Tether For Android Now Available

by Jason Norment Nov 11, 2010 7:04 PM – 10 Comments

The infamous Blackberry app called Tether that allowed BB users to use their data connection with their laptops has now been launched for Android. According to the information I received, it should also be searchable in the market although I have been unable to find it so far. Another way to download the app is through their website. You’re given a free 7-day trial with an introductory price of $24.95. Be quick, this price only lasts for one week starting today!

You can download Tether for Android by going to this link: http://tether.com/a/tether.apk
* Make sure you have USB Debugging enabled before trying to install this app

Tether claims through testing that they are 50-75% faster than the competition. Wanna see for yourself? Check out their video below.

If you try out the 7-day trial and like the app, you can buy the registration codes here.

Let us know what you think of Tether for Android!

Developer: Tether

Tags: Android App, Android Tethering, Tethering, USB Tethering

Categorised in: Announcements, News

10 Comments

By will on November 11, 2010 at 7:48 pm:

why would you ever pay for this when its built into Froyo?

Reply
- By Jason Norment on November 11, 2010 at 7:51 pm:
  
  Not all devices currently run Froyo. I’m curious to see how well it actually performs with real-world use.
  
  Reply
By loafer on November 11, 2010 at 8:30 pm:

Small but important typo.

“Your given a free 7-day trial” => “You’re…”

Reply
- By Jason Norment on November 11, 2010 at 8:36 pm:
  
  Fixed. Thanks for the catch!
  
  Reply
By TheGeek on November 11, 2010 at 10:00 pm:

Also you don’t have to root your phone and load a custom ROM to open the native tethering options. App is a bit pricey, but to get around Verizon’s $30 a month tethering charge without rooting your phone its worth it, especially for non-geeks.

Reply
- By Jason Norment on November 11, 2010 at 10:44 pm:
  
  The trick here is to be aware of your usage. Using an app like Tether may be a breach of contract and if your carrier finds out could cost you more than what it was worth.
  
  Reply
  - By TheGeek on November 12, 2010 at 10:19 am:
    
    Yeah, Tether has to be able to track your usage to be worth it. However, its very unlikely the carrier is able to find out your tethering because your phone is acting like a NAT gateway if i’m not mistaken.
    
    Ive rooted and put a custom ROM on my Eris and I have been tethering for months, and I have yet to get a nasty phone call or threatening letter. Tether can be used on an unrooted phone (I bet it has something to do with enabling USB debugging, somehow sending data through that function) so unless a stock phone has some sort of “report home if naughty customer is tethering” feature, it should be mostly safe.
    
    Also, since Tether apparently uses some custom transport method through USB debugging, this app would be difficult to block. You can’t disable USB debugging on a OTA update without getting rid of some really nice debugging functions for fixing phones. And if they don’t include tether in the market, it can be side-loaded. Tether may have a winner here.
    
    Reply
By Lobotomik on November 12, 2010 at 3:33 am:

EXTREMELY expensive for any mobile phone app in any platform, and particularly for one that provides functionality that comes for free in Froyo and surely beyond.

I know it cannot be cheap to recover development costs when the market for this program is small; however, it will be made far smaller by the fact that it costs more than most people will pay for a phone that does not run Froyo! And development must not be too difficult when you can rip the code from Froyo and port it back.

Reply
- By TheGeek on November 12, 2010 at 7:46 pm:
  
  The problem is the carriers. Most phones tethering won’t even work because the carriers custom version of Android strips out those features so they can force people to pay for them. Tether gives non-rooting people a reliable method of tethering your phone to your computer, no matter what version or what phone you have. I agree its very expensive for an app, but it pays for itself within a month or two (Verizon’s tethering charge is $30 a month).
  
  My only worry is that carriers get wind of this app and somehow block it with OTA updates or something. Not likely, but if I paid $29.99 for an app and my carrier blocks it, I’d be upset. I’d really like to see some guarantee from Tether that they would make workarounds for any carrier blocking.
  
  Reply
By Chris on November 12, 2010 at 7:20 am:

EasyTether and PDANet have been in Android Market for many months.

Reply