internet sharing

A lot of hay has been made over Windows Phone "Tango" aka CR3/build 8773 of Microsoft's mobile OS. The update contains a lot of minor things and is mostly focused on compatibility with 256MB devices for emerging markets and low-cost Windows Phones.

Nokia is hard at work with updating their ROMs for all Lumia phones and in fact if you use Navifirm to check, the Lumia 710 and 800 are getting heavily populated with new Tango updates, presumably being readied for roll-out in June.

We grabbed one of those ROM, OS 8773 with firmware 12120 from Mexican carrier Telcel to see what it has on board. Presumably, these changes you see in the above video will also be on the Lumia 800 and 900 ROMs as well, so consider this a sneak peek. Here is what's new:

• Call forwarding - forward your calls to a designated number for (1) all calls (2) when I don't answer (3) when I am busy (4) when my phone is turned off
• Call waiting - enable/disable
• SMS delivery confirmation* - on/off
• MMS delivery confirmation* - on/off
• SMS Character set - Reduced (no accents, standard SMS) or Full
• Send MMS acknowledgement* - on/off
• Internet Sharing (aka WiFi tethering)
• Enhanced MMS - Send voice notes, multiple images, video
• Nokia branded Marketplace icon

As you can see, some of those features are pretty great (especially Internet Sharing) but they're also not necessarily "must have" items either, making Tango a minor update, something we've been emphasizing for some time now. Still, Nokia has done a nice job here and we expect T-Mobile to roll this out sometime in June officially (just a guess).

Some of you may wonder if the OS feels any different (faster, smoother, etc.) and to our eyes, no, it feels exactly the same. Perhaps there are some optimizations here and there but we really didn't notice it. We should also note the MMS issues we had in the video are probably due to this not being a T-Mobile ROM and more over, Nokia pulled their Network app to be fixed  (it'll be back soon) so we can't configure our MMS gateway for T-Mobile.

If you have any questions, ask away in comments. And yes, we'll see about whipping up a tutorial on how loaded Tango on our T-Mobile phone for you 'leet hackrz out there.

* Items with asterisk were not covered in video

We've previously reported on how the Lumia 710 and 800 do not support Internet Sharing, but the 610 and 900 do. It's a slight pain that has separated Lumia Windows Phone owners. Thankfully Nokia has confirmed that tethering will be available on both the Lumia 710 and 800 in a future firmware update - something we're currently on the lookout for.

The folks from Plaffo are reporting that the official Nokia Lumia Update section of the website is reporting that Lumia 800 firmware on Vodafone in Italy is currently in development. The site notes that they've already received 12070 so this alteration on the update page has to be a future version. As well as Italy, both Vodafone Spain (thanks SmartphoneApps.es) and UK are also "software under creation".

Should the manufacturer be working on the next version, this would hopefully include the missing tethering functionality. Are you with Vodafone and already on 12070? You could well be the first in line for Internet Sharing.

Source: Plaffo, via: SmartphoneApps

It appears that Telstra is rolling out the Windows Phone tethering update, and has enabled Internet sharing for customers, following Vodafone AU. We've received multiple reports from readers (some using the HTC Mozart - new FW version: 2250.21.510002.841) that they've successfully updated. It's good to see the Australian carrier still keeping up with updates.

Should you be on the network and have received the notification to update, let us know in the comments below with what handset you're packing.

Thanks to everyone who tipped us on this!

Good news for those on Vodafone in Australia: the carrier has approved the HTC update that will enable WiFi internet sharing on the 7 Trophy, this just weeks after announcing that they were testing it:

Windows Phone 7.10.7720.68

Maintenance Release MCR1 (Internet Sharing Update)

Vodafone has granted technical approval of a new maintenance release. Roll-out will begin soon; keep an eye on our blog for further details.

This is excellent news as HTC certainly seems committed to their customers in getting this update to as many devices and carriers as possible. We'll keep an eye out for when it goes live.

Source: Vodafone Blog; Thanks, Gary H., for the heads up!

For those who are into the whole custom ROM scene--a small but dedicated crowd--you'll be excited to know that DFT have finally released their v2 of their Freedom ROM. We reported back in October that this was in the works and Dark Forces Team has come through, as usual.

This version has quite a few suprises on board including:

• Support for 20 languages
• Internet sharing for gen 1 HTC devices
• Updated HTC XAPs from Titan/Radar
• Fully unlock with IE download XAP

The ROM is only available for generation 1 HTC devices e.g. Trophy, HD7, Mozart, 7 Pro and Surround) that are GSM. However, the team has noted that they are working on a CDMA versions for our Trophy and Arrive friends too.

While not for the casual user, custom ROMs offer some unique benefits including the ability to have tethering enabled. If you want to brave those waters, head over to XDA Forums for more info.

Thanks, Chris P for the heads up!

It appears that both the AT&T Samsung Focus S and Flash will be capable of Internet Sharing. Or at least that's what AT&T's Support Websites are indicating.

Support sites for both the Focus S and Flash contain instructions on how to turn on your personal hotspot with these new Windows Phones. Both instructions do note that there is a prerequisite to have a compatible rate plan. We're not sure if that means you have to belly up for a DataConnect plan or if the DataPro 4GB plan will do the trick.  Personally, I'm crossing my fingers that the old unlimited plans will work.

You can find the tethering information for the Focus S here and for the Flash here at AT&T Support.

Thanks goes out to Ryan for the tip!

Good news for Samsung Omnia 7 owners on the Three UK network, we have Internet sharing! An update has been rolled out from Samsung that enables the tethering setting to be manipulated. Users can now create a small network for up to five connections, using mobile data. Simply plug your handset into Zune and update to take full advantage of the tethering capabilities.

Thanks Jay for the tip!

Assuming LG Germany isn't fibbing here, users of the Optimus 7 can expect sometime in the (near) future a small firmware update to enable internet sharing aka tethering. We know the phone's chipset supports the function but since it was a late-added feature to Mango, most OEMs have had only a little time to play with the drivers. Looks like LG though is prepped to enable this for its users, which will involve updating the firmware in a quick and painless fashion.

Lets hope it comes this year.

Source: @LGBlog; Thanks, Cyruss1989, for finding out!

In a great write up at WP Down Under by guest contributor DZX, the Windows Phone Internet Sharing option is put to the test on a Samsung Focus (using the same methods we used to load it up on ours). Our experience with Internet Sharing is like many others: simply great. It's fast, easy to use and works every time. But that's a non-critical, non-scientific opinion. What do the numbers say?

DZX looked at three important areas in testing Windows Phone Internet Sharing: speed, battery and range

On speed, it was noted that there was no difference between the speed of the Focus itself versus when being used as a modem. What that means is that you'll experience no loss is 3G speeds when tethering--it's as efficient as you can get with not a drop of bandwidth wasted. Win.

Probably the biggest concern with tethering is the battery. Traditionally, using your phone as a modem drains the battery extremely quickly and while the temperature increased 5°C from idle, it was well within the limits of the device. So how'd the battery do? Turns out, very well. After about 30 minutes of browsing the web on the laptop (consuming 26.6MB and uploading 3.41MB of data), the battery was down 3% or about an hour of 'estimated time remaining'. Translation: Battery life is not significantly impacted by tethering. Win x2.

Finally, range of the phone as a wireless router was looked at with a surprising result. Even at 82 feet away, a considerable distance, the signal maintained a connection, even though it was very low in strength. More importantly, web pages loaded just as quick as if the phone was next to the PC. Mind you, the Focus was transmitting through the house at this point with the author in his yard. Win x3.

Conclusion? Even though most of us can't yet get internet sharing on our Windows Phone, the feature seems to be top notch, with it performing better than expected from such an option. Here's hoping for some quick fixes by OEMs or some new phones pronto.

Check out the full write up at WP Down Under.