Comments on: Droid Tethering Details — Double-Down of Price and Bandwidth

By: dev

dev — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:01:53 +0000

“Fair point, but there’s another reason it’s making the rounds: Android phones on Sprint officially don’t do tethering and apparently never will. That could sway some decisions…”

I agree on that point, but I was referring more to the fact that everyone is making it out to sound like droid users are getting price gouged when in truth they are getting the standard Verizon service – which is why people wanted android phones on Verizon to begin with. Shouldn’t this be considered a good thing?

Considering that Google’s services on android are within shooting distance of push services like BES and Exchange, I’m surprised they didn’t ask Droid users to get the higher cost base data plan, so in reality to me it seems like Droid users get a pretty good deal (for Verizon).

Oh, and yes, I’m planning to pick up a Droid this week, today at the local store if they come in. :)

By: Nate

Nate — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:45:52 +0000

I’m a little surprised that tethering has been an issue at all. As far as I know, Verizon doesn’t sell a single 3G phone (dumb or smart) that’s incapable of tethering.

People are way too conditioned to the iPhone’s rules of engagement. Things like tethering and video recording were never asked about before the iPhone because they were expected. I really appreciate what the iPhone has done for phones, but it’s really lowered the bar in some areas.

By: Kevin C. Tofel

Kevin C. Tofel — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:40:04 +0000

“This news is actually the same as Verizon’s existing plans, but because of the Droid’s attention the blogs have been making a fuss of it.”

Fair point, but there’s another reason it’s making the rounds: Android phones on Sprint officially don’t do tethering and apparently never will. That could sway some decisions…

By: dev

dev — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:14:42 +0000

It is indeed a feature, it’s called Broadband Access Connect. You can get the feature with any phone, be it a normal handset, blackberry, or smartphone, and the total data cost always comes out to the same (for a normal phones it’s $60, for BES users with the more expensive data plan it’s $15…). I believe the idea is that laptop data plan should cost the same regardless of the way you connect.

This news is actually the same as Verizon’s existing plans, but because of the Droid’s attention the blogs have been making a fuss of it.

And yes, as a feature you can add or remove it at any time, I did this last year when I went to San Francisco with my normal handset, and used it as a bluetooth modem for my UMPC when treking around town.