Tether makes software that lets you tether your smartphone to a laptop. In English, that means you can use your phone like a modem, providing 3G data access for your laptop on the go without signing up for an expensive mobile broadband plan for your laptop (you know, assuming you’re already paying for a moderately expensive mobile broadband plan for your phone).
The company, which used to be known as TetherBerry, offers a BlackBerry client. But today Tether also launched a public beta of its Android client.
You’ll have to sign up and… wait if you want in on the beta. The company isn’t rolling out the software to everyone at once. And while the software is free while in beta, it’s very likely that Tether will charge a one-time fee for new customers once the beta period has ended. The BlackBerry software costs $49.95 (although it’s on sale through March 16th for $29.99). That’s more than twice the price of PdaNet, another application that lets you… you guessed it, tether your Android smartphone to a laptop.
via Android And Me
If one already has a phone with a data plan, why pay more for a separate device and plan? This makes sense in that situation.