iPhone 3.0 update is expected to be widely available June 17. Having been allowed access to this release a few weeks in advance I was able to evaluate the service quality of the Rogers/Fido network. My previous post on the iPhone talks about the cut/copy/paste options. In this entry I want to mention tethering and Push notification.
The iPhone GM Seed was released to developers June 10th and allows them to develop and build applications with the full features of the iPhone 3.0. The same day I was given advanced access to test AIM beta PUSH notification application as a developer preview. The goal is to create a high volume test environment that will be used to debug the iPhone carrier PUSH applications. This application can only be run by those with the iPhone 3.0 GM Seed, and only those with a special redemption coupon from Apple. The AIM push notification allows users to send an instant message to AOL, mobileME or .mac account buddies as well as cell phones numbers while being able to receive a reply, even texts, as instant messages. The advantage of PUSH notification is that the iPhone does not have to have the AIM application open to receive notifications.
Tethering is the ability to use the iPhone cellular network to connect non-cellular devices to the internet using bluetooth or USB. The initial release of the iPhone 3.0 beta allowed developers to upload a tethering carrier file through iTunes. The beta 5 release disabled this ability along with iTune 8.2, but by June 12 iTunes allowed Rogers/Fido users new tethering activation options. When I first received the update, it indicated I needed to contact Fido. When I did call, Fido updated my billing profile to allow thethering. After rebooting my unique iPhone ID allowed for tethering.
Other sites have how-to guides on the iPhone tethering on Rogers/Fido networks. Call your Fido or Rogers carrier to more information.
