iPhone-as-modem app gone again

UPDATE 2: The app is gone... again.

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UPDATE: NetShare has now been re-posted to the AppStore, and is available in the United States. Instructions are built into the application.

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Apple has yanked a briefly approved tethering application for the iPhone from its AppStore, surprising the tool's developer. Dubbed NetShare, the application was developed by NullRiver and allows use of the iPhone (including the iPhone 3G) as a wireless modem for laptop or desktop computers.

NetShare was briefly available for $9.99 Thursday evening, meaning it passed Apple's initial approval, but later disappeared.

A message posted to NullRiver's site reads:

"We're not quite sure why Apple took down the NetShare application yet, we've received no communication from Apple thus far. NetShare did not violate any of the Developer or AppStore agreements. We're hoping we'll get some feedback from Apple today. Sorry to all the folks that couldn't get it in time. We'll do our best to try to get the application back onto the AppStore if at all possible. At the very least, we hope Apple will allow it to be used in countries where the provider does permit tethering."

AT&T allows tethering, officially dubbed Phone-As-Modem (PAM), on many of its handsets, but not the iPhone. That hasn't stopped enterprising users from developing a solution unofficially, however, and jailbroken iPhones can be tethered.

UPDATE: We've now received word from AT&T, which states:

"Apple manages the App Store. We have no comment."

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