Anyone considering getting an iphone?

[McDuck]

No iPhone Tethering or Dial-Up for Laptop Users

Posted on Monday, Jun 16, 2008 by Dieter Bohn

Boo! One of the most popular things to do with a 3G smartphone is to “tether” it, which is to attach it to your laptop and use it as a modem so you can get online anywhere your phone has service. Windows Mobile and Treos have multiple options for doing this — some even via some sneaky software that works in a kind of “proxy mode” so you can avoid paying the extra costs associated with a full-on “Phone as Modem” plan (which usually runs in the neighborhood of $50 a month). Sadly, AT&T has let the official word out — you won’t be able to do this with the iPhone 3G:

However according to AT&T spokesman, Mark A. Siegel, who spoke with iPhone Atlas earlier this week, AT&T will not be supporting a PAM plan for the iPhone 3G. The only available data plan for the iPhone will be the new $30 consumer unlimited data and visual voice mail plan and the $45 business data plan. The latter is charged when a person makes an enterprise type connection to Exchange or a Blackberry server for email or messaging. — [iPhone Atlas]

Of course, this has already been done for Jailbroken phones and we hope it will be done again — just don’t expect to be able to purchase something like this from the App Store when it rolls out.

 

[McDuck]

AT&T reveals iPhone 3G price plans

By Shaun Nichols
5 July 2008 06:30AM

AT&T has revealed a new pricing structure for the iPhone 3G in the US..

The company is making a few changes to its monthly plan, boosting rates and adding a separate charge for text messages.

Users will pay an extra $US10 for the upgrade from a slower Edge connection to the 3G network.

Prices will range from a US$69.99 monthly plan with 450 anytime minutes and 5,000 night and weekend minutes, to a US$129 plan with unlimited minutes. Each of the plans will include unlimited data transfers.

SMS will be separate, with prices ranging from US$5 per month for 200 messages to US$20 per month for unlimited messages.

AT&T also revealed a new pricing plan for the handsets. Customers signing a two-year contract can pick up the iPhone 3G for US$199 (8GB) or US$299 (16GB).

Customers not deemed eligible for an upgrade will have to pay US$399 and US$499 respectively for the iPhone 3G.

"We cannot wait to offer the iPhone 3G to our customers, and we want to make sure that the buying process is as easy as possible," said Ralph de la Vega, president and chief executive at AT&T's wireless unit.

"Considering all the great new features of the iPhone 3G, we think our pricing and monthly plans present a tremendous value for consumers and businesses alike."

AT&T said that it will also soon offer the iPhone without a contract for US$599 (8GB) and US$699 (16GB).

The handsets themselves will still be locked into the network, although the iPhone hacking community will no doubt be hard at work on another 'jailbreak' procedure.

Apple has long distanced itself from the efforts to remove the iPhone from its exclusive network.

The company has said that, while it does not deliberately cripple hacked iPhones, it will not be held responsible for the compatibility issues that often arise with firmware updates.

The iPhone 3G will go on sale on 11 July at 8.00am and will be available only at Apple and AT&T retail stores.

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