Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

Android, tethering, Orange, Panther, Eurosport on Linux!!

Hi all,

Just thought I should share this / document this, in one corner of the net at least. I'm quite pleased with my implementation.

Might be of interest if you have an Android, are on Orange, have the Panther PAYM plan, and want Eurosport on your PC!

I'm using Linux but imagine this would work on most OSes.

So, as you might know - with Panther you get 1 or 2 "Swapable"s, for mobile multimedia services eg Times Online, Sky TV etc  22

But - one service - "Mobile TV" offers a few good channels inc British Eurosport 1 and 2.

This is great - I can watch cycling this year, without listening to those ITV4 blokes..  16

But - it's on the little phone screen. I have a big PC in the living room - so I thought - why not put it on there, when I'm at home?

You access Swapables via Orangeworld.co.uk. But if you go there on your PC, the site can tell you're not on your phone, and won't offer the Swapable services.

SO I thought - why not tether my phone to the PC, effectively "wrapping" the PC in the phone's connection, so the site would see it as the phone?

Did this - didn't work.

Went to Orangeworld.co.uk - it said it couldn't tell which phone I was accessing the site from (!!!), and to key in my phone number to authenticate by text.

Did so - text received - has a link to click to authenticate. Forward that link to the PC (e.g. email it to yourself). Click it, on your PC.

Still doesn't work.

Then I realized - Swapables aren't compatible with even every Android phone, never mind PCs. E.g. officially my Motorola isn't compatible - but it is, I just had to set a custom user agent in my browser, so the website "thinks" you're browsing from a compatible handset.

In my case, I'd set the phone to "be" a Samsung Galaxy with Android 2.2.

You can do the same on your PC.

One easy way to do this - get the Firefox extension "User Agent Switcher".

In this extension, import a library of user agents - eg the XML available at http://techpatterns.com/forums/about304.html

Select your user agent - e.g. Samsung Galaxy, Android 2.2, Mobile Safari...

Now head over to Orangeworld.co.uk through your tethered phone - and you can open your Swapable - Eurosport on your PC!

Disclaimers -

- Worked for me, might not for you.
- I'm not responsible for anything you do.
- This might work without the tethered connection - but we don't have Wi-fi yet for me to test that out (new flat, wifi starts tomorrow).
- Orange has a fair use policy for Swapables eg Mobile TV - I think it's about 20 hours per month...

Have fun!

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

Latest Comments