I was about to do the same for the same reason but then read iPhones would be able to act as a hot spot for an iPad without the need for the additional monthly fee for the iPad. We both have iPhone 3Gs and I understand it requires the 4 to do that so we were about to upgrade to 4 when we read 5 was close .... I see a pattern here
That's one solution - but isn't the best for everyone. First, I don't like having to rely on TWO device batteries when I'm away. Second, with the iPad, you can turn 3G service on and off at will. Finally, if you do the tethering legally, it costs at least as much as just having 3G on the iPad - and probably lower performance.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dbtinc
Under the law, corporations ARE 'people' with most of the same rights as humans. As for RIM - the end is in site.
RIM still has a chance. They have tons of money in the bank and a loyal customer base. If they get off their butts and start creating something that people want to buy, they'd have a chance. Start by making a tablet that has its own 3G service instead of requiring tethering to a Blackberry phone.
RIM still has a chance. They have tons of money in the bank and a loyal customer base. If they get off their butts and start creating something that people want to buy, they'd have a chance.
The problem highlighted in bold. RIM has no idea what people want. The Co-CEOs have no idea how to even communicate what it is that RIM thinks people want. It's game over. Now we have to painfully watch them in their death throes over the next few years.
all these news of BB lately make me wonder.. what is the real strength of RIM? the corporate messaging and its security? if those are taken from RIM then what advantage left for RIM?
I would say their strength is in the two phone market. What I mean is that for many people it makes sense to have a separate device for work, it can make sense for tax reasons, or to avoid having a complex monthly expenses bill, or it can make sense because your corporation doesn't support email over consumer phones, but that's only one of the reasons.
Take the UK as an example. If I travel on work around europe I'll run up huge roaming charges, if it's on my own phone I'll have to expense them, which is a huge pain. If my employer just pays my entire phone bill then it becomes a taxable benefit, which can end up costing them more than a blackberry.
A blackberry can make sense in the same way that a corporate amex card does.
I'd be surprised if 3G tablets (iPads or otherwise) are selling faster than WiFi models, as I just don't see the point of carrying around something as big as an iPad all the time,
How does it follow that 3G implies carrying around an iPad all the time?
How about once in a while, like going to the park or a friend's house? The internal storage is so tiny on the iPad that its not really practical to store lots of stuff on it, and it would be nice to sit at poolside and stream a movie or surf the 'web or use the iPad for mapping in the car or entertaining the kids in the car on long trips.
Once WIFI is ubiquitous, 3g will be superfluous, but until then, given the tiny SSDs, 3G is very nice to have in many situations.
I'd be surprised if 3G tablets (iPads or otherwise) are selling faster than WiFi models, as I just don't see the point of carrying around something as big as an iPad all the time, I have a smartphone for that. My personal anecdotal evidence seems to be in line with that: I know about 10 people with iPads now, and none of them have a 3G model.
Try going on vacation and using your iPad... So far I have taken three trips where I couldn't use my iPad. I will definitely get the 3g when the next version comes out!
I would say their strength is in the two phone market. What I mean is that for many people it makes sense to have a separate device for work, it can make sense for tax reasons, or to avoid having a complex monthly expenses bill, or it can make sense because your corporation doesn't support email over consumer phones, but that's only one of the reasons.
Take the UK as an example. If I travel on work around europe I'll run up huge roaming charges, if it's on my own phone I'll have to expense them, which is a huge pain. If my employer just pays my entire phone bill then it becomes a taxable benefit, which can end up costing them more than a blackberry.
A blackberry can make sense in the same way that a corporate amex card does.
But if you take away the BB messaging/server part any smartphone can be a "corporate smartphone". I agree most people like the two-phone strategy particularly if they don't have to expense it.
However if the BB messaging/server advantage is somehow diminished that's it for BB in the corporate space. And that time is coming soon.
Try going on vacation and using your iPad... So far I have taken three trips where I couldn't use my iPad. I will definitely get the 3g when the next version comes out!
In Canada I find it a rare occasion when there isn't any wifi... usually if I'm in a remote spot... but then there usually isn't any 3g reception either.
I've been in dumpy little motels in small towns, campgrounds, mainstreets of small towns and cities... all of which had wifi... and I would imagine that list will grow over time.
Where the hell do you vacation... maybe the availability is much less in the U.S... I thought it would be more.
... but then, of course, you might not be from NA.
In Canada I find it a rare occasion when there isn't any wifi... usually if I'm in a remote spot... but then there usually isn't any 3g reception either.
I've been in dumpy little motels in small towns, campgrounds, mainstreets of small towns and cities... all of which had wifi... and I would imagine that list will grow over time.
Where the hell do you vacation... maybe the availability is much less in the U.S... I thought it would be more.
... but then, of course, you might not be from NA.
Just a few examples of places were I need access to my remote devices and WiFi isn't available:
- Airports. I average about 75 flight segments a year so I spend a lot of time in airports. Only about 1/3 of U.S. airports have free Wi-FI (and none of the major hubs I use). If I go to the Admirals' Club, there's free WiFi, but only one device. If my daughter is with me, she can't use the iPad on WiFi at the same time I'm online with my laptop.
- Hotels. Interestingly, it's the cheaper hotels which are often offering free WiFi these days. The nicer hotels are often $10 or more per day. Having a paid 3G plan would be convenient. Also, there are still a number of chains which use wired Ethernet in the rooms rather than WiFi.
- Customer sites. Many businesses do not allow third parties access to their networks.
- Rest areas along the Interstate highway system.
Those things account for a very large percentage of the time I need Internet access on my iPad. It is clear that "WiFi is everywhere" is just a pipe dream at this stage.
In Canada I find it a rare occasion when there isn't any wifi...
Is there another Canada? I was there for about a week very recently, and WiFi availability was no better than in the USA. Of course every motel has WiFi, but that's useful only at night. There was no WiFi along the highways nor along city streets, not that I expected any.
(Consider I am an MacBook, iPad 2, Motorola DEFY and iPhone user.) I can testify to the fact that the PlayBook is superb in every respect, with one big 'but'. a) Display resolution and brightness. b) Speed and responsiveness. c) Usability - once you get used to the concept of dragging from the bezel. d) Graphic design of the apps and OS (nothing like the horrible Blackberry devices). Just check out the calculator! Lovely! e) Multitasking, that unlike iOS (and Android), is very slick and wel implemented. However, and this is where Steve is correct, if you are going to buy a 7" device, why not get a big droid with a 4.7" display - with the advantage, it fits in ALL your pockets? That is the issue. If the PlayBook was a dedicated eReader (IE, a colour Kindle) it would have a huge vertical market, but it has to compete with iPhone 5 (on the horizon) and the larger droids.
The PlayBook's competition is NOT the iPad, very different devices. It is the large screen phone.
END TRANSMISSION
Quote:
Originally Posted by AppleInsider
Sprint Nextel announced on Friday that it has scrapped plans to sell a 4G WiMax version of Research in Motion's BlackBerry PlayBook tablet after the device failed to generate sufficient interest.
The third-largest wireless carrier in the U.S. revealed that the cancellation was a "mutual decision" with RIM, Reuters reports. The two companies had announced in January that a 4G version of the PlayBook would arrive on Sprint this summer.
After rumors emerged last month that RIM was set to cease production of the Wi-Fi PlayBook, the company denied the report calling the rumors "pure fiction." It appears now that the true story is that the WiMax version of the PlayBook was the one getting the ax. Sprint will continue to sell the Wi-Fi PlayBook.
Waterloo, Ont.-based RIM has indicated that it will instead focus its efforts on a Long Term Evolution version of the tablet that should go into testing this fall. Verizon Wireless, which operates an LTE network, had said prior to the launch that it would sell the PlayBook, but the carrier is currently reconsidering the decision. AT&T declined to comment on whether it plans to sell an LTE PlayBook.
"Right now the majority of tablets are Wi-Fi only," Page Alves, Sprint's head of business services, said. "People use tablets in fixed locations."
The Wi-Fi version of the 7-inch PlayBook arrived in April to reviews that criticized the device as having been "rushed to market," noting the lack of native email and calendar functionality. The tablet's launch was disappointing, with most stores reportedly unable to sell through their initial stock of five units on the first day.
Charter Equity Research analyst Ed Snyder attributed the cancellation to RIM's inability to compete with Apple's iPad. "There's two groups with tablets: Apple and everybody else. RIM's in the second group, definitely," he said.
RIM has struggled to keep up with rapid changes to the mobile industry effected by Apple's iPhone and iPad. The beleaguered company announced last month that it will cut 2,000 jobs, or about 10.5 percent of its workforce.
The BlackBerry maker isn't the only one struggling in the smaller form factor tablet market. Dell announced earlier this week that it had killed off its Streak 5 hybrid tablet/smartphone. Apple CEO Steve Jobs predicted last October that tablets 7 inches and smaller would be "dead on arrival" and be abandoned this year as manufacturers realize that they are too small.
That's one solution - but isn't the best for everyone. First, I don't like having to rely on TWO device batteries when I'm away. Second, with the iPad, you can turn 3G service on and off at will. Finally, if you do the tethering legally, it costs at least as much as just having 3G on the iPad - and probably lower performance.
Oh ... I missed the part about tethering costing in addition to the iPhone 4's monthly fees. We are grandfathered in unlimited with AT&T and had assumed it 'just worked'. Oh drat!
Just a few examples of places were I need access to my remote devices and WiFi isn't available:
- Airports. I average about 75 flight segments a year so I spend a lot of time in airports. Only about 1/3 of U.S. airports have free Wi-FI (and none of the major hubs I use). If I go to the Admirals' Club, there's free WiFi, but only one device. If my daughter is with me, she can't use the iPad on WiFi at the same time I'm online with my laptop.
It seems that all of Canada's major airports do offer wifi. Strange that so few offer it in the U.S... being that it has become a real necessity. It's like not finding a pay phone in the 50s.
But if you take away the BB messaging/server part any smartphone can be a "corporate smartphone". I agree most people like the two-phone strategy particularly if they don't have to expense it.
However if the BB messaging/server advantage is somehow diminished that's it for BB in the corporate space. And that time is coming soon.
Yes, but then you have to consider the pricing and the ergonomics. Blackberries are small, light and have full keyboards which makes them excellent devices for carrying round along with the main phone. Blackberries are also much cheaper than a high end phone from HTC or Samsung, never mind Apple.
Obviously BB messaging and BES are really big advantages too, and a device that doesn't support BES such as the Playbook or the Colt (according to rumours at least), is a very poor proposition - but those aren't the only advantages. As other firms duplicate them with their own messaging systems and their own push email either via 3rd party Apps or OS, Blackberry will still have the advantage that the hardware that they produce is perfectly suited to a two phone user.
This article disagrees. My own anecdotal experience in my part of the world affirms it; supply of 3G models are seriously constrained, up till today. In fact a friend was looking for a 64GB 3G on Wednesday and had to call up favors to get one.
I'm not trying to be mean, but, did you read the article? It said the 3G version was the most popular model. That's true. But it also noted that particular model only consisted of 30% of sales.
30% of 100% is not the majority. It just means that one model is the best seller, but overall the other models combined outsell it. It's probably true that wifi only tablets outsell the others, partly because tablets aren't phones. They're mobile, but people still tend to use them in fixed locations. And those who don't are the ones willing to pay more for a 3G model plus a monthly wireless carrier fee.
Is there another Canada? I was there for about a week very recently, and WiFi availability was no better than in the USA. Of course every motel has WiFi, but that's useful only at night. There was no WiFi along the highways nor along city streets, not that I expected any.
I can't speak for other cities, but in Vancouver the local newspaper provides a map of free wifi access and it is quite comprehensive. Maybe you just didn't look "hard enough" ?
Comments
"There's two groups with tablets: Apple and everybody else. RIM's in the second group, definitely."
Definitely.
"Pure fiction"? More like half a truth. But in corporate-speak that counts as a whole truth I guess.
Romney says corporations are people. Well, they sure lie like them.
Under the law, corporations ARE 'people' with most of the same rights as humans. As for RIM - the end is in site.
Definitely.
there is a third group - DOA and RIM is about to join that group.
I was about to do the same for the same reason but then read iPhones would be able to act as a hot spot for an iPad without the need for the additional monthly fee for the iPad. We both have iPhone 3Gs and I understand it requires the 4 to do that so we were about to upgrade to 4 when we read 5 was close .... I see a pattern here
That's one solution - but isn't the best for everyone. First, I don't like having to rely on TWO device batteries when I'm away. Second, with the iPad, you can turn 3G service on and off at will. Finally, if you do the tethering legally, it costs at least as much as just having 3G on the iPad - and probably lower performance.
Under the law, corporations ARE 'people' with most of the same rights as humans. As for RIM - the end is in site.
RIM still has a chance. They have tons of money in the bank and a loyal customer base. If they get off their butts and start creating something that people want to buy, they'd have a chance. Start by making a tablet that has its own 3G service instead of requiring tethering to a Blackberry phone.
Under the law, corporations ARE 'people' with most of the same rights as humans. As for RIM - the end is in site.
Corporations are people with better bankruptcy laws. That's why The Eternal Emperor is, in actuality, The Eternal Emperor Inc.
RIM still has a chance. They have tons of money in the bank and a loyal customer base. If they get off their butts and start creating something that people want to buy, they'd have a chance.
The problem highlighted in bold. RIM has no idea what people want. The Co-CEOs have no idea how to even communicate what it is that RIM thinks people want. It's game over. Now we have to painfully watch them in their death throes over the next few years.
all these news of BB lately make me wonder.. what is the real strength of RIM? the corporate messaging and its security? if those are taken from RIM then what advantage left for RIM?
I would say their strength is in the two phone market. What I mean is that for many people it makes sense to have a separate device for work, it can make sense for tax reasons, or to avoid having a complex monthly expenses bill, or it can make sense because your corporation doesn't support email over consumer phones, but that's only one of the reasons.
Take the UK as an example. If I travel on work around europe I'll run up huge roaming charges, if it's on my own phone I'll have to expense them, which is a huge pain. If my employer just pays my entire phone bill then it becomes a taxable benefit, which can end up costing them more than a blackberry.
A blackberry can make sense in the same way that a corporate amex card does.
I'd be surprised if 3G tablets (iPads or otherwise) are selling faster than WiFi models, as I just don't see the point of carrying around something as big as an iPad all the time,
How does it follow that 3G implies carrying around an iPad all the time?
How about once in a while, like going to the park or a friend's house? The internal storage is so tiny on the iPad that its not really practical to store lots of stuff on it, and it would be nice to sit at poolside and stream a movie or surf the 'web or use the iPad for mapping in the car or entertaining the kids in the car on long trips.
Once WIFI is ubiquitous, 3g will be superfluous, but until then, given the tiny SSDs, 3G is very nice to have in many situations.
What a freakin' idiot!
Wow. Just Wow.
I'd be surprised if 3G tablets (iPads or otherwise) are selling faster than WiFi models, as I just don't see the point of carrying around something as big as an iPad all the time, I have a smartphone for that. My personal anecdotal evidence seems to be in line with that: I know about 10 people with iPads now, and none of them have a 3G model.
Try going on vacation and using your iPad... So far I have taken three trips where I couldn't use my iPad. I will definitely get the 3g when the next version comes out!
I would say their strength is in the two phone market. What I mean is that for many people it makes sense to have a separate device for work, it can make sense for tax reasons, or to avoid having a complex monthly expenses bill, or it can make sense because your corporation doesn't support email over consumer phones, but that's only one of the reasons.
Take the UK as an example. If I travel on work around europe I'll run up huge roaming charges, if it's on my own phone I'll have to expense them, which is a huge pain. If my employer just pays my entire phone bill then it becomes a taxable benefit, which can end up costing them more than a blackberry.
A blackberry can make sense in the same way that a corporate amex card does.
But if you take away the BB messaging/server part any smartphone can be a "corporate smartphone". I agree most people like the two-phone strategy particularly if they don't have to expense it.
However if the BB messaging/server advantage is somehow diminished that's it for BB in the corporate space. And that time is coming soon.
Try going on vacation and using your iPad... So far I have taken three trips where I couldn't use my iPad. I will definitely get the 3g when the next version comes out!
In Canada I find it a rare occasion when there isn't any wifi... usually if I'm in a remote spot... but then there usually isn't any 3g reception either.
I've been in dumpy little motels in small towns, campgrounds, mainstreets of small towns and cities... all of which had wifi... and I would imagine that list will grow over time.
Where the hell do you vacation... maybe the availability is much less in the U.S... I thought it would be more.
... but then, of course, you might not be from NA.
In Canada I find it a rare occasion when there isn't any wifi... usually if I'm in a remote spot... but then there usually isn't any 3g reception either.
I've been in dumpy little motels in small towns, campgrounds, mainstreets of small towns and cities... all of which had wifi... and I would imagine that list will grow over time.
Where the hell do you vacation... maybe the availability is much less in the U.S... I thought it would be more.
... but then, of course, you might not be from NA.
Just a few examples of places were I need access to my remote devices and WiFi isn't available:
- Airports. I average about 75 flight segments a year so I spend a lot of time in airports. Only about 1/3 of U.S. airports have free Wi-FI (and none of the major hubs I use). If I go to the Admirals' Club, there's free WiFi, but only one device. If my daughter is with me, she can't use the iPad on WiFi at the same time I'm online with my laptop.
- Hotels. Interestingly, it's the cheaper hotels which are often offering free WiFi these days. The nicer hotels are often $10 or more per day. Having a paid 3G plan would be convenient. Also, there are still a number of chains which use wired Ethernet in the rooms rather than WiFi.
- Customer sites. Many businesses do not allow third parties access to their networks.
- Rest areas along the Interstate highway system.
Those things account for a very large percentage of the time I need Internet access on my iPad. It is clear that "WiFi is everywhere" is just a pipe dream at this stage.
In Canada I find it a rare occasion when there isn't any wifi...
Is there another Canada? I was there for about a week very recently, and WiFi availability was no better than in the USA. Of course every motel has WiFi, but that's useful only at night. There was no WiFi along the highways nor along city streets, not that I expected any.
The PlayBook's competition is NOT the iPad, very different devices. It is the large screen phone.
END TRANSMISSION
Sprint Nextel announced on Friday that it has scrapped plans to sell a 4G WiMax version of Research in Motion's BlackBerry PlayBook tablet after the device failed to generate sufficient interest.
The third-largest wireless carrier in the U.S. revealed that the cancellation was a "mutual decision" with RIM, Reuters reports. The two companies had announced in January that a 4G version of the PlayBook would arrive on Sprint this summer.
After rumors emerged last month that RIM was set to cease production of the Wi-Fi PlayBook, the company denied the report calling the rumors "pure fiction." It appears now that the true story is that the WiMax version of the PlayBook was the one getting the ax. Sprint will continue to sell the Wi-Fi PlayBook.
Waterloo, Ont.-based RIM has indicated that it will instead focus its efforts on a Long Term Evolution version of the tablet that should go into testing this fall. Verizon Wireless, which operates an LTE network, had said prior to the launch that it would sell the PlayBook, but the carrier is currently reconsidering the decision. AT&T declined to comment on whether it plans to sell an LTE PlayBook.
"Right now the majority of tablets are Wi-Fi only," Page Alves, Sprint's head of business services, said. "People use tablets in fixed locations."
The Wi-Fi version of the 7-inch PlayBook arrived in April to reviews that criticized the device as having been "rushed to market," noting the lack of native email and calendar functionality. The tablet's launch was disappointing, with most stores reportedly unable to sell through their initial stock of five units on the first day.
Charter Equity Research analyst Ed Snyder attributed the cancellation to RIM's inability to compete with Apple's iPad. "There's two groups with tablets: Apple and everybody else. RIM's in the second group, definitely," he said.
RIM has struggled to keep up with rapid changes to the mobile industry effected by Apple's iPhone and iPad. The beleaguered company announced last month that it will cut 2,000 jobs, or about 10.5 percent of its workforce.
The BlackBerry maker isn't the only one struggling in the smaller form factor tablet market. Dell announced earlier this week that it had killed off its Streak 5 hybrid tablet/smartphone. Apple CEO Steve Jobs predicted last October that tablets 7 inches and smaller would be "dead on arrival" and be abandoned this year as manufacturers realize that they are too small.
[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]
That's one solution - but isn't the best for everyone. First, I don't like having to rely on TWO device batteries when I'm away. Second, with the iPad, you can turn 3G service on and off at will. Finally, if you do the tethering legally, it costs at least as much as just having 3G on the iPad - and probably lower performance.
Oh ... I missed the part about tethering costing in addition to the iPhone 4's monthly fees. We are grandfathered in unlimited with AT&T and had assumed it 'just worked'. Oh drat!
Just a few examples of places were I need access to my remote devices and WiFi isn't available:
- Airports. I average about 75 flight segments a year so I spend a lot of time in airports. Only about 1/3 of U.S. airports have free Wi-FI (and none of the major hubs I use). If I go to the Admirals' Club, there's free WiFi, but only one device. If my daughter is with me, she can't use the iPad on WiFi at the same time I'm online with my laptop.
It seems that all of Canada's major airports do offer wifi. Strange that so few offer it in the U.S... being that it has become a real necessity. It's like not finding a pay phone in the 50s.
But if you take away the BB messaging/server part any smartphone can be a "corporate smartphone". I agree most people like the two-phone strategy particularly if they don't have to expense it.
However if the BB messaging/server advantage is somehow diminished that's it for BB in the corporate space. And that time is coming soon.
Yes, but then you have to consider the pricing and the ergonomics. Blackberries are small, light and have full keyboards which makes them excellent devices for carrying round along with the main phone. Blackberries are also much cheaper than a high end phone from HTC or Samsung, never mind Apple.
Obviously BB messaging and BES are really big advantages too, and a device that doesn't support BES such as the Playbook or the Colt (according to rumours at least), is a very poor proposition - but those aren't the only advantages. As other firms duplicate them with their own messaging systems and their own push email either via 3rd party Apps or OS, Blackberry will still have the advantage that the hardware that they produce is perfectly suited to a two phone user.
This article disagrees. My own anecdotal experience in my part of the world affirms it; supply of 3G models are seriously constrained, up till today. In fact a friend was looking for a 64GB 3G on Wednesday and had to call up favors to get one.
I'm not trying to be mean, but, did you read the article? It said the 3G version was the most popular model. That's true. But it also noted that particular model only consisted of 30% of sales.
30% of 100% is not the majority. It just means that one model is the best seller, but overall the other models combined outsell it. It's probably true that wifi only tablets outsell the others, partly because tablets aren't phones. They're mobile, but people still tend to use them in fixed locations. And those who don't are the ones willing to pay more for a 3G model plus a monthly wireless carrier fee.
Is there another Canada? I was there for about a week very recently, and WiFi availability was no better than in the USA. Of course every motel has WiFi, but that's useful only at night. There was no WiFi along the highways nor along city streets, not that I expected any.
I can't speak for other cities, but in Vancouver the local newspaper provides a map of free wifi access and it is quite comprehensive. Maybe you just didn't look "hard enough" ?
http://www.theprovince.com/maps/wifi.html