Sprint WebCapTel website now works on BlackBerry Bold OS 5.0!!

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Mark Rejhon

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Hello,

http://www.sprintcaptel.com works on BlackBerry Bold's web browser if you upgrade to BlackBerry OS 5.0.0.238 beta .... This OS is fairly buggy, so I recommend waiting until the final 5.0 release comes out, however, if you cannot wait.

Since you cannot reconfigure your font size in Sprint WebCapTel, you'll want to set the font size first via your desktop before you load Sprint WebCapTel in your BlackBerry Browser. Preconfigure your font size to about 42 from the desktop in your existing Sprint WebCapTel account, before using it on your BlackBerry Bold. Make sure you set the Bold to "3G Only" (if it lets you), since simultaneous voice and captions only work if you have 3G instead of EDGE or GPRS. It only works on 3G which is why only BlackBerry Bold works, or any other HSPA-equipped BlackBerry (If you're stuck with EDGE or GPRS or 1X, you can use the two-cellphone method -- one for the captions, one for the voice)

Also reported to work on many other mobile phones with a modern Safari/Webkit browser, such as iPhone 3G, 3GS, certain browsers on certain Android phones, etc.
 
Will it work on Blackberry Tour? It is available on verizon network.
Can you use two phones on a same cell phone number?
 
The WebCapTel 'captions' part does not need a telephone number, but an Internet connection instead. You could even use a laptop or wifi, while using your cellphone for the voice part. One of your phones becomes the phone number (for talking on), and one of your phones becomes the Internet captioning device (no phone service required; only data service). Only the captioning device needs BlackBerry OS 5.0. You could even use two separate kinds of phones, an iPhone 2G and a BlackBerry 2G, they could even be on separate carriers! (One Verizon and one AT&T).

The two-phone method of captel (which works on Verizon, TMobile, AT&T, or even Virgin, 711 Mobile, etc) only requires one phone to have the phone service, the other phone is the data/Internet device that displays the captions and can even be WiFi-only although for total mobility you would prefer it to be on the same network, so that you're sure you have reception in the same location for both telephones at the same time... So basically, paying for service for two cellphones, with one being used for captions and one being used for the voice... In this case, BlackBerry Tour upgraded to OS 5.0 works with CapTel as the caption-display device, while any BlackBerry, even old models, with cellphone service (even back to year 2002) can be used as the 'phone' for the voice part, as the 2nd cellphone...

Anyway, for you to be able to do the voice (phone service) and data (captioning service) simultaneously on the same device, you need 3G HSDPA which is only available on AT&T at this time in the States. Of these, the iPhone 3G and 3GS, as well as BlackBerry Bold 9000 runnig OS 5.0 and the new Bold 9700 running OS 5.0, as well as any HSPA-compatible BlackBerry running OS 5.0, all work with single-handset WebCapTel.

Another technique for WebCapTel is that you can use *ANY* 3G HSPA phone with WebCapTel, if you tether it as a modem for a laptop. The laptop would use the cellphone as your Internet connection (similiar to an "Internet Stick" service) and the Internet browser on the laptop would run the WebCapTel captions, while you talked on your cellphone (while it's still tethered to the laptop) for the phone part.

Basically, these combinations below are Sprint/Hamilton WebCapTel compatible:
- 1 device: iPhone 3G or 3GS (for both voice and data)
- 1 device: BlackBerry Bold 9000 with OS 5.0 running on 3G HSPA network (for both voice and data)
- 1 device: BlackBerry Bold 9700 with OS 5.0 running on 3G HSPA network (for both voice and data)
- 1 device: Laptop running Skype and web browser (for voice and data), allows you to use WebCapTel on a WiFi connection without needing a cellphone.
- 2 device: Any cellphone ever invented (for voice) + iPhone 2G/3G/3GS (for captions)
- 2 device: Any cellphone ever invented (for voice) + Palm Pre (for captions)
- 2 device: Any cellphone ever invented (for voice) + Android phone (for captions)
- 2 device: Any cellphone ever invented (for voice) + BlackBerry upgraded to OS 5.0 (for captions)
- 2 device: Any cellphone ever invented (for voice) + laptop on WiFi (for captions)
- 2 device: Any 3G cellphone with modem capability (for voice) + laptop using cellphone as modem (for captions)

So there are many kinds of 1-device and 2-device WebCapTel possible.
 
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