I wonder why there is no flatrate contract available at Verizone or AT&T. With our provider we pay like 35$ per month flatrate. For sporadic users there is even the option to have a contract that charges you per day of usage with 5$ but on that day you will have access w.o limit. Maybe we just have a healthier competition amogst mobile providers. The iPhone and the iPad runs on 3 different networks.
I am not sure where you are, but we have 4 competitors in the US, although they don't all have iPhones, they all sell data services and smart phones. The problem is the US is geographically large, and the population is far more spread out than many other countries. Outside of the major urban centers, the cost per subscriber and cost per potential subscriber skyrocket.
Not in California, where it's even illegal to have a closed laptop in the front passenger seat area.
Could you supply reference?
Will be there next month. Only thing I have found re mobile devices:
Quote:
Do not operate a cell phone without the use of a hands-free device. (Minors, see here for more information about driving and cell phones.)
Do not drive a motor vehicle while using a wireless communications device to write, send, or read textbased communications.
Do not wear a headset over, or earplugs in, both your ears.
Do not drive a vehicle equipped with a video monitor if the monitor is visible to the driver and displays anything other than vehicle information or global mapping displays.
Do not block your view by putting signs or other objects on the front windshield or the back and side windows. Do not hang objects on the mirror. Windshield/window stickers, etc., are permitted in these locations only:
a seven-inch square on either the passenger’s side windshield, lower corner; or the lower corner of the rear window.
a five-inch square on the lower corner of the driver’s side.
What no one else seems to have brought up is how this reduces the iPad battery life. I use to wifi tether my iPhone 2g to my iPad, totally ate up the battery. I assume the slower data transfers through ATT 2G (which isn't that much slower than verizon 3g) meant the iPad had to transfer data longer to load whatever I was viewing, therefore putting more drain on the battery. I expect the mifi to maybe sometimes eat up almost twice as much power as it would on a real wifi network. Plus being on "fake" wifi means youtube and netflix will be super sluggish, and god forbid you download a wifi only app and have to keep your hotspot on.
That's odd, iPhone is supposed to be twice as good on battery life with WiFi than cellular data. Also, this sounds like a newer model.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mazda 3s
People actually carry around an iPad to use a location finder using Maps? Don't people usually have smartphones for that?
My point is, the iPad is too large an ungainly to use as a GPS locator unless you're using it in your car... and even then it's still too large.
Some people don't seem to think so. One of the things that attracted me to the iPad for GPS was the
size of the screen and how responsive it was on the Maps app.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Menno
$50 a month stifling innovation? Really?
just a MONTH ago they made 5gb on a USB stick $80
Injecting facts into a discussion? Heaven forfend!
Quote:
Originally Posted by fishstick_kitty
wtf does mifi mean?
It's a brand of pocket WiFi hotspot that uses cellular data as its internet service. It lets you add cellular data to any computer or other WiFi device, and share it with up to 5 devices, so you pay for one service and split it to other devices as you see fit.
Once again, Verizon is acting like....well...Verizon.
Honestly, why would anyone pay the same amount of money for a wifi only iPad when they could get a wifi+3G+GPS iPad and not have to carry/charge/connect/configure a separate wifi device? How can anyone think that this is a great option?
You Verizon fans amaze me.
What amazes me is people who always think that if their own personal needs have been met then the needs of everyone else in the world must have also been met.
But just in case all the previous comments haven't sufficiently demonstrated that there are advantages to having a separate device, here's another...
You get your iPad w/3G and I get my iPad + MiFi, and we both pay the same price. You have the convenience of an all-in-one device. I can use my 3G connection with other devices.
But then in the spring Apple releases a new iPad. Guess what...YOU need to buy the 3G version again, but I only need to buy the wi-fi only version and continue to use my same MiFi device. I can continue to upgrade, or even purchase the rumored 7" version, at a much lower price than you, who has to repurchase your cellular hardware with every upgrade.
What amazes me is people who always think that if their own personal needs have been met then the needs of everyone else in the world must have also been met.
But just in case all the previous comments haven't sufficiently demonstrated that there are advantages to having a separate device, here's another...
You get your iPad w/3G and I get my iPad + MiFi, and we both pay the same price. You have the convenience of an all-in-one device. I can use my 3G connection with other devices.
But then in the spring Apple releases a new iPad. Guess what...YOU need to buy the 3G version again, but I only need to buy the wi-fi only version and continue to use my same MiFi device. I can continue to upgrade, or even purchase the rumored 7" version, at a much lower price than you, who has to repurchase your cellular hardware with every upgrade.
Something else to consider, you can probably download apps deemed too large for AT&T's service. You get the same data quantity limits, but fewer restrictions on how you use those bits. If iPads get facetime, the MiFi probably won't prohibit you from using it. So as you suggest, it's not a clear win either way, you get benefits and drawbacks, you chose based on what fits your needs better.
This is my second month using Virgin Mobile's MiFi 2200 ($40 mth/unlimited) and I've been very pleased. Bought the card and service initially to avoid paying hotels', conference centers' outrageous rates for internet access, have found myself using it every day since. Pairing it most days with an iPod touch 3G which, with GV Mobile +, can double for a phone.
Nice not being tied to a two-year contract.
Limited battery life (4 hrs) is a drawback. Service in urban areas has been great, no complaints.
I'm just waiting for the iPad 2G before pulling then trigger. Mainly want to see how much they grow internal storage.
If Microsoft ever comes out with Office for iOS, look out.
Yeah the lack of real aggresive competition is a huge problem. I have to wonder how many pennys it cost the cell companies to transmit 5GB of data.
There are all sorts of reasons really. For example:
Better local coverage.
Corporate discounts!
The expectation that 3G usage will be intermittant. Personally i think this one is a mistake.
The use of the MiFi device for other devices.
The WiFi only iPad should last longer on a battery charge.
It isn't a great option for me but for others I can see the advantages. For example say you are a parent with youngsters using iPads. You can force them to use WiFi around the house but have an easily managed 3G option for travel. There are ways of viewing this positively if you want to.
Well no there are just people with different perspectives here. Personally I would not buy an iPad without cell data support of some type. That doesn't mean others would want that capability.
It's not about how much it costs to transmit, it's about the operational costs and installation costs. I know that Verizon spends the most out of any other wireless provider in network upgrades. Tiered price plan is due to the increase of data usage basically everywhere. Companies are foreshadowing that customers are no longer going to use say 200mb a month on average, or even 1gb, but they'll be using 6-7gb due to the advances in technology.
Just buy a contract-free MIFI device from Virgin Mobile Broadband instead!!
Virgin Mobile Broadband offers cheaper prices, no contract, and unlimited data!!
Fsck Verizon, go Virgin!!
The issue is coverage. I tried a Virgin mobile Mifi. I live not even an HOUR north of a major city where sprint (the company that owns Virgin) is heavily invested in and has their WIMAX network up and running.
I say this to tell you I DON'T live in the boonies. I used the device for a month and then got rid of it because the coverage was pathetic and so were the speeds.
I'm not trying to say that Verizon offers the best coverage for everyone, but it is better for some (myself included). Yes, $40 is less than $50, but with the $50 I would get a device that works for me, and with the $40 I'm just giving money over to a company that will MAYBE let me use my device whenever it feels like it.
What amazes me is people who always think that if their own personal needs have been met then the needs of everyone else in the world must have also been met.
But just in case all the previous comments haven't sufficiently demonstrated that there are advantages to having a separate device, here's another...
You get your iPad w/3G and I get my iPad + MiFi, and we both pay the same price. You have the convenience of an all-in-one device. I can use my 3G connection with other devices.
But then in the spring Apple releases a new iPad. Guess what...YOU need to buy the 3G version again, but I only need to buy the wi-fi only version and continue to use my same MiFi device. I can continue to upgrade, or even purchase the rumored 7" version, at a much lower price than you, who has to repurchase your cellular hardware with every upgrade.
You make a good point, except for a couple of things. Reviews of the MiFi devices out there, including this Verizon one, show that they have, at most, in practical usage, 2.5 hours of battery life. My 3G iPad gets 9. And really, how often do you really need to share a connection, with everyone else having 3G on their phones already, and few people with tablets yet? I think the multiple sharepoints has a very limited usefulness.
Then, as I guess a third point, that's another device to carry around, and the need to carry the recharger for it, and the ability to have a socket available when you need it, which is something you don't need to do with the 3G iPad.
while Verizon users may want to go this way, for most people, it's not really much of an advantage, unless they're in an area where AT&T's 3G is either very poor, or non-existant. That doesn't cover as many people as Verizon wants us to think, though the map makes it look that way.
Something else to consider, you can probably download apps deemed too large for AT&T's service. You get the same data quantity limits, but fewer restrictions on how you use those bits. If iPads get facetime, the MiFi probably won't prohibit you from using it. So as you suggest, it's not a clear win either way, you get benefits and drawbacks, you chose based on what fits your needs better.
I don't understand why you're making this assumption. Do you know something here that I don't? AT&T's network is faster, on average than Verizon's. That's been shown to be true several times. With Verizon all hot about tiered plans, I don't know why you would think that Verizon would be any friendlier to users than AT&T about downloading large apps. MiFi has data limits too. I still have my unlimited plan from AT&T. Where's the one from Verizon?
Comments
I wonder why there is no flatrate contract available at Verizone or AT&T. With our provider we pay like 35$ per month flatrate. For sporadic users there is even the option to have a contract that charges you per day of usage with 5$ but on that day you will have access w.o limit. Maybe we just have a healthier competition amogst mobile providers. The iPhone and the iPad runs on 3 different networks.
I am not sure where you are, but we have 4 competitors in the US, although they don't all have iPhones, they all sell data services and smart phones. The problem is the US is geographically large, and the population is far more spread out than many other countries. Outside of the major urban centers, the cost per subscriber and cost per potential subscriber skyrocket.
Not in California, where it's even illegal to have a closed laptop in the front passenger seat area.
Could you supply reference?
Will be there next month. Only thing I have found re mobile devices:
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/hdbk/addl...ules.htm#tymnd
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/dl600.pdf
One always looks like a douche when they try to make a witty pun and follow it up laughing at their own wittiness.
What no one else seems to have brought up is how this reduces the iPad battery life. I use to wifi tether my iPhone 2g to my iPad, totally ate up the battery. I assume the slower data transfers through ATT 2G (which isn't that much slower than verizon 3g) meant the iPad had to transfer data longer to load whatever I was viewing, therefore putting more drain on the battery. I expect the mifi to maybe sometimes eat up almost twice as much power as it would on a real wifi network. Plus being on "fake" wifi means youtube and netflix will be super sluggish, and god forbid you download a wifi only app and have to keep your hotspot on.
That's odd, iPhone is supposed to be twice as good on battery life with WiFi than cellular data. Also, this sounds like a newer model.
People actually carry around an iPad to use a location finder using Maps? Don't people usually have smartphones for that?
My point is, the iPad is too large an ungainly to use as a GPS locator unless you're using it in your car... and even then it's still too large.
Some people don't seem to think so. One of the things that attracted me to the iPad for GPS was the
size of the screen and how responsive it was on the Maps app.
$50 a month stifling innovation? Really?
just a MONTH ago they made 5gb on a USB stick $80
Injecting facts into a discussion? Heaven forfend!
wtf does mifi mean?
It's a brand of pocket WiFi hotspot that uses cellular data as its internet service. It lets you add cellular data to any computer or other WiFi device, and share it with up to 5 devices, so you pay for one service and split it to other devices as you see fit.
Once again, Verizon is acting like....well...Verizon.
Honestly, why would anyone pay the same amount of money for a wifi only iPad when they could get a wifi+3G+GPS iPad and not have to carry/charge/connect/configure a separate wifi device? How can anyone think that this is a great option?
You Verizon fans amaze me.
What amazes me is people who always think that if their own personal needs have been met then the needs of everyone else in the world must have also been met.
But just in case all the previous comments haven't sufficiently demonstrated that there are advantages to having a separate device, here's another...
You get your iPad w/3G and I get my iPad + MiFi, and we both pay the same price. You have the convenience of an all-in-one device. I can use my 3G connection with other devices.
But then in the spring Apple releases a new iPad. Guess what...YOU need to buy the 3G version again, but I only need to buy the wi-fi only version and continue to use my same MiFi device. I can continue to upgrade, or even purchase the rumored 7" version, at a much lower price than you, who has to repurchase your cellular hardware with every upgrade.
What amazes me is people who always think that if their own personal needs have been met then the needs of everyone else in the world must have also been met.
But just in case all the previous comments haven't sufficiently demonstrated that there are advantages to having a separate device, here's another...
You get your iPad w/3G and I get my iPad + MiFi, and we both pay the same price. You have the convenience of an all-in-one device. I can use my 3G connection with other devices.
But then in the spring Apple releases a new iPad. Guess what...YOU need to buy the 3G version again, but I only need to buy the wi-fi only version and continue to use my same MiFi device. I can continue to upgrade, or even purchase the rumored 7" version, at a much lower price than you, who has to repurchase your cellular hardware with every upgrade.
Something else to consider, you can probably download apps deemed too large for AT&T's service. You get the same data quantity limits, but fewer restrictions on how you use those bits. If iPads get facetime, the MiFi probably won't prohibit you from using it. So as you suggest, it's not a clear win either way, you get benefits and drawbacks, you chose based on what fits your needs better.
Nice not being tied to a two-year contract.
Limited battery life (4 hrs) is a drawback. Service in urban areas has been great, no complaints.
I'm just waiting for the iPad 2G before pulling then trigger. Mainly want to see how much they grow internal storage.
If Microsoft ever comes out with Office for iOS, look out.
Yeah the lack of real aggresive competition is a huge problem. I have to wonder how many pennys it cost the cell companies to transmit 5GB of data.
There are all sorts of reasons really. For example:
- Better local coverage.
- Corporate discounts!
- The expectation that 3G usage will be intermittant. Personally i think this one is a mistake.
- The use of the MiFi device for other devices.
- The WiFi only iPad should last longer on a battery charge.
It isn't a great option for me but for others I can see the advantages. For example say you are a parent with youngsters using iPads. You can force them to use WiFi around the house but have an easily managed 3G option for travel. There are ways of viewing this positively if you want to.Well no there are just people with different perspectives here. Personally I would not buy an iPad without cell data support of some type. That doesn't mean others would want that capability.
It's not about how much it costs to transmit, it's about the operational costs and installation costs. I know that Verizon spends the most out of any other wireless provider in network upgrades. Tiered price plan is due to the increase of data usage basically everywhere. Companies are foreshadowing that customers are no longer going to use say 200mb a month on average, or even 1gb, but they'll be using 6-7gb due to the advances in technology.
This is ludicrously ridiculous!!
Just buy a contract-free MIFI device from Virgin Mobile Broadband instead!!
Virgin Mobile Broadband offers cheaper prices, no contract, and unlimited data!!
Fsck Verizon, go Virgin!!
The issue is coverage. I tried a Virgin mobile Mifi. I live not even an HOUR north of a major city where sprint (the company that owns Virgin) is heavily invested in and has their WIMAX network up and running.
I say this to tell you I DON'T live in the boonies. I used the device for a month and then got rid of it because the coverage was pathetic and so were the speeds.
I'm not trying to say that Verizon offers the best coverage for everyone, but it is better for some (myself included). Yes, $40 is less than $50, but with the $50 I would get a device that works for me, and with the $40 I'm just giving money over to a company that will MAYBE let me use my device whenever it feels like it.
Now, which is a bigger waste of money?
What amazes me is people who always think that if their own personal needs have been met then the needs of everyone else in the world must have also been met.
But just in case all the previous comments haven't sufficiently demonstrated that there are advantages to having a separate device, here's another...
You get your iPad w/3G and I get my iPad + MiFi, and we both pay the same price. You have the convenience of an all-in-one device. I can use my 3G connection with other devices.
But then in the spring Apple releases a new iPad. Guess what...YOU need to buy the 3G version again, but I only need to buy the wi-fi only version and continue to use my same MiFi device. I can continue to upgrade, or even purchase the rumored 7" version, at a much lower price than you, who has to repurchase your cellular hardware with every upgrade.
You make a good point, except for a couple of things. Reviews of the MiFi devices out there, including this Verizon one, show that they have, at most, in practical usage, 2.5 hours of battery life. My 3G iPad gets 9. And really, how often do you really need to share a connection, with everyone else having 3G on their phones already, and few people with tablets yet? I think the multiple sharepoints has a very limited usefulness.
Then, as I guess a third point, that's another device to carry around, and the need to carry the recharger for it, and the ability to have a socket available when you need it, which is something you don't need to do with the 3G iPad.
while Verizon users may want to go this way, for most people, it's not really much of an advantage, unless they're in an area where AT&T's 3G is either very poor, or non-existant. That doesn't cover as many people as Verizon wants us to think, though the map makes it look that way.
Something else to consider, you can probably download apps deemed too large for AT&T's service. You get the same data quantity limits, but fewer restrictions on how you use those bits. If iPads get facetime, the MiFi probably won't prohibit you from using it. So as you suggest, it's not a clear win either way, you get benefits and drawbacks, you chose based on what fits your needs better.
I don't understand why you're making this assumption. Do you know something here that I don't? AT&T's network is faster, on average than Verizon's. That's been shown to be true several times. With Verizon all hot about tiered plans, I don't know why you would think that Verizon would be any friendlier to users than AT&T about downloading large apps. MiFi has data limits too. I still have my unlimited plan from AT&T. Where's the one from Verizon?