After more than a decade as a customer of the company now known as AT&T, I finally switched everything to Verizon this month. Although I had given up on AT&T long ago, I waited for the iPhone 5 to come out before buying new equipment. Now that I have moved over, I have no regrets. The process was amazingly smooth, and, at least where I live, the Verizon network is two … [Read more...] about Switching from AT&T to Verizon for the iPhone 5
3G
Making Sense of Global Mobile Phone Networks
The mobile phone network landscape is incredible confusing. I pulled together the following overview to help myself make sense of it, and I thought it might benefit my readers, too. Overview: 2G, 3G, 4G, and more-G! Today's worldwide mobile phone network consists of many different technologies operating at many different frequencies. Setting aside the frequency issue … [Read more...] about Making Sense of Global Mobile Phone Networks
Wireless Internet Access During My Trip To The Netherlands
Mobile broadband roaming is insanely expensive. Using my AT&T iPhone overseas costs $20,000 per gigabyte, and that's not a typo or a joke. So I always pick up a local 3G data SIM for my Huawei E585 mobile hotspot when traveling. Here's documentation of my experience with T-Mobile in the Netherlands this week. The Best Wireless Internet Overseas First, it is absolutely … [Read more...] about Wireless Internet Access During My Trip To The Netherlands
Hands-On Review: Clear WiMAX Service (and PXU1900 USB Modem)
As I discussed previously, my search for a mobile broadband solution for Tech Field Day led me to the nascent 4G networks springing up around the world. Here in the United States, two next-generation networks offered compelling performance: Clearwire’s WiMAX service (sold by Clear and Sprint) and Verizon Wireless’ LTE network. I purchased a modem on each network and tested … [Read more...] about Hands-On Review: Clear WiMAX Service (and PXU1900 USB Modem)
4G Connectivity Options Proliferate
After years of faithful service, 3G mobile “broadband” appears to be giving up the ghost. Perhaps its new applications that demand more performance, or maybe the network is overloaded and the carriers are unable or unwilling to fix it, but 3G data service has become unusable lately. I set out to find something faster. Not Quite 4G, Really You should also read 4G: Is It Really … [Read more...] about 4G Connectivity Options Proliferate