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So, for a little while now I've been looking for ways to tether my HTC Mogul (Windows Mobile 6 based PocketPC phone) to my laptop for those moments when wireless connections are sparse. With a Windows based laptop, this is trivial, since both ends are Windows. But, what if we are Windows-less (I'll refrain from reasons why I think you should be), or more pertinently, OS X based? Well, this post is my first from my new tethering between my phone and my MacBook Pro, so there does seem to be an answer. I should start talking about syncing, but there's quite a few resources out there to help with this for OS X and WM6. The best/easiest resource I've found is Missing Sync from Mark/Space. Perhaps some other day I'll go ahead and elaborate on my setup (which includes being to sync via bluetooth or USB, even while using bluetooth for tethering), but for now I just want to tether (hey, remember tether-ball ... weird game, but kind of fun). Now, back to tethering. I found a few resources out there claiming how to get this to happen, but most were pretty confusing or didn't quite work. This isn't to say they're wrong, I'm just hoping to be a little more concise here on how to get it to work (just in case I get hit in the head, forget, and need to do it again later). There are a few key ingredients needed for this to work:

• Internet Sharing on the phone (apparently some firmware versions include this, some don't, so mileage my vary). My phone has this listed in the Programs menu from the Start menu.
• Bluetooth, as this really makes everything a whole lot more simple.
• A good data plan on your cell phone.

So, now for the steps (which you've probably scrolled well past all of that text to get here ... I know I would have).

1. Pair your devices -- Now this is where most of the solution is. A lot of people say to start with your phone, and pair to the laptop. This works in general, but doesn't get you to where you really need to be. Instead, start with your laptop, and pair it with your phone. There really isn't much to this, except that when setting up the device, make sure that "Use device as a network port" is clicked. With that, you should be all paired and happy.
2. Set up Internet Sharing -- Open the Internet Sharing application. Under "PC Connection" select "Bluetooth PAN", and set "Network Connection" to whatever your phone uses for it's data service.
3. Get your phone online -- Windows Mobile 6 is a bit annoying in the ways it detects that it's time to get online. The best method is to open Internet Explorer and let that take care of setting up the connection (once it's up, it stays up). When you have that going, head on back to the Internet Sharing application.
4. Start Internet Sharing -- Hit the connect button on the mobile phone. You should see "Device setup finished. On the PC, connect Bluetooth PAN."
5. Connect the laptop and phone -- Under the bluetooth icon, find your devices name, and select "Connect to Network" under the submenu. If this goes well, your phone will say "Connected", and you're now connected.

At this point, if you look at your network connections, you'll see that bluetooth PAN is all nice and connected (with a private network given to your laptop by your phone) and you're off and surfing. From here on out, if you want to tether, use step 5, and to disconnect use step 5 to disconnect. Not the speediest connection, but still nice to have.