“Dizzying array of cell data offerings requires study” |
| Dizzying array of cell data offerings requires study Posted: 13 Aug 2010 12:06 PM PDT Pardon me while I uncross my eyes after trying to determine the cheapest way to have ubiquitous cellular data access on my iPhone and iPad without giving anything up. Changes in AT&T service plans and two new cellular routers from Sprint-affiliated firms may require the use of a spreadsheet to sort out costs. AT&T changed the mobile broadband equation when it stopped offering new subscribers unlimited 3G data plans, and shifted to two tiers of service in June for the iPhone and 3G iPad: 200 MB (iPhone) or 250 MB (iPad) for $15 per month or 2 GB for $25 per month. Additional use brings similar fees. (I found I've used about 100 MB of 3G data per month over the past year on my iPhone 3GS and then iPhone 4.) With metering, AT&T finally enabled tethering, which lets you turn a cellphone into the equivalent of a laptop modem. The iPhone 3G, 3GS, and 4 with iOS 4 installed can be tethered to a computer or device with the necessary USB or Bluetooth driver support. A 3G iPad lacks a tethering mode, nor can it use an iPhone as a modem. Readers of my column (June 19) on AT&T's changes were awfully mad about how AT&T had structured the tethering deal. Even though subscribers now pay a metered rate for data usage, AT&T requires the high-usage 2 GB plan be active and charges an additional $20 per month to enable tethering. The charge is pure profit, and leads to more profit from additional data usage beyond 2 GB. Tethering's advantage is simplicity and cost. If you already travel with an iPhone and a laptop, tethering would add $20 to $30 more per month over the 2 GB or 200 MB plans, instead of an additional $60 per month for a cellular modem. Further, AT&T lets you add or remove tethering from your bill each month, where laptop plans require a two-year contract with cancellation penalties. (T-Mobile USA is the exception with a $40-per-month laptop data plan with no contract requirement if you buy the cell modem upfront.) I recently tested out tethering with an iPhone 4 using a Windows 7 laptop and a Macintosh. It's as easy as Apple promises. After activating tethering service, an Internet Tethering option in the Settings app (under the General area's Network settings) lets you turn the feature on and off. iTunes must be installed for USB tethering to work. Plug the iPhone in via USB or set up a more complicated Bluetooth connection, and the phone is just another broadband gateway. While some phones include a mobile hotspot feature, where the phone shares a cell connection over Wi-Fi, you're likely reading this because you already own an iPhone. In that case, a portable cellular router makes more sense, even though it adds another piece of traveling gear. The MiFi is the best known example in this category. Verizon Wireless offers the MiFi at no cost with a two-year contact and either a limited $40-per-month 250 MB plan or $60-per-month 5 GB plan. Both service plans require a contract. Sprint formerly offered the MiFi at a similar price, but appears to have dropped it. Which makes sense. Two Sprint controlled firms have far more flexible cell router offerings. Virgin Mobile, a Sprint-owned company, recently started offering the MiFi on a pay-as-you-need-it basis (www.virginmobileusa.com/mobile-broadband). Virgin Mobile sells the MiFi for $150. Service plans start at $10 for 100 MB over 10 days, useful for a quick trip. You can also buy quite reasonably priced 30-day plans of 300 MB ($20), 1 GB ($40), and 5 GB ($60). When you run out, you can simply buy more. The other option is the line of "Clear Spot" modems from Clearwire, which is majority owned by Sprint (www.clear.com/). Clearwire recently introduced the iSpot, a $100 cell router that works only with the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. The iSpot, which works only on Clearwire's Clear 4G WiMax network, comes with unlimited use for a mere $25 per month. The Greater Puget Sound area has excellent Clear coverage, but being able to use only iOS devices, and not, say, Mac laptops limits its utility. For the same $100 and a $40-per-month fee, you can get a Spot 4G, which works with any hardware that has Wi-Fi built in. If you travel with multiple devices or with multiple people, or use tons of bandwidth, the $40 monthly fee seems reasonable. Clearwire also has a 3G/4G combined device, the Spot 4G+; its $55-per-month plan includes unlimited 4G and up to 5 GB per month on Sprint's 3G network. All three Spots let up to eight Wi-Fi devices connect, and all are available with month-to-month plans with no cancellation fee. The 4G and 4G+ can be had for a monthly rental fee with a two-year contract commitment. The MiFi and various Spots come with an extra incentive, however: The limits that Apple puts over 3G downloads, such as no greater than 20 MB audio, video, or app downloads, are eliminated with a cellular router. To the iPhone, a cell router looks just like a Wi-Fi network. The iPhone 4's FaceTime feature will work over a MiFi or Spot, as well. To figure out which option fits you best, consider how often you need higher levels of bandwidth, how many devices you would like to connect, and whether having a fixed fee instead of one that increases by use makes sense. Glenn Fleishman writes the Practical Mac column for Personal Technology and about technology in general for The Seattle Times and other publications. Send questions to gfleishman@seattletimes.com. More columns at www.seattletimes.com/columnists This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Content Keyword RSS To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 comments:
Post a Comment