- November 5th, 2010 by Jon Parsons
The T-Mobile G2′s expected OTA update with Wi-Fi calling and Wi-Fi hotspot tethering is out. A great addition to the T-Mobile G2, the UMA type Wi-Fi calling hooks up seamlessly and the Wi-Fi hotspot Tethering did surprisingly well on speed tests.
The Wi-Fi calling application is found in the Android menu, a simple blue quote bubble with a wireless signal inside of it. The interface is extremely easy to use and of course when not being connected to a Wi-Fi hotspot the Wi-Fi calling disables. Hopefully the call remains active through the switch from Wi-Fi to the network and doesn’t drop calls how the BlackBerry Curve did when UMA was first released for T-Mobile.
The Wi-Fi hotspot configuration for tethering is a breeze. It can be found within:
Settings -> Wireless & Networks -> Tethering & portable hotspot
T-Mobile G2 tethering Speedtests taken a minute apart both breaking 6 Mb/s:
Overall, the new features are pretty impressive – especially the tethering speeds when you’re in an HSPA+ coverage area. You just need to determine whether you’ll be willing to pay the extra $15/month for tethering. A representative from T-Mobile informed me of tethering being free from now until November 13 when the Wi-Fi calling and tethering plan comes into effect.
In the grand scheme of things, given the speeds you get and the price of tethering, T-Mobile has edged out all of its competitors.
