One of the coolest things I get to do these days as part of Tech Field Day is bring friends from all countries to the United States to meet with various companies. But too often, they find themselves isolated and unable to communicate because of our odd mobile phone network. Although prepaid SIM cards are more available these days, I'm having a tough time locating a data SIM … [Read more...] about Is there no such thing as a cheap, prepaid data SIM in the USA?
T-Mobile
What’s the Difference Between a Jailbroken and an Unlocked Phone?
If you've traveled much, you've probably run across “unlocked” mobile phones and devices. If you own an Android or iPhone smart phone, you probably also heard about “jailbreaking”. It seems like lots of people are confused about these two things, so I decided to write down a quick post explaining them. Carrier Locks and Unlocked Phones Most mobile phones in the United States, … [Read more...] about What’s the Difference Between a Jailbroken and an Unlocked Phone?
How to Prepare Your AT&T Phone for Travel Abroad
The difference between American and European mobile phone providers are vast, and the modern traveler is likely to run afoul if they are unprepared, running up a surprisingly large bill! Here's a rundown of my standard techniques to prepare my American mobile phone for travel abroad. Frequency Compatibility The first thing to do when considering a trip abroad is checking … [Read more...] about How to Prepare Your AT&T Phone for Travel Abroad
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)