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All posts tagged "tethering"


Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Mobile Hotspot Capability In Mango 7720.68

Posted by Richard Chao in "Windows Phone Software" @ 04:57 PM

http://www.wpcentral.com/mango-offi...tm_campaign=Fee

"Looks like Mango still has a few hidden surprises. As you can see to the right, that's an official instantiation of Internet Sharing on a Samsung Focus running Mango."

Good news for those of you who depend on your mobile phone as a hotspot when on the go. Mango 7720.68 is showing signs that hints at mobile hotspot capability in a future release of WP7.5. Of course whether this feature ultimately makes it to your phone or not will most likely be up to your carrier.


Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Telus Now Offering No Cost Phone + Tablet Data Sharing Plans for Android and RIM Tablets

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Windows Phone News" @ 08:00 PM

http://www.telusmobility.com/en/AB/...P=HomeBANC2data

My fellow Canadians, take note: Telus has dropped the gauntlet on the other wireless carriers in Canada by offering a new no-cost data sharing plan between your phone and your tablet. Let me repeat that: no cost to share the data plan. This is a big deal, because traditionally the carriers have added a fee to allow this functionality. There's a catch though: this Telus plan only works with Android and RIM tablets because it apparently relies upon tethering instead of a direct network connection.

This was, previously, a very expensive proposition - iPhoneinCanada.ca has a great post on this topic from two months ago: as of February 2011, Rogers was charging customers an extra $30 per month if they wanted to share their 6 GB data plan with another device. This is a network-level data share, so it applies to iPad 3G's for instance and isn't exactly the same as tethered sharing, but the concept is the same: two devices sharing a pool of data. $30 per month extra on top of the $30 or so that the customer is already paying for the 6 GB plan. Ouch. That's some mighty expensive data sharing!

I hope that Telus' move here places pressure on Rogers and Bell to re-position their sharing plans and pricing. And, I might note, it makes me long for the day when Windows Phone 7 allows for either Bluetooth tethering sharing or, better yet, full-fledged WiFi hotspot functionality. When I'm out with my WiFi iPad 2, I can only stare at my Windows Phone 7 with disdain and think "You know, I could do this sort of thing with Windows Mobile 6.5...".

UPDATE: It looks like the parallels I was trying to draw were inaccurate; Rogers has allowed no-charge tethering on all data plans over 1 GB, and tethering is a different scenario than a directly connected tablet with a SIM card. Apologies for the confusion!


Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Tethering On WP7

Posted by Nurhisham Hussein in "HTC Windows Phones" @ 08:30 PM

http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/26/...devices-dell-v/

"Cutting through the back and forth surrounding Windows Phone 7 tethering are two new hacks, with one being markedly easier than the other to implement."

Yes, it's possible - but currently only for unlocked HTC devices and the Dell Venue Pro, and only over USB. Sweet! Especially since my carrier doesn't have any restrictions on tethering...for now.


Thursday, November 11, 2010

Tethering Now Possible With a Samsung Focus

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Samsung Windows Phones" @ 11:09 AM

http://mobilitydigest.com/windows-p...-now-heres-how/

"Just minutes ago I posted about the possibility of tethering on Windows Phone and BAM I'm tethered! Patrick (from MobilityDigest as well as Xbox 360 Digest to name a few) gave me the login and password for AT&T tethering and once I put them in I was connected using my Focus and my laptop was on the web! And not just that, it's pretty easy. Note that for now this method only works for Samsung devices because you need to get into Diagnosis and we only know how to do this for Samsung. Nonetheless, the OS can tether so it's just a matter of time."

Not exactly a simple process, but if you really need tethering and have a Samsung Focus, well, now you can do it! Although if you really needed tethering you probably wouldn't have purchased a Windows Phone 7 devices, right? The good news is that we now know the OS is capable of it - it's just a matter of it being enabled by Microsoft and the wireless carriers.


Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Windows Phone 7: No Tethering at Start

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Windows Phone News" @ 01:00 PM

http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2010...ther-after-all/

The headline says it all folks. A couple of weeks ago the question about tethering was up in the air, but it seems this is another casualty of Microsoft starting over from scratch: they haven't enabled tethering functionality in Windows Phone 7. Here's where it gets a bit confusing though: when a guy like Bradon Watson, a Director on Windows Phone 7, says the OS can do tethering, you'd think he'd know what he's talking about. So is this feature ready to go, but no carriers are going to allow it, and Microsoft is playing the role of a good partner by saying it doesn't support it? I don't know Watson, but I'd be shocked if he got such a core detail about the OS wrong. My hunch is that Windows Phone 7 can indeed do tethering, but no carrier wants to enable it right out of the gate. When the final devices ship, I'm sure some enterprising code-spelunker will get to the bottom of this.

Does this announcement change your desire to purchase a Windows Phone 7 device?


Friday, September 17, 2010

Will Windows Phone 7 Have Tethering at No Extra Charge? Maybe, Maybe Not...

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Windows Phone Talk" @ 10:38 AM

http://www.wmexperts.com/usb-tether...rts+(WMExperts)

It's your classic "Tweet & Delete": a fellow named Richard Dudley tweeted that all Windows Phone 7 devices would have tethering - as in, connect to your laptop and get Internet access via your phone - at no extra charge. Then he said his statement was a mix-up, and deleted all the evidence of his statements. I'd rather see retractions/corrections on Twitter rather than deletions, but the way Twitter is constructed right now, you can't attach a correction to a previously made Tweet.

At any rate, the issue of tethering is an interesting one. I've always liked the fact that I could tether my phone to my laptop or netbook when I needed a connection, but with WiFi available in so many places, I probably only use it half a dozen times a year at most. What about you? How important is tethering to you on your phone, and how often do you use it?


Tuesday, April 27, 2010

WMWifiRouter 2.0 Released; Now in Windows Mobile Marketplace

Posted by Jon Westfall in "Windows Phone Software" @ 05:30 AM

http://global.wmwifirouter.com/news/item/19/

"This new version of WMWifiRouter brings many small improvements, enhancements, bug-fixes and device-specific stability improvements. We've picked a handful of the most noticeable changes from our changelogs...All languages have been updated... Massive amounts of code were added to ensure Wi-Fi stability on those devices with "sensitive" Wi-Fi drivers...On most of the devices WMWifiRouter is able to use Bluetooth with, multiple simultaneous Bluetooth clients are now supported... New Wi-Fi connections now pop up a notification with the details of the device that connected...Power management has been improved"

Back in August, I reviewed WMWifiRouter and today we see the release of their 2.0 upgrade. Along with the changes noted above, the software is now available in the Windows Mobile Marketplace and the 2.0 version is a free upgrade for those who own 1.x versions. Woohoo!


Thursday, August 13, 2009

Tether Easier With WMWifiRouter

Posted by Jon Westfall in "Pocket PC Software" @ 08:00 AM

Product Category: Utility Software
Manufacturer: Morose Media
Where to Buy: Company Website
Price: $29.99
System Requirements: Windows Mobile 5 AKU 3.3 or newer or Windows Mobile 6, Both a WiFi and a cellular data connection, an installed and working version of Internet Sharing, 15 MB of free device memory

Pros:

  • Easy to use;
  • Exceptional setup wizard;
  • Multiple connection options.

Cons:

  • A bit pricey;
  • Would love it to actively try to restore dropped data connection.

Summary: Tethering your handheld to your computer has come a long way from the days of strange connection strings, special cables, and slower than turtle speeds. WMWifiRouter provides a 1-click method for getting connected, but is it worth the price? Read on to find out! Read more...


Sunday, February 22, 2009

Microsoft: "Using Your Windows Mobile Phone for Laptop Internet Access"

Posted by Darius Wey in "Pocket PC Articles" @ 07:30 PM

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmob...net-access.mspx

"As ubiquitous as Wi-Fi networks are, they're not everywhere, and open Wi-Fi access points designated for public use are becoming more and more rare every day. You can pay to subscribe to Wi-Fi networks, but that can be expensive over time - as can buying latte after latte at your local coffee shop. The cellular networks will sell you a USB or ExpressCard-based wireless modem for anywhere Internet access, but they'll charge you an extra monthly fee (usually in the $50 realm) for the privilege of this service. There's a better way, and it involves using your Windows Mobile phone in a way you might not have considered before: as a wireless modem."

If you're new to tethering, check out this informative column on the Windows Mobile web site. It just happens to be written by our very own Jason Dunn, so if you have any queries or comments, feel free to fire them off in this thread and I'm sure our head honcho will attend to them, as always.


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