A Less Delicious Flavor of Froyo

By  |  Monday, August 2, 2010 at 2:10 pm

I’m not personally traumatized by the news that the version of Android 2.2 that Verizon’s original Droid gets won’t let the phone tether to a laptop or serve as a hotspot–I have a Verizon MiFi–but it’s another sign of Android’s inherently fractured nature. (Back at Google’s I|O conference, it played up the hotsot feature as a key advance.)

 
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4 Comments For This Post

  1. Sammy Says:
    August 2nd, 2010 at 2:18 pm

    Just Root your Phone if you want the Tether App / or Wifi Hotspot app. Its Legal to do now. and super easy to do.

  2. TimD Says:
    August 2nd, 2010 at 2:47 pm

    This appears not to be an issue with Android fragmentation so much as it is with carrier control over what parts of Android they distribute. Much like AT&T disabling MMS and tethering on "their" iPhones even after the iOS was updated to include it.

    All of the (brief) research I've done since this announcement indicates it's nothing to do with Android, and everything to do with Verizon wanting (current) Droid cu$tomer$ to upgrade their hardware. The explanation (no WiFi transmitter?!?!?!?) is ludicrous on the face of it, as WiFi is an inherently two-way communication. Folks have rooted Droids running 2.2 w/ WiFi hotspots enabled.

    No biggie to me, as I prefer to use pdaNet and USB tether my Droid anyway, fewer worries about people stealing mah interwebz

  3. Mike Cerm Says:
    August 3rd, 2010 at 2:45 am

    If you use WPA, you don't have to worry about people jumping on your hotspot… A better reason to use a USB-tether is that you can power down the WiFi in your phone and your laptop, saving a ton of battery-life that would otherwise be wasted.

  4. TimD Says:
    August 3rd, 2010 at 5:42 pm

    Oh, the biggest advantage to USB tether is you can charge the phone @ the same time, I once had to change tables @ the restaurant I was remote desktoping from so I could plug my Droid into the car charger and keep connected via Bluetooth, I was barely in range but was able to keep working 🙂 Bought a 2nd data/charge cable the next day.