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Tethering is a feature that allows you to use your mobile smartphone as modem to connect to the Internet or corporate LAN over your carrier’s cell phone network.

Unfortunately, Apple has not integrated tethering into the iPhone — both the original EDGE data network model or the iPhone 3G.

Nor is it (apparently) going to allow anyone else to offer an iPhone tethering app of their own through the AppStore.

Nullriver, which had seen its NetShare iPhone tethering application put up and then taken down from the App Store for no apparent reason, appears to have gotten a definitive answer on where Apple stands on the matter.

A recent posting to the company’s blog reads:
Looks like Apple has decided they will not be allowing any tethering applications in the AppStore. As such, NetShare will not be available in the iTunes AppStore. We are seeing a lot of similar reports from various developers who’s applications were abruptly removed and banned from the AppStore without any violations of the terms of service.

This is all unfortunate news for the iPhone platform end-users. 

Talk about free enterprise!

More at PDAStreet.

And thanks to TUAW.com for the graphic.

Tags: apple, appstore, iphone, itunes, netshare, nullriver, tethering, tuaw.com

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Original post by nafiz

Filed under: Cellphones

While the DevTeam rightly asserts that Apple can’t undo the bug exploited by PwnageTool via firmware update alone, it’s still subject to the whims of iTunes connectivity. In fact, iTunes 8 seems to detect jailbroken devices jailbreaking attempts and then stomps its feet and refuses to play nice. While the DevTeam says that fixes are in the works, the growing list of useful applications in the AppStore coupled with the global retail availability of the iPhone (and lack of a 3G unlock) makes PwnageTool less and less relevant with each passing day.

Update: The problem seems to occur when you try to restore to an iPwned ipsw from a non-ipwned device. Syncing to an already Pwned device works fine.

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Original post by Thomas Ricker

The next time you lose your remote, all you have to do is whistle. The Remote Control Finder consists of a caddy you attach to the remote and, literally, a whistle. When your remote is nowhere to be found (even after checking the couch and your dog’s mouth), then simply blow the whistle. The caddy on the remote will start flashing and beeping loudly, pointing you in the right direction.

The Remote Control Finder also comes with two extra caddies (in case you lose the first one, right?) and sells for $16.99 on 1ofakindstuff.com.

[via GearLive.com]

Original post by Jen the Weird Hunter

Couch-bound sports fans will get a kick out of today’s product announcement. ESPN Consumer Products, in collaboration with tvCompass, has released ESPN The Ultimate Remote, a Wi-Fi-enabled device (802.11 b/g) that provides one-touch real-time access to sports, standings, team information, ESPN.com fantasy leagues, and news. It also features one-touch access to a weather widget, mobile Internet browsing, email and text messaging, and mobile Internet and entertainment search content. The Ultimate Remote can be used with home theater components, set-top boxes, and IP equipment.

Even more, tvCompass has partnered with TV Guide to offer users an electronic program guide (EPG) for TV listings—right on the remote’s 2.2-inch color LCD.

“This ground breaking Wi-Fi device design, based on tvCompass’s patented wireless technology, removes coffee table remote clutter with one device,” said Edward J. Zylka, CEO of tvCompass Inc. “The versatility of our design and the second viewing screen opens the door to different ways fans can enjoy sports in real time, using a familiar handheld universal remote.”

ESPN The Ultimate Remote is available for pre-sale orders on Amazon.com for $299.99.

Original post by Jen the Weird Hunter

Windows SideShow, one of a handful of neat technologies that were supposed to debut with Windows Vista, had a release schedule that would have made Duke Nukem Forever proud. The technology was conceived of as a way to add a second, external screen to your laptop, but quickly hardware manufacturers began dreaming up independent gizmos that could talk to and access data on your main PC from anywhere in your house. At 2007’s Consumer Electronics Show, prototypes of the things were everywhere, and they were one of several hardware innovations that I thought really made Vista stand out.

Alas, aside from a single laptop, a desktop, and a picture frame, nothing materialized from all the discussion. Until yesterday, that is, when Philips finally released the long awaited software update to its first-ever SideShow enabled remote control. Too little, too late for promising technology? Read on for a hands-on evaluation and screenshots of SideShow finally in action.

The Philips Prestigo SRM7500 was released on November 12, making it the first official SideShow remote ever–and only the fourth device ever released. The device has a small, black-and-white screen, uses a proprietary RF signal to speak to the PC, and used proprietary Philips software to simulate SideShow’s functionality. Yesterday, Philips added SideShow support to the SRM7500, letting it communicate using the SideShow Basic Profile. (It can′t support the full Enhanced Profile without a color screen.)

Updating the included MediaControl software was simple using the tray applet, and since it searches for updates automatically, current owners of the device will receive the new functionality automatically. The MediaControl software adds a device driver to your system, which in turn allows the SRM7500 to create a separate listing for itself in the Device Manager and to appear in the Windows SideShow control panel–if you’ve got Windows Vista, you already have the Control Panel and most of the functionality.

The Control Panel allows you to pick which Gadgets will appear on the device, and control the content that they show. Vista comes with just two–for Windows Media Player and Windows Mail–but a link to the Windows Live Gallery reveals a few others. For example, the Feed Viewer Gadget downloads news headlines that you can read on the remote’s tiny screen, and the Stocks gadget lets you track your portfolio.

To use any of these Gadgets on the SRM7500, I just clicked the checkbox next to it in the Windows SideShow control panel. Then I turned to the remote itself; the uppermost buttons control Music, Power, and Mode. A push of the Music button let me browse through my PC’s audio library or access the SideShow item, and in turn any Gadgets I had enabled. Though finding this cache wasn’t self-explanatory, everything worked flawlessly from then on out. And the RF signal connecting the remote to the TV allowed me to wander fairly far from the PC and still receive content from it and control the computer itself.

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The problem: Because the remote’s screen is black and white, unlike that on the forthcoming RicaVision Vav𘫬, you won’t be able to see photos, or experience the SideShow Enhanced Profile–and even rudimentary implementations such as the Go Gadgets prerelease software I looked at last December are a much more satisfying experience. Still, the Philips remote is a great start, and the technology shows promise.

Two years ago, it seemed every gadget would come with a SideShow panel. Today, the reality is so far distant that the very concept of ubiquitous extra screens seems laughable. While the effort Philips has put into development is laudable, I think this technology will never become as ubiquitous as the funky prototypes had once implied.

Original post by Jeremy Kaplan

The Kyosho Robo Hopper, a remote-controlled robotic-like toy made popular in Japan, is now available in the States, kids. Hmmm, looks a lot like the ASIMO robot, doesn’t it? This 2.4GHz 2-channel R/C system consists of the main motor for flying, tail motor for stable control, and an auxiliary wheel to help keep the “pilot″ upright.

The Robo Hopper can fly on over to your home for $106.69 from AudioCubes.com.

Original post by Jen the Weird Hunter

Filed under: Gaming

It looks like Atari is taking a few cues from Nintendo’s past in order to take on the hot-selling Wii Fit, with the company’s new Family Trainer game employing a Power Pad-style (or DDR-style for you young ‘uns) mat controller to give you a workout. That’ll apparently let you run and jump your way through more than a dozen mini-games designed to get your heart rate going, including log jumping, rope skipping and water rafting, each of which also make use of the Wiimote for some upper-body action. No word on a price just yet, but it’ll apparently be landing in Europe first this September before it (presumably) makes its way over here.

[Via TG Daily]

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Original post by Donald Melanson

shankar writes “Engineers at Eyebeam, an art and technology center based in New York, have created a scaled-down open-source version of Surface, called Cubit. By sharing the Cubit’s hardware schematics and software source code, the engineers are significantly reducing the cost of owning a multitouch table. ‘Multitouch displays are not new technology; in fact, they’ve been built in research labs for decades. Mitsubishi Electric Research Labs created an iconic multitouch table called DiamondTouch; more recently, Jeff Han, founder of Perceptive Pixel, based in New York, developed wall-sized multitouch screens that he sells to corporations and major government agencies. But because of the falling costs of many touch-screen components, such as infrared light sources and small cameras and projectors, it’s now becoming feasible for people without access to a lab or venture-capital money to make their own multitouch displays.’”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Original post by ScuttleMonkey

Santi Onta writes “Today Lenovo retired the last NON-widescreen laptop they offered (the T61 14.1) from the market, and Lenovo is just an example (Apple, Sony, HP, etc. are the same). I understand the motivation behind all the laptop manufacturers to move to widescreen: they can still advertise that they offer 14.1 or 15.4 screens, but the screen area is smaller, and thus they save more money. Some people might like widescreens (they are useful for some tasks), but any developer knows that vertical space matters! Less vertical space = less lines of code in the screen = more scrolling = less productivity. How can laptop manufacturers still claim that they look after their customers when the move to widescreens is clearly a selfish one? I just wish they offered non-widescreen laptops, even if it were for a plus (that I’d be more than happy to pay).” I’ve always preferred the widescreen aspect ratio- vertical matters, but having 2 nice wide columns always mattered more to me- until this readers submission, I hadn’t realized that it was such a contested issue. Does this matter?

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Original post by CmdrTaco

Filed under: Robots

Apparently, the folks aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour aren’t wasting any time piecing Dextre together (or jamming to their iPods), as just days after we first heard about this creature’s future in space, now we’re hearing that he’s totally assembled and ready to rock. The bot, which is formally known as the Special Purpose Dextrous Manipulator, has been fitted with various tools and cameras and is all set to “undergo a series of tests and trials before it is asked to do major tasks.” Godspeed, young Dextre — hopefully you′ll have more success than Ted and Gadget.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Robots

It may be not be the only bot on the block for long but, for now at least, the Canadian-built Dextre robot has the spotlight to itself, with it set to blast off Tuesday on board the shuttle Endeavor for delivery to its new home on the International Space Station. As USA Today reports, the robot has been some ten years in the making (at a cost of $210 million), and is designed to handle many of the tasks that would otherwise be done by astronauts on spacewalks. Those astronauts will still have a job for a while yet, with one of the main tasks during Endeavor’s mission obviously being the assembly of Dextre, which is currently broken down into nine parts. Even after that’s done, however, Dextre apparently won’t start work until sometime in 2009, at which point it’ll be able to replace nearly 140 parts on the ISS, and be controlled either by mission control or the crew on the space station.

 

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Original post by Donald Melanson

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

So this new AbleComm spinoff RedHotPhones is selling tons and tons of phones — all red — including replicas “inspired by Batman”. Definitely not the amazing new Christopher Nolan retelling, we’re talking original campy-ass 60s Batman. We’re not sure what kind of person would spend $112 on a novelty landline-phone with no way to dial out (probably the same people that bought the $300 Shakespeare bust back in the day), but buy it fast, we heard the mayor of Quahog, Rhode Island is filing suit.

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Original post by Ryan Block

Filed under: Handhelds, Tablet PCs

Our eyes may still be slightly out of focus from the complete lack of sleep obtained while at CES, but the two Inventec UMPCs purportedly going by 7-A / 5-D sure look a heck of a lot different than the model we peeked in Vegas. As you can glean from the image above, the UMPC 7-A sports a nifty slider design that supposedly places the QWERTY keyboard at a “more natural angle” for the user. As for the so-called UMPC 5-D (shown after the jump), it ditches the aforementioned design and takes a more modular approach to satisfy those who just adore buying a new dock for every handheld they own. Regrettably, we’ve no hard details surrounding the specs of these two machines, but we doubt we’ll have to twiddle our thumbs for too much longer before finding out.

[Via Pocketables]

Continue reading Inventec’s UMPC 7-A and 5-D get pictured

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: CES, Features, Gaming

Smells like cheap knockoff spirit.

 

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Original post by Barb Dybwad

Filed under: CES, Portable Audio, Portable Video, Wearables

The screen is really pretty stellar for a watch, too bad you’ll need a forklift to keep your wrist propped up while wearing this behemoth.

Continue reading Crapgadget CES edition, round 11: Janky-ass MP4 watch

 

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Original post by Paul Miller