Android tethering apps pulled from Market

[justin]

It's worth noting that tethering applications can still be installed if developers choose to distribute them outside the market (unlike the iPhone, Android allows users to install applications themselves without any real hassle.)

The T-Mobile G1 has never been an open phone. Even though the software stack is based off of the open-source Android project, it's been Tivoized with signed firmware and had significant proprietary bits added (binary drivers and applications, particularly Google's.) It's unfortunate that the “openness” of the platform is used to market the device to the extent that it is.

Given that anyone running a tethering app had already obtained root on the T-Mobile G1 or used an Android Developer Phone (both of which imply greater technical acumen than it takes to install an application outside of the market), I doubt this will be a significant barrier for those that want to tether their phone.