Pocket PC Gets EarthLink Services

[Jason Dunn]

<a href="http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,99844,tk,dn051602X,00.asp">http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,99844,tk,dn051602X,00.asp</a><br /><br />More wireless options just opened up for Pocket PC users today with Earthlink leveraging their acquisition of Omnisky last year.<br /><br />"EarthLink is serving up its wireless e-mail and Internet services to users of certain handheld devices running the Pocket PC 2002 operating platform, the service provider said Thursday. The Atlanta company joined providers such as AT&T Wireless Services in offering wireless connections to handheld devices from Hewlett-Packard. Those devices include the Jornada handheld as well as the IPaq, which HP added to its product line through its recent acquisition of Compaq.<br /><br />EarthLink will make available its EarthLink Wireless E-Mail and Internet Service to select models of the IPaq and Jornada using modem attachments. The service packages include access to up to ten POP3 (Post Office Protocol version 3) and IMAP4 (Internet Message Access Protocol version 4) e-mail accounts. Subscribers can also surf the Internet and customized EarthLink Web content, the company said. Executives of the newly merged HP and Compaq say they plan to phase out the Jornada line and emphasize the stronger IPaq line of handhelds."

[Sven Johannsen]

From the announcement "Users of the Jornada 540 and 520 series ..... can receive a free modem from Novatel Wireless". Sounds like more than just PPc2002 support.

[Jonathan1]

Do NOT get Earthlink. I had the worse experience with these people.
OK kiddies gather round story time. Way back in Spring of 2001 *The shimmering effect occurs* I purchased 1 year of Omnisky service. I spent an ***load of cash for it but that isn't really important right now. Anyways I got my 1 year of service and was blissfully content. Unaware that the evil forces of Earthlink were gathering to take my money away from me. Well fast forward to Spring of 2002. Earthlink just purchased Omnisky and I was well aware that my one year account was about ready to bite it. I wasn't planning on renewing my subscription simply because the speed of wireless was/is painful. VERY painful. So I figured what the heck. I'll let it expire. Well for some reason the last two weeks that I was SUPPOST to have service on my account I didn't. *shrugs* it wasn't that big of a deal at the time simply because my primary use for wireless was e-mail and AT&T in all their wisdom killed access to e-mail from outside their network no more then 2 week prior. So I figured *shrugs* Its not the end of the world I'll still let my account expire. So the deadline comes....28 of March if memory serves. Well I go and check my CCard statement and see that Earthlink has "resubscribed" me. No e-mail that my account is about ready to expire. No warning that they will be changing my account over to monthly billing now. NOTHING. At that point I'm a little peeved. Partly at myself for assuming that they'd just ax my account and partly because they didn't BOTHER to ask me if I want to resubscribe or that my account is about ready to expire. *shrugs* Oh well. I figured I'd call them up and get this all straightened out...right? WRONG. Oh so wrong.
I call and cancel my account. As for a refund that was billed to my CCard. All seems to go smoothly. A week passes. No credit on my account. I call back and ask what's going on? They tell me the credit won't take place until the end of the next billing cycle. WHAT THE?!?!? WHY? They didn't have a clue. At this point I'm getting more then a little pissed. Another 2 weeks go by and I check my CCard again. AHHH the amount chared to me was credited....minus 15 bucks. WHAT THE F&#*$!!!

At this point I'm more then a little bit steamed. I call back and ask why was 15 buck nixed from my refund!! His response? Because I called and canceled the account 5 days after the renewal. WRONG! I called 1 day. But he has his "records" I basically go on and tell him I didn't use even 1 minute of those 5 days even if I DID call that late!! He tells me its like a phone company bill. Even if you don't use it you still get charged. I tell him I never agreed to any automatic renewal system and that they should have contacted me prior to cancellation. He tells me that they do that as a convenience to the user. That it wouldn't be a good thing to just cut off their access. I agree with him but also stress that his company should have warned me that they would be renewing my contract. (Side note: I have checked all of the documentation that came with my OS account. I still have yet to find ANYTHING that grants them the right to renew my account without my authorization.)


Well to make a long story longer. It’ll be a cold day in HE!! When I get ANYTHING from Earthlink again. 15 buck isn’t all that much but it’s the principle of the thing. I spend money to get something in return. IN this case all I got was a serious pain in my ***!!!! GRRRR At this point I’ve very much considering logging a complaint with the BBB

[adamz]

So what's the news here? They upgraded their software for Pocket PC 2002 last fall? It's still CDPD though, which is an option we already had.

I too, had Omnisky for a year. I kept it for a month after that though. They did contact me to renew the subscription after they tried to bill my credit card on file... which had since expired! If it hadn't expired, I'm sure I would've been billed for the renewal without notification.