Android tethering apps pulled from Market

[Chris Davies]

Google has reportedly pulled tethering apps from the Android Market.Â* According to at least one developer,... Read more

[johnkzin]

The good news is that, unlike the Apple iPhone Marketplace, the Android Markeplace isn't the soul source of Android Apps. You can download them directly from developers.

Which, IMO, is exactly what people should do on this one.

[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.

[Jorsher]

Good point, justin.

It's unfortunate that it isn't as "open" as "open" would suggest, but fortunately there are still easy alternatives to installing the apps you want.

[scoinva]

Just play along for now. Don't rock the boat. Agree to the minor stuff for now but keep the agreements down to a year or two. Good things will happen soon and the Android phone will be perfectly positioned dominate soon enough. One goal is to allow everyone to make money. Customers will eventually get everything as they vote with their wallets.

[Rusty]

Even though it is still possible to install any application directly from a website download this is very disappointing news.

[grenness]

This should get interesting.
If a T-Mobile customer legally gets his G1 unlocked (receives an unlock code from T-Mobile), then proceeds to sell his G1 to someone else, this other person has no binding to T-Mobile and may use the G1 on an entirely different network (GSM, of course). He would still experience a limited Market due to the T-Mobile Terms...
This has to be an April fool a bit too early!

~Christopher

[taz2476]

mmmm.... How come when you buy an N95 from t-mobile it comes with the modem software on it and allows you to connect via the pc suite to T-mobile. seems to me like it's just the G1 users that are being excluded.

[grenness]

This is like if all cars were limited to go 55MPH max, because that is the speed limit.
It's downright stupid of Google to limit the market like this, just to please T-Mobile. If the T-Mobile users have entered an agreement that says Tethering is illegal, that should be enough. Don't "help" by removing software which may be perfectly legal to use by many G1/ADP owners!

~Christopher

[f4phantomii]

Convenient that this happens only days after T-Mobile jumps into the cellular data card for laptops market.

Coincidence?