PdaNet Free Edition

Read all of my past Android app reviews at Appolicious and Yahoo! Tech -- click here.

Platform: Android

RATING:
5 out of 5

PRICE:
FREE

TASTY:
Allows you to share your phone’s Internet connection with your computer via USB or BlueTooth DUN. For free. Gratis.

BUMMER:
Does not enable wifi tethering for no fee.

COOL:
Avoid costly wifi hotspots in hotels, airports, and elsewhere with this free app. Get online with your DROID for quick, clean Web access, email checking, and more.

REVIEW:
When major cell carriers recently began offering wifi tethering for an extra fee, I was sorely tempted to go for it.

After all, tethering (using your Android phone as an Internet access point so your laptop and other devices can surf using your phone’s data access) has the potential to save us money and aggravation when we’re on the road and away from free or for-pay wifi access points.

After conducting some research into my Internet-ready devices and the tethering apps available on the Android Marketplace, I quickly narrowed things down to the (free!) PdaNet Free Edition app. After all, my laptops have USB ports, so skipping the wifi sharing option was a no-brainer.

This small program is a wonder. It allows you to use the USB cable that came with your DROID to plug your phone directly into your computer, and then share the phone’s Internet connection with your computer. No root access is required, no special modifications are necessary, and no tethering plan (read: additional fees) from your carrier is needed. Your phone even charges your phone’s battery via your USB port while you surf.

Even better, PdaNet works under both Windows and Macintosh OS’s. In my case, both my Dell and Macbook machines have successfully surfed the Web via my phone on numerous business trips via this handy app. (If you need to access secure (https) websites, you’ll need to pony up for the full version, which costs $15.95 for a limited time.)

The biggest surprise? Surfing the Web and checking email on my DROID can be a little slow at times. Once I tether the phone to my laptop, I notice a considerable speed boost. What could be easier?
Before getting started, be sure to install and test both the PC software and the free app on your phone. You’ll need to have both up and running before you head out on the road.

All of that said, if you truly need to tether a wireless device to your phone (wifi-only iPads, anyone?) you will need to pony up for your carrier’s wifi tethering service, which can run up to $20 or more per month.