Tether your iPhone, wirelessly. Maybe. (updated with video)

We're not sure how this one got past Apple's App Store censors, but the clever kids at Nullriver have released what appears to be the first tethering solution for the iPhone. The $10 NetShare app is just a SOCKS proxy that links an ad-hoc WiFi network to the iPhone's 3G or EDGE connection -- and if we could get it to work, we'd probably think it was a fine, if hacky, solution to a major limitation of Steve's baby. As it stands, though, the instructions are pretty sparse, and while we can get the app to recognize a connection, we're not able to actually load anything. We're not sure how long this one's going to last -- anyone else willing to give it a shot before it gets yanked?

[Thanks, Zoli; Warning, link opens iTunes]

Update: Aaaaand it's offline. Shocking.

Update 2: We've added our own video hands-on after the break.

[pundit @ Jul 31st 2008 9:06PM]

Hopefully this works! Breakthrough!

[Muhammed @ Jul 31st 2008 9:25PM]

TUAW NOW!

[imacmatt09 @ Jul 31st 2008 9:57PM]

For anyone with a jail broken 2.0 iphone you can do this for free.

http://www.iphone-3g-forums.com/blog/2008/07/21/tether-iphone-3g/

[macserv @ Jul 31st 2008 10:18PM]

Can someone please find a way to do this the way Apple does in Mac OS X with Internet Sharing? All the complicated proxy stuff is so flaky and unfriendly, and limited to certain ports without even more configuration.

[macserv @ Jul 31st 2008 10:19PM]

Can someone please find a way to do this the way Apple does in Mac OS X with Internet Sharing? All the complicated proxy stuff is so flaky and unfriendly, and limited to certain ports without even more configuration.

[macserv @ Jul 31st 2008 10:19PM]

Can someone please find a way to do this the way Apple does in Mac OS X with Internet Sharing? All the complicated proxy stuff is so flaky and unfriendly, and limited to certain ports without even more configuration.

[macserv @ Jul 31st 2008 10:20PM]

Oh, for the love of GOD... I hate this comment system.

[Jeff @ Jul 31st 2008 10:22PM]

Asking 3 times does not make answers come 3 times faster.

[Nytrojen @ Jul 31st 2008 10:26PM]

Boy, I feel stupid for reading it three times now...

[pundit @ Jul 31st 2008 10:29PM]

This would be the reason why I dislike being the first to comment...

[El Taco @ Jul 31st 2008 10:39PM]

@macserv

no

[El Taco @ Jul 31st 2008 10:39PM]

@macserv

no

[El Taco @ Jul 31st 2008 10:39PM]

@macserv

no

[El Taco @ Jul 31st 2008 10:40PM]

3 questions = 3 answers. Only makes sense

[macserv @ Jul 31st 2008 10:44PM]

Very funny, Taco. I'm sure it could be done, and I'm willing to jailbreak for it. I wasn't expecting it to show up on the app store. Then again, *this* showed up, so...

[Hold McGroin @ Aug 1st 2008 11:24AM]

Yeah, no one has ever thought of this before....
http://www.wmwifirouter.com/

Except, like a year ago. Apple people are so dumb, you think anything on the iPhone is new to the cell phone world. Here's a tip, the only thing in the iPhone that other phones didn't have was the accelerometer, no wait, the N95 had it. And 3G has been around for 4 years now. So NOTHING about the iPhone is new, it's just dumbed down enough for the Apple crowd to appreciate now.

Anyway, don't get your hopes up. If you think the 3G radio eats battery, that and wifi together will put you around the 1-2 hour mark with just web browsing.

[MMisterio @ Jul 31st 2008 9:08PM]

pearvee

[pundit @ Jul 31st 2008 9:08PM]

The comment system seems buggy tonight...

Anyway, I hope this works and/or spawns the desire in Apple to increase functionality even just a little. They have many things right, but bluetooth and wireless tethering/synching are essentially non-existent.

[Shadyman @ Jul 31st 2008 9:44PM]

@pundit:
Buggier than any other night?

[Muhammed @ Aug 1st 2008 1:58AM]

@ shadyman

yes, it seems a problem with this comment system as a whole
I wish the comment system was AJAX friendly, and not to have to refresh the page multiple times just to see my comment...

[BluesK1d @ Aug 1st 2008 10:24AM]

They have absolutely no incentive to have this functionality. I can't belive people support this kind of strictly closed system. There is a full NAT router being developed for Android that isnt just a simple web proxy. Android ftw!

[Flashpoint @ Jul 31st 2008 9:09PM]

Paying $80 or more per month to have high speed data access on a cellular phone is a luxury.

If the iPhone3G came with data tethering so you could use it as a wifi adpter / cellular modem for laptops, it wouldn't have been so bad or felt so expensive.

[UnixSystemsEngineer @ Jul 31st 2008 10:27PM]

Yeah. Data is data. It's stupid that carriers are so pissy about this crap. They want it both ways -- they have no problem charging $80 a month for a cell data card, but if you try to do the same using a cell phone they whine that they don't expect laptop levels of usage from a phone.

They are the ones who are holding up ubiquitous data-enabled devices like digital cameras, etc, and spawning the growth of WiFi mesh networks, creating a market for WiMax, etc.

What they need to do is face facts, set a price point for 'all the data you can eat', and then enable services on a per-user basis, rather than per-device. Link the ESID of your camera, your phone, and your laptop all to one account.

[avester @ Aug 1st 2008 8:44AM]

I pay 15$ per month for 2 years, and I get 2 SIM cards with unlimited data @ 384k and USB modem, so I feel sad for your iDataplans.

[who? @ Jul 31st 2008 9:17PM]

REMOVED IN 3. 2. 1...

[who? @ Jul 31st 2008 9:45PM]

I WAS RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!

I
Knew
This
Would
Happen!!!!!!!!

http://www.macrumors.com/2008/07/31/nullriver-introduces-3g-edge-tethering-app-for-iphone/

Dang...

[Aaron @ Jul 31st 2008 9:48PM]

You called it. It's gone.

[Steve Gates @ Jul 31st 2008 10:05PM]

Its still showing up in the AppStore.

I'm viewing it in iTunes 7.7, not 7.7.1, if that means anything.

I have a hacktivated iPhone 1st gen though, so it doesn't matter to me.

[who? @ Jul 31st 2008 10:49PM]

@ Steve Gates

Yeah, we all know it is still listed, but if you click 'buy' it will tell you that it was removed. Made me cry a little.

Then I remembered I don't have an iPhone any more!

That made me cry more... *sniff*

[HOOPER @ Jul 31st 2008 11:35PM]

@who?

So you were thinking along these lines?:
"Yeah, I can't wait to get this cool app and then load it onto my iPho...OCRAP!"

[who? @ Aug 1st 2008 1:12AM]

@ HOOPER

Yeah, it couldn't be possible that I was buying it for someone else...

[Steve Childs @ Aug 1st 2008 8:41AM]

This is one reason I took my iPhone back, I needed a phone I can use to connect to the internet with through my laptop.

and until Apple provide this functionality, I will stay away from the iPhone.

and they say they're targeting corporates with the iPhone now! yeah right.

[Camperton @ Jul 31st 2008 9:19PM]

This may be a stupid thing to say but, just going by the screen shot, did you turn off wifi when you tried this... also if you are in Canada maybe it only works for Atnt.

Also, there's no mention of it on their website.

[Camperton @ Jul 31st 2008 9:22PM]

Shouldn't they have a disclaimer on the apps page like "using this app may violate your contract with your carrier" or something like that?

[Randy @ Aug 1st 2008 9:03AM]

The crux if this issue is why is this considered a violation? Data is Data, So what If i browse with my phone's browser or My Tethered laptop's browser? asside from the usage pattern what is the difference?

[Adam @ Jul 31st 2008 9:27PM]

Got this to work on my Mac. Safari can detect the network proxy settings, but Firefox will not go out not matter what proxy settings I use.

I agree though, don't know how this got through the approval process. It DOES work though!

[Tyler Ransom @ Jul 31st 2008 9:28PM]

Its already gone. DAMN!

[brendan @ Jul 31st 2008 9:36PM]

its still listed in the store

[brendan @ Jul 31st 2008 9:36PM]

ah wait, upon purchasing it says its no longer available. that was quick.

[Ryan @ Jul 31st 2008 9:48PM]

no worries. im sure the hacking community will check it out and if its real, a free alternative will be released soon.

[haX0r @ Jul 31st 2008 10:58PM]

BitTorrent Bro....

[Jonathan Beauregard @ Jul 31st 2008 9:29PM]

AT&T isn't ready for it yet. They probably don't have the capacity to handle this. This is a $200/month service not a ten buck app.

[reuvypoo @ Jul 31st 2008 9:48PM]

Not $200. Bit of an exaggeration. It should be $60 a month or less. More like $20 -$30 would be nice. If you already have the app, could Apple technically remove it from your iPhone?

[Anand D @ Jul 31st 2008 10:36PM]

$200 sounds like what AT&T would want to charge. Right now AT&T is not offering any 3G tethering or 3G laptop datacard with unlimited data - they cap it at 6 gig

[Ben @ Jul 31st 2008 11:04PM]

It's capped at 5 GB. I sell the stuff.

[Randy @ Aug 1st 2008 9:06AM]

We've been hearing this for years. When will they be ready?

[Fatima @ Jul 31st 2008 9:30PM]

AH NO!!! Missed it by seconds, typed the wrong password.

[JJV @ Aug 1st 2008 8:06AM]

To avoid future problems like this why dont you just give me your password, account name and credit card number =P

[peter @ Jul 31st 2008 9:31PM]

Its been pulled... I just got a message after trying to buy it: The item you just tried to buy is no longer available.

[Offtopic Man @ Jul 31st 2008 9:36PM]

No longer available, hope you got it before they took it off.