Here's how to get tethering on any iPhone right now, no jailbreak, for free
9to5mac.com
9to5mac.com
Then O2 email me, and tell me it's going to cost money to use that data from my laptop????? Do they think I'm completely crazy? Why would I pay them more money just to use the data I've already paid for.
When will big companies stop treating consumers like total idiots. It's like Sony thinking everyone will buy movies on DVD, THEN buy exactly the same movie on UMD just so they can watch it on their PSP :/
Because you'll use much more of it on your laptop or desktop than you would just your phone.
Either it's unlimited, eg use as much as you want - really! or it's not - only use basic web/email stuff on your iphone.
If it's limited (Which is what you're saying), then they should not market it as unlimited data.
"Unlimited" data isn't really unlimited just like your unlimited cable modem at home isn't really unlimited. The carrier reserves a right to dump you as a customer and you will be dumped if you start losing them money (which is what you'd be doing if you saturated their network 24/7).
So I hear what you're saying, but this has been argued 1000 times before and you're not going to make AT&T change. It's much cheaper for them to take the PR hit and fire you.
While iPhone users consume a lot more bandwidth than other users, AT&T can sort of keep it in check thanks to the tight restrictions on the AppStore. Once they turn on tethering those restrictions go away and they'll have people using it as their main connection and all that comes with it (BitTorrent comes to mind).
Personally I'd rather pay by the megabyte--I don't want to pay $30 a month for data so I can have an iPhone. I just want to SMS and from time to time check a map. I'll let people like you subsidize their network build out.
More on point, though, because it's "been argued 1000 times before" are you suggesting that it's best for consumers to just shut up and take it? How about you speak out when you're unhappy and encourage others to do the same. Whether or not you're going to change an AT&T policy is not the point. There are other ends that are just as good. If apple felt that more iPhones would be sold, and at a higher margin, if they opened it up to an alternative carrier in the US market, they'd do it in a second once their initial AT&T contract expires.
Further, you can buy a data card for your laptop. It's not like nobody is using their networks to connect to the network. And my point is that they're doing it right now, this very moment, and they're blocking BT and restricting other traffic.
Their policies make it very clear that they don't intend their laptop connect cards as a users primary connection, even if their marketing doesn't.
O2 stated as much in plain english recently. http://twitter.com/o2/statuses/2088467994
That's why tethering plans are commonly sold with a GB limit and phone only plans are not. But really it's common sense, you're much more likely to consume bandwidth heavy stuff on your computer. Also many of the same services will use more bytes on your laptop. YouTube on the iPhone is low-quality and low-bandwidth, visit on your computer tethered to your iPhone and you're using way more bytes.
I know, it's a fact of life. Unlimited!="unlimited", free!="free" and life sentence!="life sentence" but it still sucks.
I haven't had a regular "free" phone since 2003, so it is hard to compare. Having constant access to email and the internets seems so essential now, I don't think I could rationally compare the value to of the iPhone to a phone that doesn't have a data plan.
edit:: Also make sure you're on Edge/3G, not wifi.
Just kidding. Mostly. If you browse to http://help.benm.at/ from your iPhone (UA checking), you can download a carrier profile that will enable tethering. Reboot your phone and you should be good to go.
I recommend downloading the carrier file manually and verifying its contents before applying the setting changes.
Incidentally, the open-ness of Windows Mobile has meant that WinMo phones on ATT have had unlimited tethering forever. It doesn't have a really pretty icon, though...
Carriers want to be able to charge for it regardless of which phone you own.
As for the 'pretty icons'... Apple/RIM/Google are realizing that users are beginning to care less about what hardware their phone has, and more about what they can do on their phone. All 3 are focusing on providing app driven platforms, and Apple did well to grab the early lead.
I don't see a future for winMo in that ecosystem.
Sure, WinMo sucks hard. But it's open, and that means you can do whatever you want. Android is probably the most logical successor, although T-Mobile would really like you to pretend that Android is closed.