Netshare iPhone tethering app reappears in the App Store. Update: oh, it's down again.

Well, who knows what's going on here, but Nullriver's Netshare iPhone tethering app has made a reappearance for download by direct link only in the App Store, after getting unceremoniously yanked last night. It won't show up in searches, but you can still get it if you know the link -- that's a bit odd. Nullriver told Macrumors that it doesn't believe the SOCKS proxy violates any of the App Store SDK restrictions, and that while AT&T has tethering restrictions for its 3G network, other carriers around the world don't, making the app legit in its opinion. Looks like Apple's agreed -- for now. We did a quick hands-on video last night, check it out after the break.

Update: Yeah, it's offline again. This has really got to be drumming up sales, though. Well done, Nullriver. Thanks to everyone who sent this in.

[apple fanboy @ Aug 1st 2008 2:57PM]

hell ya go apple best thing in the world

[Pochi @ Aug 1st 2008 3:22PM]

this comment is awesome

[Dominick @ Aug 1st 2008 5:17PM]

So is that one ^^

[Brandon @ Aug 1st 2008 10:57PM]

Actually I'll disagree. While this app is cool, you have to closely monitor your usage and avoid streaming video.

AND this sucks battery like I never would've thought. I'm using it right now with my macbook and my 3G is plugged in, and while I was browsing (with the iphone plugged in) I just got the 20% battery notification. You might need to use it while the phone is plugged into an outlet to keep the power output-intake balanced.

[Brandon @ Aug 1st 2008 11:10PM]

and I have to add that this app made my iPhone 3G so hot that it wouldn't properly charge. My phone would charge for about 30 seconds then the icon on the phone would show that the battery was full but the battery icon on the lock screen would have the red-empty color and the battery icon in iTunes would just show it as depleted without the charging signal.

But its charging normally now, put it in airplane mode for a few minutes and everything's cool.

[Anthony @ Aug 1st 2008 2:58PM]

Odd resolution.

[SneAKz @ Aug 1st 2008 3:04PM]

You Americans on AT&T probably won't be allowed to use this. Possibly against some TOS or something. Us Canadians can use this fine with our $6GB data plans. Probably why they promote Rogers and not AT&T due to the lack of tethering allowance.

[Dave @ Aug 1st 2008 3:10PM]

I really hope you're not trying to act like Rogers is better than AT&T...especially with how they have (for all these years) hung you Canadians out to dry with their ridiculous data fees (not to mention 3 year contract agreements to get the same subsidy amount as you would on AT&T with a 2-yr agreement).

Since no one at engadget has gotten this to work yet (unless you guys have now?), I would say that AT&T has probably anticipated for this potential problem and/or is probably working on the loophole right now...

[Josh L @ Aug 1st 2008 3:40PM]

6 Giga-Billion Dollars?

That's a lot of money!

[Jason @ Aug 1st 2008 4:10PM]

Josh you read my mind, in advance, before I thought. Thank you, +1.

[phil @ Aug 1st 2008 4:22PM]

And how does ATT expect to stop it? Since it's a SOCKS proxy, it will just look like normal data requests from the iPhone.

This isn't like normal data tethering devices where your phone turns into some weird kind of network adapter.

[Dave @ Aug 1st 2008 10:00PM]

Phil, there is an easy way...any flash or java object downloaded from a user with an iPhone would trigger it (since iPhone doesn't support them), meaning violation of the ToS

[dg @ Aug 1st 2008 11:34PM]

@Josh,

No, it's 6 GAbillion dollars!

[arthur barnhouse @ Aug 1st 2008 3:06PM]

What category is this in?

[Josh @ Aug 1st 2008 3:40PM]

i think it's in the "search" category

[btk1011 @ Aug 2nd 2008 4:53AM]

^ now this is the best comment ever ^
haha!

[Leindurstit @ Aug 1st 2008 3:07PM]

Hooray, the iPhone can now do what other mobile phones have been doing for years...

[Derek @ Aug 1st 2008 3:11PM]

Yeah I was afraid of missing out on the WMWIfiRouter app I had with my Mogul when switching to the iPhone.

To be fair though, the iPhone has had this for awhile now, this isn't really "new". Its just cool because its a legit app you don't have to Jailbreak for.

I get you don't love the iPhone, I didn't either, thats fine, people have their own tastes. But man, this thing gets better every day, and I can't imagine going back to my WM6 Sprint Mogul (HTC PPC-6800). I actually still have it and had to use to it backup some contacts and that recently.

Yeah, I don't miss that train wreck.

[JerryA @ Aug 1st 2008 3:26PM]

Well, as lukewarm as I can be about the iphone, the thing never really did anything (functionally) different than any smartphone. The point of the iphone was to simplify and prettify the smartphone for the masses who are as concerned with looks and simplicity as what a device can do. Yes, I have been using WMWiFi for a while now and it's a great function. It was one of the reasons I used to have for not wanting an iphone. Slowly they are adding all of the features that were missing (3g, gps, and now wifi AP functionality). I probably still won't buy one anytime soon because the data plans cost double what my current one does but I am glad developers are adding the common missing functions to the iphone via apps.

[Brad @ Aug 1st 2008 3:42PM]

"lets mention all the things winmo doesnt have? :D"

• Apple's proprietary video format
• Apple's proprietary audio format

Did I miss anything? Is there ANYTHING ELSE that the iPhone does that other smartphones CAN'T do? I'm not talking "it is easier / better / prettier" - those are subjective. I'm talking actual features it has that no one else does.

[Kaiser-Machead @ Aug 1st 2008 4:05PM]

@Brad,

Those "proprietary" formats are actually open standards. Though protected content is proprietary by nature of its DRM, the codecs themselves are not.

As for features, Windows Mobile has gone through many more years of testing and development (it's been over a decade now), so obviously it would have more than OS X "lite" under the hood, but at the same time, it'd be nice if it wasn't such a pig in the interface and be stuck with a sea of wretched hardware that have bare minimum specs, though the likes of HTC are working to correct this (the Diamond is a good example of how a Winmo phone should be).

[Surur @ Aug 1st 2008 4:45PM]

WM internet sharing uses NAT, which means all your desktop apps work without any configuration. Of course it also works over USB and bluetooth.

This iPhone app uses SOCKS5, meaning many desktop apps will need to be configured to use the socks proxy.

For all the iPhone's supposed ease of use, WM internet sharing is much much simpler than this hack.

[morcheeba @ Aug 1st 2008 4:54PM]

Brad- "easier / better / prettier" are all desirable features that work for me -- I don't care if they're subjective.

[deslock @ Aug 1st 2008 10:56PM]

> Brad wrote @ Aug 1st 2008 3:42PM
>
> "lets mention all the things winmo doesnt have? :D"
>
> • Apple's proprietary video format
> • Apple's proprietary audio format
>
> Did I miss anything? Is there ANYTHING ELSE that the iPhone
> does that other smartphones CAN'T do? I'm not talking "it is
> easier / better / prettier" - those are subjective. I'm talking actual
> features it has that no one else does.

Only a couple WM devices I know of have:
- an accelerometer
- automatic screen orientation switching

None of the WM devices I've used have:
- multitouch
- capacitance touchscreen (allows for effortless finger dragging, navigation, and character input)
- screen orientation switching without lag
- >3", >QVGA screen in a 3", >QVGA screen in a

[deslock @ Aug 1st 2008 11:00PM]

My post got cropped... I'll try again:

> Brad wrote @ Aug 1st 2008 3:42PM
>
> "lets mention all the things winmo doesnt have? :D"
>
> • Apple's proprietary video format
> • Apple's proprietary audio format
>
> Did I miss anything? Is there ANYTHING ELSE that the iPhone
> does that other smartphones CAN'T do? I'm not talking "it is
> easier / better / prettier" - those are subjective. I'm talking actual
> features it has that no one else does.

Only a couple WM devices I know of have:
- an accelerometer
- automatic screen orientation switching

None of the WM devices I've used have:
- multitouch
- capacitance touchscreen (allows for effortless finger dragging, navigation, and character input)
- screen orientation switching without lag
- larger than 3", higher than QVGA screen in a less than 5 ounce device
- larger than 3", higher than QVGA screen in a less than 0.5" thick device
- quick and reliable syncing
- the ability to run for a week under constant use without requiring one or more resets
- an interface that's consistently responsive

Some of those are subjective and might not be important to you. But they're also quantifiable features.

[one1082 @ Aug 1st 2008 3:09PM]

so, what's the link?

[Matt @ Aug 1st 2008 3:10PM]

Here we go... Apple gestapo!

[phanbouy @ Aug 1st 2008 3:45PM]

are you a def poet?

[Macro @ Aug 1st 2008 3:13PM]

http%3A%2F%2Fphobos.apple.com%2FWebObjects%2FMZStore.woa%2Fwa%2FviewSoftware%3Fid%3D286541579%26mt%3D8&t=1217617201

[Brad @ Aug 1st 2008 3:46PM]

Behold, the power of the internet:

http://shurl.org/PrTTV

[Nicky-Larson @ Aug 1st 2008 3:13PM]

Funny how they went front and back. Carriers are the worst things to happen to cell phone technology in the US. Why is this not allowed again?
Greed I guess, from ATT?

[Nick @ Aug 1st 2008 3:34PM]

I couldn't have said that any better heh.. I agree.

[Dave @ Aug 1st 2008 3:48PM]

Nicky, it's allowed when you get a tethering plan (although I don't think tethering plans are available on iPhones).

Look, reason being they don't want tethering is this...Although Apple will keep spoon-feeding you "this is the real internet on your phone" garbage, guess what it's not. Tethering from a laptop will have the phone download all the full-sized webpages, flash objects, and full javascripts (yep two things the 3G iPhone doesn't support) on each web page.

These full-sized objects ARE significantly larger than the smaller ones, and while I don't know what AT&T's 3G total available bandwidth is, I definitely do notice slowdowns in speed during peak times of the day.

The ultimate fear AT&T has is that all the new 3G iPhone users (read: mostly teenagers and those in their early 20s) are going to start tethering in places where they can't get internet (read: their apartment if they are too cheap to get DSL or cable) and start abusing the network to no end.

While I still think the prices AT&T charge for data are too high, there is a definite reason for not allowing tethering.

[Macro @ Aug 1st 2008 3:14PM]

phobos.apple.com%2FWebObjects%2FMZStore.woa%2Fwa%2FviewSoftware%
3Fid%3D286541579%26mt%3D8&t=1217617201

[David @ Aug 1st 2008 4:49PM]

Why is it that this is the second time I've seen this link escaped? I wrote a script to unescape it, but just curious.

[patriotsn1 @ Aug 1st 2008 3:16PM]

lol @ "My iphone battery is about to die, I've used it for 5 minutes today"

[Hecktic @ Aug 1st 2008 6:23PM]

lol i know cracked me up, but lets be fair 10 min would of been more accurate

[Macro @ Aug 1st 2008 3:16PM]

Sorry about that guys but i couldn't get the link to work anyway the link is on this page

http://www.macrumors.com/2008/08/01/netshare-tethering-app-reappears-on-app-store/

[DYLAN C @ Aug 1st 2008 3:17PM]

Here's what I just did and am successfully tethering now!

Go to App Store on the iPhone... search for "NetShare" click buy and BOOM! WOOT!!!

[Tony Bowman @ Aug 1st 2008 3:24PM]

this is what i did, and it works flawlessly. :)

[Seth Porter @ Aug 1st 2008 5:45PM]

Does it work in the US on AT&T? I've heard conflicting reports as to what is ALLOWED and what CAN be done. As far as i'm concerned, if it can be done without being caught, it's allowed. :D

[Don Corleone @ Aug 1st 2008 3:22PM]

This is Apple's way of getting back at the man.
...or something like that.

[KRingg @ Aug 1st 2008 3:46PM]

Oh wait, Apple IS the man now.

[Lowest Ranked @ Aug 1st 2008 3:22PM]

Well, at least your spelling seemed to get gradually better.

[De @ Aug 1st 2008 3:27PM]

because it you already have unlimited data. Therefore you can now have free internet for your computer

[Nick @ Aug 1st 2008 3:29PM]

Oh well, looks like its legit enough, then again Apple is a tad bit too strict on what they allow, but thats fine by me, I'm not getting an iPhone anytime soon at least... yet.

[JerryA @ Aug 1st 2008 3:30PM]

This is something a lot of us have used smartphones for for a while now. The idea is that if you have a phone with both 3G and wifi, you can make your phone act like a wifi router to share out your high speed connection as an ad-hoc access point. When I am riding on the Amtrak or when I am any of the hundreds of places without free wifi, I can just flick a switch on my phone and start WMWiFi and I have an access point. Since I have DSL-like speeds on my 3G phone, I can essentially provide broadband for myself and friends when I am out. Now the iPhone users are in on the party too. Welcome!

[patriotsn1 @ Aug 1st 2008 3:32PM]

Just me or is that the slowest 3g internet sharing ever?

[Charlie @ Aug 1st 2008 4:41PM]

It's still AT&T - their 3g isn't exactly "nationwide"

are you in one of these areas?

http://www.wireless.att.com/coverageviewer/popUp_3g.jsp

[Dean @ Aug 1st 2008 8:46PM]

I have 3g service and I am not in one of those areas.