One feature sadly missing from the G1 Android phone was the ability to tether a laptop and use the phone’s data connection. Luckily, the Android community take this kind of thing as a challen.
It is now possible to tether the phone - although it might be more effort than you are willing to go to.
As it stands, the app will require some fiddling with the phone’s settings to allow non-Google-approved apps to run, enabling USB debugging, plus installing the Android development kit on the PC you wish to tether. There may also be a short ritual involving a pentagram and 4cc of mouse blood.
It’s a faff, but it does work - and if you need to tether, it may be worth the effort. Now the principle is out there, of course, things should get easier. Anyone want to guess if this will be the first Killswitched Anfdrod app?
I’m struggling to see who this might be aimed at - perhaps if you are either a) facilities manager for a small office where the chief business is testing loads of different phones or b) one of the parents of the Walton Sextuplets - who, unbeknownst to the media, have each decided they like a different brand of mobile phone - and want a really cheap joint Xmas pressie on account of having blown all your cash on nappies back in the Eighties.
If either of these apply to you, check out the new USB Multi-Cellular phone charger from random gadget specialists Brando.
The little hedgehog-like charger has connectors for most (all, surely?) phones and will set you back a mere $18. It comes with a travel bag although, again, who would want or need to take this on holiday with them?
Well, not exactly give away. Orange will be bundling the Eee PC with high-end contracts for its USB dongles.
The Asus Eee range are tiny - like slim hardback books, and light as a feather - perhaps a little too small and underpowered for use as your main computer, but excellent for using on the move for web browsing or light wordprocessing.
Orange plan to provide an Eee 900 (16GB SSD drive, 1GB RAM, Linux or Windows XP) with their 24 month USB dongle contracts .
The contract comes with 3GB/month data usage(which should be enough at dongle speeds) and 300 texts that can be sent from an app on the laptop.
All of our mobile phones will one day have a lot more in common than they do currently. Or rather they will all have two things in common at the very least.
Earlier this week we got wind of plans for the creation of a standard memory card format for mobile devices and now we have just heard that there is an internal industry push for a standard mobile charger socket too.
In the wake of an industry consultation, the Open Mobile Terminal Platform (OMTP) has drafted a recommendation paper to help set the ball rolling towards securing USB as the standard socket for all chargers on mobile devices. How many times have you found yourself asking desperately “Do you have a charger for an (insert brand) phone�
Us too, which is why we think this is a great idea that simply can’t come soon enough.
