tethered

Tethering and a hot spot on the Nexus S

As I said last week in CNET's full review of the Samsung Nexus S, I was pleased to find that the handset supports tethering and it can function as a Wi-Fi hot spot. Such is the benefit of using a phone with the stock Android OS. Indeed, both features are increasingly popular among smartphone users, but some carriers have stood in the way of making them a reality.

Sprint and Verizon Wireless, for example, declined to add tethering to their Froyo-equipped handsets, even though the Android 2.2 update promised to add the feature. And though Sprint does offer hot-spot capability on its HTC Evo 4G, the carrier charged an extra $29.99 per month for the privilege.

The Nexus S, on the other hand, adds both features for less money. We're still confirming with T-Mobile if there will be a separate fee. T-Mobile will charge an additional $14.99 per month to use them, but you're saddled with a few restrictions. I was able to play with both over the weekend, and I'm pleased to say that I was quite impressed with the performance on both fronts. … Read more

CoBrowser app tethers Wi-Fi iPads to iPhones--sort of

Ever heard the term "kludge"? It refers to a workaround, a cobbled-together solution to a problem. Usually, it ain't pretty, but it works.

Collect3's CoBrowser is a kludge, a way around Apple's limitation on apps that enable tethering. With it, a Wi-Fi iPad can tap an iPhone's 3G connectivity--no jailbreaking required. It's extremely limited, and it ain't pretty, but it works.

Just to clarify, CoBrowser doesn't actually tether your iPad to your iPhone. Instead, it shares the latter's screen with the former, and then only for Web browsing. Before you … Read more

T-Mobile announces prepaid Android phone, tethering plans

November 3 is going to be a busy day for T-Mobile. That's the day the carrier will launch the LG Optimus T and the Motorola Defy, and now, a third device called the T-Mobile Comet has been added to the mix.

The T-Mobile Comet is actually a rebranded version of the Huawei Ideos and will be offered as a prepaid option at $200 without contract. You can also get the Android 2.2 device on contract for just $10. Though more of a lower-end smartphone, it features a 528MHz processor, a 2.8-inch touch screen, a 3.2-megapixel camera, … Read more

How to embarrass someone with an iPad

Links from Wednesday's episode of Loaded:

Barnes and Noble announces the new touch-screen Nook Color

T-Mobile customers will be able to use their phones to tether the Net to other devices starting November 3

The white iPhone 4 is delayed until the spring

You can get free laser engraving on the iPad

MySpace gets a much-needed makeover

Yahoo Mail also gets a makeover--with social networking to Facebook and Twitter

LimeWire is ordered to shut down all sharing features, leaving only the music store up and running

The Sony Walkman apparently is not dead in the U.S. The cassette … Read more

T-Mobile to add tethering for $15

T-Mobile USA wireless subscribers will soon be allowed to use their smartphones as modems to bring Internet access to other devices including laptops, a T-Mobile representative confirmed today.

The blog the Boy Genius Report first reported the news, citing an internal memo from T-Mobile that outlined the new plan. According to the memo, starting November 3, smartphone subscribers with an HSPA or HSPA+ phone will be able to get up to 5GB of data service per month for an additional $14.99 a month. Once users exceed the 5GB threshold, T-Mobile will throttle and slow down the traffic, the memo … Read more

Ask Maggie: On 4G future-proofing and buying prepaid traveler plans

A tech consumer's worst nightmare is buying a hot new device today only to find that it's obsolete or outdated within a few months or a year.

With the quick pace of innovation in wireless technology these days, it's a dilemma that is hard to avoid. This week I break the hard news to a reader that 3G phones of today won't be compatible with the ultra fast 4G networks of tomorrow.

I also try to help a Canadian reader, who travels to the U.S., figure out the best option for buying prepaid voice and … Read more

iOS 4.1 jailbreak arrives, but do you want it?

Almost a month ago to the day, I reported that hackers had found a way to jailbreak iOS 4.1--and asked if it was worth the hassle anymore. That question generated lots of great discussion, and now is the perfect time to revisit it.

That's because an iOS 4.1 jailbreak, Limera1n, is now in the wild. Unlike the JailbreakMe hack that made jailbreaking iOS 4.0 as simple as loading a URL in your iPhone's browser, Limera1n requires a PC and a download--one that's currently available for Windows only.

To use the hack, start by … Read more

Windows Phone 7 won't support tethering

Microsoft's forthcoming Windows Phone 7 won't act as a hot spot, after all.

A Microsoft official recently suggested that it would be up to cellular carriers whether to allow so-called "tethering," but Microsoft confirmed to CNET on Friday that Windows Phone 7 doesn't support the feature at all. Microsoft won't say if future versions might allow for tethering.

It's another technical limitation for Microsoft's re-entry into the phone market, adding to a list of features supported on other platforms including full multitasking and copy/paste functionality. And, as CNET reported last week, … Read more

iOS 4.1 jailbreak imminent, but do you want it?

News of the inevitable: less than a day after Apple released iOS 4.1 into the wild, hackers have found a way to jailbreak it.

According to The Unofficial Apple Weblog, "Chronic Dev Team member pod2g has discovered yet another bootrom-based exploit that would supposedly work across all iOS devices running the latest firmware."

Although the jailbreak isn't available to the general public just yet, there's little doubt it will be soon. Whether or not it's as simple as the browser-based iPhone 4 jailbreak from earlier this summer remains to be seen.

My question: do … Read more

5 killer apps for jailbroken iPhones

So you decided to jailbreak your iPhone using the fast and easy browser-based method that's been making headlines all week.

Now it's time to stock up on the apps Apple doesn't want you to have, mwa ha ha! (Don't you just love thumbing your nose at authority?)

As a first-time jailbreaker (finally got the aforementioned JailbreakMe to work early this morning), I've been test-tapping some of the most popular apps on my newly liberated iPhone 3GS. And already I'm wondering how I got along without them. Here are my five must-haves.

(Note: the links … Read more