iPad 3G
 

Has anyone brought an iPad 3G to the lake? Since this runs on ATT mobile broadband I would expect only spotty coverage but am hoping for better.

Anyone? anyone?

IG

It would have the same reception as the iPhones for now but...

Hang tight - Verizon is going to start carrying the iPhone this fall and the operating system to the iPad is going to be upgraded for the new G4 iPhones - the iPad will have the same OS. In short, you'll be able to switch companies and have better reception in NH. As soon as Verizon rolls out the iPhone we plan on ditching out RG phones...

I have the iPad (non-3G version)... and LOVE it. Doggone useful for business and pleasure - very fun! The kids took to it like fish to water - it's so intuitive to use.

My wife has one on order and it's due in June 1. We use Verizon, but she's ordered the 3G since you can pay as you go with AT&T. You don't need to sign up for a 2 year contract. She'll try it around the lake and I'll let folks know how the coverage is.

I'll have my 3G iPad at the lake this weekend, but since it runs on AT&T the coverage will be exactly the same as my iPhone (spotty, but workable).

If you have an iPhone... I cut down my iPhone SIM card to fit in the iPad, then made an adapter out of an old hotel room key so that the modified micro-SIM fits back in the iPhone. This lets me swap my SIM between the iPhone and iPad and get 3G coverage on either device. You also have to change the APN on the iPad to "phone" from "broadband" for this to work. Since the iPad are unlocked by default though this is just a simple change in the Settings.

People keep talking about the iPhone coming to Verizon, but that is NOT happening. There are no FCC filings indicating that Apple is working on a CDMA version of the iPhone, so I wouldn't wait around for that to happen. What you can do though is go to Verizon and get a Mifi or EVDO card and Cradlepoint router (or similar, but the Cradlepoints are cheap and work very well) so that you can create a wifi hotspot on the Verizon wireless broadband network. It's $60/mo, but gives you a good Internet connection for any device anyplace there is Verizon coverage.

http://web8.twitpic.com/img/10266338...3d865-full.jpg

I'm basing my comment earlier on an article from Wired: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/...izon-iphone-2/

I think Apple needs Verizon more than Verizon needs Apple - the Droid has had a nice impact on the iPhone market. I test-drove a Droid and didn't find it to be as intuitive as I'd like... I figured I'd wait for the iPhone and/or better 3G service in my area - I don't even have reception in my house and I'm a townie...

Verizon mobile
 

I have a little card that plugs into the motherboard of my laptop for Verizon broadband. Would that work in the iPad?

I want one... I want one!!!

IG

No, it won't. You can plug that into the Cradlepoint router I mentioned earlier and make a wifi hotspot that the iPad can access though.

Don't think so
 

This is not the typical USB or PC Card. It plugs into a special slot on some Dell laptops. It is also known as an integrated card. That is why I wondered if it was actually a sim.

IG

That article is, IMO, the sort of distractionary FUD that Apple sometimes puts out, and many tech bloggers lap up. Again, if that were true we would have likely started to see the FCC filings by now for the radio certification. I saw that article in November of last year too, but haven't seen any further reports or rumors to back it up with any credibility.

Verizon has also been investing heavily in promoting the Google Anroid OS phones lately. It just seems highly unlikely that Apple is going make an iPhone, with a smaller screen no less, and get it on the Verizon network. It would be great if they did, but I tend to doubt it.

I think I know the one you're talking about (I have one in a drawer at home). It is about 2/3 the size of a typical PC Card? A little narrower?

Smaller
 

Much smaller. I have to move it to another laptop. Then I can see what it uses for a connector.

IG

The amount of "distractionary fud" that Apple puts out is estimated to be as close to zero as possible. The Bloggers, on the other hand? Daily :laugh:

As previously stated, Verizon has ben building out their 4G systems for awhile now, and it is based on GSMLTE, not CDMA. This was one of the prime reasons the iPhone was not available on Verizon, one of many. AT&T is also transitioning to the LTE framework. At some point, most of the major carriers, if not all, will be using the same technology. No more CDMA, except in legacy mode. I think dual-network phones have already begun to be rolled out, not sure on that.

By 2012, the US may just be as good as some third world countries in cell phone networks :laugh:

I'm responding to this post while riding down Interstate 40 in Tenn. The wife is driving and I'm using our new Verizon MiFi which is in my pocket. A battery powered hot spot. It works better then our Rev. A aircard. By the way, the wife has a crackberry Storm that has been replaced 3 times. They are now mailing her a storm 2. One of the possible solutions we found on the internet for it's problem was to remove the sim cards. It's not needed on the storm. It's only used if you go pverseas and need to operate from European GSM bands.

I got a Verizon mifi card. Ipad supposed to arrive tomorrow! Cant wait.

Smitty

My Ipad 3G works
 

I've had it for a couple weeks now and it seems to work fine - I live in Meredith and work in Wolfeboro. Only problem is that when I went to create an AT&T account it told me they didn't have service and my area and would not allow me to open an account! Had to tell a fib and give them a Concord address to get my account set up. Apple's product is great - AT&T's service is ?#!*s!

Netflix
 

Winnipesogee, Can you watch a netflix movie in Meredith on you iPad?

Thanks
IG

Not exactly sure about Netflix as I havent tried that but I am able to watch ABC tv shows through their app - got to assume I could use the netflix app as well. I'm getting 3 out of 4 bars at my house near Shep Browns.

Cheers

Yes, you can watch Netflix movies on the iPad. Not all movies are available for instant viewing, but alot of the older, and some newer movies (and tv series) are. In addition to netflix you have Hulu, natl Geo, Discover, youtube, and I believe Google movies. And also, which I thought was pretty cool, is that you can sample books before you decide to buy. They let you sample approx. 60-70 pages before you decide to purchase the book.

You *can* watch Netflix over 3G (provided you have a signal), but they really limit the bitrate of the video stream, so it's not exactly a wonderful experience...

Netflix
 

That is really the question. I tried an iPad at work and it displayed Netflix beautifully over WiFi. How is it over 3G. I can watch my slingbox over 3G and it is quite acceptable. This issue is running out of GB before the month is up. With a 5GB cap, it does not take much TV to burn up a month's worth of bandwidth.

Does the iPad have the 5GB/month cap?

IG

AT&T has a couple options. You can buy 'blocks' of data at 14.99 / 250 MB or unlimited at 29.99. The blocks expire in 30 days.

My wife received her 3G IPAD and she loves it. Unfortunately she can't get any AT&T service where we are in Wolfeboro. It does show 3 bars but it says it can't connect to the data service.

On the blackberry front - they replaced her storm for the 4th time and it was still bad. They decided to replace it with a Storm 2 and it works great.

We've used the Verizon Mifi all over the east coast and it also works great. Much more convenient then our old wireless mobile router and air card. It's also rev a versus our rev 0 card, so much faster.

even if they come out with the Iphone for VZW it won;t allow you to use an ipad on a cdma network until they come out with the cdma version. VZW iphone rumors been out there for a year now and I'm not holding my breath even though I;d prefer it to the Droid Incredible I'm getting in a couple of weeks.

Verizon's newer 4G network is based on GSMLTE, not CDMA. Within 1-3 years, both Verizon's and AT&T's networks will be technologically the same. The Droid is becoming a pain for many, trying to keep up with software builds. The versions are moving targets, and it's sometimes hard to figure out which phones have what. But the growth is pretty strong.

It'll be pretty interesting to see what's coming up. Interestingly enough, 40% of iPhones are now being bought by business customers.

I had to do very same "fib" when I bought iPhone last July in the Concord ATT Store. I am also in Meredith. Service has vastly improved in last 11 months.

I'm happier & happier I made the gamble on the 3GS 11 months ago. I'm not so much a telephone user, but syncing my calendar, contacts, emails, etc. with my Mac computer.
I'm waiting for the announcements Monday 7th!

Rumors are rumors; sign up for Google Alerts. There will not be a Verizon iPhone for some time, like at least year........

It seems like some want to believe marketing more than results. You either have great signal or not, or even none. A horse race benefits everyone.

The iPhone 4 was announced at WWDC today. Lots of cool new features. No mention of a Verizon/CDMA version though.

I have a Wi-Fi only iPad and have been using it successfully at the lake.

I use a nifty product from Cradlepoint that sets up a Wi-Fi network with Internet access through a Verizon wireless USB mobile modem. This allows me to bypass AT&T's spotty service for my iPad and iPhone. I also have a laptop connected to the Wi-Fi network as well. It was very easy to set up.

I have been able to watch streamed NetFlix movies on the iPad as well as download rental movies (albeit slowly) from iTunes. (There's a iPad cable available that lets you connect it to a TV.) The overall mobile modem speed is pretty good for my location.

Of course, there's the dreaded monthly download limit to consider, but so far so good.

Which Router
 

Which Cradlepoint did you buy? You can do about 7 hours of slingox download within the 5GB. I wonder if Netflix streams more efficiently so the download of a movie is not too bad?

IG

I just bought the Cradlepoint PHS300 ($99 through Amazon). I'm playing with it right now. Setup took just a few minutes. I'm connected through it now and it seems solid. Time will tell.

My kids like to watch TV shows online and I also have a Slingbox. I'm going to watch the data usage closely to see how much bandwidth we are consuming. Since I'm only going to use the wireless broadband when we're traveling or on vacation I'm hoping the 5GB/month quota on Verizon is more than enough.

Slingbox
 

I used to watch the Slingbox all the time, but now limit it due to the bandwidth restrictions.

It would be really great if someone on Wolfeboro Neck would let me connect via wifi. I would pay as would many of my neighbors. It would be a nice little business to set up a transmitter for us!!! :)

IG

The CTR-350 may have been a better choice. It's $20 cheaper, and also provides an Ethernet port, which can act to create a wired network from your Verizon dongle, or can be setup so that it uses the Ethernet port as the primary Internet interface, and uses the Verizon connection only when the regular network is down. For most of what's being described here, the latter case is less valuable, but I use the Ethernet port on mine for connecting security cameras, and sometimes a VoIP phone, neither of which support wifi.

I looked at all the models before ordering but I chose the PHS-300 because of the battery power option. In my travels that would be handy (in the car, at a picnic table, sitting in an airport, on a boat, etc.).

I know there is a car power adapter available but it is $40, even on Amazon. I decided that for the infrequent use in the car the battery option would be better for me.

That makes sense. I built an external battery pack for my CTR-350, but for either unit the battery draw can be kind of hefty and they don't last as long as I would like, so I've kind of given up on battery-powered 3G/Wifi access for the most part.

If I'm at the airport I tend to just plug my USB adapter right in to my MBP and skip the intermediate step of using the router, unless I'm traveling with someone and they want to get online also.

Our Verizon mifi is a little smaller then an IPhone and lasts 5 hours on its battery. It replaced an aircard and a DLink mobile wireless router that was getting long in the tooth. The mifi doesn't have any hardwire ports, but will support up to 5 devices.

You've had better luck than most, from what I've read. A couple of guys I work with got the mifi's, and report about 2 hours of battery on 3G usage.

I've got the Cradlepoint CTR500. It retails for $200. I added the external antenna for about $15.