Tether goes HTML5 on iPhone

Tether has relaunched its mobile app, which "allows simple and affordable internet connection through smartphones", once again making it available to iPhone users. The app was originally released for BlackBerry in 2009 and later made its way over to the iPhone in the form of iTether. However, the app was removed from the App Store only 20 hours after it launched. "It was clear […] there was enormous demand within the iPhone ecosystem," said Tim Burke, CEO of Tether. "It was unfortunate that Apple decided to remove our application […]. However, this caused us to innovate. Our underlying patent-pending technology behind Tether for iPhone is unlike anything on the market."

According to Tether, the new app is based on HTML5 and creates a wireless connection over AdHoc. The company says this circumvents the need to buy the application directly from the App Store and therefore enables any iPhone or iPad with a data connection to allow tethering.

This of course isn't the first time developers have decided to get around Apple's restrictions and subsequently found a solution in HTML5. We've previously reported on Grooveshark and the FT both doing the same, and Sencha recently upgraded its tools to make it simpler for devs to create app-like HTML5 experiences. However, while it's clear apps with a popular USP (such as Tether) or very loyal core audience (like the FT) will flock to HTML5, only time will tell if this happens in a more general sense.