Verizon Nuked Froyo's Hotspot, Built-In Tethering

[eddieroolz]

I'm sure it has the hardware for tethering.

 

[thenetavenger]

@bison88

This is what happens when basically two carriers control 99% of the coverage. The Verizon/Alltel and various other mergers should never have been allowed.

If you work and travel, you can't even depend on ATT because of the horrid non-3G data service you hit when you get 5 miles outside of any city.

So for people like myself, Verizon is the only carrier that offers 3G in enough remote areas and they know this and as long as they keep in collusion with ATT, the prices will get worse, and data restrictions will continue to grow as their networks struggle to handle the data.

 

[p3t3or]

I was considering getting the Droid with Verizon come February when my iPhone contact ends, because my girlfriend just got one, but EVO for sure.

 

[Guest]

Funny, I'm on verizon and use wifi hotspot and usb tethering with my omnia. Of course I had to install a rom to use it and went from WM6.1 to WM6.5 all on my regular data plan, no extra charge.

 

[mr_tuel]

Hell will freeze over before telco companies actually stop pulling this kind of crap-ola. At least we've got dedicated hackers and programmers who develop these root-kits and what-not that allow us to take back some control on OUR devices.

 

[Guest]

Sorry to hear about your issues Droid guys and gals. I have an iPhone 4 with the Flash light app that has the easter egg that allows tethering and it works perfectly. I also have the unlimited AT&T plan as I upgraded from the 3G, which means that I don't pay extra for tethering. I know this is not the norm, but I am only commenting to say that it doesn't matter which network you are on, they will shaft you somehow, some way, and that the idea of freedom is an illusion.

 

[icepick314]

Apple did same thing with iPhone's bluetooth and copy/cut/paste function and yet people did nothing...

at most, people will complain but won't do anything to reverse Verizon's decision....

 

[Guest]

Sad to hear that Verizon is back to their old habit of disabling features only so they can charge extra for them. With my old Motorola W385 phone, they disabled the cable outlet so that the only way to transfer photos from the phone to a computer was by E-MAIL, for which they charged 25¢ per photo. (I went out and bought a real camera, never used the one in the phone.) What a bunch of greedy cheapskates.

 

[Arethel]

I've been tethering on my WinMo phone since I got it over a year ago, and I'm still only paying $20/mo for the data with ATT...

I just got a call a few weeks ago from my old company asking me how to do what I do with my phone. Apparently they're rolling out Verizon Android phones there, lol.

My friend with a Nexus One says that he can tether just fine on T-Mobile. I haven't seen it with my own eyes, but I don't see why he can't.

Solution: Just spend the extra money and get yourself an unlocked phone and grandfather it into your account and you're all set. I've been doing it for years and I've been called crazy on numerous occasions, but these same people that call me crazy are now asking me for help, lol. I can't help but laugh and say sorry, can't help you.

 

[Arethel]

It made sense in the past, but now a days I can never understand how people can stay loyal to a particular brand. I can understand preferring to stick with a company you may like, but not to the level of some people (you all know the type I'm referring to) that blindly cannot accept the fact that they're getting fleeced.

That being said, it boggles my mind even more how people can be so blind when it comes to cell phone carriers. I read the comments of ATT bashing and praising of Verizon and I think to myself, Verizon is no better. Tiered pricing on ATT based on usage... just wait until everyone moves to Verizon and their network gets clogged...

I think the best thing anyone can do when it comes to things like this is to just use what works for them. I use ATT. I don't people to use ATT or try to convince them that ATT is better because it's not. It works perfectly for me. Everywhere I go I have a strong signal but that's just my own luck. I stay with ATT because I can grandfather phones onto my cheap plan and do whatever I please with my phones.

If Verizon had a tower near my house, I may have never switched. Since I never buy into contracts, if ATT suddenly does something stupid, I just move. The beauty of not getting a carrier phone though, is not only the freedom to do whatever you want, but also the fact that they can't push any updates onto your phone.

 

[LordConrad]

Verizon supports the Mobile Hotspot feature on my Palm Pre. Are they actually trying to convince people that the Droid X is not as advanced as the Palm Pre????

 

[bourgeoisdude]

Regardless of my thumb rating, this just has to be said:

You guys that are complaining about this sound like a bunch of spoiled kids. Verizon's network (or ANY network for that matter) CANNOT support that kind of bandwidth that tethering adds to it's network for free. NO amount of complaining, arguing, badmouthing Verizon, or temper-tantrums will change that.

This move should come as no surprise to anyone who follows this kind of stuff. Yes, Verizon wants to make more money off of tethering (like every other cell phone service), but the main reason they can't add tethering is because it would utterly destroy their network if everyone could do it. When people have to pay extra for it, not nearly as many will use it.

 

[wmartindale]

WOW. I've been using the android-dev wired-tether for a while now. Its so darn easy, a 90 year old could do it. (I use it on my Win 7 laptop). Literally plug and play, all native software, no add on software to the computer.

 

[c0r3f1ght3r]

this is so dumb, my friggin G1 can tether... I know for a fact the droid can, and thats why I stick with CFW.

 

[Guest]

Thats why i root my phone. I have been using mobile hotspot and usb tethering for months. At no extra charge at all.

 

[orionantares]

A few things that people are whining about that are a bit off. First of all to some of the people confused about phone models, this is the original Driod NOT the Droid X. It's very possible that it doesn't have a sofisticated enough WiFi transmitter to run as a Hotspot.

Tether's application, if it's anything like their blackberry application will probably run wirelessly through the bluetooth, not the WiFi.

As for USB tether, neither Verizon nor Motorola probably wanted to spend development on the application that would be required PC side for an older model device.

 

[tayb]

Friday at the least? Sorry but I couldn't go on after that. If you don't care enough about journalistic credibility to proofread your own article and catch such silly/simple to find errors then I can't trust your article to be made of anything but nonsense.

Next time read your article out loud to yourself and you won't look like such a fool.

 

[matt87_50]

this is why... as much as I hate Apple, I consider them saints next to the evil ****ing telcos!! they are the single reason I haven't yet got one of these awesome phones, and am still using a dumbphone on prepaid... if it were up to me, I wouldn't have one at all!

they are the worst businesses in the world!

 

[bhaberle]

This is why you should go to Sprint. =P

 

[Guest]

In the Market, the app Wireless Tether works flawlessly...unless Verizon has changed things...it does require root however.