So as many of you know, I went out and got the iPhone 3G. And on an earlier post I discussed whether or not the functions will be worth buying the new phone or not. Long story short, I got it anyways, and had been enjoying it, but wanted… more out of it.
Enter Netstat by Nullsoft. They released this program in the App Store on iTunes in order to tether (or share) your iPhone’s high(er) speed 3G network with your laptop via a wireless ad-hoc network. Perfect!! So, all those people stuck at airports, work, or coffee shops that don’t want to log into somebody else’s network can just use the iPhone’s web connection to give access to their laptop? YES!! Now the iPhone was looking totally worth it, since unlimited data is included in the plan, and similar “internet anywhere” plans for a laptop can go for about 60 dollars per month.
But then there was a problem. In a matter of hours after its release, NetStat was removed from the App Store by Apple. No explanation, just simply gone. Then, the following day, it was back up for another matter of hours before once again disappearing and never being seen again. So the lucky ones who bought it when it was up can use it, and get the internet on their laptops through their phone… but what about those who couldn’t buy it when they saw it?
Enter the jailbreak, or the ability to put third party and even cracked Apple software on the iPhone. Using this jailbreaking technique, users could theoretically jailbreak their phones, download a copy of the modified NetShare app from anywhere on the web (or use better 3rd party software not in the App Store), install it on their phones, and still use the internet as described above.
But there’s another problem. It appears that using this “tethering” technique is against ATT’s terms of service. The reason for this is because with other phones, such as the blackberry, ATT will charge an extra 30 dollars per month for this ability. This sucks.
My thoughts are this: ATT needs to stop being gay. If I already pay for “unlimited” data, why should they “limit” me, or make me pay again for “unlimited” data on a laptop (if they even offered tethering with iPhones)? It’s my data – what I decide to do with it, or how I decide to use it or view it is my prerogative.
And, unfortunately, I wasn’t quick enough to grab the NetShare App from the Apple store, so I’m out of luck, and won’t be able to use my phone’s internet on my laptop, both for this reason and for violating ATT’s terms of service. But, like I said, there’s workarounds to any problem, if one is willing to take those risks.
Slapbacks