this tethering, paying extra money for extra data when i'm not using my full data, is bogus. so i dropped my cell/data plan.
i carry a mifi, use line2 and don't plan on going back.
unlimited calls to us and canada, unlimited texting and can use the mifi on all my devices.
line2 has been rock solid, good voice (granted, i'm not the best judge of that being deaf in one ear and not hearing that well in the other). no delays when talking as with some other voips i've tried.
Verizon has pushed an over-the-air (OTA) update to the HTC Thunderbolt that disables the hotspot feature previously capable on the phones. Big Red had been providing tethering, the ability to use the phone as a connection to the web via tethering over Wi-Fi, free as part of a special promotion. The freebie has ended and Verizon’s update to the Thunderbolt disables the hotspot capability that is integrated in Android.
You shouldn’t be surprised, I warned that the tethering police were coming when AT&T started notifying customers it detected using phones as hotspots without subscribing to the paid service that they would start being charged. I sounded the warning gong again when Verizon made Google remove tethering apps from the Android Market, as they facilitated free hotspot usage. The current move by Verizon to alter the smartphone software to disable unpaid hotspot use is simply the next step in the program for all U. S. carriers to get serious about making customers pay up or shut down the tethering.
This move by Big Red follows the ending of unlimited smartphone data plans for new customers. It paves the way to get all smartphone owners paying for a certain amount of data usage each month, while tacking on an extra fee for mobile hotspot service, commonly known as tethering. Verizon may be the first carrier to disable the ability to use Android’s integrated hotspot capability, but I can bet it won’t be the last After all, the carriers always know exactly where to find your smartphone, to an accuracy of a few feet.
Image credit: Flickr user OregonDOT
See related coverage:
- Verizon kisses unlimited data plans goodbye
- Could the secret to increasing battery life lie in changing the way devices use Wi-Fi?
- Bye, unlimited data plans from Verizon. Tiered plans and LTE hotspot fees confirmed to start July 7 [Updated]
- Germany considers banning wild Facebook parties
- Apple’s iOS zips past RIM as Blackberry product vacuum continues
