|
|
 Mobile Windows News |  Podcasts |  Videos | Search | Forums | Site News |
|
Software Review : Network Wizard from HTC July 05, 2007 [Pocket PC phone] | By Edward J. R. You can get this program only if you purchase a phone manufactured (and branded!) by HTC! Since in some countries, particularly in Europe where there is plenty of small countries each having its own set of mobile operators, people are changing SIM cards often when traveling - mainly to avoid international roaming fees - it is very cumbersome to change also mobile Internet settings (GPRS/EDGE/UMTS/HSDPA). Thanks to HTC Network Wizard changing these mobile Internet settings is automatic and fast! 
Usually this program works in this way that after entering new SIM card, and after connecting to the network (here: EDGE of T-Mobile - hence the "E" letter in title bar) a notification from Network Wizard appears: 
Sometimes (not always) also there is a selection of virtual operators operating on the same physical network (but often having different access points): 
Then network is being configured for a couple of seconds: 
... and now you must restart your device to get new settings activated, what you can do just by pressing "Restart" soft-button of the Network Wizard: 
... or manually by switching off your phone and switching it on. In HTC phones switching off of the phone one can do by holding down the switching button for a long time and by confirming the choice in a dialog box. Alternatively one can launch network wizard manually from Settings menu: 
... and then one can select the network manually, like for example here (USA): 
... or here (UK): 
Please notice that network wizard is not perfect and some virtual mobile operators are missing! In case above for example Virgin Mobile UK is missing and since it is operating on T-Mobile UK network but has different Access Point Name (APN) than T-Mobile UK, for users of Virgin Mobile UK this Network Wizard is useless. It is strange particularly because HTC itself is selling Lobster 700 smartphone to Virgin Mobile UK... Another problem is that Network Wizard offers settings mostly for pay-monthly users and not for pay-as-you-go (pre-paid) users. After selection of the mobile operator one must confirm the choice: 
... and once again restarting is necessary: 
Just for comparison's sake, without Network Wizard one must use manual settings, that look like this: 
Conclusion: HTC Network Wizard is an excellent tool for rapid switching of mobile Internet connections and it even works automatically, or semi-automatically, because notification appears when SIM card is being changed. While HTC Network Wizard handles very well all major mobile operators, it is missing very badly when it comes to virtual mobile operators and pre-paid SIM cards - in these cases settings are missing and users are forced to configure settings manually. If you use regular SIM cards with monthly subscription fees however, it works very well.  Post your comment (free registration is required to post, but if you register you can edit your posts later) [ 4 Comments ]
   |
| ||||||
| Mobile Windows News | Podcasts | Videos | Search | Forums | Site News |
