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3g

Making Life Easier: Verizon MiFi

by Michelle Lentz on July 31, 2009

You probably didn’t notice but I’ve been pretty much incognito since the end of June. I was on business trips, vacation, and BlogHer. It’s been a crazy 6 weeks.

But Verizon actually made my life easier. I’m not a big fan of most wireless carriers, based on my recent poor experiences with AT&T. But Verizon really surprised me. Knowing I was going on vacation, they offered me a MiFi for the trip. Full disclosure: Verizon lent it to me, no strings or fees attached, and I returned it early this week.

I’d seen the various wireless sticks from carriers at different conferences, but the MiFi was new to me. It connects to Verizon’s 3G network and up to five devices can use the MiFi at any given time. It’s a little wifi hotspot. And I do mean little. It’s about the length and width of a credit card, but slightly deeper – maybe like 6 credit cards sitting on each other. It’s tiny, thin, and fit into my purse.

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I played around with the MiFi at home before I left and I used the AC adapter while I was at home. I successfully connected 4 laptops and my iPhone on the network and the speed and service didn’t seem to degrade. The created network is also secure, which is nice. “My” MiFi had the security code on the bottom. I don’t know if that was just my sample device or if they all do that. If so, you might want to rip off that little sticker if you buy one, just in case.

Connecting was easy. Because this particular MiFi had already been activated, I pretty much just had to press the Power Button and that’s it. It functioned perfectly while connected to my Mac, my PCs, and my iPhone.

I think they had in mind that I’d blog on vacation, and indeed I meant to. However, I was so exhausted every night that I sort of fell into bed. But I used the MiFi for other things. When they first gave it to me, I admittedly didn’t have high hopes. I was traveling to Alaska and taking a cruise. There was just no way this would work and I figured it would end up with an average review.

The day before my trip, I had a huge deadline that involved uploading a number of large PDFs and Windows Help Files to my FTP server for a client. Our flight had a brief layover in Salt Lake City and I powered up my iPhone and checked my email, only to discover that there was an error in my files. This necessitated breaking out the laptop and changing both the Help files and the PDFs, and then uploading them to my server again. I made the changes and broke out the MiFi. I easily and surprisingly quickly uploaded those files. I was impressed with the speed, considering how large my files were. Later that night, in Anchorage, I quickly checked my email with the MiFi and even managed to invoice my client (always important).

We left Anchorage a few days later and headed to coastal Seward on the Alaska Railroad. Just for kicks, I pulled out the MiFi again. For a good 70% of that train ride, I managed to have service through the MiFi, so I tweeted away from my iPhone. If you’ve ever taken that train route, you know that 70% is impressive. A good portion of Alaska is untouched by cell towers and people, which is why it is still so beautiful. In coastal Seward, we didn’t have any problem with the MiFi service, nor did we when we were docked in any port of call from Alaska down through Vancouver. Perhaps the most impressive part to me, and this was when I expected the MiFi to fail, was when we were tendered at Icy Strait Point – otherwise known as the middle of nowhere – with whales diving nearby and the cruise ship sort of in the middle of the ocean semi-close to the shore. I had service. I kid you not, I was able to research Vancouver wineries from my laptop as I sat on the deck of the ship in the middle of ocean-y nowhere, using the MiFi.

I am 100% sold on Verizon’s service. Does this mean I’m getting a Verizon phone since my iPhone contract expires any day? Well, not yet. Although I suspect some folks at Verizon are going to make it sort of a mission to show me their phones can compete with Sprint’s Palm Pre, we’ll see. I may be sold on their service, but their handsets still have something to prove.

The MiFi, on the other hand, was amazingly handy and quick. I’m considering purchasing either a MiFi or a stick (for one computer) to use at all the conferences I attend. Plus, it would be nice to go to any coffee shop instead of just one when I need to get out of the house.

You can get the MiFi online for $99 with a 2-year contract. The catch is that it’s not unlimited data. Service costs $59.99/month for a 5GB plan or a more limited plan (roughly 7-8 hrs per month) for $39.99. That sort of caught me by surprise. I’ve gotten accustomed, you see, to unlimited data and 5GB per month isn’t a lot for someone like me. This, however, was a pretty sweet toy and unlike a lot of my gadgets, it was actually useful.

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Cheers!

Tweet Michelle @writetechnology, send her technology news at michelle[at]writetech[dot]net, visit her wine blog when you’re thirsty, and drop by her day job.

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1 Million iPhone 3Gs Sold in First Weekend

by Brian Solis on July 14, 2008

by Brian Solis

Apple today announced that it sold over 1 million iPhone 3Gs worldwide in its first weekend of availability.

“iPhone 3G had a stunning opening weekend,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “It took 74 days to sell the first one million original iPhones, so the new iPhone 3G is clearly off to a great start around the world.”

To experience what it was like to be among the first to buy the iPhone 3G, read my post describing the frontlines in San Francisco. And, for the unboxing, first impressions, and pictures read my take after the first 36 hours.

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iPhone 3G, 36 Hours Later

by Brian Solis on July 12, 2008

by Brian Solis

iWas there on 6.29.07 and then again on 7.11.08. Both events will forever be our Geek Woodstock. Words can not describe the community building that defines and propels the Apple economy.

36 hours later, I’m still enamored with the iPhone 3G and quite honestly, if it weren’t for Edge, I would also still be in love with the original iPhone.

There were reports that the upgrade and activation of the new phone was cumbersome or delayed, which unfortunately frustrated many early customers. And, as of this writing, the iPhone 2.0 firmware upgrade has been temporarily removed from Apple’s site until the team can figure out why it bricked first generation iPhones.

The first day with the the iPhone 3G was seamless. It was activated and functional almost instantly.

The the engineers brilliantly designed the back of the iPhone similar to shape of the Macbook Air, concealing the deepest point by curving the sides that meet it. It feels just a hair thicker and less durable – sort of like holding a Macbook and a Macbook Pro.

The metal backing has been replaced with sleek, glossy panel. I opted for the black model, although the white version is equally stylish and elegant.

Aside from cosmetic upgrades and my favorite new features, 3G connectivity is incredible. Not to go unmentioned, the new, much louder and clearer (and honestly, usable) speaker makes the iPhone usable in various environments. I’ve been streaming live music from the new Pandora iPhone app – which, at the moment, is my favorite download from the App Store. Other favorite apps include Evernote and Jott, although Jott would be a lot more effective if Jotts could be sent via email or if I could cut and paste the audio-to-text notes into other applications.

Another productive enhancement is the ability to send/receive email and also surf the Web while on the phone – especially while in use with the more powerful speakerphone functionality or if you’re wearing the new Jawbone. It brings multitasking to the iPhone for the first time. And, speaking of productivity, support for Microsoft Exchange is a more than welcome addition. OMG! You have no idea how I duct-taped my iPhone 1.0 to sync with email, calendar, and contact. Now, it’s seamless.

The GPS is also helpful and proven. You can actually see yourself traveling along Google Maps in real time.

What’s missing?

After all of the rumors and teases over the last year, we’re still missing video and the ability to cut and paste. Fingers crossed that we’ll have a software update that will enable these capabilities soon. Ideally, what I’d expect in v 3.0 is two video cameras, one on the back and one on the front for broadband video conferencing.

All in all, I’m enthusiastic about the new iPhone and the new, friendlier AT&T packages.

UPDATE: Battery life is an issue for the power user. I suggest dimming the screen, setting it for manual sync, and also purchasing the Lenmar PowerPort – a USB power source that can fuel the iPhone several times over on a single charge. It’s just thinner and smaller than a v1 iPhone.

For additional pictures of the Apple iPhone 3G launch in San Francisco, please visit my album on flickr.

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iPhone 3G Debuts to Accolades and Outages

by Brian Solis on July 12, 2008

by Brian Solis

Line outside of Apple store in San Francisco 6:30 am PST

Last year, the iPhone was thrust into the spotlight and into our culture forever changing the business of mobile phones and the design of consumer electronics across every product landscape. Scores of anxious consumers lined up outside of Apple retail stores around the country days in advance of its official introduction hoping for the opportunity to be among the first to own and experience the “Jesus Phone.”

I think we all know the rest of the story. For those who want to relieve 6.29.07, here are pictures of the Palo Alto and San Francisco debuts.

Fast forward one year and 11 days later, the iPhone 3G – version 2.0 of the beloved extension to our inner soul, made its debut and the world watched and again thousands of fans lined up in anticipation.

I woke up extra early on 7.11.08, grabbed the camera and headed over to San Francisco to capture the excitement.

This year however, the lines started much closer to the launch over last year. That’s to be expected though, simply because the upgrades, while important, weren’t as compelling as the introduction of the lifestyle enhancing and changing iPhone 1.0.

The number 1, 2, and 3 persons in line set up camp on Wednesday. Dale, #1, a mobile marketing consultant, enjoyed the comforts of true camping, complete with tent, air matrix, blankets, and a chair.

Patrick Scoble with #2 JP Kelly (far right) and #3 Ilan Fehler

When I arrived, I was greeted by an excited and spirited community of Apple enthusiasts. It was lively and embracing. I said hello to good friends Robert Scoble, MG Siegler, Dylan Tweney, Adam Jackson and made new friends in the process.

Sam Levin, Patrick Scoble, Robert Scoble, Nick Starr, Tyler Howarth, Dominic Sagolla, James Warne

As 8 a.m. approached, the line stretched around the corner and was roughly 250-300 people long. An interesting side note however, is that the line was only 10-12 people deep until 4′ish a.m. the day of the launch. The VentureBeat team distributed doughnuts and Apple employees poured coffee for those in line.

Shortly before the doors opened, that drape that blocked our view of the inside of the store fell to reveal a staged positioning of apple employees applauding those in line. It was quite brilliant and it recharged the fatigued, but giddy iPhone loyalists who were more than ready to satisfy their quest.

As the doors opened, employees handed out high fiver’s for everyone. It would be another 45 minutes until Dale, Ilan and JP would emerge having successfully completed the transaction of buying and paying for the iPhone 3G – AT&T and Apple systems were crushed during new sales and activations as customers rushed stores from the East Coast to the West Coast.

From here, I’ll let the pictures tell the rest of the story: