Due to current circumstances, the wife & I are suddenly in need of mobile access. I put Louise on a Samsung Mesmerize with a 5g monthly data plan. http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/cell-phones/SCH-I500RKAUSC

and I'll be trying the Virgin mifi, I think.

Quote from: rcjordan on December 09, 2010, 07:22:10 PM
Due to current circumstances, the wife & I are suddenly in need of mobile access. I put Louise on a Samsung Mesmerize with a 5g monthly data plan. http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/cell-phones/SCH-I500RKAUSC

and I'll be trying the Virgin mifi, I think.

RC,

Please let me know how Louise likes the Samsung Mesmerize, based on our conversations here, I'm considering it and US Cellular as future purchase and carrier. Ditto on the Virgin Mifi.  In 2006 I was abruptly put in an elder care position - no mifi back then. Had to scramble to get a NetZero dialup connection from the place I was staying.  Makes me think about the importance of mobility for both voice and internet.  Thanks.

Quote from: Brad on December 09, 2010, 01:33:12 AM
service is month to month, if I drop it for a month, when I renew it will be under the new limited terms

Ahh, I see. The downside of them not requiring contracts for the ipads... I just don't even think about it. But similarly, I was pretty irritated when my options became "keep unlimited data limited to your phone, or limit your data plan PLUS pay an extra fee for tethering."

Then again, I'm sure it's only a matter of time before unlimited data is the default. Remember when all ISPs priced accounts based on the quantity of data you accessed?

My poor iPhone is about to die.  I'd like to get the iPhone4, but hoping desperately t-mobile will have iphones soonish.  I might have to renew with AT&T...damn it.

Quote from: grnidone on December 10, 2010, 04:08:19 AM
My poor iPhone is about to die.  I'd like to get the iPhone4, but hoping desperately t-mobile will have iphones soonish.  I might have to renew with AT&T...damn it.

Why not transfer your number a no contract provider for a few months with a different phone?  That will hold you over till we find out who will get the iPhone.  Verizon, T-Mobile, Cricket, Virgin Mobile all have month to month plans and Android phones.

>In 2006 I was abruptly put in an elder care position - no mifi back then. Had to scramble

As you've probably surmised, that's our current situation.

>Ditto on the Virgin Mifi

Sold out online. The cart said to call support. I did. They gave me another number for just the broadbandtogo products. Called them. They said they don't have any for the online store.  Suggested I try Walmart or Radio Shack.  I happened to be going by RS this morning just as they opened.  Only the manager was there. She tells me this is one of the hottest items this year and it's in very limited supply across the chain.  Inventory confirms she's not getting any in the coming shipments.  She calls a friend at another store and finds one ...supposedly, it'll be here by Tuesday.  She confirms that it's the unlimited pay-as-you go plan that is making Virgin the way to go. The same box on Sprint is capped at 2g, I think she said.  I'm guessing Sprint requires a contract for mifi, too.

>Please let me know how Louise likes the Samsung Mesmerize, based on our conversations here, I'm considering it and US Cellular as future purchase and carrier.

Since we are heavily armed with workstations and laptops everywhere we normally frequent, we had little need for a smartphone prior to this so our only exposure was to iPhones in the extended family.  So far, the learning curve has been minimal.  And the phone itself seems to be as close as you can get to an iphone clone.  She bought 1 app, "locale," which supposedly allows switching to whitelisted wifi but we haven't been around wifi enough yet to try really it out.  It was suggested by the USC rep as a must-have so I'm pretty sure it'll be ok.

>>Ditto on the Virgin Mifi

OK, Brad, I'm on here via my craptop and virgin mifi.  It's slow but the location inside the condo may be part of that problem.   But, hey, slow is better than nothing.

Quote from: rcjordan on December 14, 2010, 02:27:35 AM
>>Ditto on the Virgin Mifi

OK, Brad, I'm on here via my craptop and virgin mifi.  It's slow but the location inside the condo may be part of that problem.   But, hey, slow is better than nothing.

Thanks RC.  I see you got the last one.    The info is useful since I've got people asking me, the resident geek genius, for advice about buying ATT iPads, Verizon Mifi plus iPad, Virgin Mobile + iPad, etc.  At least I know Virgin works.

>Virgin Mobile

I'm guessing that VM used 'unlimited/no contracts' as a doorbuster to gain marketing traction and like the original ipad ATT data plan it will eventually go away.  Hopefully, the early adopters who don't abuse the 'reasonable limits' will be grandfathered in.  Given the data caps of other brand names, if Sprint is a decent network in any geo area, there is no way I'd sign up for anything other than VM mifi or dongle right now.

Assuming this VM mifi has no fatal flaws other than being a bit slow-ish for my liking, I see it as a must-have for my businesses --at least for alternate access should I find myself in unusual circumstances. And VM mifi + craptop or ipad makes a great travel kit for the US. Since it's cdma, it's not going to work in EU, though. Too bad.

No way would I buy an ipad with its own data plan, either.  Wifi version only.

>but HSDPA/HDUPA versus 802.11x is eminently more power efficient meaning it will last a lot lot lot longer for the same battery

Excellent point.  I didn't know that, though it makes good sense now that you bring it up.  For some, perhaps even many, that would be a deciding factor.