Developer Group Cautioned on Pre Tethering

The developer group operating the Pre Dev Wiki was "cautioned" this weekend by Palm that any attempts or discussions about enabling Internet tethering on the Pre could cause Palm to "react" against the group. A note has been placed on the former tethering page that states:

We have been politely cautioned by Palm that any discussion of tethering during the Sprint exclusivity period (and perhaps beyond—we don't know yet) will probably cause Sprint to complain to Palm, and if that happened then Palm would be forced to react against the people running the IRC channel and this wiki.
We want to retain a good relationship with Palm, hence we are not allowing discussion of tethering on the IRC channel, or in this wiki.

Though it has already been shown to be possible, this decision effectively has placed tethering on hold from one of the larger, unofficial developer groups. There is nothing to stop this among other hackers or groups, though they may expect possible repercussions from Palm unless the information is somehow leaked out anonymously.

Sprint is currently the exclusive carrier for the Palm Pre and does not offer any service plans at the moment which allow for tethering. Unfortunately it is common in the US for carriers to remove features or cripple certain aspects of a Phone. A similar situation was seen on the Sprint Treo 650 and 700 series, though no overt action was ever taken by Palm or Sprint to quash these hacks.

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Networks cant handle it?

anika200 @ 6/15/2009 12:06:21 PM # Q
So I guess Sprint is in the same position as everyboby else, not enough bandwidth. I think att and sprint or any other cell carrier is going to do this. I speculate that there is currently some technological problem preventing the use of all cell phones in US as modems.
RE: Networks cant handle it?
anika200 @ 6/15/2009 12:08:47 PM # Q
I meant to say that No wireless will allow tethering on a huge scale.
RE: Networks cant handle it?
CFreymarc @ 6/15/2009 12:15:25 PM # Q
To say that the network can't handle it is bull.

There is not much difference between the laptop specific wireless broadband options (USB dongles, PCMCIA cards) and tethering a cell phone as far as carrier network load goes. The only difference is data rate plans and that is what this is all about.

Why manufacuters and carriers are fighting this is very short sighted. Eventually, we will all have wireless devices with T1 speed that will connect to many local devices via a secondary wired or local wireless link. Artifical barriers like this only keeps a company from growing.

Palm to say it will "react" is just them being jerked a carrier's business agreement. There are dozens of other wireless phone maufactuers that allow and encourage tethering. Get with the times guy!

RE: Networks cant handle it?
anika200 @ 6/15/2009 12:21:23 PM # Q
Get with the times guy!

Haha funny :) Anyway, since you seem informed what carrier in my area is allowing tethering Without some outrageous fee? I am in northeast near DC. I would love to see T1 mobile but you tell me what lazy us company is going to bring that before 2015.

RE: Networks cant handle it?
Gekko @ 6/15/2009 12:22:37 PM # Q

no they want to sell their wireless broadband plans.
RE: Networks cant handle it?
vetdoctor @ 6/15/2009 1:11:31 PM # Q
Up to now Sprint and others have put datacaps on their phones to prevent illegal tethering but with the Pre and other data intensive phones that would be difficult to do. People usinging ilegal hacks will be able to do so with greater impunity.
In short, I had always believed that the world involved magic: now I thought that perhaps it involved a magician.
- Chesterton
RE: Networks cant handle it?
CFreymarc @ 6/15/2009 11:55:14 PM # Q
QED
RE: Networks cant handle it?
sungeek @ 6/24/2009 10:02:24 PM # Q
I believe it can.

Many of us was using and doing this with the Treo before the pre.

But....

I emailed the president of Sprint a few days ago.

Seems he has a very large staff working on all complaints forwarded to him.

Any rate the lady was as helpful as she could be.

I mean dealing with people all day day after day with real problems and the many made up ones, it almost made me feel bad for her.


I had emailed and asked about fees I was being charged for still for tethering.

I thought I had a loop hole. I mean If I was still being charged....

They explained that the fees I was being charged was something else I was being mistakingly being charged for.

They did go back 1 1/2 years and credited me. WOW...

I asked if there was anything she could do about getting tethering back.

Since I had it via my Treo.


She and I was put in to palm support queue.

A nice Indian lady name Marsha???, go figure...

Anyrate I explained my problem and that I had been told by other sprint customer service that the phone didn't support tethering.

She explained that the phone ""did"" support tethering and that they were working allowing it to work.

But not now and no time line when it's coming...

But she stated it is coming...

So here is what I think.

I think This group of folks that handle the President email problems have a more direct line to the President of Sprint than some other at Sprint.

Email the President of Sprint and let him know that we want this service back on A.S.A.P.

The lady I spoke didn't know of the tethering problem.

She didn't realize that there was any problem with users going on about this....

Make it known to them...


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tethering

rodent @ 6/15/2009 5:01:05 PM # Q
You should have waited for Verizon to get the PRE and they'll have tethering
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