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The Tablet Debate: 3G Or Wi-Fi?
Barence writes "We regularly review tablets and mention the fact that X tablet has Wi-Fi, Y tablet has 3G, but how many people are interested in each? Do most people view 3G as a must-have extra, or is Wi-Fi plenty for a device most commonly used in the home? We asked our readers for their opinions and the responses were fairly evenly split between those on both sides, with a healthy proportion also saying they may not choose it but like to have 3G as an option. What do Slashdotters think? Is 3G a must-have for tablets or will a tethered smartphone do the job?"
I would love 3G, so I can get web access all over the place, but when they want to charge me $50/month for 5Gb of data... GTFO
I concur. I think it's ridiculous to pay for a data plan on a tablet when I already have a smart phone with a data plan.
the trusty pile of sticks and blanket.
Neither. I live very happily, tablet-free, thanks. My laptop, though, uses Wi-Fi, though!
I don't respond to AC's.
My laptop, my phone, and my tablet should all just be viewports and ways of interacting with one homogenous device. They should all be integrated parts of a whole.
To that end, I do not care which thing has which feature. I just care that I can seamlessly access the Internet no matter where I am.
Need a Python, C++, Unix, Linux develop
what are the barriers to making a non-cellular-company 3G network - what if I could just make a 3G base station from my DSL line - maybe I could pay for usage on other members 3G stations that would be offset by the bandwidth I provided to others through my own network... just thinking...
4G galaxy tablet
If you have a gsm phone... If you are unfortunate to have a cdma phone - your internet connection will drop out every time someone calls you.
That could become annoying.
You can never know everything, and part of what you do know will always be wrong. Perhaps even the most important part.
Is a $200 graphics card a must-have?
Are hiking boots a must-have?
Is a baby stroller a must-have?
Is 4WD a must-have?
The answers to these questions and many more: It depends, you idiot!
How can I believe you when you tell me what I don't want to hear?
Until we get Personal Area Networks properly working (a la Shadowrun 4, where your phone is just a voice interface to the same uplink node that everything else you have is also using), I would go with tethering. It just makes more sense to me, instead of having to have two separate contracts for 3G connectivity... and isn't that one of the entire points behind Bluetooth anyways?
Can't use the tablet while driving, have wifi in the coffee shop while on a driving break.
Can't use the tablet with G3 on the plane, when lucky the in-air wifi is working.
Have wifi in the airport terminal.
Have wifi at home.
Have wifi at work.
That is about where I would have the need for a tablet, so wifi will do, thank you I will keep the $50/month in pocket.
Load New Commander (Y/N)?
I have had an iPad for more than a year, and needed a MiFi 3G hotspot anyway for travel. The need to carry a credit card sized extra, and the lack of gps for the few apps that can use it are trivial weaknesses for me.
The problem with going 3G is the price of the associated data plan. It's ridiculous to spend $500 on a tablet and then have to spend another $40 a month to use it. I already have a smartphone with a data plan. Why should I have to pay twice?
If carriers offered a $5 "extra" you could tack onto your phone plan for a tablet, ok, then *maybe*. But anything more than that and it's too much. And while I imagine there are going to be people who regularly use their tablets in places where there is no wifi, I don't think that's the majority of tablet users.
So honestly, wifi tablet + smartphone tether is the way to go until carriers smarten up and stop trying to bleed us dry.
Unless you're a millionaire, internet over 3G is way too expensive. You can get by without WiFi only if you do nothing more intensive than checking your mail.
No.
Hey, I was only kidding. You don't have to MOD me "Troll" . . . again . . . .
WiFi only, have no need for a bunch of 3G data plans.. Use a 4G Hotspot for all my toys... Verizon CDMA no voice call dropouts because the Hotspot is not a phone. Want to connect 1 device, 3 up to 5 (never needed to do that yet). Up to 16Mbps down using LTE... but do have to watch the quota. Use my phone way too much for voice when I need data for tethering it. Have even teathred my phone to it to get 4G instead of just the EVDO 3G the phone has. Rare occurrence.
Any time you have the telephone company involved with your computer, expect grief. If you don't absolutely require built-in connectivity to a cell network, Try to avoid this pain. Just two issues: 1) the provider will try to install software onto your machine that you don't want, can't delete and can't shut off; 2) the provider is not interested in upgrading your ROM for any other reason than locking you even more into their own services.
Have you got your LWN subscription yet?
It hardly matters which you use, other than wifi if a far more secure interface and much more robust.
You are going to run another radio anyway, why opt for bluetooth over wifi, especially when they are usually built into the same chipset. There is no power saving involved in one over the other.
When I turn on my wifi tethering in my Nexus One, AT&T doesn't know its tethering, and I have a fully encrypted WPA2 hotsopt.
Sig Battery depleted. Reverting to safe mode.
but it would be really nice to have open Access points at my various Dr.'s offices and/or inexpensive 3G for the rest of the places I go a few days a month. Having more than a minimum data plan doesn't make sense for me, and I can't afford it.
Be Obscure Clearly
There are visual errors in time as well as in space.
I use a Novatel MiFi device to provide Internet access to my iPad on the go. For $20/mo. I get unlimited data (within my state) and I have the ability to attach up to four more devices. I had rather go this route than tether my smartphone (tethering drains my battery pretty fast). The MiFi is tiny and fits in my iPad case, which is a huge plus. I would love 3G embedded into my device, but major carrier plans are ridiculously priced and limited at the moment (I'm looking at you, AT&T). If their pricing/cap structure ever changed, then I would consider a 3G-model tablet.
Most places you go will have WIFI available, and if not, I'm betting you have a smartphone anyway. Tether with that for zero dollars.
It your job pays for the 3G bill, fine. But otherwise thats a lot of money for occasional use.
Sig Battery depleted. Reverting to safe mode.
Don't most providers also provide 3G and now 4G usb modems? And don't all if not most tablets have a usb port? If so why get stuck with a 2 year plan when you can have the best of both worlds with 0 lock in?
For me it's not worth the extra cost. And extra $127.00 (US) for a service I'm going to need a few times a year? With a crippled data plan? Sorry, but my smartphone comes with a data plan more generous than either AT&T or Verizon can offer. Especially considering their ridiculous limits on WiFi hot-spotting. Make the device within the actual cost difference of the chips and give me a reasonable data plan and I'll think about it.
Boobies never hurt anyone. - Sherry Glaser.
I need both. For when I need speed, I will use it at home or find a Wi-Fi hotspot. I will use it mostly on the road or out and about and then must have 3G.
My android phone has both and I use it about 90% on 3G and turn on the Wi-Fi for the big updates or streaming some HD video.
In my area, Cablevision, Time Warner, and Comcast have lined the major highways with Wifi access points. Even better, I can register my mobile device MAC addresses on the Cablevision web site, so I don't even have to go through a sign-in (it looks like an open access point to a registered MAC), and there's no extra charge for WiFi connectivity (it's included in the home internet cost).
My wife has been driving while I Googled - in a moving vehicle - with no problem. The hand-offs seem to work fine. The more ubiquitous WiFi is, the less important 3G is. Why pay a monthly fee for something you don't need?
I've received a survey from my cable company asking a series of questions about cellular use, and inquiring whether I'd be interested in a completely unlimited, uncapped voice/text/data Android smartphone for $29/month. I suspect that the cable companies will be offering WiFi based service in the not-too-distant future over their internet/WiFi infrastructure.
Can You Say Linux? I Knew That You Could.
Your laptop, tablet, phone, and more all already have Wifi. So do your SO's (if applicable) and children's (if applicable) devices. Get one portable 3G device, either a portable modem or your phone, and use tethering. Stop paying the phone company by device and only pay them by plan.
If I had to pay by device for Internet access at my house I'd be screwed . . .
When I am traveling with my family, we have an ipad and a laptop with us. In the car, my kids and my wife can check whatever over internet. So, 3G is not a must!!
^(oo)^pig~
The problem is that when you travel, the WIFI often isn't free. Airports and hotels charge a lot of money. And there are places with no Wifi.
That's why I have a Android phone that can tether (unbenknownt ATT who is providing me with unlimited data for $12 a month).
If you don't have Edge, 3G, 4G, and Wi-Fi, I'm not buying your tablet.
None of them has full coverage everywhere, and I want the fastest one that is covering where I am.
There's no excuse for something that's essentially the same computational system as my phone but is 5X as heavy to have less hardware in it.
For me it's merely a price discussion: I can get a WiFi only version for $499, and never pay anything more again. Or I can buy a WiFi/3G version, for $529, and spend $30-50/month every month for two years until the contract expires. Total price differential of $750-1230 to have internet access in the few places that don't offer free wifi these days? I think I'll take the WiFi only version, thanks.
MiFi FTW. Hook your tablet up to it, or any other wifi device you've got. In the long run it's way more useful and cheaper
I've owned the Ipad 1 since it originally came out, and paid for a 3G plan since I got it. First off, having constant data access is (personally) one of the major selling features of a tablet. You can say all you want about using your phone as a internet access point, but screen real estate is a huge factor in how functional it is. And having constant access (not just around the house wifi style) is a part of that feature! But it also is RIDICULOUS how companies charge for the feature. Yes, you pay for your toys, and I've paid 30 bucks a month since I got it. That comes out to over $300 bucks just to use a feature! I think Blackberry has the right idea: make teathering with your phones trivial. One plan, total connectivity. I just wish/hope they make it available to all phones, not just blackberry's.
I'd never pay for a 3G connection for a tablet, so I'm never going to pay a premium for a 3G enabled tablet. I also don't ever see myself tethering a tablet to my phone; I'd be more likely to just use the phone itself. I can't see myself ever using a tablet where I didn't have a wifi connection. Of course, when it comes to tablets, I am definitely not in the "early adopter" demographic.
I'd be glad to only be able to get internet access when I'm at home or when I'm near another network; at home, at school, at my local coffee shop, or pretty much anywhere else I spend any significant amount of time.
Would you want Internet access on the bus while commuting to and from work/school/coffee shop? Or when in some other shop that has only locked, employees-only Wi-Fi, such as a local mall?
I'm on the fence on the 3G vs. WiFi debate. Where I live, you don't have to go very far to no longer have cellular coverage of any kind, so that kind of limits its usefulness for me. There also aren't a lot of options for 3G providers where I live -- there's one national carrier (AT&T) and two statewide carriers. One of the statewide carriers is CDMA and the other is GSM, so if the device uses a SIM card, that narrows my options even further. OTOH, the whole idea behind tablets is that they are mobile, and I'm paranoid enough not to want to use just any open WiFi network around. In fact, when I visit the local coffee shops at lunch, I usually tether my laptop to my Android phone rather than trust the free WiFi, so unless I'm at home or at work, I'd *rather* use 3G than WiFi. Consequently, I'd probably have to go with WiFi built-in and 3G as an option.
MCSE? No, sir...I don't do Windows. Yes, I am an idealist. What's your point?
At least until the telcos pull their heads out of their asses on data pricing.
Can't use the tablet while driving
Can use the tablet while on a bus.
Have wifi in the airport terminal.
At how much extra per month?
Happy iPad (WiFi + 3G) owner here. Is Apple seriously the only one offering a tablet with both?
:q!
I recently bought a Dell Vostro V13 with built-in 3G WWAN connectivity, but have not activated it. It didn't cost me any extra to have it in the netbook (in fact, I think it was cheaper because it included it ;^), but first thing I did when I got the netbook was disable the 3G card in the BIOS, then I upgraded RAM, put in an SSD, and installed a new OS. I like having it as an option, but I don't suspect I'll ever activate it (unless someone else is willing to foot the bill...)
Ken
I'm not going to get a 3G tablet, because I'd have to replace it when a 4G version becomes available. ATT and verizon now support tethering. The thing that makes sense right now is getting the WiFi version so that later on when I upgrade my phone I will automatically upgrade my tablet.
With the availability of WIFI why pay for 3g
Flip on phone's Wifi tethering.
Use tablet, laptop, and anything else. I have unlimited (real unlimited, not 5 gb/mo "unlimited") internet on my phone... why pay twice?
if (it != oneThing) it = another;
As a consumer, give me both. Let me decide how to use the device where and when I want. Everyone is different and has different needs. Satisfy the consumer and not the carrier.
why pay for 2 data plans when you can just set up a wifi hotspot on your phone?
-- Sex is the antonym of pringles. Once you pop it's time to stop.
If you would have asked me last year, I woulda said 'fuggit, go with wifi'. Since then I got an iPad 3G as a gift. A couple of months ago I activated AT&T's cheapest plan and have been evaluating it. I think AT&T is charging way too much for what they offer, $15 for 250 megs? Arg. Getting past that, though, I do think it makes the Tablet more useful. I mean, anywhere you go, you can browse the net. Instant messaging works, email works, everything short of Netflix works reasonably well. I think what made me really decide to keep the data plan is I recently had to work on a site that had no internet access. I brought the iPad with me and used it to keep up with communications back at headquarters. In this particular case, it turned out to be more useful to than my laptop. There is definitely some value in low-bandwidth data within remote areas.
I think it should be considered if you're going to do any sort of remote work. If you're the sort that basically just goes from work to home every day and that doesn't change much, then you'd really have to ask yourself if $15-$30 is really worth spending on it. For me, if I ever do bother to upgrade to a new iPad, it'll likely be a model with built-in cellular functionality.
"I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
3G makes your tablet a LOT more expensive.
Cheaper to have a WiFi router in your house and remember that there is a lot of WiFi to be found out in the world.
Also WiFi isn't capped.
Or even get a single WiFi hotspot (e.g. Verizon MiFi) and use it with ALL of your devices. Why pay by the device for 3G?
"It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
I'm not going to pay for a second 3G. I tether wifi from my Android phone when needed.
For my part, I went the WiFi-only and tethered smartphone route. I use my 3G service via a tethered device regularly, but that situation may change. If it does, I can easily discontinue the tethering service option with my mobile provider, no fuss, no penalties, no fiddling about with contracts. Also, no paying extra for 3G hardware I might not actually use. This works swimmingly for my needs.
That said, a colleague uses her tablet very heavily for daily work and requires reliable connectivity. She opted for a 3G capable device because the near-to-100% connectivity (vs WiFi only) was worth it, and the workflow interruption for setting up tethering would have been too disruptive.
WIFI is a must-have. If you need mobility access through 3G, just go through your phone acting as a hotspot. (What? You don't have an android phone? tsk. tsk.)
Dave Crocker bbiw.net
Wifi is for tablets and computers. You can't use a tablet while on the move anyway and with tethering, WiFi is all I'd ever need.
Never say never. Ah!! I did it again!
I mostly don't use 3G, since the tablet mainly stays at home/work/inbetween (public wifi). For those rare cases when I need 3G, tethering is enough.
I tend to pre-download content, including websites, a lot, though. My guess is people who don't plan ahead, or spend a lot of time in transport, can make good use of 3G.
The Cloud - because you don't care if your apps and data are up in the air.
If you get it with 3G but don't activate 3G, does the GPS still work?
I have unlimited 3G on my cell, but tethering is metered unless I jailbreak. It also limits the size of apps I can download over 3G, requiring WiFi usage for anything over 20 MB.
Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner entwine / The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's vine?
I travel to conventions, and while many hotels have free wifi, in my experience it's often flakey... And actually some of the nicer hotels (like, say, the Twin Cities Sheraton) charge like 20 bucks a day for wifi. It's because of that, that I got the 3g iPad. I only pay for the dataplan a few months of the year too, so it's not like I have a constant bill for it. I also found that I was thankful I had a 3g iPad last night when I lost power for an hour. My wife and I propped up the iPad onthe smartcover and watched a show on Netflix over 3g. Very, very handy.
TRHOnline - Staggering Towards Brilliance
Point well made ... it depends on circumstances. And it also depends on cost / value.
My current project is mounting an Android tablet on a touring motorcycle. I rode 9,000 miles last year with a mounted iPhone; vibration and weather were not a problem. Why not take it up a notch this year with a full-on HUD? The tablet provides phone, music, maps, video recording, location tracking, and more ... and most functions are hands free with voice control through an in-helmet bluetooth headset.
For this application, a cellular data connection is a vital component. And for me, the extra cost is well worth it.
Obi-Wan: "I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were sudden
WiFi and bluetooth do not use the same amount of power. That is ridiculous.
Prove it.
Like I said, they re embedded in the same chipset on most smartphones.
Further, they have about the same range, and the same bandwidth.
Sig Battery depleted. Reverting to safe mode.
Different radios use different amounts of power. Bluetooth was designed to be low power, that's why Bluetooth headseats can go forever on a charge.
When I use MyWi on my iPhone, I've noticed a huge difference in battery consumption when using the WiFi3G bridge. BT3G is very nice by comparison.
Trolling is a art,
Wifi only is fine. Most of my usage will be at home or work, both of which have wifi (aside: google needs to fix the proxy issue in Android or risk losing the business market). There's enough free wifi on the road to make the tablet useful. In a pinch I can turn on the hotspot on my cell phone, or with USB hosting on some tablets, I could tether a cell that doesn't have hotspot capability. In any case, I don't need to carry around redundant cell phone circuitry, or pay yet another monthly fee.
Ron
Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
I went WiFi only for the iPad 2. The only downside from my iPad with 3G is that "Find my iPad" isn't as precise on location, and requires being on a WiFi spot to work. So if it's stolen, it's going to be harder to recover.
Data wise, the pay as you go plans for iPads were nice and convenient. I could turn it off for a month or two, then turn it back on if I was traveling. Now I just tether to my iPhone, officially. Handy thing is that a recent iOS update enabled bluetooth tethering. WiFi tethering is ok, but requires me to dig my phone out of my pocket to turn on. With Bluetooth, the iPad is able to connect to the iPhone and turn on tethering on it's own.
I bought a 3G iPad just before Apple introduced the "personal wireless hotspot", which was enabled on my iPhone. I'd be happy to rely on the smart phone's 3G access, but I rely on a handful of iPad apps that require GPS, and it seems that is only available with 3G. (I wouldn't pay $50/mo for it, as others have been discussing: instead, I paid $150 for 12Gb prepaid for a year).
I carry my phone everywhere, but not my tablet. It is still worth having a smart phone for me.
For what I am doing, some kind of data over cellular is a must. I build and support websites and sell to small businesses. Many of these small businesses simply don't have WiFi access, most have minimal computer knowledge. I find myself whipping out my iPad and showing them websites I have all ready delivered as proof-of-concept and so I can get a better handle on what their design sense is.
Personally, I would like something faster, and Sprint does have a 4G-based WiFi hot spot you can carry around with you and have up to five things tethered to that is really affordable. I do agree with those who don't like the fact that they have to pay a telco twice for, essentially, the same data.
For the plan I use, my business pays $15.00 monthly for the small amount of data I actually use in showing websites to clients as well as receiving and, occasionally, sending email from my iPad while not near a hot spot. It more than pays for itself in closed deals.
If you are using cellular data just for personal jollies or to "impress chix" it is a waste of funds that would better improve your life deposited in your 401(k) account. but for people who are in the field like I am, it closes deals and makes money.
Gods don't kill people, people with gods kill people.
It all depends on how you use the tablet but for me I use it the 10hrs a week i'm sitting at a soccer practice, swimming pool, the wife is shopping, doctors office, dentists, etc. None of those locations have a WiFi point. Honestly, other than reading a book or video you've already downloaded, I have no idea what people do with a tablet and no internet access.
I have a 3G iPad and for about 3 weeks my data plan was messed up and not working. It sat on the table and I barely used it. If i'm at home, yes I have WiFi but I also have 4 laptops in the house and my desktop. If i'm at work, yes I have WiFi but I also have a desktop with 2 screens and my laptop. I have a tablet for while i'm on the go and don't want to cart around my laptop. Now that more and more services are in the cloud you need a device thats connected. Thats my opinion anyways.
The only way I would not buy a 3G tablet is if I had a smartphone which I could tether it to.
"Thanks to the remote control I have the attention span of a gerbil."
Amazon manages to have free 3g built into the kindle. I would imagine Apple could do the same.
Amazon also has absurdly low data rates that apps written for the Kindle must abide by - 100kb of wireless data PER MONTH. Thats unless you have an app with a monthly fee, then the cap is somewhat higher I believe.
Would you really rather have a platform that forces such limited use of networking resources?
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
From Solandri's description, if accurate, it sounds like CDMA as a technology is without a doubt superior in this respect. GSM requires two radios to do data, CDMA requires only one. If CDMA phone makers wish, it sounds like they could include a separate dedicated data radio, and increase their costs to the same as the costs of making GSM phones. They have simply chosen not to, making the products inferior.
Same word 'superior', two different contexts.
may not choose it but like to have 3G as an option
Horrendous cost aside, where I live (and I'm betting a lot of other places), you can't have multiple devices on the same data plan.
Why can't you have a 3GB plan shared by your 3G phone, 3G tablet and 3G enabled laptop? You're the same person, they're all your devices and your usage varies between the 3, but they want you to instead buy 3 separate smaller plans which total up to a lot more money for the same amount of data.
Sort that out and maybe I'd start considering 3G important in other devices. In the meantime I'll tether. Slightly less convenient, but a hell of a lot cheaper.
What I would like to see is a non-profit org get created for the sole purpose of acquiring licensed spectrum for long-range packet radio, and to create an open-licensed wireless protocol to use it-- Then release it publicly FOSS style.
Because it would be long distance (1 to 2 miles would be the ideal coverage area for access points I would think.. could be wrong though. That's just a guess.) it would need to prevent abuse as part of the protocol itself, and so I personally would like to see encryption be a requirement for devices to connect-- Not some gutless password based encryption either, I mean PKI-style encryption with issued certificates kind.
One of the neat things about public/private key encryption is that you can theoretically have multiple public keys to a single private key, which could then be independently enforced.
The idea is to replace 802.11x (A, B, G, N) straight up, and to make consumer boxes that serve as access points just like wifi routers. For businesses offering complimentary internet, (who wouldnt want to be a free ISP to everyone within 1-2 miles-- and only offer to paying customers) a simple near-feild communication plate built into the counter at the store could supply a time-leased certificate to the device (think really short range bluetooth), giving it permission to access the AP, which would then get revoked after the time elapses. The ability to have multiple public keys per private key would let this work. The business's AP would keep a "pool" of public certs, and would track their use against unique hardware IDs from the connecting devices. (The AP would check that the cert is valid, then check to see who it was issued to-- If the unique ID does not match, no connection.) This would keep people from being repeat customers at a specific place, and eventually having every cert in the pool pushed to their device over time, and then no longer needing to make a purchase to gain access. It would also prevent people from using what is assumed to be a unique public key at the same time somebody else is, and causing problems. (There would be 2 levels of uniqueness-- Unique public key, and unique device MAC. The AP would check both, and decline connection if either is invalid.)
Certificate checking would be strictly enfoced, but 1:1 correlations between certs and devices would not be, based on how the AP is configured. For people wanting to run "Open" connections, (Equivilent of unprotected wifi), a default certificate set of 1 private key (burned into the AP as part of specification compliance), and 1 public key would be ubiquitous to all devices, and would fascilitate that configuration. The over-air data would still be encrypted, just with this defacto key set. (Useless from a security standpoint because everyone has the keys, but useful from a protocol design standpoint because you can always populate the encryption type feild of the datagram header, even in "open" mode.)
The ideal situation would allow deployment of user-generated key sets right out of the box, built on strong encryption bit depths---
It would be the beginning of the open-mesh network everyone seems to want so badly, myself included.
Given that whitespaces have been enabled for public use, maybe I should order an FPGA kit and cobble together a proof of concept some time...
I really would like to see a non-profit org created to administer a project like this though. Could even use whitespace spectrum instead of licensing dedicated.
Unfortunately if I was to purchase an iPad, my choice is GPS or No GPS. I'm good with just wifi otherwise. Maybe someone will build an Android tablet with a really high quality GPS receiver and wifi? Bonus points if possible to use an external antenna.
A tablet like Adam/Zoom...iPad without a tethered #G phone company commitment is desirable over WiFi only.
If the tablet choice is WiFi and bluetooth with no-G -OR- tablet WiFi and tethered #G phone company commitment?
My choice is tablet with WiFi and bluetooth with no-G. I always want to pick my #G phone company, fuck the products that try to tie me to a specific prick-G for a day or year.
Unaccountable leaders are masters, and unrepresented people are slaves. How do US and EU fare?
wifi. 3g is still way to expensiv with most carrers for the only reasion is couse they can.
Why is every comment in this thread complaining about paying $50/mo for 3G service? AT&T charges $15/mo for 250M and $25/mo for 2GB*. Also, you can turn it on and off month by month, so you don't HAVE to pay for it every month if, for example, you only need it when traveling.
That said, I think all U.S. telcos suck donkey balls for charging X dollars for Y GB AND charge extra for tethering/hotspot functionality. What the fuck?!?!? I'm paying this much money for that many bits, why can't I decide what to do with them? All the work is handled by the device--their equipment doesn't need to do a single thing if I want to tether.
Speaking of AT&T, they're selling last year's 3G iPads at steep discounts which would cover many, many months of 3G service.
* Maybe not the best rates, and maybe not as much data as you'd like, but still... the point is it's not $50/mo.
Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
Is 3G a must-have for tablets or will a tethered smartphone do the job?
A smartphone does the job. How often are you walking around random places with your tablet and not your smartphone? You're already paying for a data plan so use it. And if you don't have a smart phone, get the 3G if you plan on carrrying around a device that isn't as portable as they make it out to be...or remember that you're likely not geeky/tech savvy enough to really want one at all.
so I got an iPad with wifi. The combo works great.
Completely anecdotal, but my iPhone gets very warm when the WiFi hotspot (WiFi tethering) is on, but doesn't noticeably heat up when tethered to the same tablet/laptop via BT.
Having said that I still tend to use the WiFi tethering more often as it allows multiple devices, and is quicker to set up (plus my laptop's bluetooth driver software is irritating and buggy).
Yes it works. I have the 3G iPad 2. I bought the 3G version solely cause I wanted the GPS. It has never been connected to a cellular network and in fact I haven't bought a SIM card for it.
The only thing to note is that what you'll get is a 'standard GPS' rather than 'assisted GPS' (which uses cell towers in combination with GPS to more rapidly fix your position). So it might take somewhat longer to get an initial fix than if you were connected to 3G. But in practice I haven't found that to be an issue: like any GPS once it downloads the almanac from the satellites, it's pretty fast to get a fix unless you turn it off, move it a huge distance, then turn it on again.
GSM requires two radios to do data, CDMA requires only one
Untrue, when the end goal is to have data and voice intermixed.
The fact that you cannot just means that CDMA took a cheap optimization to be able to share a single radio for both, in the end failing to meet the desired end goal. In reality CDMA requires two radios also to work fully; it's just that most devices ship with one since that is the standard.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
I have a Droid X on Page Plus, a Verizon reseller. Since I'm almost always in a place with wifi, I don't need 3G data, so I turned it off in my phone's options. I don't really even need cellular phone service usually, I just use sipdroid. I put $10 on my account every four months, in case of times when I don't have wifi. I have a google voice number forwarding to both my cell phone number and my pbxes account (using gtalk). The only down side is that I had to pay full price for the phone up front, but I recouped the extra in less than a year.
Of course, now I have a Nokia N8 with the free Joiku Hotspot app, so I just use that as my Wi-Fi to 3G bridge now.
- Vincit qui patitur.
Well, okay, same general task (ie. connection) but it rhymed better.
But really, the situation is what dictates which tool is better:
- USB cable: sync and charge, (though not suitable for networking)
- Bluetooth: not tethered, (though not suitable for networking)
- LAN cables: close range and fast, greater insulation than wireless tech's (but requires physical access)
- Wi-Fi: more accessible (though often less secure than LAN's)
- 3G: wide range, (but more costly. Must have SIM card which tends to limit access to one country.)
All these technologies have their place... until they're superceeded by new technology that meets/exceeds the useful points of existing technologies.
after having 3G on my iPad for a couple months now, all I can say is I wish I could pop a 3G SIM card into my laptop!
I don't use my laptop away from home *that* much, but when I do it'd be neat (and with pre-paid data SIMs you have flexibility of payment options, so it'd be about $10/month as for the iPad (or could share the SIM with the iPad)).
I could tether to my phone (always with me) but the 3G on my phone sucks (different carrier).
Presumably you also have a desktop or laptop, or even both. If you are not carrying the tablet around, why do you need it? At home/work you could simply use a desktop.
Don't take this personally, I just often see people owning 4, 5 or more computing devices, and can't imagine the purpose of it.
I personally only own a desktop and a "dumb" phone. If I was to get any other it better replace at least one of the things I own. Not so much because of the cost, but because I can't look at more than one screen at once, anyway.
I can carry the tablet to and from work every day and on business trips, and it means I don't need to lug around a laptop.
I can use the tablet to write long replies to emails that are pushed to my phone, and don't need to boot up a desktop or laptop as the tablet is "always on".
I do carry the tablet around a fair bit, but I don't take it out to dinner or when I'm out and about with my friends.
Why do people always look for OR/OR and not for AND/AND.
Most of the times AND/AND is the answer to a question not OR/OR, especially when the question contains the 'or'.
"Do you want to run open source OR closed source software on your PC?" "I want to run open source AND closed source on my PC."
"Do you love your fist kid OR your second kid?" "..."
Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
People can spoof that. Weak security. So one could use your MAC address for free wifi APs. One could abuse it too. ;)
Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
I found that I was spending money on 3G on my iPad when I could just wait to upgrade my iPhone to the new model coming this year and tether a Wifi iPad to it when there was no wifi available.
I saved money on the device and the extra monthly fee that I was paying for data service on top of my iPhone voice and data plan.
Jesus was a compassionate social conservative who called individuals to sin no more.
I use WiFi for most of my connections and need 3G almost never. I saved money an just bought WiFi, I can buy a 3G/WiFi gizmo, if I ever need it.
There was an unknown error in the submission.
the other two big Oz telcos also sell similar devices, not much of a monopoly.
There was an unknown error in the submission.
I could put this in terms of an iPod Touch vs iPhone debate: I owned an iPod Touch for three years. A great MP3 player, and it was handy having access to the web via WiFi, but I was still carrying around a Blackberry for e-mail (although BB useless for web).
Having upgraded to a iPhone last year I wouldn't go back: it's one less device to carry around, and that's a huge plus. Add to that the location-awareness of the iPhone (GPS, compass) . Web access pretty much anywhere (at least anywhere that you have 3G/EDGE and a data contract). A semi-decent camera than means I rarely carry my compact camera any more (yet another device to not carry around).
For the iPad I would go with 3G if the cost wasn't too much of an issue for you. Not everywhere has Wi-Fi, or if they do they want more than the monthy cost of a SIM card for an hour's use. If you are on the move then 3G is the only way to go.
Tethering is always a compromise - yes there is one less SIM/data contract to worry about. But tethering is never quite as seamless as it promises, and then you are running down the battery on both devices at the same time. Or your provider doesn't allow you to tether.
Here in South Africa you get a second data only SIM for the equivalent of $1 per month. You have one data bundle and all your SIM cards use that. Much easier than tethering. Also, our cheapest 3G is about $30 p/m for 5GB.
WiFi is not. If a cellular tab is not LTE, it is not worth buying.
Is it so expensive to have both in one device? I defiantly prefer WiFi but 3G is useful in cases when you are outdoors and need some information badly. Like when the movie starts or where my favorite band is playing tonight. I use my android phone all the time during Friday nights to decide where to go next or to show funny YouTube clip I found. Still I don't know if I would bring tablet with me in such ocations if I would have one. On other hand, I've used phone as car gps a lot of times and then tabled would more handful. For those rare cases when I need WiFi to download large files and I don't have such luxury I wrote small app for that. That simply remembers list of files to download and when WiFi is available it downloads them. It's in the market but I won't give the link here due to ethical reasons.
I'm not going to be using my phone data and tablet data at the same time (to any great degree) so I see no reason why I should pay an additional £15 a month for a tablet data plan. Android tethering all the way, and I don't need to pay for another radio in my tablet, win-win.
Loop, twist and loop again.
Umm... a quick google search will show you that Bluetooth uses more than an order of magnitude less power than WiFI during data transfer (of course, the data rates are lower too, which need to be taken into account). Typical uses, like checking email, webbrowsing, etc all involve short burst of data and long periods where the network is idling which is where BT extremely low (50-100uA sniff current) power consumption really make the difference
Sure, most smartphones use the same chip (and share the same antenna), but that does not mean the energy consumption is the same (the RF is different, even on the same chip)
Range and bandwidth is not the same between BT and WiFi -- you really don't know what you're talking about. Anyway, even if range and bandwidth is the same, that does not mean the energy consumption will be identical. It depends on the considerations taken when designing the protocol (a simple example would be that there is always a trade-off between latency as this dictates how often the devices wake up to "listen" for incoming traffic -- I'm really oversimplifying here, but anyway)
WiFi tethering is completely overkill (atleast from a battery consumption PoV) and the only reason it's popular is that Android (pre 3.0) and iOS do not support a Bluetooth DUN server (or PAN profile accessible from the GUI)
That's one reason I'm holding off buying an Android tablet. I'd like to have an ultra cheap phone with bluetooth (something like the Nokia C2-01. 3G & BT enabled dumbphone) and a tablet that tethers over BT (shell commands to enable this on rooted devices do not count :)
I am an American living in Tanzania and although 3G is here (in certain major towns) buying any tablet with 3G from the US forces me to pick a telephone company so having a tablet with wifi + tethering my phone is a must. I'd be surprised if others wouldn't rather have an unlocked 3G option for international use.
Linux: When reboots are for upgrades.
I've been working more and more with clients, either consumers or businesses, that are looking to make use of tablets and my overall stance on how you use a tablet has not changed. And I say this having used a Palm for many years and more recently a n810 for almost 4 years now.
Tablets are an augmentation to what you do with computers. Not a real replacement for a desktop/workstation, not a replacement for a true mobile computer (laptop/netbook), and not a replacement for smartphones. This is not to say that tablets can't perform some of the functionality that laptops or smartphones provide but they still have pros and cons for each.
To the point at hand what type of conductivity you need for a tablet depends on what role you are looking for it to fill. If you are looking for it to augment the role your smartphone currently fills then having good conductivity is going to be key. And unless you can reliably and price competitively tether then a 3g tablet will likely be best.
If on the other hand you are looking to augment a laptop then you likely are in places where you will nearly always have Wifi and do not need to worry about a 3g connection.
Really, I know what I'm doing...Ohhhh, look at the shiny buttons!
My home broadband is occasionally flaky, and the 3G is not only useful when travelling but as a backup for home use.
Due to the distance from my local exchange, my broadband isn't really any quicker than the 3G (I'm on 3 in the UK, and regularly get high speed connections).
Although I have a smart phone, I also prefer not to mess around with multiple gadgets when I'm getting online (plus battery would drain too quickly if I tethered). If I'd wanted to go that route, I'd have got a MiFi.
Sigs are so 1990s. No way would I be seen dead with one.
In Europe at least 3G is relatively affordable assuming you don't roam. A couple of euros on a pay as you go setup will do it for a day's worth of access, or monthly plans are everywhere for less. Even for roaming there are options - I used a Three 3G mifi device while roaming from Ireland to the UK last week and it cost me 10 euros for 7 days of access with & 2GB limit. Plenty for what I needed it for. Device hooked up with my netbook and phone no trouble.
The only reason I would consider 3G in a tablet is if the price to me of including it was zero. i.e. tablet manufacturer and network operator subsidize the 3G modem but lock it down to the operator who then profits from exclusivity when selling 1-day, 7-day, 30-day internet passes.
What makes tablets so nice is their instant-on capability: no flipping open, no restore, etc. If you tether, you lose that since you need to turn on the smartphone manually on demand.
The situation would be better if manufacturers offered Bluetooth tethering; you could leave that on constantly because it doesn't drain the battery. But many phone/tablet combos don't have that.
Tablet plans are fairly cheap these days, so why not?
It hasn't failed me yet, and has the additional advantage of providing a sort of upgradability that's sorely lacking from most devices these days. I can swap out my carrier, or my cellular technology, without having to buy a whole new tablet. I just wish the rest of the components were as easily upgradable.
I've said this before, but I want a tablet phone that runs Meego, has a pixel qi screen, wifi and phone capability. I could care less about "3G, 4G" or any other "G" but I do want to use it for my primary phone.
Why? I hate holding a stupid phone against my head. No, I don't think I'm frying my brain, I don't talk that much, but when I do I use a bluetooth headset with stereo earbuds and a clip-on mike. The phone is in my bag and I Just answer and go on.
But! making calls out, dialing, texting, reading text, and the myriad of other functions I use my phone for (podcasts, music mostly, not much of a myriad i guess;) would be a whole hell of a lot easier on a larger form. Seeing the screen, larger qwerty keyboard, syncing my address book back to my main computer, skyping and ekigaing with video, everything would just be better on a larger form. Everybody seems to think that the phone form is the best and I disagree. I got my manpurse, it's perfect for the tablet, clip the bluetooth mike on the shoulder strap and off i go to conquer the world.
Only one small problem, they aren't making the damn thing yet. I WANT IT!!!
Subversion of spatial scale luxury decoration ideas.
You're never going to get noticed carrying your iPad in a bag - if you want to really get noticed, and your iPhone is looking a bit passè, then get 3G, and surf constantly while in public - extra points for doing it in places that have no hope of being wifi enabled - eg. the beach, open parks and fields or at your nervous employer's offices.
3G = the adoration of the crowd. Frankly, whatever it costs, it's worth it.
This, and other, wise opinions only available on /.
Bluetooth uses much less power because it has less range and is slower. But its range and speed are perfect for personal area networks.
Mobile dial up more like.
I have excellent Karma and I am not afraid to Troll it.
horror. I posted anonymously. :-D
(and I wasn't surprised by this anti-robot thingie!)
-and now I'll duely be offtopic-downmodded here
Herve S.
That's my plan, though I've yet to take the plunge and buy one yet. I really don't want to be tied to yet another mobile contract for a tablet, and my phone supports both WiFi and USB tethering out of the box. So, I plan to buy a WiFi tablet, and if I ever find myself using it on the road, I'll tether it up.
I'm considering purchasing an iPad 2 and paying the extra 3G version because it seems the Wi-Fi only doesn't have GPS.
3G is the equivalent of the Electric Car in one way, you are always trying to find a place to plug in... in this case, to Wifi. 3G = contract + overages + throttling. Most 3G users I know are always asking for the company Wifi password after they see the bill.
The tablet is expensive enough. At home and work, I have Wifi. I suppose not being able to use it in a car is the only thing I have to weigh against a 3G bill. For my DroidX, yeah, I'm not doing without 3G which means no Maps while driving, no Pandora, etc etc.
Besides, I grandfathered into an unlimited 3G plan on my phone, plus I have tethering. I have mobile wifi where-ever I go. Why would I ever need a second 3G device?
I8-D
A mesh of rooftop routers is the way to go. We need to by pass the rip off last mile people. In such a way that we run the last mile and support ISP's that are competitive. Thats the only way to get the prices down.
I have a rooted Viewsonic G-Tablet running Cyanogenmod 7 (Android 2.3) which is Wifi only, and a rooted G1 running Cyanogenmod 6 (Android 2.2). When I want to use 3G on my tablet, I merely press a button on my phone to turn it into a wireless access point, and then connect my tablet to that. I buy T-Mobile UK's 6 month data booster for £20 once every 6 months. It gives me 1GB of data each month for 6 months. Effectively they give me 1GB/month of 3G for £3.33 which is about 5USD.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluetooth
Bluetooth range: 1m, 10m or 100m
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/802.11
wifi range: 38m or 70m
So I guess bluetooth could be longer range, or near same, but most bluetooth devices are class 2 nowadays which is only 10m. Therefore, bluetooth uses less power.
APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
I got my IPad the first day they came on the market (version 1). I did weigh the utility of having the 3G option, but found that I could not justify the extra cost - both for the device, and the recurring broadband plan, and power usage associated for something I wouldn't use often. I don't regret that decision at all.
I do think manufacturers should provide the option, but keep it optional.
Lodragan Draoidh
The more you explain it, the more I don't understand it. - Mark Twain
I have sprint service with "4g" connectivity and hotspot capability. My iPad is wifi only and I'm able to get decent speed connecting it to my phone.
If I didn't have a phone, or it wasn't at least 3G, I guess I'd want 3G for the iPad. But otherwise, why? And that's not even taking into account that my sprint plan is unlimited data vs. AT&T or Verizon charging more for a capped service.
Since I can't tell them apart, I treat all ACs as the same person.
So, OK, I've only been looking at the iThings. But to get a real GPS receiver, you need the 3G model.
So I'm thinking, 3G tablet, but no SIM card. I can do 3G data tethering through WiFi on my phone; the tablet will still have proper GPS. So it's more expensive to buy, but not more expensive per month.
(If I could just get an add-on SIM card and share the data allowance I've already got, that would be different. But this is Canada, you can't do that.)
I say tether all the live long day. The carriers say you can't tether because it would be too much of an abuse on their system. In the next breath they enforce caps of a few gigabytes. So if the network load is already being managed, why not let you tether? I mean, to rightly charge you for it they need to offer you something in return for your money, right?
To take this a bit further: If I download something onto my phone, and later transfer it to my computer, have I tethered? Data has appeared on my computer that came from the internet via my phone. What if I write a script to automate the process? What if I expand it to a full program that can allow me to initiate the requests from my computer? At what point does that become tethering?
Freedom to choose your device is one of the tenants of net neutrality. I'm not going to pay the same company twice for the access to the same thing.
or else!