I’ve seen this on a lot of mobile device sites, including MacRumors, iPhone Freak and iPhone Alley (to name but a few); but it appears that the iPhone tethering application, NetShare, won’t be coming back to the US-based App Store…EVER.

According to information that I’ve read on these and other sites, the app was removed for one reason and one reason alone-it violates AT&T’s Terms of Service for both iPhone and iPhone 3G: No tethering allowed. AT&T is specifically prohibiting tethering on its network from these two devices. It’s not a matter of CAN’T. It’s a matter of thou shalt not.

My guess is this is a band width issue. I pushed well over 1GB of data through my iPhone 3G last month, and I really didn’t do THAT much. Yes, I surfed the internet a bit more with that device than I ever did with my WM devices (though I didn’t do YouTube or AOL Radio much with it).  However, I think that AT&T is affraid they will clog The Pipe if people start tethering their iPhones; and THAT’S why we won’t see NetShare back in the App Store.

Now, as far as those of us lucky enough to get NetShare before it got permanently pulled (yes, I was able to get a copy; no, I haven’t used it yet), use of the app is a bit on the grey side. I don’t think AT&T will be able to to tell what app you are using on their network without specifically sniffing for NetShare packets on specific accounts; and since they pulled it before it got too much air time, I’m not certain how many copies they actually sold, or how often it really is used. I’m also not certain what AT&T will do if they catch any user tethering their iPhone to their laptop.  From my understanding, it does violate your ToS and contract.

What do you think?  Were you able to get NetShare?  Have you used it? How does it work for you? Is it something that you plan to use a lot? why don’t you join us in the discussion and give us your thoughts?

Pictured above are 24 tip calculating applications in the App Store. They do the exact same thing. Will each be around in the store next year? Yesterday MacRumors wrote about the fat money some developers are making on the App Store. The story talked about one of the applications designed to create crossword puzzles which had banked $1,800 in one day for the developer. That’s not bad! My thinking is that the App Store is going to cool down - and fast. It’s way too crowded with “Me Too” programs. Is there any way that we need 24 different programs that all claim to help you calculate tips?

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1Password, a password manager and automatic form filler for the Mac has just appeared in the iTunes App Store. This version promises an iPhone native application to manage all your passwords and sync with your Mac. Unfortunately it seems the release of the iPhone application is a little ahead of the desktop capabilities because I have not been able to activate the feature which will synchronize my Mac version to the iPhone. I noted others reporting this on the Agile Web Solutions forum as well. Still, this is an excellent first step. We are all forced to chose so many passwords (sometimes of varying lengths) that having a centralize place to store them all is absolutely critical. The one application that I miss from my Blackberry is the password keeper. Looks like that need has finally been filled with 1Password for iPhone.

1Password

One of the things I’m hoping Apple will add to the App Store is the ability to obtain demo copies of programs before you purchase them. As more applications are released, I find myself unwilling to commit even a relatively small amount of money to a program that may not permanently stay on my iPhone. In the majority of instances I cannot determined whether a program will be useful just by reading an iTunes description. Instead what I’d really like is a way to test the program before having to buy it through the App Store. Turns out that web site iSmashPhone has come up with a rather clever way to do this. It requires knowing someone who already owns the program you want to test. And since this all happens via iTunes without any hacking on your part - it seems to be a legitimate (if time consuming way) to test programs before buying them.

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