Android may have its problems, as committed iPhone owner David Bayon highlighted earlier this week, but Google’s open-source OS excels in technical areas that Apple’s handset just can’t reach.
Take our latest Android App of the Week: while Proxoid wouldn’t fly on the iPhone – it’s evidently not allowed into Apple’s walled garden – this impressive tool is freely available in the Android marketplace.
While it replicates the functionality of a tethering app nicely, it works slightly differently: while the former set up your phone as a wireless hotspot of sorts, apps like Proxoid turn your phone into a modem without the need for root access
As an added bonus, Proxoid is free – the best of its tethering app competition, PdaNet, costs a whopping $19 – and could be greatly appreciated by regular travellers: after all, why use a 3G dongle when you could just plug your phone in, especially if you’ve got an unlimited monthly data package?
Unfortunately, getting started is quite tricky. This page explains how to install Proxoid but, in a nutshell, you’ll need to take a few steps that’ll be more familiar to app developers: enable USB debugging on your handset, download the Android SDK, and download and install Proxoid’s own driver.
Once that’s done, you need to configure your browser to use a proxy server and then run a batch file that was downloaded with the driver as well as the Proxoid app on your phone.
It’s not easy, at least initially, but the benefit far outweighs a little bit of legwork. After all, harnessing your internet connection for use on your laptop is a godsend, especially during long journeys, and it’s far cheaper than splashing out on a 3G dongle. As an added bonus, it’s free, but it’s worth checking the terms and conditions of your phone contract before you take the plunge – some networks take a dim view towards tethering and proxy services such as this.
Do you have a suggestion for Android App of the Week? Nominate your favourite using the comments form below.
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