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Google Brings Instant Tethering To 3rd-Party Chromebooks (venturebeat.com)

Posted by msmash on from the it-just-works dept.

Google today rolled out Instant Tethering to third-party Chromebooks. Fifteen additional Chromebook models and over 30 cell phone models now support the feature. The move is part of Google's strategy of bringing Chrome OS and Android closer together. From a report: Tethering requires switching on your hotspot that uses your phone's mobile data, connecting to it from your other device by entering the password, and disconnecting when you're done. Instant Tethering skips those steps by putting you through an initial set-up process and then just showing a notification with a Connect button when your Chromebook detects that it has no Wi-Fi access. As long as tethering is enabled on your mobile data plan, and you have the data to spare, your Chromebook can always be online. Instant Tethering will also automatically disconnect if it detects 10 minutes of no activity.

27 comments

  1. Pretty cool but... by 110010001000 · · Score: 0

    ...once the planet runs out of people why would we need to connect to the Internet?

    1. Re:Pretty cool but... by Urinal+Pube · · Score: 2

      So your bots can keep posting to each other.

  2. So they can spy on you even more by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    .Filter error: You can type more than that for your comment.

  3. TB12 is untethered greatness by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Go Pats! Do your job!

    1. Re:TB12 is untethered greatness by DarkRookie2 · · Score: 1

      I mean, anyone can win if the refs call the plays in their favor each time.

      --
      http://progressquest.com/spoltog.php?name=Son+Of+Son+Of+DarkRookie
    2. Re: TB12 is untethered greatness by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your competitor team talked to themselves harder (some call pray) therefor the intangible beast of random fates (some call god) deflated your sportsball.

  4. Track-tastic! by BlackOverflow · · Score: 1

    Because we couldn't have 1 seconds of not being able to track you, now could we?!

  5. Turn Off by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hopefully there is a way to turn this shit off.

  6. That's cool, but can it do SLiRP tethering? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Remember that old "slirp" program for turning dial-up shell access into a PPP connection? Turns out you can compile it for Android and then use adb to USB tether your Linux computer to your phone or tablet. It works without needing root on the phone or having to pay for tethering service from the wireless service. You can even issue some adb commands to turn on/turn off wireless data on the phone from your PC.

    1. Re: That's cool, but can it do SLiRP tethering? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I dont need such a feature. I can tether any time I want but I have no need because I am just browsing the internet and plain old HTTP is plenty sophisticated for my purposes. A tethering solution with better features would be great but I dont need to pay for something that is no better than a free solution

  7. Finally! by joh · · Score: 2

    Couldn't be that this works out of the box since ages with iOS and macOS while with Android/ChromeOS you still had to manually enable the hotspot on your phone and then connect to it from your Chromebook.

    But honestly, with LTE chipsets being dirt-cheap these days and e-SIMs being a thing there's actually very little reason to not include an LTE radio with every fucking laptop and tablet and have it work with the same phone number and the same contract as your phone. You can use only one of both at the same time anyway. Making your pay extra even for being allowed to tether is nothing but short-sighted stupidness.

    1. Re:Finally! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      LTE chipsets may be cheap, but in some parts of the world, tethering - or data used for tethering - are very restricted, and often expensive.

      I do not want Google using my entire year's tethering allowance for a Windows update. (or, a Linux or Android update come to that) and I can do without any Solaris updates, ever - tethering or not!

      Is there a version of VMS for phones?

    2. Re:Finally! by Obfuscant · · Score: 1

      You can use only one of both at the same time anyway.

      You've never made a phone call while using your laptop? Or read your email on your phone while using your laptop on the net?

    3. Re:Finally! by joh · · Score: 1

      Yes, but I certainly didn't read my email on both at the same time. At worst it's just the same as multitasking. The bottleneck for data consumption is the user, not the device.

    4. Re:Finally! by Obfuscant · · Score: 1

      Yes, but I certainly didn't read my email on both at the same time.

      You don't need to be reading the same email at the same time on both devices to be using the NETWORK at the same time on both devices. Or even using both devices connected to the LTE network at the same time. The point is that the claim that you cannot use both at the same time anyway is patently absurd.

  8. Too bad most carriers disable it by Solandri · · Score: 3, Insightful

    As long as tethering is enabled on your mobile data plan, and you have the data to spare

    This is a scam. You shouldn't have to pay to enable tethering on your mobile plan (unless you have unlimited data). You're paying for x GB/mo of data with your plan. It doesn't matter to the carrier whether you use that data on your phone or on a device tethered to your phone. x GB is x GB.

    Charging extra to be able to tether to your phone is like a supermarket charging you one price for a carton of milk that you'll drink straight from a cup, but adding a surcharge if you want to use that carton of milk in a bowl of cereal. Milk is milk. As long as you're buying the same quantity of milk (using the same GB of data per month), the price should be the same no matter how you use it.

    1. Re:Too bad most carriers disable it by pgmrdlm · · Score: 1

      You shouldn't have to pay to enable tethering on your mobile plan (unless you have unlimited data).

      With my carrier, to tether cost's extra. And I think they start throttling after 11 gig. Which they were upfront about. Eh, if your internet goes out at the house and you are on call(like I am). And need to log into work, phone tethering would work. I just am NOT paying that extra money for that feature... I will walk/drive to a Micky D's, order coffee all night and do my work.

      --
      Anonymous comments are as pathetic as the anonymous "sources" that contaminate gutless journalism from the New York Time
    2. Re:Too bad most carriers disable it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Even if tethering isn't "allowed" it turns out they can't stop you from doing it. I was tethering for years before I even knew what tethering meant. I was just using my phone as a router and didn't even know that the new jargon "tether" meant that. (Why did they make a new word for that? All it did was confuse people.)

      Carriers don't even have the ability to disable it, as long as you're in control of your phone.

    3. Re:Too bad most carriers disable it by pgmrdlm · · Score: 1

      I look forward to civil war asshole. Why? So people like you die slow and painful. Want to meet mother fucker so we can start this war?

      --
      Anonymous comments are as pathetic as the anonymous "sources" that contaminate gutless journalism from the New York Time
  9. Re:No chromebooks in Federal prison by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    Fake news. After my VP pardons me, he's such a good VP, I'm going to live the rest of my life in a state prison. But only in the best state, so we'll see which one wants me the most. And while I won't have a Chromebook, Rudy assures me that they will let me run Windows, at least. #MAGA

  10. Re:No chromebooks in Federal prison by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Apple, are you reading this? Would be a nice feature to have.

  11. All your net by AHuxley · · Score: 1

    goes into an ad company.
    Now other devices can connect via an ad company too. With the best crypto to ensure approved ads don't get detected and blocked.

    --
    Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
  12. This is nothing new by Khyber · · Score: 1

    The only 'novel' thing is that it checks your data remaining.

    Instead of assuming that you have unlimited data, as you should have now.

    Thanks for helping to enforce data limits, Microsoft.

    --
    Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.