HTC EVO 4G, Hotspot Cost

It seems that Sprint may look to charge folks who buy the HTC EVO 4G an extra $10 to $20 for using the included WiFi hotspot app.  All things considered that really isn't that much to pay for that extra bit of superphone goodness.  However, when you consider that Verizon just made the same thing on the Palm Pre Plus free it's a bit hard to swallow.

Personally I'm still of the opinion that Sprint may change it's mind about that whole deal in order to lure folks from other carriers and to this device.

iPad And Other Tech Decisions

Today starts day three of being stuck at home due to the recent winter storm we had here in the Triangle area of North Carolina and it's given me time to do a lot of thinking, reading, movie watching, cat grooming, sleeping, and the like.  One thing I've been considering is future computer/tech plans and purchases and I think I've made up my mind about a few of them.

On the iPad front I've pretty much decided to go with the 16GB WiFi version and not get the 3G enabled one.  First off, I don't really need to be shelling out another thirty bucks a month for yet another service AND the $500 price point can be fit into my budget without hurting too much.  I realized that for most music duties I'd still use my smartphone.  Let's face reality here, most people are NOT going to use a 9.7 inch device for music listening when out and about.  For music listening in the home I'll still use my PC and it's very nice speaker set and when I'm out and about it's far easier to reach into my pocket, pull out the Pre, and switch songs.  As for data on the go I have a few options on that front as well.  There are numerous public WiFi hot spots on my daily commute route and over the next twelve months both CAT and Triangle Transit are going to be adding WiFi to most of their buses.  In a worst case scenario I could also opt to use one of the emerging app options that turn WiFi enabled smartphones into a mobile hot spot.  Windows Mobile, WebOS, and Android all have apps that accomplish this task.  Purchase decision number one solved.

On the smartphone front as of today I am eligible for an equipment upgrade at discount prices from Sprint but I will be holding off on that for at least a month or two.  At the end of this month is the Mobile World Congress where many manufacturers and service providers will be debuting many new smartphone devices and I'd like to see what may be coming down the pipeline over the first four months of the year.  Specifically I want to see if the HTC Supersonic will be coming to Sprint any time soon, or if there are any other Android or Palm handsets that might peak my interest in them.

On the iMac front I've been doing some serious thinking.  Serious.  No doubt the 27 inch models are a thing to lust for but I'm having a hard time imagining having something that big on my desk.  It is some serious overkill!  There's also the $2000 price tag on the cheapest quad-core option, the Core i5.  If I still decide to get a 27 inch model I may opt for the Core 2 Duo option instead or maybe even opt for one of the 21.5 inch models.  Heck, I may even take a look at getting a Mac Mini instead.  For what I do with my computers right now that would be a workable option.  Facing some hard facts I have realized that I just don't play computer games that much anymore so I don't need a lot of horse power for that.  My desktop PC has mainly been used as a media center PC that has been doing double duty as a ripper and encoder for my media collection.  It's even been my HDTV for over a year now!  I've got some more thinking to do on this option and thankfully I have plenty of time to do just that.

Overall, I've created a budget that takes into account my monthly bills, avoiding adding anything else in the way of monthly charges, and a rough idea of a budget using disposable income for my tech purchases through at least the middle of the summer.  I've got some other money making options on the back burner as well so I shouldn't have a problem in the long run.

Apple iPad

This week Apple announced the product that just about everyone on the planet knew was coming, the Apple iPad.  I'll leave all the pooh pah to other sites to handle and just address why this product is coming soon to my collection of tech stuff.  And why.

As I have mentioned in earlier posts I had been considering getting an e-book reader for some time now and was leaning seriously towards either the Kindle or one of the newer Sony e-reading devices.  The reason I was considering the Kindle was the whole Amazon ecosystem of content:  books as well as newspaper and magazine subscriptions.  The benefits of the Sony products was the recent embrace of the ePub standard by Sony as well as a few content deals that have been rumored to be in the works.  The iPad killed those considerations for me.

The price points that Apple announced for the iPad more than make it a competitive product considering how much it can do (wi-fi only 16GB $499, 32GB $599, 64GB $699 with an extra $130 for 3G service via AT&T with an unlimited data plan for only $29.99 per month without a contract).  Considering this is an Apple product I was buying into the opinions that it would launch closer to $1000 rather than $500, especially when you look at the initial pricing of the iPhone when it launched three years ago.  For ten dollars less than you pay for the Kindle DX you get the same sized screen and a LOT more bang for your buck.  Another point of interest is that Steve Jobs and company announced that the iPad will run ALL the apps that currently run on the iPhone/iPod Touch.  This means that if I really want some content available only from Amazon I can do that via their Kindle App.  Essentially a win-win scenario!

To me this is a no-brainer purchase decision.  It offers an excellent e-book reading experience (based on what was shown at the announcement) as well as mobile internet access at a decent, contract-free price.  The app ecosystem Apple has created is bound to step up to the plate and deliver some excellent products to download.  My biggest decision is whether to get the wi-fi only version of the 3G enabled version.  Either way I'll probably go with the 16GB model.  The extra memory available in the 32 and 64GB versions would be nice but I have no problem with having to be picky with what I do and do not load up on the device if it comes down to needed space later on down the road.  To be honest I'll probably stick to using my phone to listen to music daily and use the iPad for ebook reading and other stuff.

Oh, and one more thing for me to consider right now is whether or not to stake out an Apple store overnight when it goes for sale.  Somehow I feel I should do something like that at least once in my life.

New 4G Mobile Broadband Options For Sprint Customers

This morning two new 4G WiMax mobile broadband solutions went live on the Sprint website!

The Sierra Overdrive was announced at CES this past week and is a 4G mobile WiFi hotspot that supports up to five devices and has a 100ft range.  You can snag it here.

Something that wasn't announced at CES but was rumored to be coming soon is the Sierra U301 WiMax USB modem that offers support for Windows 7 and Mac OS 10.6.  You can snag that here.

It's nice to see Sprint showing some 4G WiMax love at last!

Interesting Bit Of Upcoming Tech

I know that I'm in the minority when I say I'm a Sprint customer and am happy to be with them.  I also know all the horror stories from earlier, say three to five years ago, about how horrible Sprint customer service is.  All I can say is that I've not had a single problem with them in two years with them.  At the moment I'd say that Sprint has the most varied selection of mobile devices of any of the big four cell service providers, especially when it comes to choices in the smartphone arena.  They have a wide selection to choose from, and that's a fact.

Having said all that let me add that at the moment I am very happy that I am with Sprint because they have a bit of new technology coming out in the next couple of months that I am seriously debating getting for myself.

If the internet rumors are true then Sprint should be all set to launch a new mobile WiFi hotspot using both their EVDO 3G service AND their 4G WiMax service!

It's similar to the MiFi device that both Sprint and Verizon currently offer to their customers which uses EVDO service to provide WiFi internet access for up to five devices at a time.  The only thing that has kept me from getting the MiFi is the 5GB cap on EVDO data via their mobile broadband offerings (which is something all four major carriers impose).  However, with their WiMax 4G service Sprint has not imposed any data limits.  None.  No caps or overage charges, at all.  This probably has to do with the partnership with Clear and that Sprint is trying to position their 4G service as an alternative to traditional wired internet service (DSL, cable, and now fiber optic). 

The allure of such a mobile WiFi hotspot is easy to see.  There is no need to install a USB modem to your portable computer AND you can use any WiFi enabled device you have.  Think of having an iPod Touch with mobile internet.  Of course I'm thinking about that rumored Apple tablet computer that should be announced at the end of the month, but that is a topic for another post.

For the time being, if I got this new device, I'd use it with my Macbook and probably start taking it out more with me daily.