Tethering apps for the Virgin Mobile Blackberry

So I’m…at least semi-computer literate. I also have the blessing of a Blackberry with an unlimited data/texting plan (and 300 minutes) at the low low price of $35 a month.

What would make this an even sweeter deal? The ability to tether my device to my computer, allowing me to access an Internet connection from anywhere. So here’s my experience with a few programs:

TetherBridge
There seems to be next to no information on this app– anywhere. But I was stunned to find out it facilitates about 90% of web browsing for free (with the exception of some secure sites) and the full version is only $25. A three-day trial is a great evaluation period too.

http://tetherbridge.com

Tether (formerly TetherBerry
I actually don’t have much to say about this one. I’ve heard good things, like it’s fast and secure, but that’s about all. At $50 I didn’t want to shell out the cash. But a trial is available should you feel daring.

PDANet
Although there have been some reports of this being a great tethering program, I never got mine to work from my blackberry. It made some dialup connection on my computer but it never seemed to work any further than that. Must be the Virgin Mobile prepaid service.

MobiShark or SharkModem
The app worked pretty darn well, although the trial period went up quickly. I figure the program is worth its salt though, with good transfer speeds.

BlackBerry Desktop
Although it includes the option to tether your modem, there are no options to do so via Virgin Mobile’s service, so the program is a no-go.

Manually
There are several sets of instructions for tethering online search around). Most of them involve setting up a modem at 36000bps and then dialing #777 with it. I’ve tried a few of these methods and had no luck (again, probably because Virgin Mobile is owned by, but not synonymous to, Sprint).

Results
I would use TetherBridge forever for free if I could (heck, I am!) SharkModem is my #2 choice, followed by TetherBerry. Both PDANet and the native tethering tools provided by BlackBerry seem useless to Virgin Mobile subscribers.