Category Archives: 3g
I love my MiFi 3G hotspot! I use it all the time. The only thing that can be a bit of a drag is when it runs out of battery power. If I'm near an outlet I can just plug in the supplied USB adapter and run it all day. However, if I'm in a seminar or other setting where I don't have immediate access to an outlet the battery can only last about 4 hours tops. That all changed when I "super sized" my MiFi Battery.
A 3300 mAh Extended Battery Lasts me all Day!
As long as I have a good 3G signal, my MiFi will now last me all day with this battery. It's designed to replace the stock battery and battery cover. This way it charges internally and as far as your MiFi is concerned it doesn't see any difference. The good folks over at The 3G Store sell both Verizon MiFi 2200 and Novatel GSM MiFi 2352/2372 Extended Batteries for $90.
Yes it makes the MiFi about twice as thick, but it's worth it if you need to be mobile and connected for several hours throughout the day.
By the way, you can get an unlocked MiFi GSM 2372 Mobile Hotspot here On Sale for $226.
March 11th, 2011
11:54
Are you willing to give up unlimited data for a Personal Hotspot?
Although I know it's iPad 2 day (more on that to come), let's not forget that Apple released iOS 4.3 this week for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. One of the most compelling features for iPhone users is the Personal Hotspot feature (finally!). However, use of this feature on AT&T comes at high price. I'm not talking about the monthly charge as much as I am the fact that original iPhone users have to make a choice if they are thinking about using it. Prior to the iPhone 4 iPhone users on AT&T have enjoyed unlimited 3G data for a single monthly charge. AT&T grandfathered this plan for people upgrading to the iPhone 4. In June 2010 AT&T discontinued the unlimited data plans for NEW iPhone/Smartphone customers. While the new plans offer a lower monthly charge for less data, the highest plan is capped at 2GBs/month. If you go over, you pay!
Unlimited Data or Personal Hotspot?
In order to take advantage of the new Personal Hotspot feature that allows you to connect your Laptop, WiFi iPad or other WiFi devices to your iPhone wirelessly to share your iPhone's 3G data connection, you have to switch to the newer Data Pro plan ($25/month for 2GB of data) AND you have to ADD a tethering plan ($20/month) for a total of $45/month. What sucks the most about this is that the extra $20/month doesn't get you any more data! It's a "just because we can" charge. CORRECTION: The New DataPro tethering plan gives your 4GB total per month. Of course if you use the Personal Hotspot feature you'll likely hit that 4GBs faster and then have to start paying for additional data. On the plus side you can choose to turn this feature on or off on your account as needed. If you know you're going on a trip and want to use it, you can turn it on and then turn it off for the following month. Either way, you still have to give up your Unlimited Data Plan to use it.
Choices
Your choice of course is to not switch. Besides that option, you can weigh the cost of a data card or the MiFi if you're going to be a heavy user. Lastly since Jailbreaking your iPhone is legal, you could use a Jailbroken App that allows you to turn your iPhone into a personal hotspot without switching plans (you may be violating AT&T's rules by doing this and I'm not telling you to do so. You would be doing this AT YOUR OWN RISK and risk to your Apple Warranty). Verizon is already rumored to be dropping their iPhone unlimited plans soon too!
For now and as long as it's allowed I'll be sticking with my Unlimited Plan!
AT&T and Verizon you really need to rethink "data".
Continue reading “Are you willing to give up unlimited data for a Personal Hotspot?” »
February 5th, 2011
10:06
Verizon & AT&T Battle on TV: Which Ad did you like Best?
I love the competition and it's already making AT&T make some changes to their pricing. Now that the battle is in full swing, which of these 1st wave Ads did you like best?
January 11th, 2011
11:51
It’s Verizon iPhone Day :)
I've waited for this day for over 3 years now. It's the day that my "I'd get an iPhone if it were on Verizon" friends can finally shut up about it 
Frankly I don't really care which phone you use or which network you use it on. Use whatever you like!
I've said it before and I'll say it again now. I have no plans of switching off AT&T, simply because my service has been decent and my GSM phone has worked worldwide. However, I realize for countless others out there your experience has NOT been as good and you can't wait to be on Verizon. Well today is your day. Verizon just announced the long awaited iPhone on their network. Although I have no plans of switching I am very much looking forward to the competition that this will give AT&T. I also hope that many of you on AT&T do switch (if you really are unhappy with AT&T) as it will free up some bandwidth for us who are staying.
I raise a glass of champagne and I celebrate this long awaited day with you. Enjoy!
UPDATE!
Oh Snap! Mobile hotspot included for up to 5 devices. Um, AT&T? Helloooooo? What's your response? Hellloooo? 
$199 for the 16GB Model and $299 for the 32GB Model – iPhone 4 on Verizon.
Verizon's iPhone 4 FAQ is here.
UPDATE 2!
Looks like the Verizon iPhone 4 will share the same experience as other CDMA phones in that you can't do data and talk on the phone at the same time! While this isn't new to Verizon customers, it's something that AT&T iPhone users would be giving up in the switch.
Hey! There was an ad for that
And of course there's the Daily Show Reaction
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Verizon iPhone Announcement | ||||
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Now that it's official
What will you do? Assuming that you are either at the end of your existing contract or you wait to the end of your contract:
July 12th, 2010
12:44
Get a MiFi without the monthly data plan charges: Pay as you go!
I love my MiFi! However, the minute I tell people about it they get turned off when they hear that it runs $60/month. Luckily for me this road warrior perk provided by my employer. Even though I couldn't think of going on a trip without it, I can certainly see how someone that doesn't travel as often as I do, wanting the convenience of a MiFi. It's easy for me to justify a MiFi for work: At $60/month I look at it as that's 6 nights worth of hotel internet at $9.99/night (and that's if you're lucky. Yes I know some hotels offer it free, but most don't). So if I use my MiFi at least 6 nights a month instead of hotel internet it's a wash. Let's say you don't travel much. However, when you do travel you want the freedom of having your own mobile hotspot without paying a monthly fee or the ridiculous tethering charges that AT&T and others charge to use your smartphone as a modem.
Virgin Mobile Has the Right Idea
Pay as you go! Buy a MiFi from them for $150 (great price). Then only pay for it when you need to use it:
Even the 30 days/300MB at $20 option is probably more than most people would need for a two-four week trip.
If I suddenly found myself having to pay for a MiFi out of my own pocket, I wouldn't think twice about going this route. I don't use it every day and this way I can buy the device once and use it/pay for it when I need it.
Thanks goes out to Jim Nichols for the lead to this offering.
June 28th, 2010
12:50
AT&T Finally Brings Tethering to the iPhone: What you should know…
One of my main AT&T/iPhone complaints has finally been addressed. Ever since the iPhone 3G (and for some, the original iPhone) came out two years ago, I wondered why AT&T was so adamant about NOT allowing you to tether (use your iPhone as a modem/WiFi hotspot) your iPhone to your laptop and share its 3G data connection. After all they allow this with every other smart phone they sell and they even sell 3G data cards. Also no one ever expected this to be FREE. So I never really got why this was such a big deal? Granted AT&T couldn't do it alone and it would require built-in support by Apple in the iPhone OS (iOS). However, that support came in iPhone OS 3 LAST YEAR. So what took AT&T a YEAR to allow it on the iPhone for us in the US? They claim that they still needed to tweak their network to allow the influx of additional data traffic. While this may be true, the thing is since it's not FREE, not everyone is going to do it. Also it's not something you're going to be using all the time or would you?
Data Plan caps may have been the real issue
I don't doubt that AT&T needed to (and still needs to) work on "the world's fastest 3G network" to get it ready for even the slightest increase in traffic, but I suspect that an even larger issue was not wanting you to be able to pay a flat fee and have unlimited use. Even when you go with a $60/month 3G data card from AT&T there is a 5GB/month cap on it. Up until now all iPhone plans have been "UNLIMITED" data. So while the amount of 3G data that iPhone users currently consume must be HUGE, I'm sure giving users unlimited tethering would have brought this fragile network to its knees.
Do you want unlimited iPhone 3G data or do you want tethering?
Continue reading “AT&T Finally Brings Tethering to the iPhone: What you should know…” »
June 7th, 2010
12:16
AT&T Pulls a Switcheroony – New Data Plans, no longer unlimited!
It seemed like only last week when I shared my 1st month of iPad data use with you all. I started out with the 250MB/month iPad plan knowing that I could always upgrade to the unlimited data plan if I needed to. Now it looks as if the unlimited plan is going away unless you act TODAY! Starting today, AT&T will start NEW data plans for ALL Smart phone devices (including iPad/iPhone). So if you already bought an iPad 3G and thought that you might some day want to go "UNLIMITED" for $29.99/month, then you better do it now, because starting today that plan goes away for NEW subscribers. Here's the break down:
| The OLD Plans (prior to 6/7/2010) | iPad – 250 MB/month $14.99/month | Unlimited Data Plan $29.99/month |
| The OLD iPhone Plans | iPhone 2G UNLIMITED+200 SMS Data $20/month | iPhone 3G/3GS Unlimited Data $30/month (+$5/month for 200 SMS) |
| The NEW Data Plans starting TODAY for NEW accounts (iPhones too) | DataPlus 200MB/month $15/month | DataPro 2GB/month $25/month |
| Tethering your SmartPhone (iPhone with 4.0 software) | DataPro plan $25 + Tethering $20 = $45/month |
While the prices are technically cheaper, Unlimited goes away! 2GB's sounds like a lot and it probably is for MOST people, but if you plan to stream video on your device 2GB in a month can be eaten up pretty quickly. These new plans now make it so that you have to monitor your usage closely. Luckily if you do go over, you're not charged a per kilobyte fee. Instead you'll be able to add on another block of usage for a set price (another 200MB for $15 or if you're on the DataPro plan you get another 1GB for $10). So again if you do a lot of streaming, your bill could be quite high. I should also mention that all of these NEW plans do come with FREE access to any AT&T WiFi hotspots.
No iPad to iPhone tethering, yet – According to AT&T, they have no problem with you tethering your iPad to your iPhone to share the iPhone's data connection. However, currently the iPad doesn't support it in it's OS and Apple says that the 4.0 OS update isn't coming to the iPad until the fall. So we may have to wait til then to see if the iPad will tether to the iPhone.
See the AT&T Plan details here on their site.
How much Data have I used on my iPhone or other smartphone?
Although you can look this info up on your device, I find the most accurate way is to dial *3282# from your phone and you'll get a text message with the break down of your current usage.
Don't think you're going to use that much data?
Maybe you won't, but here's some food for thought. If you're just doing normal surfing, email, etc. then you're probably fine. However, let's not forget that iTunes sells and rents MOVIES! The average movie size is 1.5GB. So if you rent a movie over 3G, you could quickly hit the limit of the DataPro plan and then start having to pay for additional 1GB blocks at $10 a pop before your next billing cycle. I know it's easy to say, "well don't do that. Download your movies while you're on WiFi." However, this wasn't an issue yesterday and now somehow makes the mobile platforms seem a little less fun.
What do you think of these New Plans?
June 2nd, 2010
3:24
I only used 171MBs of 3G data in the first month of iPad use
When I got my iPad WiFi+3G back on April 30th, I resisted signing up for the Unlimited 3G Data Plan ($29.99/month). Since there is no contract and you can upgrade or downgrade at any time I wanted to see if I could get by on the 250MB/month Plan ($14.99/month). My thought was "why pay more up front when you're not sure how much you're really going to use?". I was right! In the first month I used my iPad as much as I needed to/wanted to on 3G. The rest of the time I was on WiFi or traveling abroad and using it on WiFi. I only used 171MB in the first month. So technically I saved $14.99 by NOT doing the impulse thing and signing up for the Unlimited Plan right off the bat. Now that's not to say that I wan't have some months where I need more 3G data and if I do, I'll purchase more at that time. However, today I feel like I just saved $14.99 by not giving it to AT&T up front.
Continue reading “I only used 171MBs of 3G data in the first month of iPad use” »
April 19th, 2010
12:04
Sprint Reminds Me of AT&T’s Broken Promises
Sprint says come on over and use our 4G data card with your iPad. Now I get that this is just Sprints way of trying to get in on a good thing with their newly introduced 4G Case for iPad. Clever! However, it reminds of one of the biggest broken promises of 2009.
Last year (June 18, 2009) AT&T told us that iPhone tethering (the ability to use your iPhone as a data connection for your laptop or in theory iPad) was "coming soon". By soon most of us assumed that meant by the end of the year. Well 2009 has come and gone and now it's the later part of April 2010 and official iPhone data tethering support is no where to be seen. To make matters worse or to give us more of a rub, Apple announced and is about to ship the iPad WiFi+3G model, which again runs data on AT&T's network!
So AT&T let me get this straight…
You can provide unlimited data to iPhones. You can provide tethering support to every other smart phone you make. You can provide 3G data cards for laptops to anyone that wants them. You can even bring a relatively low cost, contract free data plan to Apple's NEW iPad, but you can't provide tethering support for iPhones yet? I don't get it! No one is asking for FREE tethering support. So chances are you're going to charge for it and because you're going to charge for it, it means that not everyone is going to use it. Is your "improved" network still that fragile? Really?
I have no love or hatred for AT&T. For the most part my service has been fine and I travel all over. I just wonder what's really going on here?
Continue reading “Sprint Reminds Me of AT&T’s Broken Promises” »
February 1st, 2010
12:54
MiFi 2352 Portable HSPA WiFi Hotspot Review
The Novatel MiFi is something I've been drooling over for a while now. I think it was first introduced on Verizon and then Sprint. I have an existing 3G datacard from my employer on AT&T. So I waited for AT&T to bring out the Novatel MiFi for HSPA and as of the writing of this review they still don't offer it.
What's a MiFi
You;ve probably seen those 3G cards that all the wireless carriers offer (around $60/month here in the US) that basically allow you to have a 3G data connection for your laptop anywhere that they have 3G coverage. This is great for frequent/business travelers when you can't always depend on there being a WiFi hotspot around. Normally this 3G cards either connect to your computer via USB or a card slot like ExpressCard. Plug it in, connect and you're on the internet.
MiFi is the same thing, but instead of having to plug it into your computer (and installing drivers), you just turn it on and it becomes a 3G WiFi hotspot for up to 5 computers. Of course you can set it up with your preferred network name and secure it with a password.
I got tired of waiting
I'm sure AT&T will come out with the MiFi some day and who knows we may even see iPhone 3G tethering from them, but I'm tired of waiting. Since my existing 3G USB card has a SIM card in it, all I needed was to find an unlocked MiFi sold in another country, buy it and stick in my AT&T SIM card. Done!
I found one from this guy on eBay, ordered it, got it and it works great.
Continue reading “MiFi 2352 Portable HSPA WiFi Hotspot Review” »
I will cover the technology, gadgets, events and cool toys that have affected me in some way. I will also give recommendations on the products that I have actually used.
April 20th, 2011
12:25