44 responses to “Droid Tethers”

1. 

   Karlis Jansons November 16th, 2009 at 06:45

   Thats pretty amazing.Apple might have to lift some of their programming restrictions because those just help make the Droid more unique. Lastly, how did the verizon 3 G network compare to normal broadband speeds?

2. 

   Chris Miller November 16th, 2009 at 08:45

   I believe that jailbroken iPhones can also achieve this (or could at one point) but that seems like much more work than what you have done. Pretty cool!

3. 

   admin November 16th, 2009 at 08:53

   Karlis – as I stated, speed was very usable, on the order of 2.4 Mbps. This is consistent with what others have reported. Chris – true, but have to Jail-fix your iPhone to do so which is 1) Illegal and 2) Beyond the skill set of many users and 3) Has a large FUD-factor for majority of iPhone users. Hank

4. 

   Zhiheng Liu November 16th, 2009 at 09:57

   Can’t you already do it on Windows Mobile with bluetooth?

   BTW, probably not a very good idea to use your cell (for anything) around the gas station… I read somewhere that the wave your phone generate to connect can get caught by the rust on steel/iron, which will generate tiny sparks that could eventually form an explosion.

5. 

   Xi Wu November 16th, 2009 at 09:59

   It seems quite convenient, but how can we always keep up with the development of new technology in such a high pace? If we are in somewhere with no computer net, how can we connect to the internet then? I’m confused.

6. 

   Chris Perry November 16th, 2009 at 10:28

   Is the Verizon data plan unlimited?I am still debating switching to them but i havent decided if the extra cost is worth it.

7. 

   Jim Smith November 16th, 2009 at 10:33

   Hank! Its been awhile!

   How do you like the droid vs the iPhone? We want iPhones, but don’t want att, verizon is bad enough…

   Its too bad Apple has been so protective of the iPhone. In the past Apple put the restrictions in place but never really enforced them. I used to have an ancient mac that I hacked to run OSX and the developer of the software I used was friendly with a bunch of Apple’s OSX devs. Even more recently with hackintoshes, so long as you don’t try to make money off selling them, which is reasonable.

   Jim

8. 

   Hank November 16th, 2009 at 10:50

   Chris – the data plan I have – extra $30, is unlimited. Total cost is on the order of $79+taxes etc., 450 minutes talk time, zero texting.

   Jim – good to see you’re still alive! The jury is still out on the two. It’s going to boil down to what floats your boat. If you’re an Apple fan-boy, answer is obvious. If you like to push the technology limits, also obvious. I’m still evaluating. Tomorrow’s blog will have iPhone stuff. Hank

9. 

   Zacheriah Ruggles November 16th, 2009 at 10:53

   That would be very handy in places with no internet connection, just have to have internet connection on phone and you are good to go.

10. 

    Nathan Ferguson November 16th, 2009 at 10:59

    Phones nowdays arent even being used to talk on anymore. They have so many things that you can do that it is unreal. This phone does seem pretty sweet though.

11. 

    Quentin Campbell November 16th, 2009 at 13:51

    It seems as if the phone my be replacing alot of the simple electronic items of the past. That pretty cool how you can do this with the droid. i’m thinking about ordering myself one.

12. 

    Christina Jacobs November 16th, 2009 at 13:53

    I use my phone’s internet for more than I ever thought I would, but now I see that there are even more possibilities. Maybe fewer for me since I have an iphone, but still knowing that there is enough power in this little device to run all that is amazing!

13. 

    Greg Forney November 16th, 2009 at 14:12

    Thats really cool.

14. 

    Erica Lied November 16th, 2009 at 14:46

    It’s so impressive that technology has come this far that you can have access to everything with no land based connection. I also think the droid phone sounds like a better version of the coveted iphone.

15. 

    Micajah Green November 16th, 2009 at 16:23

    I have friends who have used tethering for quite awhile; however, I don’t think they have had such good results! The more I am learning about the Droid, the more I want to have one. I think it is going to cause Apple some serious competition and that some changes to the iPhone may be coming!

16. 

    Leah Keough November 16th, 2009 at 16:37

    I currentely try to stay away from using the internet on my phone and paying the costs in result when I can just use my computer. For avid intenet users through the phone, this seems to be amazing yet somewhat complicated for some. There are constant transitions that are causing the phone to be more of an effective and used tool than the computer itself.

17. 

    Nick Brenneke November 16th, 2009 at 16:40

    The speed and coverage on Verizon’s 3G network is impressive. The fact that you can tether that connection already with the Droid is even more impressive. Apple has talked about tethering for the iPhone for quite a while now and hasn’t delivered. The Droid has a leg up in the development process because it is open source and runs on a Linux platform. I like what Verizon has done with developing the Droid as a competitor to the iPhone. While it might not be the ultimate “iPhone killer,” it offers so many features and a nice design. The Droid has the formula down (great development platform + plenty of features + good hardware + an excellent service provider).

18. 

    Brent McClean November 16th, 2009 at 18:15

    Great story. The droid has it’s merits

19. 

    Marisa Strupp November 16th, 2009 at 18:52

    This makes the Droid more and more appealing. I am really excited to get the Droid phone once my contract goes out. I did want the iPhone, but Verizon seems to have the upper hand here.

20. 

    Lyndsey S. November 16th, 2009 at 19:07

    You should try a Blackberry, they have done this for awhile now. My boyfriend’s actually provides a strong enough signal to play Halo on Xbox Live without any lagging. If you’re not familiar, it’s hard to even get most Comcast plans for the internet to do this. By the way, I’m also talking about a Blackberry from Sprint.

21. 

    Olivia Freeman November 16th, 2009 at 20:51

    All I have to say is thank goodness that I am under verizon!!!! Now they have even more pros to their name, not only do are they known for having an undeniably good network and service but a phone that seems to keep getting better and better!! WOOHOO! Thats amazing that a phone could supply internet to a home. I feel old.

22. 

    Katelyne Moody November 16th, 2009 at 22:10

    at this rate, next time i plug my phone into my computer a box will pop up saying, “new update for iphone..droid is kickin our ass!” lol

    :]

23. 

    Josh Johnson November 16th, 2009 at 22:12

    This makes the Droid even more appealing and I think I am going to pick it up at some point. Interesting Blog!

24. 

    Phillip Jenkins November 16th, 2009 at 22:13

    The iPhone ‘was’ able to do this. You could use it as a router via WiFi and also Bluetooth sync it to a Laptop so you could supply it with internet. Apple removed this but jailbroken phones can still achieve it.

    And that whole 3G map from Verizon is only the 3G part, it doesn’t show the availability of cell phone towers. They are two different things.

25. 

    Zheng Wang November 16th, 2009 at 22:20

    I wonder whether one day cell phones can replace laptops, since cell phones are having more apps as computers do.

26. 

    Aaron Curtis November 16th, 2009 at 22:45

    This is very cool, but eventually one day some new phone will be an actual robot, where it can walk on its own, and have a mind of its own at this rate.

27. 

    Jenna York November 16th, 2009 at 23:17

    This is so awesome! I am really starting to consider swapping in my blackberry for the droid! free internet in airports- im hooked!

28. 

    Alex Conkright November 17th, 2009 at 00:23

    Yeah its cool that the technology exist to tether other products. The problem is that most service providers don’t have a network that can truly handle the proper bandwidth. At&t can barely handle the bandwidth necessary for iPhone users.

29. 

    Sree Harsha Uddandam November 17th, 2009 at 00:44

    This is a really cool stuff… the network of Verizon is also effective…phones are used for more than calling …bluetooth, wireless etc etc

30. 

    David Uhlenhake November 17th, 2009 at 01:44

    The Droid seems like a very cool phone that will make many users happy!

31. 

    Ankit Buti November 17th, 2009 at 10:25

    This really is an easy way to carry internet in the pocket all the time.

    I have seen this tethering technology in the very beginning stages on the Nokia Symbian Platform in the time before 3G and the era of GPRS, which was the first step to bring the internet to mobile phones. This now indeed has become was faster, convenient and customizable.

    I thing Droid will definitely take down iPhone in near future.

32. 

    Andrew Rodriguez November 17th, 2009 at 12:15

    This is not just the Droid that has this tethering capabilities. Several Windows-based smart phones have been able to do this. Regardless of the source, this is a really awesome feature. I was once driving with a cousin and she was literally surfing the net at 75 mph on the Interstate.

33. 

    Rohan Thakkar November 17th, 2009 at 12:25

    This is great, I have done this with my dads blackberry a few times when we are in the airport. Technology just keeps getting crazier and crazier

34. 

    Zack Saunders November 17th, 2009 at 12:26

    I like to see someone stepping up and challenging the iphone for the phone world supremacy.

35. 

    Brian Lee November 17th, 2009 at 12:46

    If apple let people do what they want with the iphone, then the iphone could really do almost anything. Tethering is just one of those things some other phones do that i wish i could do.

36. 

    Yi Li November 17th, 2009 at 22:01

    Nice application to allow people to access Internet wherever and whenever they want.

37. 

    Eugene November 18th, 2009 at 20:14

    I know we say this all the time, but it’s really mind boggling how fast mobile phone technology is moving…and open software development is opening up a new technological era…the era in which the tech companies just make robust platforms, and users just create the programs and apps that are useful to them…am not sure but I think apple started this with their I phone, and its catching on fast.

38. 

    Chris Cookley November 19th, 2009 at 09:41

    I think with the Droid, Verizon finally offers a really desirable phone. I have the Verizon network but I never really liked their phones. It’s pretty cool that you can tether to the Droid. That definitely shows the tip of the ice berg that is available to make the Droid better then the iPhone.

39. 

    Sung Jae November 19th, 2009 at 11:46

    This Droid tethering is very innovative idea. I personally had a tethering USB but it wasn’t a phone. I had to connect it to the computer, which i had my personal number i could use to text. I think there were similar tethering not only for motorola but also other phones too. However, i never seen a i phone tethering work. The cool thing is tethering internet is much faster than we expect. We can use it anywhere. But i remember i had to pay lots of money to use tethering.

40. 

    Theresa Reinhart November 19th, 2009 at 13:14

    I didn’t know that this was possible. The new technology that is being created is incredible and I am excited to get my hands on the new and upcoming gadgets!

41. 

    Shawn Tomlinson November 19th, 2009 at 13:35

    I think that apple even though it has established a very sound and firm clientel base and has network effects in full swing could be in for a fight with Droid’s capabilities.

42. 

    Kyle Chen November 19th, 2009 at 15:18

    Verizon claim to have the no. 1 3G network in America, lets see how it holds up once everyone start tethering!

43. 

    Kevin B. November 19th, 2009 at 18:02

    That is an awesome plan and the fact that you can use your Droid as a modem is crazy. Technology just amazes me these days.

44. 

    Amber Illig November 24th, 2009 at 01:51

    Tethering with a phone such as the Droid seems like it would make life a lot more convenient. Using a phone as a modem for another device would solve a lot of problems. Surprisingly in this day in age, there are still problems with wireless service almost everywhere I go. Nothing seems dependable, and it would be nice to have a back-up.