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I currently have a Palm Pre Plus thru Verizon (yes I know HP is dumping WebOS and no one else is wanting to buy it right now). I am leaning towards the Palm Pre 2 for only one reason. I get FREE unlimited WiFi Mobile HotSpot for any WebOS phone (normally $20/month). I am also grandfathered in for unlimited data for any phone I buy in the future thru Verizon. My question is if I switch to an Android or iPhone is there a free app for Tethering/HotSpot without making monthly payments?This would be the main internet connection for my laptop for the next 6 months. I'm really getting the bug for a new phone and I qualify for a new phone on Thanksgiving, so I'll probably pick one up on a Black Friday.Thanks in advance for any insight you can provide!

Yes, but you'll have to root your phone. It's not usually hard to do (varies by model), but some folks just aren't comfortable doing it. Without rooting your phone, you can get some apps that tether through USB instead of WiFi, though I haven't tried those.Tethering aside, it is definitely worth it to upgrade to Android! I highly recommend you go that route.

Thanks! I will not root my phone. Tethering thru USB would be fine. It doesn't have to be WiFi. Does iPhone also have free tethering capability?

Not even *remotely* phone related: Brian, you're all ready for winter in October?! I know you're in Minn, but wow!Resume Smartphoning...

Quote, originally posted by jkm311 »Not even *remotely* phone related: Brian, you're all ready for winter in October?! I know you're in Minn, but wow!Resume Smartphoning... 29° this morning, so, yes, I am ready!!!

Woof. Stay warm, waiting outside on Black Friday for your next phone.

Quote, originally posted by jkm311 »Woof. Stay warm, waiting outside on Black Friday for your next phone. Screw that! I'll buy it online!!!

Quote, originally posted by BlueCrush »Thanks! I will not root my phone. Tethering thru USB would be fine. It doesn't have to be WiFi. Does iPhone also have free tethering capability?I would imagine that you can probably get something similar for iPhone, but I can't guarantee it.

Definitive answers:iPhone: None (except carrier dependent) without Jalbreak. Warranty void.Android: No free without root. Warranty void.iPhone w/Jalbreak: Last I checked, no FREE options, but a few inexpensive ones. I only have an iPad so these are of little use to me. I don't pay much attention.Android w/root: Depends on the phone, but where do you want to start? Myriad free options from apps to ROMS. A couple of really nice 1-time paid apps as well that do a serviceable job.It's also worth keeping in mind that there is no 4G capable iPhone. If this is going to be your only Internet access, you're probably not going to be very happy with 3G.

Quote, originally posted by millster »Definitive answers:Android: No free without root.That is definitively incorrect.I figured I'd go ahead and give the USB tethering without root a try, to let you know for sure if it works. It does. I'm submitting this post right now over that connection.Granted, this is a bit of a pain to set up and get working. Honestly, rooting the phone is a bit easier. It does work, however, and it does not alter anything on your phone or void warranties.Hope this helps! I'm going to go root my phone again now.

Have you figured out a definitive answer to this, BlueCrush? I'm a little late to this party so maybe you've talked to some people and figured out what is going on.I have an Android through US Cellular (HTC Merge) and it came with an app to turn the phone into a WiFi hotspot (free, no rooting necessary). USB tethering has also been an option; when I connect my phone to my computer I get prompted to select how I want it to connect -- charge only, USB tether, disk mode, and HTC Sync. I upgraded to Gingerbread and now I see an option to connect the phone to the internet through the computer's connection, though that has no relevance to the issue at hand.The WiFi hotspot would be cool to have in the car so that passengers could use their laptops to browse the net. I might be willing to pay up to $10 a month extra but $25 is pretty darn steep, especially considering the data plan already includes that amount of data usage (as far as I know). I don't see how I could possibly make use of the feature enough to warrant the additional charges. From what I've read, the WiFi hotspot tool works out of the box but when they catch you using it without the appropriate tethering plan, they'll likely cancel your account on the basis of fraud. This is a US Cellular issue so it has little relevance to what you're inquiring about. It feels good to rant, though. My dad was issued an iPhone through Verizon from his employer and was wondering about this, as well. He has a gift card and was considering the purchase of an iPad 2. He isn't interested in many Apple products but he wants to take advantage of the credit. He spoke of trying to tether the iPad with the iPhone instead of adding another data plan and spending hundreds more for the 3G model.Last I had heard, the guy on Apple support didn't think that it was possible that way but I would trust the word of a Verizon employee over the Apple guy. I'm not sure how his plan would work as far as extra costs for tethering go. I know that it is about $25 extra per month to enable tethering on my US Cellular line. Given what you mentioned in your original post, this doesn't sound like it will be an issue for you, though, since it seems to be taken care of.On an only slightly related note, I am a huge fan of the Android devices. I'm not very turned on by the iOS interface; it's too bubbly for my liking. I haven't had any issues with my phone (though I've only had it since July) and the feature set of Android is phenomenal. If you like tweaking and customizing software, there are so many cool things that you can do with the Android.The upgrade to Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) was easy to perform and added some sleek new interface tweaks and performance enhancements. I'm sure you would be happy with either the Android or the iPhone but you owe it to yourself to weigh your options. Smartphones have gotten to be extremely capable devices and the Android platform is definitely giving iOS a run for its money.

Thanks for the extra info Millster & LKS!! The more I find out, the more I am leaning towards just going with the PP2 and keeping my free hotspot & all my apps will transfer over as well.

Quote, originally posted by Chuck McKnight »That is definitively incorrect.I figured I'd go ahead and give the USB tethering without root a try, to let you know for sure if it works. It does. I'm submitting this post right now over that connection.Granted, this is a bit of a pain to set up and get working. Honestly, rooting the phone is a bit easier. It does work, however, and it does not alter anything on your phone or void warranties.Hope this helps! I'm going to go root my phone again now. I stand corrected. I have been rooted on my Droid Incredible (running either Cyanogen 7 or MIUI.US) for 2 years, my Galaxy Tab 10.1 for months and my iPad... well, my poor iPad was jailbroken the day I got it. The last research I did into non-rooted tethering was back when there were no free options. Only PDANet that you had to pay for.

Hey Brian, even later to the party... Hope you got that sorted. LKS, I'Ve also got an android phone through us cellular. Just a simple lg opyimus, but it's got built in USB tethering. Just a button in the settings... Used it for a month at the apartment until I was able to get the Internet hooked up. Brian, will you be on 3G or 4g? Gotta say after a while, 3G was a little pokey.

not sure on Verizon, however most of the HTC phones have HTC Sense that allows tethering. Wish I was there to help you out, bud! but I know for fact (and online ads confirm), we (Best Buy Mobile) will have some smoking Black Friday deals. You won't have to stand in line long either. Or doubtful you would imo.

I believe Verizon has some pretty tight reigns on their phones as far as tethering, navigation goes. Well, the Pre 2 is out of the game. Apparently I was told by two Verizon employees incorrect information regarding MHS. They do not offer it for free on the Pre 2 because the Pre 2 is not a Palm phone. It is an HP phone so it does not qualify. So tethering is no longer a factor in my decision.So phones currently in the running are all 4G LTE except for one:iPhone 4S (non-4G LTE)Samsung StratoshereHTC RezoundMotorola RazrSamsung Galaxy Nexus 2 (Dec 8th release)Droid 4 (Dec 8th release)

One thing that usually gets lost in the discussions is how much better it is to buy the best phone now, figure over the life of the contract you will paying out a couple grand.I would take the Stratosphere off your list, it's a mid-range phone at best. Seems like the Razr (or Droid 4 if you want the physical keyboard) or the Galaxy Nexus really are the two horses right now, while the Rezound has it's appeal as well.BTW, for good phone reviews, I will generally check out all of the following websites: Engadget, BGR, The Verge, and Phone Arena. All do very good writeups with plenty of photos, Phone Arena is probably the most consistent from review to review which helps, but the others go into more opinion and "feelings" which have their place as well.My upgrade comes due in December...I'm hoping to see a new Windows phone demoed at CES at least however. I'm running the Trophy and love it...but no tethering

Yea I'm free from ATT right now. My problem is I want a smart phone and would like to tether it (rarely) but it's stupid they want to charge me to to tether it every month whether I use it or no.

The way I see it is that cell carriers are like oil companies- nickel and diming the little guy for everything he's (or she's) got. the whole smartphone market only makes said problem worse on an ever increasing exponential scale. It's pretty sad that you actually have to try really hard to walk into a cell store to find a basic number pad phone without a contract. It just goes to show how much cell carriers feed on society's ever obsessive need to be continuously connected to the outside world. a greedy, but extremely successful business model.In any case, almost every smartphone with a tether/hotspot capability is restricted right at the phone, and not on the carrier side. In most cases, this means software as opposed to hardware. (good thing, but not a piece of cake to overcome, phone dependent)As others have mentioned, rooting or jailbreaking your phone is the most common and easiest method to obtain the free service. With android, this is particularly the best route to take since the OS is open source (aka you have freedom/complete control over your phone, NOT the carrier). Apple devices is are a no man's land when it comes to workarounds. the restrictions on Apple devices is far tighter than any phone or manufacturer that has ever existed. (apps must be apple approved, strict developer terms (and a $99 annual fee), NO customization of the device, etc. Jailbreaking effectively throws all of this in the trash, bringing it to an Android- equivalent level of freedom. However, mean mr. Software update is always there to throw you back into jail (monopoly references work wonderfully in explaining this). As dazzling as all apple products look, feel, and work, (even I like their aesthetics despite viewing them as inferior to android) and all of the "magical" things they can do, I'm not sold.In terms of free tethering with regards to the above product breakdown, eliminate the 4S right away. VZW wants 20/mo out of the gate (ultd. as well as tiered data) and iOS is configured to run according to account settings part of your bill/plan. (jailbreaking changes this entirely)Besides, if this is your somewhat primary Internet connection, do not "settle" for an Apple product that only is capable of 3G, despite their claims that new antennas make it equivalent to 4G speeds) as much as you want to stick to Palm, I would strongly advise against it for the sake of future-proofing yourself. If your stuck in a 2yr, you might as well get something that won't outdate immediately. (very difficult to avoid nowadays)Bottom-line: Get an Android (HTC, Motorola, you have choice here...)Android supports USB tethering out of the box. It is the WiFi hotspot that the carriers charge extra for. (Again, nothing rooting can't solve) If you get an Android you will quickly realize how much freedom (and support) your phone will have between the android market, forums, the net...everywhere. It will definitely be a worthwhile investment. Just be sure to analyze each phone's key features (camera, screen size, buttons) before you purchase.Also, for the record, iPhone has TERRIBLE battery life...mine included. I'd jump to android, but I have too many apple purchases, I'd be out a lot of money if I had to repurchase everything.Happy phone shopping, and holidays! My2c