MyTether app for Palm Pre – a worthwhile ‘donated’ $10
Posted By RichC on August 8, 2009
I’ve spent the morning finally getting around to tinkering beyond the norm with my Palm Pre. I’ve installed a couple functional ‘homebrew’ apps that really improves my ‘like’ for the smartphone device. First, I learned how to root and use developer mode on the Pre and installed a great little app that improves screen and keyboard lighting for night use — Brightness Unlinked. It is handy in that it offers a dimmer screen (read: longer battery life) and a brighter keyboard. BUT alas … it was only my test install for the more important apps to come.
Enter MyTether— an app that returns the ability to access the Internet from a computer by quickly jumping on the web or downloading email while on the road. MyTether might have Palm and Sprint execs pondering what to do about over using a phone or excessive data use … and could eventually cost us another few bucks to use Phone-As-Modem (PAM). At minimum they may stop the ability to use the Pre with a computer. For now it will really help me when I need a connection in an emergency … or while posting this and FTPing the screenshots.
Speed at my home (see below) isn’t anything to write home about, but certainly is easily as good as a very busy hotel wifi connection or “no connection” while stopping for a quick lunch or in front of a clients office in the car.
A few pluses is that the Palm Pre can be set up to be used as a WiFi router (Wireless Access Point – WAP), and by enabling MyTether in this way several computers can be connect through its Adhoc network and access the Internet. Currently I’ve disabled my home network and have both my Mac and notebook PC running off the Pre — pretty nice if it doesn’t cost $60 more per month? Currently, the Pre is comfortably charging while its doing its duty and offering up some pretty solid 3G network connectivity. (I’ll test the speeds again when I get a better signal)
SprintPCS Palm Pre connection 8/8/2009
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