Appletell | Apple, Mac, iPhone, iPod | News, Rumors, Reviews, How-Tos

Mobile Crunch has some information straight from AT&T regarding the iPhone’s current lack of tethering capabilities.

In an interview with Michael Arrington at the Web 2.0 Summit, AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph De La Vega let it be known that an official, AT&T sanctioned method of using the iPhone as a 3G modem for a laptop is on the way “soon.“

Tethering has been possible with the iPhone for some time with apps like NetShare (which was quickly pulled from the App Store as you might remember) and with a jailbroken iPhone. But this is the first significant news of an official not-going-to-get-you-in-trouble tethering option.

Tethering allows you to share your cell phone’s data plan with another computer, such as a laptop. This is perfect for on-the-go when you need an internet connection on your notebook but don’t want to buy a separate data plan specifically for it.

MacRumors adds to this news with a rumor. They’ve heard that this tethering feature is actually built into iPhone firmware 2.2, which makes perfect sense. While AT&T could submit an app to the App Store, a built-into-the-firmware solution is much more elegant.

While original iPhone users probably aren’t getting excited over this news, the iPhone 3G’s data connection is perfect for this purpose. There still are no details on pricing or availability, but if De La Vega is right, you won’t have to wait long to find out. Standard tethering plans for other AT&T phones run at $30 a month, so iPhone pricing shouldn’t be wildly different.

Read [MobileCrunch] Via [MacRumors]

Keep up with the latest gadget goodness! - Subscribe to our feed