Sprint Pulls Down Mention of ''Phone As Modem'' from Palm Pre Description

There's bad news for potential Palm Pre users: Sprint is now saying this upcoming webOS smartphone won't be able to act as a wireless modem for a second computer after all.

A week or so ago, Sprint posted on its website the technical specifications of its version of the Pre, and these indicated that this model will support this carrier's "Phone As Modem" service. These have since been modified to remove this reference.

What Is Tethering?
Many smartphones can be used as an external wireless modem for a laptop. Carriers have different names for this -- like Sprint's "Phone As Modem" -- but the generic term is tethering.

It's generally used by traveling businesspeople who only need occasional access to high-speed cellular-wireless network on their laptops.

As this is a feature that mostly appeals to business users, and the Palm Pre's target audience is consumers, the lack of tethering support is unlikely to have a significant impact on sales.

An Overview of the Palm Pre
The Palm Pre will be the first device to use Palm's just-announced webOS. This will be a multi-tasking operating system with a strong focus on the Web. It will be able to synchronize data with variety of online services like Google and Facebook.

The Pre itself will feature a sliding keyboard as well as a multitouch-capable 3.1-inch display. This device will also be equipped with 8 GB of onboard storage, Wi-Fi b/g, Bluetooth 2.1, and a 3.0 megapixel camera with LED flash. 

It will be available first from the U.S. carrier Sprint, who will add EV-DO Rev. A. It is expected to be released by carriers around the world later this year, and other U.S. wireless companies in 2010.

Source: Engadget