News
Apple posts, pulls iPhone tethering app from App Store
By Charles Starrett
Senior Editor, iLounge
Published: Friday, August 1, 2008
News Category: iPhone Applications
NetShare, a new iPhone application that allows users to share their phone’s cellular internet connection with their computers, was posted to and then pulled from the App Store last evening. Developed by Nullriver Software, which recently released its Tuner Internet Radio application, NetShare uses a SOCKS5 proxy connection to enable sharing of the iPhone’s internet over Wi-Fi, which could potentially lead to greater data usage than with the iPhone alone, and therefore might incur higher data rates common with laptop data solutions. The application sold for $9.99 before being pulled from the store; neither Apple nor the developer have yet to explain why the app was pulled.
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1
I was lucky enough to buy and download the app. It works as expected. Still don’t understand how this got through the approval process.
Posted by Adam on August 1, 2008 at 6:36 AM (PDT)
2
That would have made the $30 for the AT&T;data plan a steal. Let’s hope it comes back, but I won’t hold my breath.
Posted by RIP on August 1, 2008 at 6:37 AM (PDT)
3
contact me about sending me that app?
Posted by sshafer on August 1, 2008 at 7:13 AM (PDT)
4
I don’t know about making the $30 deal a steal. I pay $15/month extra for a phone-only EVDO data plan on my Samsung M610 (a standard, “non-smart” flip phone) at Sprint and can readily tether it via Bluetooth or cable without any extra charges. It’s not officially allowed, but flipping the bit that instructs the phone to “tattle on you” when you tether is very easy from the diagnostic menu.
Posted by David on August 1, 2008 at 7:41 AM (PDT)
5
David wrote:
I don’t know about making the $30 deal a steal… It’s not officially allowed,
The ‘not officially allowed’ bit is what makes it a steal, figuratively & literally. Particularly when the only officially allowed method for a laptop internet is a $60 / month contract minimum.
Posted by jmain on August 1, 2008 at 8:09 AM (PDT)
6
Darn, I wish I would have caught this before it as pulled.
Posted by Ryan on August 1, 2008 at 11:17 AM (PDT)
7
This betrays an absurdly US-centric view, from Apple and possibly also from nullriver. Here in Australia 3G data for laptops is available more cheaply than 3G data for cellphones. Tethering is not restricted by any telco here (they all support unlocking too, though usually for a fee).
So this should be available in the Australian iTunes app store, at least. As far as I can see it wasn’t even offered here. There are a *lot* of apps, even free ones that are not available in the Australian app store, I assume because of oversight by the developers. In order to download most apps I use a fake US iTunes account with no credit card attached, which means I can’t actually buy a lot of the stuff on the store.
Posted by Viveka Weiley on August 3, 2008 at 7:44 PM (PDT)
8
@Viveka
I wholeheartedly agree with you that all apps should be available on all iTunes stores and that this app should be made available in those countries that allow tethering. I, for one, am very tired of seeing apps available to the U.S. but not elsewhere however, I suppose that we (here in Europe) should not complain to much as we tend to get new technologies well before those in the U.S. Many of the bigger companies (take EA as an example) have European distributers and an app released by EA in the U.S. must be released by its distributer in Europe which means that we get that specific app later.
I would really like to see 1 iTunes store that the same for everyone. The only difference should be the language interface used but not the content.
Posted by Skrat on August 4, 2008 at 9:16 AM (PDT)