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-- Where's all the bitching about OmniSky?! (http://discussion.visorcentral.com/vcforum/showthread.php?threadid=12658)

I don't see a lot of *****ing so I can only assume that those with OmniSky and PRISMs are reasonably happy since the flashROM update. I only really get Fatal Errors now if I DARE to switch from the Minstrel app to the Home a little too quickly after shutting down. Signal strength seems to be getting better as well. Their server seems a little flaky but not a nuisance.

I just switched from a Palm VIIx to a Visor Prism with Minstrel/Omnisky this past weekend, because I was tired of living without color. The first thing I noticed was that CDPD coverage (in northern CT, anyway) is not nearly as good as the Bell South network that Palm uses. I could use my VIIx anywhere in my house. I can't even get a signal on the Minstrel out in my yard. I haven't tried the rest of the neighborhood yet, but I'm not optimistic. In work, several miles from here, I used to be able to get a usable signal at my desk. Now I have to go to a window. Overall, I'm not impressed with CDPD.

Then there were the problems with serial errors. I flashed the ROM yesterday, but it didn't fix the problem. Basically, I have to insert the Minstrel, then do a soft reset to get it to work. In addition, since I flashed the ROM, almost every time I take the modem out, the Prism soft resets by itself. I called Omnisky support yesterday, and the guy told me that there were other folks having problems and something about the ROM not flashing properly on some Visors. He said the techs were working on it, gave me a problem number, and said someone would get back to me within 24 hours. Well, 24 hours passed about 3-4 hours ago, and I haven't heard anything yet.

Up to this point, I am utterly unimpressed with the modem and the service. Are there any alternatives to this setup? I'm aware of GoAmerica and Yada Yada, but I assume that since they're CDPD also, the coverage wouldn't be any better.

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Talldog

I just fired OmniSky (yesterday) for many of the problems described by TallDog. These problems seem to be pretty common for CDPD since I live and work in Silicon Valley.

My solution was to switch to a GSM phone (not the VisorPhone). I am using a Nokia 8290. It works as a IRDA cellular modem. I pay $4.99 per month and $0.15 per minute. This means that I can use it ten minutes every day to hit the $49.99 monthly charge for OmniSky. My normal usage is nowhere near that.

I didn't get a VisorPhone because I don't always carry a HandSpring device. I am a developer and so have quite a selection of different PalmOS devices. there is no way to tell what I will carry from one day to the next. If at some point I decide to get a VisorPhone, all I have to do is remove the smart card from the Nokia and plug it into the VisorPhone.

This is a better solution for me, but your mileage may vary.

I forgot to mention that with Palm's Mobile Internet Kit, any OS 3.5 device can use any of the Palm VII PQA apps. Since the MIK also includes MultiMail and SMS capability,you also have all of the software capability that OmniSky provides.

I don't think a GSM phone is going to cut it for me. I already have a non-data compatible cell phone on a contract, and I don't want to have to carry around 2 of them (along with the Prism and 2 pagers), . I wish there was some way that I could use the Bell South network with my Prism, because it has much better coverage in these parts.

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Talldog

Where?

quote:

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Originally posted by bradhaak
<snip>...I am using a Nokia 8290. It works as a IRDA cellular modem. I pay $4.99 per month and $0.15 per minute...<snip>

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Sorry if I wasn't clear (and after rereading my post I probably wasn't). The $4.99 is the cost to add data to a normal contract. In my case the base contract is $49.99 per month.

Talldog - I also had a contract with another carrier. Turns out that the lower cost of the new contract (not sure if the new carrier is actually cheaper or if everybody's prices are coming down) means that I will pay off the penalty for canceling my old contract in a couple of months. BTW - the old contract was with AT&T (was Cellular One) and the penalty for early cancellation was only $10 per month remaining on the contract. Combined with not paying OmniSky I am definitely saving money even with the added costs of contract cancellation and buying a more expensive phone.

After my last post, I started checking on GSM stuff, and I was very intrigued by the VisorPhone. However, I discovered that GSM coverage in CT has some big dead spots. It's basically clustered around the major highways and cities. I'd be able to use it at work, but not at home, and not in some of the areas that that I spend time in. I called the local carrier, and I got the usual jive about "I'm sure we'll be expanding in the future, but can't say when". I'm toying with the idea of getting the VisorPhone just for data service, and getting rid of my other cell phone when they finally expand the coverage. I can use my wireline modem as a backup.

Bottom line is that it seems like my only options are CDPD, which is flaky anyway, or GSM, which doesn't cover all my areas. Glenayre makes a two-way messaging system which uses the Bell South network, but they don't offer complete Internet service. Basically, you're limited to checking mail and using specific Internet query apps, if I understand correctly. If I could use any PQA, that would be worth going with.

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Talldog

Omnisky vs YadaYada - a live comparison

I have been using YadaYada for 2 1/2 months in San Jose. The coverage is spotty in some of the areas I really need reception so I got one of the $9.99 phone antennas from Radio Shack and it doubles the signal strength in areas like Newark and North San Jose. I still can't use my Prism and Minstrel S in many of our corporate buildings and I have to go outside if I need wireless access.

I now have both Omnisky and YadaYada on my Prism, not because I'm a glutton for punishment, but because I am working on a wireless project and I want to compare coverage and convenience for our users. Both companies provide updater software which loads the ROM with their brand of software after erasing all of the existing software. I have both updaters in memory and can switch environments if I need to in minutes. Coverage seems to be almost the same for each service as they both use Verizon out here but there are differences.

After switching back and forth for awhile, I am now using the Omnisky service as it handles WAP browsers better and using the YadaYada email software as it is cleaner than the Omnisky version. I can switch from one service to the other now by switching the Network Preferences on the Minstrel aplication.

For browsers, I prefer Browse-It for secure html transfers, WapMan for WML access and Blazer for sheer speed.
I am also using Afterburner III because it makes the Prism hustle and does not materially increase fatal Errors.
Incidentally, I do not remove my Minstrel from the Prism unless both units are off.

David

I use teh prism as well, and i am very disappointed in teh Omnisky service in chicago...nothing but problems it seems.....at leat 40% of teh tiem if not more, it doesn't work properly.....

Prism and OmniSky... awful...

I have had my Prism and OmniSky now for about 2 months and it has really been nothing but problems. Now at leat I feel I am not alone.

Net result of my problems stems around ever removing the module, which I would like to do since I have a SoundsGood and an 8MB module as well. Any time I remove it, it is guaranteed a soft reset. Sometimes, a simple soft reset becomes a hard reset which means I start from scratch... unacceptable. According to OmniSky, this is a very natural phenomenon and soft resetting a lot is OK. This is without a doubt the dumbest statement I have ever heard.

My old Palm VII was more reliable and with add ons like DP Web an all around more stable and usable product. I won't even get into coverage issues as I am currently in Boston and have sporadic coverage if any.

I literally work across the street from OmniSky and if they spent as much time working on this product as they do playing football in the street, people might be a bit happier.

Re: Prism and OmniSky... awful...

quote:

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Originally posted by eskap
My old Palm VII was more reliable and with add ons like DP Web an all around more stable and usable product.

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Talldog

omnisky service

About teh hard reset.......i had teh sme problem, i fixed it by when removeing teh modem, make sure teh modem power is off and out of teh omnisky software.....mine works fine now with concen to the hard reet 99% of teh time,.....when installing teh modem, i try to have teh visor off, and that works fine as well....my only complaint is spiratic serive...its not very reliable...but has been working much better in last month or so, but still not completely happy

The trouble with OS rev. C

Is anyone experiencing the same old Fatal Error troubles originally found with Rev. A of the OmniSky software? I thought everything had been sorted out with Rev. B. Now they have returned with "C". Bummer

Omnisky Rev C - Problems

I just posted this reply on the Rev C discussion and thought I would copy it here as well.

When I first got my Omnisky modem things worked great. I used it constantly and did not seem to have all those serial errors. The biggest problem I had was pulling the thing out with it still connected and getting a hard reset. It took a few but I finally got into the habit and I would say I could go month without problems. Then I installed Rev B and sure enough I started to get the serial errors. Now I would get NetLib and Fatal Errors but still no hard resets and it was about every few weeks. Then I installed Rev C and that did it. I get serial errors evertime. I also get Fatal errors everyting I shut it down from Minstrel. I called Omnisky and they sent me new modem. I had to update it to Rev C but no difference. I get serial errors everytime. I get Fatal Errors and the infamous NetLib erros. I just wiped out all my data and started with a clean slate and still the same problems. And as I think about it this all started after I began to use backup, flash and GPS modules. I wonder if one of those has corrupted the springboard. Well off to call Handspring and Omnisky.

BTW. For me turning off the visor and unplugging the module seem to be a waste since it turns my visor back on. I found that if I unplug the modem (after shutting it down) and unplugged it, it would work fine (of course this was before

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DoMore

Rev C

I too have had no problesm with errors that is until i installed REV C. Now liek you said, everytime i useit, i have an error...i too am getting another modem sent to me....

The new modem does not seem to be helping me much, although. I did some experimenting and I found the following. For the past two days I was not able to connect to my email and did not have the time to trouble shoot. So I just used the basics, MyOmnisky, browsed the web and read the local news. Everything was working flawlessly. No Fatal Errors. I would connect, browse the web, look up an address, check the stock and news. I would shut down and no Fatal Errors. I was and still am getting the serial error when I remove and reinsert the modem. Today I was finally able to get my email working (device not registered or some such error). Twice now since when I use my email and then shut the modem down I get a Fatal Error (soft reset). If my mail doesn't connect for some reason (time out) I then get that Net Lib Error (at least the Reset button on the screen works for that one). So it looks like to me that I have a problem with mail. If I don't use it everything works fine. If I do use it I either get a Fatal Error or NetLib error (even I do nothing but just go to it and then leave).

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DoMore

Update

The latest status is that I have a replacement model (arrived w/rev. B) and after updating it with rev. C it will allow me to:
- shutdown the Minstrel app and switch to Home without a NetLib 296,
- allow me to remove and insert the modem whenever I want without a reset,

So is everything working great you ask. Well not really. I found that I now get a Error: Serial: (0x0308) when I logon at another city for the first time. Might be coincidence but... that's when it happened. I still get Fatal Errors mysteriously and when loading something with unsupported elements on a web site. I assume that is what is happening because it just exits most heinously. Other than that the occasional inconvenience is not getting in the way. No hard resets in weeks.

Now I would like to know why the mail server and connection is still so fragile. I can get OmniSky through MultiMail better than through it's own supplied OmniMail. And of course forget about ScoutSync. I don't have the kind of patience to deal with that app and its crashes.

Received new modem yesterday

I recieved my new modem from omnisky two days ago with revision B. I installed Revision C. Very rarely am i getting an error.....but i do get server has updated security sequence....i get this ALOT....does anyone else...i got this with my first modem as well....Also, since i hve received my second modem, with still spuratic service....I want to say: CHICAGO OMNISKY SERVICE IS TERRIBLE.......very in consistent.....stick on teh "waiting" step of teh process..... i can be on my second level porch in teh middle of teh night beautiful night, and teh connection is notstale a all....they tell em that teh network is probbaly very busy, that i their reasonibg for my porr service...but at 12:00 at night a busy network?? i mean when it works i love it...but at least half teh time it does not work.....and what can i do when i call, they keep tellig me try this, try this.....i'm waiting for my 200$ credit to my credit card after 6 mnths of service, and probably going to cancel.....unless they do something for me.....Good Luck....Doe anyone else seem t have these types of problems?

Salpap,

When I was having problems getting on the network, I called and asked for a higher level Tech. When he came on, the higher level Tech assigned me another IP, more local to my area. It works really well! I still get serial errors and some others with the software, but the connection is very good in most areas. You could try calling for a new IP, until you get a good one...Good luck!

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Life is not a dress rehearsal!