CoBrowser Review

Kicking yourself that you didn't splurge for a 3G model of the iPad? Have one but tired of paying the monthly bill for 3G access? Well, tethering isn't free (sadly), but Collect3 has come up with an ingenious bypass that gives you limited mobile access to the web on your iPad. All you need is this app, an iPhone, a 3G signal, and some patience.

You'll need the app on both devices, but thankfully it's a universal app, so you only have to purchase it once on your account. Turn on Bluetooth on each, and load up the apps. Using your iPhone, start hosting a session. On your iPad, your iPhone should be listed on the screen, and you merely need to join the session. Once that is done, the browsing can commence.

To maintain the connection, you have to stay in the app (no backgrounding here, sorry). CoBrowser sports an in-app browser, though, so you can surf the web to your heart's content. The caveat here is that to access any new content, you have to confirm on your iPhone. There are two ways to do this.

First, you can simply surf on your iPhone and let your iPad serve as a secondary display. This is good if you're out and about and want to show someone what you're looking at on a bigger screen. Click a link, and your iPad screen updates just about in sync with your iPhone.

Second, if you want to actively surf on the iPad, you can do so, but you must keep that iPhone handy. Clicking a link on the iPad will create a pop-up window on your iPhone to confirm the decision. Accept, and the page will load on the iPad.

Cumbersome? Yes. Is it the only solution to get wireless access without paying for another 3G account? Yes. It does come in handy, though, if you're out of the house with both devices and want to view something on the iPad's larger display.

Sadly, without wireless access outside the app, you can't do any mobile gaming or use any other app that takes advantage of a wireless connection. Nevertheless, it performs an impressive trick, almost as impressive as the fact that Apple approved the app in the first place. Get it while you can; for the low price, you're bound to find a use for it sooner or later.