As prevalent as
FREE WiFi is becoming, why would anybody by an expensive 3G/4G plan from their wireless carrier. The bus stops pictured in the article in the link above are already being installed here in San Francisco with the roll out for completion of citywide
FREE WiFi sometime in 2013.
W7NI
While the world (or at least people in America with poor AT&T reception) wait with baited breath for Verizon or any other wireless carrier to start offering the iPhone, the mobile phone company has a related announcement that’s a little bit out of left field: Starting in two weeks you’ll be able ot
pick up the Apple iPad from Verizon stores around the US.
Here’s where it gets interesting: Verizon uses a different 3G mobile broadband technology than AT&T, but rather than retool the internal workings of the iPad to work on Verizon’s network Verizon will offer the WiFi version of the iPad plus a MiFi 2200 mobile wireless hotspot. That means you’ll need to turn on the MiFi in order to get online with the iPad when you’re not near a WiFi access point. But it also means that you can use the the MiFi with the iPad, a laptop, a smartphone, or another mobile wireless device.
Verizon will offer the 16GB version of the iPad with a MiFi for $629.99. A 32GB model will set you back $729.99 and the 64GB model will run $829.99.
You can also purchase the iPad without a MiFi from Verizon, but you’ll only get the WiFi models which run between $499.99 and $699.99.
Monthly data plans start at $20 per month for 1GB of data.$35 per month will get you 3GB, and the top plan runs $50 per month for 5GB of data. The contracts are month to month, with no annual commitment.
Verizon has put up a
web site for the iPad, but its probably getting hammered with traffic because I had to hit refresh a number of times to get it to load properly.
Verizon is also expected to offer the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 inch Android tablet later this year, as well as a number of other slates running Google Android and other operating systems.
AT&T is also expected to start offering the iPad in retail stores on October 28th. Right now it’s only available in the US through Apple.
