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Nullriver Introduces 3G/EDGE Tethering App for iPhone
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It depends on what you call "expensive". In the UK, I can buy a tethering device (looks similar to a USB stick) for £99, plugs into any laptop, and you pay £10 for 1GB valid for one month, pay as you go. Or something like I think £25 for 7GB valid for one month. If we assume that the 7GB device will actually provide 4GB on the average (because not everyone goes to the limit), that would be about £6 per GB; probably costs them £4 but they need some profit. With these prices tethering _does_ hurt the ISP when someone starts downloading 1GB videos through the iPhone. Your "unlimited" data plan has to cover the cost of the average iPhone user. The average "tethering" iPhone user could use much more.
On the other hand, if you exceed the limit, they then switch you to £1 per Megabyte. Yes, per Megabyte. That is £1000 per Gigabyte. Now that is ridiculous, and I think it hurts them because for example I don't buy the tethering device because I am afraid what it could cost if I don't watch out and exceed the limit. Similar the cost for going outside the UK is absolutely ridiculous.
Here is what I would find a reasonable way to do things: Apple should supply the tethering application. It keeps track of how many MBs you use. Contracts are changed so that up to say 100 MB per month is free. Above that you pay a _reasonable_ amount per GB. So if you are in a hotel and you feel the urge to download the latest iPhone SDK to your MacBook, you can do it completely legally without facing financial ruin. If you want to download videos to your MacBook 24/7, you can do it and you pay according to what you use; you wouldn't expect it to be cheap. Reading MacRumors would probably fit into the 100 MB per month. The application should ask you to agree before it costs money (and possibly enter a maximum amount) and display how much you used.
I think this got posted to the App Store because someone wasn't checking what they were authorizing. I'm willing to bet that most iPhone providers do NOT allow for tethering, not just AT&T. Anything that the carrier can charge you extra for they will.
I didnt read all the pages here, but i am really dissapointed the way this worked out. The tethering app was a great idea, and other smart phones can do it. hopefully this issue gets resolved.
That article offers a flawed argument as SMS (at least here) doesn't cost anything to receive, only to send. Whereas they calculated the costs of receiving the data from the Hubble.
Well, even if what you're saying is true, it still says:
He reckoned the overall price would be a maximum of £85 per MB, putting text messaging anywhere from four to 42 times as expensive as talking to the Hubble.
If we divide that by two (to the Hubble and back), we still see that messaging is from 2 to 26 times as expensive.
But satellite comparisons aside - it's hard to deny sms messages are terribly, awfully overpriced.
He reckoned the overall price would be a maximum of £85 per MB, putting text messaging anywhere from four to 42 times as expensive as talking to the Hubble.
If we divide that by two (to the Hubble and back), we still see that messaging is from 2 to 26 times as expensive.
But satellite comparisons aside - it's hard to deny sms messages are terribly, awfully overpriced.
If this did not violate the SDK, this proves that Apple is AT&T's beech. I cant believe something like this gets on the app store, yet, mobile chat is still in processing... Why is mobile chat getting such a hard look but this tethering app isnt?! that makes NO SENSE!!! 
If this did not violate the SDK, this proves that Apple is AT&T's beech. I cant believe something like this gets on the app store, yet, mobile chat is still in processing... Why is mobile chat getting such a hard look but this tethering app isnt?! that makes NO SENSE!!!
I was wondering the same thing with all these new apps coming out what is taking mobile chat so long to get approve.
Actually, the DRM for app store apps has been cracked, and the super monkey ball torrent is free from any kind of protection. However, to crack an app the original purchaser must hack it as it is encrypted in their name and you have to do a memory dump while the app is running. And you can't run it if you didn't buy the app
Why doesn't someone post the file to the WEB or B/T, I have been able to install single app files that I D/L on another system... and I'm not Jailbroken.
(Edit - Sorry I thought it was a free app)
Come on AT&T and Apple this is the one App that would get me to upgrade and Pay more money for the same features I already have on the Old Iphone but faster....
(Edit - Sorry I thought it was a free app)
Come on AT&T and Apple this is the one App that would get me to upgrade and Pay more money for the same features I already have on the Old Iphone but faster....
You can't run a device as a server per the agreement I am pretty sure.
The fact that this maks it a proxy server makes it in violation.
D@MN!!!!
That's what I get for not checking MR last night I would have been all over this!
So what's the likelihood that Apple will let it back on? I mean as smart phone tethering goes right now it's "on your honor" to pay the $30 if you use it that way. Most people who just use it while on vacation or something like that don't pay the $30 (in fact, I'd guess that none of the people who use it on vacation pay for it). Of course AT&T might require you to pony up to $30 if you get this app but that would total and complete crap.
I wish I would have downloaded it
That's what I get for not checking MR last night
I would have been all over this!So what's the likelihood that Apple will let it back on? I mean as smart phone tethering goes right now it's "on your honor" to pay the $30 if you use it that way. Most people who just use it while on vacation or something like that don't pay the $30 (in fact, I'd guess that none of the people who use it on vacation pay for it). Of course AT&T might require you to pony up to $30 if you get this app but that would total and complete crap.
I wish I would have downloaded it
Spot on - that's the violation which more than likely means it ain't coming back!
Shame I'd have bought this - as would a million other's I expect!
All I have to say is sometimes reporting a story is a negitive thing. While we are not sure why the App was deleted..
I think that it was because of this an other posts about this app that took a very negitive tone of "How could Apple Let this be posted"
Thanks....
I think that it was because of this an other posts about this app that took a very negitive tone of "How could Apple Let this be posted"
Thanks....
D@MN!!!!
That's what I get for not checking MR last night
So what's the likelihood that Apple will let it back on? I mean as smart phone tethering goes right now it's "on your honor" to pay the $30 if you use it that way. Most people who just use it while on vacation or something like that don't pay the $30 (in fact, I'd guess that none of the people who use it on vacation pay for it). Of course AT&T might require you to pony up to $30 if you get this app but that would total and complete crap.
I wish I would have downloaded it
Why should we have to pay more its the Same data being transfered to a computer.... Blackberry users get it for free....
Wow, if this had been for real and it truly provided unlimited data I would have seriously considered getting an iPhone and canceling my DSL and just using an iPhone for my internet connection.
Not sure how much data I use per month. Including game demos (which tend to be 500MB-1.5GB range) it's probably around 10GB/month but that's just a random guess...
Not sure how much data I use per month. Including game demos (which tend to be 500MB-1.5GB range) it's probably around 10GB/month but that's just a random guess...
I don't think its that hard for AT&T to determine if you are using this or a similiar app. One request through your phones data plan with a non-safari/iphone browser header (Firefox, IE etc...) or something as simple as a program using the connection to look for an update and AT&T will know you are using the connection on a computer. This is why I laugh at people jailbreaking their iPhones, at any time AT&T can find out and take whatever action they want.
D@MN!!!!
That's what I get for not checking MR last night
So what's the likelihood that Apple will let it back on? I mean as smart phone tethering goes right now it's "on your honor" to pay the $30 if you use it that way. Most people who just use it while on vacation or something like that don't pay the $30 (in fact, I'd guess that none of the people who use it on vacation pay for it). Of course AT&T might require you to pony up to $30 if you get this app but that would total and complete crap.
I wish I would have downloaded it
Last I checked getting tethering raised the data plan from $30 to $60 for AT&T Blackberries.
Regarding the paying more, I assume it's because they think you're going to use a LOT more data if you're using it with a computer as an actual internet connection than if you're just looking up random stuff on the net on an iphone or getting email or whatever.