If you own a laptop and a smartphone coupled with an unlimited data plan, then you could be in for a nice treat today. Anyone that’s bound to the internet can tell you that being stranded without internet access is not much fun. It could drive anyone crazy! When all else fails you can turn to the connection on your smartphone as long as you have an unlimited data plan. To feed your internet addiction from your smartphone to your computer, PdaNet is the program for you.
PalmOs, Windows Mobile, iPhone Tethering
PdaNet is an application that allows you to use the internet connection via your smartphone to connect your computer to the internet. PdaNet is available for PalmOS, Windows Mobile, and the iPhone. PalmOS and Windows Mobile users are required to install the app on both their phone and their computer. Users will also need a USB cable or bluetooth to enable the connection to their computer. PdaNet is available for jailbroken iPhones via Cydia, which works without the need for cords. Instead PdaNet runs via a Wi-Fi ad-hoc network that the user must create for their iPhone.
The Best Back-Up to Have
In our tests, connection speeds were faster than a dial-up connection. If you’re looking for optimal broadband speeds then your connection will depend entirely upon your service provider. On Verizon Wireless, we were able to watch Youtube videos and download a song or two within 2-3 minutes. On the AT&T network with no 3G connection, downloads and loading times were about 5-10 minutes for pages with videos or music. We were not able to test AT&T’s 3G connection on our iPhone. PdaNet is available for free on the iPhone. PalmOS and Windows Mobile users will have to cough up $34 to use this app, though a trial version is available to download. Is it worth the money? We think so if you’ll ever need to use your smartphone as a back-up internet connection.