Items tagged with Tethering
If you're in a situation where your phone has data, but your tablet doesn't, and Wi-Fi isn't an immediate option, things can get frustrating pretty quickly. Consider checking into a hotel, for example, which only allows one or two devices to connect to the Wi-Fi - that's a major roadblock for those with their families, or those with multiple devices. While your smartphone is charging, you could be kicking back using the tablet, for example. That assumes that the hotel's Internet service allows you access without dinging you again for another device. Situations like those or similar will be less of a problem going forward for Android users with Google Pixel or Nexus devices. In the Google...
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Verizon Wireless customers have reason to celebrate today, at least the ones using Android devices. Following an investigation, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ruled that VZW is not allowed to block third-party tethering apps on Android devices, and must also pay a $1.25 million fine to settle the investigation. "Today’s action demonstrates that compliance with FCC obligations is not optional. The open device and application obligations were core conditions when Verizon purchased the C-block spectrum," FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said in a statement. "The massive innovation and investment fueled by the Internet have been driven by consumer choice in both devices and applications....
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Sprint's big battle cry entering into the iPhone 4S era is, "We have true unlimited data; the other guys don't!" That's a definite advantage in the smartphone wars, but can Sprint sustain an unlimited business model with all the new traffic Apple's iPhone will bring to its network? That's a good question and one that's made even more interesting to speculate after Sprint just announced changes to its mobile broadband plan and mobile hotspot add-on. "If you have a mobile broadband device such as a tablet, netbook, notebook, USB card, connection card or Mobile Hotspot device, effective beginning with your next bill following notification, your on-network monthly data allowance will no longer include...
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Last Friday, AT&T gave notice that it would henceforth take steps to block unauthorized tethering. For those who aren't familiar with the term, "tethering" is the practice of using a cell phone's data link to provide wireless service to a desktop or laptop. Now, Verizon is evidently following suit. Customers who have previously had no trouble using tethering on jailbroken devices are reportedly being redirected to Verizon's advertising page for tethered data plans. AT&T and Verizon have both justified their moves by noting that they don't prevent customers from tethering--they simply charge for the privilege. Verizon, however, has come under particular scrutiny thanks to a clause in the...
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Looks like those days of free-spirited tethering on AT&T may be over. AT&T has been known to really crack down on those trying to manipulate data on an iPhone. If you take a normal AT&T SIM and pop it into an iPhone, for example, you'll quickly be alerted that you are being switched over to an iPhone data plan. The company clearly knows who is using what on their service, and they're most keen on knowing what's going on with those using the iPhone. For months now, those who would prefer not to pay extra for tethering have been able to use the MyWi app to do so without charge. The only requirement was a jailbroken device. But now, it looks like AT&T is clamping down on MyWi users....
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As the Verizon iPhone launch is nearing, AT&T is getting aggressive. They have just announced they are increasing their tethering plans from 2GB to 4GB, and announced that their first hotpost enabled phone will be the $99 HTC Inspire 4G, launching Feb. 13. The Inspire 4G will carry AT&T's new Mobile Hotspot application. Just as with tethering, it will have access to 4GB of data, which is double what Verizon's hotspot service has. Just as with the current plan, a customer has to have the $25 AT&T DataPro plan and add on an extra $20 for tethering (or hotspot), bringing the total to $45 a month. Unlimited data for a tethering or hotspot plan would be asking too much, so we'll take the...
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Word on the Web is that starting November 3, 2010, T-Mobile will roll out a tether and Wi-Fi sharing option to its subscribers for $15 per month. For those who pony up the cash, they'll be able to use their smartphones as a tethering device or Wi-Fi hotspot, something that just about anyone with a rooted smartphone can already do for free. There are some requirements to be aware of, including: Customers must have a 3G or HSPA+ compatible device to utilize the Tethering/Wi-Fi sharing feature Customers must have an Unlimited Web feature with an MRC of $19.95 or higher Customers must add the $14.99 Tethering/Wi-Fi add-on feature This is a separate feature and in addition to the Unlimited Web feature...
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Talk about a sike out. Just last week, Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 chief, Brandon Watson, said it would be up to each wireless carrier whether or not to support tethering on the new mobile platform at launch. As it turns out, he was wrong, and we're officially bummed. "A company spokeswoman told Electronista that statements from Microsoft's own Brandon Watson weren't correct and that the OS wouldn't support tethering in any form on launch," Electronista reports. Paul Thurrott, who's often privy to what goes on in Redmond, said essentially the same thing: "To be clear: Windows Phone 7 does not support tethering at all." Tethering allows a user to set up their smartphone or other mobile device...
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It wasn't even a month ago that we heard AT&T confess that while iPhone tethering was still on their roadmap, it really wasn't anywhere near the implementation stage. The carrier has been furiously working to build out their network in order to keep up with demand, and that task alone has been quite the challenge. It makes sense to think that tethering--which allows users to connect their phones to computers and allow the computer to leech off of the phone's Internet connection--would be a low priority for AT&T. Call/mobile service first, tethering second. We get it. We don't necessarily like it, but we get it. As far back as a year ago, Apple has stated that tethering would be coming...
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Google's Android mobile operating system is making a huge impact in the smartphone industry. Recent reports show it growing even faster than the iPhone OS, and while it still has a long ways to go to reach the 150000+ apps that the App Store has for Apple users, it's well on the way. Android 2.1 is the most current version, and those with phones using older versions are constantly clamoring for their respective carriers to push out the v2.1 update. If you thought people were wishing for 2.1, just imagine how loud the whining will be for Android 2.2. Code named "Froyo," this future build of Android will bring about two critical features that the vast majority of smartphones lack from the factory....
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Tethering. The mere mention of the word brings up varied responses depending on what carrier someone has, what smartphone they have, and whether or not they're technically inclined. Mention the word "tethering" to most any iPhone user in America, and you'll probably get a glare, a curse, or maybe even a shove-off. Despite Apple claiming that Tethering for iPhone was "coming soon" many moons ago, the feature still has yet to be added. It's not even offered for an additional fee! Users can obviously Jailbreak their devices in order to tether, but given that it voids the warranty, many are still waiting for an AT&T-approved solution. In other nations, the iPhone has been tethering for awhile...
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Though AT&T won't officially give you a way to use your iPhone to tether your laptop to an internet connection, it is looking the other way while an iPhone enthusiast has created a workaround. Good thing too, now that Apple accounts for more than two thirds of all mobile traffic in the United States. According to stats released by AdMob and reported on by Electronista , in April iPhone requests accounted for 59 percent of mobile web traffic. In May? A whopping 69 percent. BlackBerries were 13 percent and Android 7 percent. And that was before the new iPhones came out, even. Source: Admob reportSo the workaround posted by Austrian blogger Benjamin Miller (his site's all in German)...
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As part of the WWDC keynote on Monday, a few iPhone OS 3.0 features were announced that made people go "huh?" Why? Because AT&T wasn't going to support them, at least at the start. In terms of new features, that would be MMS and tethering. AT&T spokesperson Seth Bloom told Ars Technica: "We absolutely will offer MMS on iPhone 3G S in the late summer, once we complete some system upgrades that will ensure our customers have the best experience with MMS. These upgrades are unrelated to our 3G network."Now maybe that has to do with what BGR found out. According to BGR, the reason for the MMS delay is that AT&T has to manually remove all the “Opt Out MMS codes” on each account. Now that...
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It was rumored earlier that AT&T and Apple were in discussions over tethering. And at the Web 2.0 Summit, AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph De La Vega indicated in an interview with Michael Arrington that an official, AT&T sanctioned method of tethering (using the iPhone as a 3G modem) is on the coming "soon." There are already some tethering apps for jailbroken phones, such as PDANet, but nothing you can download from the App Store, at least not since NetShare was pulled from the store. It's unclear when AT&T will roll out the tethering service; some point in 2009 is the only vague indication given. Would that mean that both PDANet (denied from the start) and NetShare would be allowed...
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