Palm Pre Bootleg Tethering

Enthusiasts today found a means to enable data tethering on the Palm Pre despite the feature not being official through Sprint. The technique involves creating an SSH (secure shell) tunnel to the smartphone while it's set to work as a SOCKS proxy and then use a computer's web browser to visit the proxy. While active, the approach lets users share the Pre's 3G connection over Bluetooth.

The expanded ability comes even as Palm said it was quieting talk about unofficial tethering methods on the Pre Dev Wiki and other sources. Although it has no objections to tethering itself, the Pre's creator has urged hobbyists to stop publicly discussing the issue as it's concerned Sprint will complain and force Palm to take involuntary action to stop discussions.

Tethering is eventually expected to come to Sprint's version of the Pre but will likely require an extra fee, as the carrier and others in the US often charge for the feature.

By Electronista Staff