesn't that make Earthlink now the only service for IP based Palm OS data connectivity? Palm.net is proxy based, so programs that use IP connections won't work on the VII and i705. Motient has something similar to that, and smartphones are a whole other ball of wax.
With Omnisky and GoAmerica out of the way, what is Earthlinks direct competition in this market? i.e. if I have a Minstrel-5 for my m505, are there any other options now?

-- SeaPUG: http://www.seapug.com --

RE: Earthlink monopoly?

hkklife @ 10/24/2002 1:58:56 PM #

Well, like it or not, at least Earthlink are being aggressive and trying to broaden their horizons as much as possible (broadband, Blackberries, picking up the pieces of dead wireless services, MailStations for non-PC owners,etc)

The traditional meat'n potatoes dial-up ISP customers are either cutting their service plans down to the minimum, jumping ship to broadband (via the local cable co. more often than not) or deciding they can live without 'net access from home and just do all their browsing at work.

If Earthlink is going to continue to grow, they will have to explore all avenues. I like most of their recent acquisitions-I've used them for dial-up for over 5 years now and have not had a single complaint, other than the occasional random disconnect. Their technical support staff are also above average.

RE: Earthlink monopoly?

Scott R @ 10/24/2002 2:07:19 PM #

Last time I checked, you could get also get CPDP coverage via Verizon. In fact, their monthly unlimited use rate is better at $25/month.

Here's the link:
http://www.verizonwireless.com/mobile_ip/index.html

Scott

RE: Earthlink monopoly?

joeberk @ 10/24/2002 4:22:09 PM #

And, if you've got a Palm III, rather than buy the modem from Earthlink for almost $300, buy it off Ebay for $30:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2064075846

RE: Earthlink monopoly?

SteveNYC @ 10/25/2002 12:00:35 AM #

Yeah, but with no NiMH battery included, what's the point? The battery itself costs $39.99.

RE: Earthlink monopoly?

SteveNYC @ 10/25/2002 12:14:36 AM #

I am assuming that the CDPD service that GoAmerica provided and that Earthlink is now picking-up was based on Verizon's CDPD network, because AT&T announced on Wednesday that they would be shutting down their CDPD network on June 30, 2004.

http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=search&StoryID=1622902

Otherwise that would be one short-lived business venture. ;-)

Scary Move!

ptevesjr @ 10/24/2002 1:10:41 PM #

I had the Omnisky service when it was first released and was pleased with the service, even though it was in it's infancy stage. I bought the prepaid 1 year plan for 29.99 a month, and thought that was resonable for the service, but after a few months Earthlink accuired the company. They pretty much left me alone until my contract was almost over and was trying to get me to renew with them for an 25% increase in prepaid 1 year plan for 39.** a month!!! I didn't renew because of the dramatic price increase, and the quality of service that EL has. They use to be my email carrier (due to Cidco selling service to EL) and I had issues with them on credit card billing and medicore customer service, the rep called me "a Jerk".
EL might have the financial statement to aqquire these services, but they have a long way to go on quality of services in both the wireless, customer support, and attitude. My 2 cents

The price just isn't right...

TDS Computer @ 10/25/2002 12:17:48 AM #

I thought long and hard about using Earthlinks wireless service with my Prism, but in the end $40.00 per month just seems a lot for what you get. It seems as though $20.00 per month is a reasonable amount.
Maybe a better deal would be to charge a little more for the modems and charge a little less monthly.

Visit us at www.tdscomputer.com

GoAmerica stole lots, and service sucked.

kupson @ 10/25/2002 7:30:25 PM #

I can't believe GoAmerica made it this long. They consistently overbilled my credit card, and sometimes corrected it, and other times, told me that 2+2=5 and I should shut up.

A BBB complaint and consumer credit card fraud complaint later, and I recovered the $, but the president wrote me a letter telling me that it was still I that was mistaken.

Nice service. Goodbye, *******s.

RE: GoAmerica stole lots, and service sucked.

shogun @ 10/28/2002 6:07:05 PM #

I actually got the letter that service was being cut the day before it was cut. Funny mail service. They send a letter from NJ and it takes more than a week to get to my house and tell me that the next day I will have no service. They also offered me deals but I noticed that they weren't anything special to me but available to anyone, service or not.

RE: GoAmerica stole lots, and service sucked.

VisorUser @ 12/16/2002 7:44:18 PM #

BEWARE OF GOAMERICA
I signed up for GoAmerica two months ago for use with a Visor Platinum with a Minstrel S Modem. I rarely used the access. I only used it several times during the month to access my online business in an emergency. This month I received a $380 usage charge for transmitting over 3 GBs of bandwidth. I called them and they told me "they felt their tracking was correct". I would like to see someone transfer 3 GBs of data to a Handspring! The device was in my desk most of the time, and the modem not even in it most of the time. I always manually turned off the modem to insure that it was off - however, I did come in to work several times to find that it had "magically" turn itself on even though "Go Alerts" were turned off.

Beware! Their software is configured to artifically increase your bandwidth traffic and/or they are incorrectly monitoring or billing.