yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[EVO 4G General] AbsolutZeroGI:
It's an app they sell? Oh please, take me to the page where I can buy that app and get this for free.

You pay for unlimited mobile data. You do not pay for broadband internet. See, to us there isn't really a difference but on paper and in the business world, it's two separate things. This isn't me arguing on the side of the carriers, this is me accepting the reality that carriers will charge you for turning your phone into a mobile hotspot. Like it or not (which obviously you do not), in the REAL WORLD, it's two different things. Downloading torrents on a broadband connection and downloading ringtones, searching the web and checking your facebook on a phone are, in fact, two different things.

It is NOT an app that you buy. When you buy an app, it's yours. This service costs you every month. You can't rent an app (although you can try one for a limited time), so your logic is flawed.

Your comparison makes no sense either. On a Windows 7 phone, it comes with mobile MS office. There's other kinds of office apps. Docs to Go, Polaris, Open, Quick office. These are not subsidiaries of MS office, so no, you're not stealing from MS and no, it's not the same thing.

Wireless tethering is a service that's provided by carriers. If they want you to pay for it, that's their prerogative. If they don't want you to download gigs and gigs of data for free (all the while clogging bandwidth) without you paying for it, then that's also their prerogative. Just because they ask google to take down apps that prevent you from getting this paid (like it or not, it's a paid service) service for free, then, by definition, that's google removing warez from the market. Quit complaining and deal with it.

Seriously, if you don't like it, go switch to an iPhone or a Windows 7 phone. When they slap you with heavy data fines for tethering on an iPhone and when you can't root and customize your windows 7 phone, you'll understand that even with a few pieces of red tape; Android is the best.

Grow up, that is all.
[EVO 4G General] johnny tsunami:
Well if carriers want to demand crap like this then they should give us the option whether or not we want to use skins like sense or blur or whatever else there is

Sent from ur moms house
[EVO 4G General] AbsolutZeroGI:
Manufacturer's decision, not the carrier.
[EVO 4G General] Award Tour:
So why does the Sprint LG Optimus S run stock Android w/ the ID launcher? Sprint can certainly demand software adjustments, not that it'd be anything like what that poster wants.
[EVO 4G General] Eat it iPhone:
Actually doesn't Android have tethering built in and carriers just lock us out so they can charge us? I agree, I pay for unlimited data, using sprint/clearwire networks through my phone. To what purpose and to what end is my business. Don't want people to tether, than remove the ability from Android n the hardware...pulling the apps won't stop anyone, I have the apk for it backed up.

My isp doesn't tell me I can't use my phone on my router...they don't tell me its only for my computer n not guests. A long time ago they didn't want you using a router, bc the service was meant for 1 device...that worked out well for the isp's didn't it? Now they give u a router built in and expect u to use many devices.

Sent from my Evo. Powered by MikFroyo, netarchy, XDA, and the tears of iPhone owners
[EVO 4G General] Zoidpilot:
You have to understand that just because its unlimited for you doesn't mean its unlimited for the provider... In the end the provider, be it Sprint or ATT has to pay for your substantial bandwidth use. Though it seems like a marketing ploy to get us to pay them more, it's so they can cover their costs.

I agree it sucks but hell, it was a sweet ride while it was free. I've been reading around that now Sprint will automatically add hotspot to your plan if they catch you tethering without paying...

sent from my Supersonic Evo 4G
[EVO 4G General] AbsolutZeroGI:
This sounds like you're complaining just for the sake of complaining. Android has it built in, yes. Does Google provide you with service? No. Gingerbread has NFC support. Some of us run Gingerbread, but don't have NFC chips. They put it there so phones running their OS can do more. That doesn't mean phone makers and service providers HAVE to use it, but it gives them the option. Android is all about options. Phone makers have the option of putting NFC chips and wifi distributing chips (i'm not that hardware savvy) and service providers have the OPTION TO USE IT.

Y'know, just like we have the option to root our phones, options to flash roms, options to change from rosie launcher to adw or launcher pro...etc etc etc. Android is about options and if Sprint decides to exercise the option to charge people to tether on THEIR mobile network (their network, not yours), then they can damn well do it.

(FOR THE TL;DR PEOPLE: START HERE) Android is so option friendly from the consumer all the way to the phone maker and service provider that you cannot blame Google for an option that a service provider uses.

Wireless tether is warez because you have to pay for it (that's the definition of warez). Posting warez for free is against the rules for the market, therefore Google actually has the obligation to take it down. The fact they've held out this long is a win FOR US!!!
[EVO 4G General] skylar.sutton:
This is probably the best analogy yet.

It's not illegal or a violation of the T&C for me to flash my ROM with AOSP... AOSP includes a USB tethering option... my carrier sells me a plan that allows me to use as much data I want for whatever purpose I want (up to 5 GB or so). QED: There's nothing illegal or "warez" about any of that.

I would actually argue the reverse, that DISALLOWING tethering is illegal. Consumer protection laws are in place for a reason, what is advertised must be delivered. In this case the advertised plan, and the contract I signed off on, indicate that I have access to unlimited data and do not explicitly restrict tethering. Any move by the carrier to block tethering is borderline false advertising and a violation of the contract.

For the TL; DR; folks, start here: Carrier's are strong arming Google, and Google is caving. It's going to be a bumpy ride.
[EVO 4G General] aimbdd:
I agree with your first statement. But... there really was no reason for google to stop apps fron toggling 3g...
[EVO 4G General] :
guys i heard comcast is cracking down on wireless routers because your neighbors could illegally share your internet with you and if you live in an apartment building that could be a lot of business lost for comcast. so watch out... comcast will be telling best buy and other retailers to stop selling routers or else comcast will pull the plug on the internet.
[EVO 4G General] BrianDigital:
The guys analogy about wired internet to all the wireless Telco is so flawed. Wireless Telco by law of government do not have a net neutrality act keep them honest.

Wired home lines do. Which prevent Verizon to charge people extra for media streaming packets or whatever they want ontop of my internet package
[EVO 4G General] AbsolutZeroGI:
This is the last time I'm going to attempt to describe this. Hopefully people with reason will understand. When you drive a vehicle, it is called an automobile. When you fly one, it's called an airplane. When you drink out of a container, it is a cup. When you eat out of a container, it is a bowl. When you use internet on your phone, it is mobile data. When you use internet on your computer it is a broadband connection.

Now, go read your contract. It says you have UNLIMITED MOBILE DATA. Nowhere in your contract does it say you have unlimited broadband data. Nowhere. That's why it's an added service you have to pay for. You go from having only unlimited mobile data to having unlimited mobile data that you then can use as a broadband connection. They are NOT the same thing and to assume so means that you have really never read your contract. You really shouldn't sign things you don't read, it's very bad.

Now, phones running Android have the capacity to tether, that does mean that service providers HAVE to allow you to use it. They have never false advertised. Once you pay them to allow your unlimited mobile data to be unlimited mobile broadband, they let you use it for whatever you want. Where's the false advertising? Not once in the 14 months I have used Android have I heard "use this phone for free wireless tethering!" It's absurd. You know it, I know it and rational people know it.

TL;DR: Unlimited mobile data and unlimited mobile broadband are two separate things. Read your contract next time and threads like this won't exist. Google is not caving to carriers, they are simply following through with the rules.
[EVO 4G General] :
why you would possibly side with carriers even if your interpretation of what unlimited mobile data is might be correct is beyond me. to limit yourself at the hands of huge profitable billion dollar organizations makes no sense in a time when the lines between mobile data and home internet connections are being blurred. im not sure why you think broadband refers to home/wired internet when verizon mobile lte plans are providing a more BROAD BAND of spectrum to mobile devices than my comcast internet connection provides to my home network. its so ridiculous for you to argue against the consumer and for big corporations on this topic. the only reason there is this supposed distinction between the two connections is because of traditionally slow mobile data speeds and home internet providers such as verizon and att being terrified of losing cable/fiber/dsl subscribers like they lost home phone users a decade ago. im going to go eat some noodles out of a cup because your ignorance angers me.
[EVO 4G General] AbsolutZeroGI:
I'm not arguing on the side of anyone. I'm completely neutral here. If anything, I'm on Google's side. It's not their responsibility to make Sprint GIVE you tether services for free, so it's unfair and wrong to say that Google is caving because carriers want them to take down apps that give people something for free that other people pay for.

You're right, broadband and mobile data is becoming blurred and eventually I believe we'll all be flaming one another using internet tethered from our phones. Even when that day comes, all Google is going to do is continue to make a great operating system for us to use.

The point I'm trying to make is that this isn't Google's call. Google can only make the operating system, they can't force carriers to give away every feature that their operating system has for free, but they do what they can. We can still root (unless you use a Motorola, who actually IS caving in to carrier demand), flash roms, flash kernels, custom theme, backup our apps and use hdmi mirroring FOR FREE. The carrier drew the line at giving us free reign of their bandwidth (and, by proxy, the bandwidth of all Sprint customers). I can live with that. It's not Google's fault we can't use our UNLIMITED MOBILE DATA as BROADBAND CONNECTION. They just build the features, this one happens to cost money.

TL;DR - Don't flame Google, flame the carriers. They're the ones with the red tape and they're the ones who have the different definitions of broadband and mobile data. NOT me and NOT Google. Google can't make them give you free tethering just because Android is compatible with it.
[EVO 4G General] :
im with you there. apologies for personal flaming. it is definitely the carriers trying to require payment for services that should be part of your plan. maybe you technically aren't allowed, but in the future i bet we will see the same types of plans comcast and such provide: 5Mbit/sec phone data plan, 10Mbit/sec phone data plan with monthly caps 99% of people won't touch, rather than 5GB limits for "unlimited" plans.
[EVO 4G General] skylar.sutton:
Please don't comment on technology if you can't get the terms right.

Broadband does not refer to WHAT is connected, it refers to the SPEED things are connected. In the U.S. The FCC defines "broadband" as connections of 4 Mbps or greater.

"Mobile Data" does not refer to WHAT is connected, it refers to HOW it is connected. In the U.S. all data connections occurring via CDMA or GSM cellular networks would be "mobile data".

Now that you know the ACTUAL definitions at play here... "unlimited mobile data" translates to "unlimited transmission of packets over a CDMA or GSM network". Legal definitions FTW!

TL;DR: Unlimited mobile data and unlimited mobile broadband can't be used interchangeably like AbsolutZeroGI is trying to. One is speed, one is connection method. AbsolutZeroGI needs to stay out of technical discussions until he has some experience in a technical field. Also, Google is caving to carrier pressure.
[EVO 4G General] AbsolutZeroGI:
That's a bridge everyone's going to cross eventually, and apology accepted for the flaming. I just hate reading things like this where people blindly throw insults at Google because the carriers are crying money-sign-shaped tears into a tissue.

They kind of already are. T-Mobile and Sprint have those mifi things that give you wireless 4g internet on a separate line for your phone. I can definitely see, as technology grows, those mifi things going caveman (become useless and old) and phones doing all the work.

When that day comes, we'll all be glad we own phones that already have the tethering capability. Y'know...cuz the iPhone and the Windows 7 phones...well, they aren't Android phones ;)

Broadband is measured by it's bandwidth, not it's speed. The higher the bandwidth, the more people that can use that network and still get good speeds. That's why broadband has different speeds (4mbps, 8, 16, etc). You can change the speed. The more speed you have, the more bandwidth you take up, thus the more money you pay. Even if you want to drop the bandwidth/mobile data thing, you still have to account for the fact that in order to get faster/better internet you have to pay more. Why is it acceptable for cable providers to charge more for a 12mbps connection than a 4mbps connection but it's unfair and wrong for Sprint to charge more for allowing you to use more of it's bandwidth? I mean, downloading torrents takes a whole hell of a lot more bandwidth than surfing the web and watching YouTube videos. Again, I'm not arguing for the carriers, I'm arguing against the "google haters".

Cell phones do not use broadband internet, they use carrier specific towers to transfer packets. There is not enough bandwidth to be considered broadband, which is why a lot of users in an area (such as a large city) get crappy connection while people in the suburbs with the same phone and carrier get excellent signal. They make people pay for tethering on this network so they can expand the bandwidth (thus, allowing them to get good speed to more people). Thus, you're paying for broadband (more bandwidth) and not mobile data (less bandwidth). Ta da!

Google isn't caving, you're just an alarmist. People like you have been crying wolf on this forum since I bought an Evo and came over here.

TL;DR - Android comes with the native ability to wireless tether and a bunch of people are pissed because we don't get to use it for free. It also comes with the native ability to call people, send texts (even if you get free apps like handcent...you're still paying to send texts), surf the web (gotta have a data plan to use Dolphin browser..which is a free app), download apps...is it "false advertising" and "caving" that Google allows carriers to charge us for those services too?
[EVO 4G General] skylar.sutton:
http://globalgeeknews.com/2010/07/23/fcc-changes-broadband-definition-to-4mbps-up-and-1mbps-down/

Broadband is SPEED, speed is a measurement of throughput over time. 4 Mbps is the current definition of broadband... 4 Megabits per second... throughput / time.

It's not unfair or wrong, and that has never been the argument. I pay for 4G service, my wife pays for 3G service. My service is faster than hers. Translated to your example: "I pay for 12mbps and she pays for 4mbps".

You're making an assumption that "tethered users" use more bandwidth than "non-tethered users". When I tether, I browse the same sites (made up of the same javascript, same images, and same html)... I just do it on a bigger screen. My usage doesn't change based on the device I'm using... I'm not using any additional bandwidth.

TL; DR; You're even more wrong than before, and REALLY need to stay out of technical discussions - it's starting to get embarrassing.
[EVO 4G General] DirtyShroomz:
I think most people are forgetting that our providers are cellular service providers who JUST got into the "internet" game. These cellphone providers have tons of things they must cater to and advancement is so fast right now that NO you can not cancel your home internet and use your phone to tether everyone in your neighborhood because they simply don't have the money/bandwidth to support it. They must grow their network, continue to grow their phones and devices. Your home ISP only needs to do one thing, provide the service, they don't see you a device that also makes calls, send's texts, takes pictures and videos etc.... so their profit goes to one thing, keeping the network unclogged and fast, as well as fixing/upgrading towers. Cellphone providers must do all of the above plus purchase new devices every month, turn profit and expand their technology wirelessly, which costs more. So, why don't we all do our part and pay for tethering so we can use the unlimited service or stop complaining? People will always want everything but do not want to pay for it.
[EVO 4G General] skylar.sutton:
Why should I buy an application from the carrier to do something another app (or the OS) can do for cheaper or do better?

The SERVICE I pay for is "wireless internet connectivity". Tethering is an app, much the same way "Navigation" is an app. You can pay for "Navigation" from Sprint... or you can use "Maps" from Google. Your choice.
[EVO 4G General] Animus_3.0:
Apple is no better

Sent from my Infected Super Evo
[EVO 4G General] DirtyShroomz:
Tethering is a feature that unfortunately must be paid for in our country. Unfortunately the American people steal anywhere they can and this is why things like this happen.

Sent from my spaceship!
[EVO 4G General] D3luSi0n4L:
Said so perfectly! You can go back to Apple but their the worst! You don't see rooting tools, kernel managers, etc or Jailbreaking tools to be specific, on Apples Marketplace. Some people get set on this power trip that absolutely everything needs to be FOR THE CONSUMER, but give me a break. Its so open if you wanna find a rom to flash on your rooted phone, go download Rom Manager. Anyway again well said sir I couldn't agree with you more.

Sincerely,

D3luSi0n4L
[EVO 4G General] Slatter39:
Its all fine and dandy the way you put it but look at Sprint. They tell me to buy a premium phone for $200 tied down on a two year contract per phone. I have a family plan for 3 phones for $180, i dont get 4G in my area but you tell me to pay $10 data add on per phone and you cant even explain what that is for. Isnt that stealing? If they can do it why cant we get tethering for free?
[EVO 4G General] aimbdd:
Seriously? The $10 is so they can try and maintain their network better..
[EVO 4G General] Slatter39:
So the money that i pay monthly is for what? Secondly why not tell me my monthly fee is $79.99 for the $69.99 plan, $109.99 for the $99.99 plan etc. Are you serious? That is why i pay them monthly. The money is not for bonuses and payroll only but also to maitain their infrastructure. Lets not beat about the bush here.
[EVO 4G General] brownhornet:
HA!!! Well if that's the case we're definitely being robbed.
[EVO 4G General] anthonyandrews:
No that is not even close to the same. When you tether you use your device on their network. If you use open office, you use your device and a free app...you do not use Microsoft Office. Open Office is a lower quality alternative, so that you don't have to pay Microsoft.

If you find a way to tether your EVO 4G without using your carriers network, please let us all know!
[EVO 4G General] DirtyShroomz:
Because not everyone has smart phones that require the extra charge. The $10 once again is to keep your unlimited data (main reason) and upgrade/expand the network because technology changes and things cost money. Name me one carrier that has not had a price increase. Name me one carrier that doesn't charge more for smart phones or has a mandatory plan for smart phones... you can't.

Sent from my spaceship!
[EVO 4G General] :
name one carrier that advertises $69.99 unlimited plans including data and then charges a large majority of people who get that plan $10 extra
[EVO 4G General] Slatter39:
So if i have 3 smartphones that is $30 extra a month on top of my monthly fee and you think thats not stealing? I have had smartphones with sprint for the past 5 of my 11 years with sprint and the only time i was required to pay $10 was when i bought the EVO. Had been using Blackberries till then and what was Sprints excuse at that time? 4G. Then Premium device. Then Bandwidth. are you with me? They couldnt even get their lies straight. You said "Because not everyone has smart phones that require the extra charge". So why charge some of us $10 and leave the others to enjoy the same bandwidth we all use. Come again.
[EVO 4G General] DirtyShroomz:
Not everyone has smart phones, which part of that is hard to understand? They advertise "starting at".

Sent from my spaceship!
[EVO 4G General] DirtyShroomz:
All smart phones now require the charge, including blackberrys, case closed.

Sent from my spaceship!
[EVO 4G General] rockypoo:
Im fine with them blocking it just as long as I can get to it via wifi and airplane mode.
[EVO 4G General] mlin:
Check and mate.

It's better to debate when you have the correct facts...
[EVO 4G General] rombold:
Lets just be honest where theres a will theres a way no matter what they do to close a door someone will find a way to open it.
[EVO 4G General] :
Okay do you want to stay with the .3 Mbps speed or let the company scale their Infrastructure so you can atleast get a constant .6Mbps. Not only that if you hate that fee go to another carrier that doesn't have some sort of SMARTPHONE FEE. Well tell us when you do. Simple as that times change. Fees have to chane as well. The old unlimated fees were designed for phones that USED very very little data. The time has come where the phones can use 10X -20X if not more data at a given peroid. They need to be able to scale their network. I would rather have a add on fee than 50$ for unlimate data or 60$. They would have to icrease the monthly billing even more than just a per smartphone internet addon. Also the phones use data faster taxing the network mroe in a given peroid.
[EVO 4G General] djkraemer:
This makes me wonder about the fate of tethering apps in our ROMS, such as the one in Cyanogen.

Space. Trial. Puttin’ the system on trial. In space. Space system. On trial. Guilty. Of being in space! Going to space jail!

Spaaaaaaaaaace!
[EVO 4G General] :
here's the part that's hard to understand: someone who would pay $69.99 for unlimited data on a feature phone
[EVO 4G General] DirtyShroomz:
Lotus elite and rumor touch are two feature phones that young customers buy for facebook usage, web usage that don't require a fee. There's a lot more demographic out there than your needs. We have parents that buy them for their kids but don't want them to have full web access. We have people that simply DON'T (shocking I know) want such a high end phone, just something simple but that can get them easy web access to simple things. There are more accounts with feature phones on data plans than there is on smart phones.

Sent from my spaceship!