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Sprint SmartView for Macs incompatible with broadband cards

TUAW reader John T. alerted us to an issue with Sprint's SmartView application, version 1.85.0007.0. SmartView for Mac is a recently released (August 28, 2008) application which is used with Sprint's Mobile Broadband cards and USB modems.

The issue, which occurs with the ExpressCard cards used with MacBook Pro notebooks running Leopard, causes the card to stop working. To get the card working again, it's necessary to reinstall an older version of the SprintView software or previous software such as Sierra Wireless Watcher.

This problem does not occur when using the Sprint Mobile Broadband USB connectors such as the Sierra Wireless 595U, Sierra Wireless Compass 597, or Ovation U727. John noted that Sprint's tech support team is aware of the issue, but that the faulty software is still available on the download page.

Update: Some commenters have taken offense to the use of the word "brick" in the post title [since changed -Ed.]. Note that SmartView, when run under Mac OS X 10.5, does not permanently damage the Sprint cards. Reverting to a previous version of the software resolves the issue.

Thanks for the tip, John!



TUAW reader John T. alerted us to an issue with Sprint's SmartView application, version 1.85.0007.0. SmartView for Mac is a recently...
 

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Marc Chung

Thanks for writing this.

I'm in a similar situation to Bob Munn. Bob, if you're there, could you provide instructions on how to use Apple's software to activate the card? I would really appreciate that.

I'm not surprised Sprint hasn't addressed this yet. After almost 10 years of service, I cancelled my personal account. Recently, their approach to just about everything, especially customer service, drives me up the wall!

This is a perfect example. No patch with a fix, no apology, not even links to older versions of their software, which I would gladly use.

October 17 2008 at 10:58 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
homan2

I believe the title should read "Sprint Smartview Update Pwns Broadband Cards"

;)

October 12 2008 at 8:12 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Bob Munn

From the standpoint of one who:

(a) purchased the express card in question, and
(b) attempted to install it in a---you guessed it---MacBook Pro AND
(c) purchased it on August 28, the day this software update was released.

(d) spent two hours on the phone between my local Sprint retailer and Sprint's "Mac Specialist" back at headquarters

(e) found no mention of the situation online except for the same universally glowing reviews from Mac users that I had accessed in pre-purchase research

(f) made two trips to my local Apple Store Genius---including one in which I became uncharacteristically argumentative given that the only known manifestation of this problem was limited to my machine. (An older machine running 10.4 ran it flawlessly)

(g) finally accepted my Genius' solution, which I deemed to be a kludge by using Apple's own software to activate the card.

(h) learned today from my Genius that this posting existed, which is the first light that has been shown on this matter by Sprint, Apple or anyone else.

Props and Thanx to reader John T, to Anthony at the Charlotte, NC Apple Store and to TUAW.

Regardless of your choice of B-words: Bricked, Broke or Befuddled. (My choice would have been something from the F-family.) I am simply grateful that the information finally became public, and I can vent my anger at Sprint, where it justifiably belongs.

October 12 2008 at 7:22 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Michael Rose

Everyone who politely pointed out that 'brick' was probably the wrong verb to use for this driver issue, thank you for your input. The headline has been changed. Per Steve's earlier comment, we do try to avoid changing headlines on posts when it's possible to do so, as it can have deleterious effects on RSS readers.

October 12 2008 at 3:00 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Heebie

Oh and thank you, Editor, for changing the title. :D. Sorry to double-post.

We got our point across, case closed I think!

Cheers.

October 12 2008 at 2:54 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Jon

These sensationalist headlines make this blog crap to read. Every blogger on this site needs read the definition of term "brick." It's short for, "as useful as a brick," meaning you permanently damaged the firmware. So "offense was taken" should be changed to, "I am a idiot, and I like to blame other's for my incompetence, really."

No one was ever "bricking" their iphones; they could be software restored. No one bricked their apple tv when hacking them to pieces. Your spring broadband card has a driver problem. It's not the same thing, and YOU are an idiot.

I think TUAW should fire all the bloggers who are unable to program in C (or obj-c, why not, this is apple) or are unable to identity and discuss the purpose of individual parts of a motherboard. No one wants to read this diluted crap anymore and you're driving traffic away to sites that host factual information.

Speaking of, the macrumors.com forums host a plethora of great information for people that like macs other than 'omg so pretty!!!!!!!!!"

October 12 2008 at 12:51 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
2 replies to Jon's comment
Heebie

Although most of your points are totally valid, it's a shame that we can't really use your post as an argument because it's so poorly written. I apologise if English is not your native language - in which case you've done incredibly well! Besides, you probably don't write for a living anyway!

October 12 2008 at 2:51 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Michael Rose

Can't blame us for the fuzzing of the term 'brick' around the iPhone jailbreaking/unlocking experience, that's the word people used commonly, even if the phones were (eventually) recoverable. It's hard to roll back and un-deploy a word that implies irrevocable damage if the problem, in the end, does turn out to be reversible. My personal pet peeve is people who use 'unique' to mean 'unusual' or 'special,' so I can understand why word misuse gets under the skin.

Was 'brick' the wrong word for this headline? Probably, and several people tactfully pointed it out, and others responded by casting aspersions. Did Steve respond in a less than constructive manner when unfairly accused of trolling for pageviews? OK, sure. Is TUAW responsible for the downfall of all that is good and holy by not holding the line against vocabulary drift? Oh, please.

[Just for the record, finding people who can write both clean Obj-C code and a simple declarative English sentence is quite a bit harder than you might think.]

October 12 2008 at 3:13 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Des

Hmm. In Ireland this was a regular problem with O2 pcmcia cards - newer versions of software just didn't work or indeed removed functionality that was present in previous versions.

They never bricked the cards though. Just like Sprints software didn't brick their cards.

I find it sad that a blog which uses the word "bricked" to describe iPhones which were irretrievably broken also uses it to describe cards which don't work with a particular version of software.

I hope Sprint doesn't get too upset.

October 12 2008 at 8:43 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Heebie

Thank you, Steve, for putting adding the "update" part to your article. I hope you can learn from this mistake, and it's perhaps something you can make sure that all the bloggers at TUAW take heed of. But no, we don't take "offense" (I presume that's a US spelling). We are just simply appalled at your lack of interest for detail.

Anyway, I think it's safe to say that we can leave this to lie now. Good job, discerning linguophiles.

October 12 2008 at 4:24 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
David

This just in... TuawSteve just bricked TUAW!

October 12 2008 at 12:00 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Bitter Kevin

Whether Steve is a douche or not has no bearing on the fact that Sprint is full of fail.

October 11 2008 at 8:07 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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