3:37 PM
Anonymous
What is Tethering ???
Tethering enables you to go online from your laptop or PDA using your cell phone as a modem.
Google is disabling access to tethering applications in the Android Market at the request of wireless carriers AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon.
Wireless carriers aren’t fans of these unofficial tethering apps because they allow subscribers to turn their Android devices into Internet hotspots without incurring additional monthly fees.
Without those Android applications, the majority of wireless subscribers will be forced to spend upwards of $40 per month for the ability to tether or risk compromising the security of their device (to some degree) by running (sideloading) an app found outside of the official Android Market.
The reaction by carriers to block unofficial tethering is more or less expected, since it lowers the potential revenue brought in by subscribers and adds stress to already insufficient wireless networks. However, Google’s willingness to assist the major carriers is more than a little surprising.
The search engine giant has long since touted its Android OS as superior to other mobile operating systems because of its openness. So, disabling access to any application for any reason seems contradictory, except for cases of malicious intent.
Technically speaking, Google didn’t remove the tethering apps, which can still be pulled up in the Android Market. It just made them unavailable for the vast majority of people using the Android platform. T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon subscribers that attempt to download a tethering apps are met with a gray, disabled link and a prompt that reads “This item is not available on your carrier” — which is pretty much the same as having it removed outright.
Posted in: Android
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