Jim:
Been reading you since you were carrying all those 30lbs of gear. Have had NO luck getting hold of Sprint's new MiFi4082 and envious you have one to try out. Seems like they have dropped the ball once again. Curious to ask how the cost of the Verizon Data Plan with this new LTE MiFi compares with what you are paying for your OverdrivePro plan. My own Sprint grandfathered data plan is very good, with unlimited usage, so I'm hesitant to ax it.
One of the primary benefits of being a technology writer is the ability to work in my home office, aka Mobile News Manor (MNM). It is a bustling place, with evaluation gadgets constantly arriving and going back to the vendors. As part of my daily work I spend a fair bit of time testing these gadgets for review, and also looking at new apps for various platforms to streamline my work methods.
This column is my look back each week to share pertinent experiences that I believe you might find useful. There is no telling what you might find in this column, but you’ll definitely get a feel for what it is like testing gadgets for a living. Welcome to the Manor.
Gadgets come, and gadgets go
This week could have been called MiFi week, as a new model not yet publicly available arrived at the Manor. The Novatel folks sent the Sprint 4G MiFi for a test drive, and it is a major improvement over my Sprint Overdrive. The new MiFi is much smaller and dishes out Sprint 4G (WiMAX) when available and 3G (EVDO Rev. A) when it’s not. It has a memory card slot for storing files and using the MiFi as a server using the MiFi’s router.
One of the biggest problems of the Sprint Overdrive is that it takes a long time to connect to either a 3G or 4G network. It is not possible to turn it on and get connected quickly. I am happy to report the MiFi doesn’t suffer from that malady, it is possible to hit the power button and get connected in less than a minute. It’s a very good solution for the mobile professional who wants to tap into the Sprint network from virtually anywhere.
As good as the Sprint 4G MiFi has been, I have been seriously considering dropping my Sprint Overdrive and making a move. Not to the Sprint MiFi, but to the Verizon 4G LTE MiFi from Samsung that hit the market this week. I had the opportunity to play with the Verizon LTE network earlier this year, and the speed it provides is unequaled.
I currently use the Sprint Overdrive for connectivity when I travel, and to keep me online in the Manor when my broadband connection goes down. I depend on staying connected for my work, and having a backup connection is important. Unfortunately, even though the Sprint 4G network is live in Houston, it is still not live in my home office. The Sprint 4G coverage map shows a little dead zone right over the Manor, so the Overdrive falls back to the Sprint 3G network. It’s not bad, but it’s not 4G.
The Verizon LTE network is live in the Manor, and it is blazing fast. The Samsung MiFi I am considering dishes the LTE out as expected, and can also fall back to the Verizon EVDO network when no LTE coverage is available. I played with the Samsung MiFi earlier this year, and was impressed with it. This has me considering dropping the Sprint data plan on the Overdrive and moving to the Verizon 4G plan.
Last night the Froyo update I have been waiting for finally arrived for the Enspert Identity Tab that Dynamism sent over. This is the official update that will ship on the Identity Tab, bringing it up to Froyo standards and having access to the Android Market. I believe access to the Market is crucial for any Android device to be fully utilitized, and this is a welcome update for the Tab.
I will be putting the new Identity Tab through its paces, and my immediate impression is it is a decent Android tablet for $299. It is made of aluminum and is well appointed, making it a good deal for the price. I will have more on the Identity Tab in the not too distant future.
