Quote:
Originally Posted by geekmaster
Well... it all depends on exactly how you define "3G web browsing"...
We may well see hacks for BETTER web browing ON the kindles, but exporting the 3G internet connection over USB or wifi is called TETHERING, which is forbidden by amazon (for good reason). Besides violating your Terms Of Service contract with amazon (which you agreed to when you registered your kindle), it costs amazon real money paid to the cellphone companies (estimated at 12 cents/megabyte for Sprint CDMA service, and probably similar with the GSM cellphone carriers). Tethering generally uses a LOT more traffic than a kindle would use. Amazon can either charge you 15 cents/megabyte (which you agreed to), or they could just terminate free 3G for everybody.
Not only that, but mobileread site moderators have already stated in other "Theft of 3G Service" threads that this is illegal and they will not allow that information to be provided on this site.
Now, what gets interesting is if you run a VNC server on the kindle, and then use your laptop computer to remote-control and monitor your kindle while the kindle surfs the web. The VNC client computer need not limit itself to how the kindle renders the web page either, but could instead uses snort to capture all the internet packets and forward them to the VNC client computer, which could then render its own version of the passively collected web traffic. This method would be technically legal, and virtually impossible to be detected by amazon by simple web traffic analysis. It would not impose extra load on their services, but could deliver a much more satisfying web browsing experience. Although, on second thought, a more satisfying web browsing experience might itself increase web traffic, so it would be wise to exercise self-restraint in such a situation.  |
I wasn't talking about tethering; I was talking about bypassing the "Wikipedia only" restriction on 3G web browsing.