Mobile Broadband

This is where it all started. The term mobile broadband refers to a cellular service provider or other company that offers wireless internet anywhere — much like a cell phone. These services are usually offered on the same terms as a cell phone contract. They typically require a device, such as a USB dongle, in order to connect to the network. Increasingly, netbooks have started coming with mobile broadband modems pre-installed.

Carriers are constantly changing their mobile broadband plans and policies, and it’s important to stay on top of these matters if you’re going to find the best value for your needs. In this category we examine these issues so you can make the most informed decision.

10 Things That Siri Is Awesome At

December 13, 2011

One of the best and most popular features of Apple’s iPhone is of course the virtual assistant with voice recognition capability known as Siri. More than just a technological marvel, Siri is a pretty handy sidekick for handling a host of everyday tasks, at the sound of your beckoning. Here are ten things that Siri [...]

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10 Best Touchscreen Mobile Devices

November 23, 2011

As mobile device design continues to trend away from traditional keypads in favor of touch screens, we thought it might be time to assess which devices are getting it right. Based on factors like comfort, screen size, image, battery life we sort through the field to determine the ten best touchscreen mobile devices.
10. HTC EVO [...]

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10 Reasons Bluetooth Devices Seem Easy to Hack

September 16, 2011

Bluetooth hacking has been occurring since before Bluetooth was publicly unveiled, with researchers testing the the security of the new protocol. The technology itself is set up for open short-distance communication, which makes it vulnerable almost by design. Hackers of all stripes have had a go at Bluetooth, and there have been some interesting results. [...]

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10 Advantages to Allowing Kids to Have Cell Phones in Schools

July 19, 2011

Besides the obvious safety reason there can be a wide variety of reasons to allowing kids to have a cell phone in school. Below you will find a list as to why it may be beneficial to allow kids to have a cell phone in school.

Parental contact. The amount of time it takes to reach [...]

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5 Cities in the U.S. with Excellent Public WiFi

May 17, 2011

If you travel with a laptop or are looking for a city with great public WiFi access, where should you go? Many municipalities now have free public WiFi for residents and travelers alike. It’s getting easier to find just about anywhere you go, but here are five cities with great wireless internet access that’s also [...]

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T-Mobile adding, offering discounts on, broadband plans

March 8, 2011

The above image comes from TmoNews.com, and it brings news of big changes at T-Mobile. Specifically, they’re doing something that all carriers should at least consider: offering multi-line discounts to loyal customers. In this case, though, it’s not multiple phone lines. It’s a phone account and a broadband account. On the two big carriers it [...]

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No more overage charges at T-Mobile — with a catch

April 27, 2010

We’re not too far removed from a time when carriers still advertised unlimited data plans, even though they didn’t really mean it. Verizon came under fire in late 2007 for booting users from its network because they exceeded a 5GB cap about which they were not aware. That led to carriers actually advertising their 5GB [...]

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Is iPad trouble a bad sign for the future?

April 2, 2010

AT&T has experienced plenty of problems with its 3G network. In New York many consumers complain of subpar service, which AT&T has blamed on excessive data usage by iPhone users. Yet the company will now allow iPad users to take advantage of its unlimited data plans as well. While the company doesn’t think it will [...]

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National Broadband plan appears to not change much

March 25, 2010

The FCC remains confident that its National Broadband plan can succeed in delivering high-speed internet to the masses, but after unveiling their plan they’ve invited the skeptics. Rob Pegoraro of The Washington Post gives his take, and it’s not very optimistic. The plan is slow-moving and relies upon many assumptions. Yet the toughest criticism to [...]

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How likely is the National Broadband plan?

March 14, 2010

Over the past few weeks and months we’ve heard plenty about the Federal Communications Commission, headed by Chairman Julius Genachowski, and their plan to provide free wireless broadband to the entire country, especially the 35 percent who currently lack it. The goal is to get 90 percent of the population covered, using partnerships with entities [...]

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AT&T winning the broadband speed game

February 25, 2010

Which of the major mobile provides has the fastest transfer speeds? We’ve seen a number of attempts to nail this down, and it seems that each time we get a different answer. A Gizmodo survey said Sprint. Another said AT&T. So which is it? PC World got into the game, and has found that AT&T [...]

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NETGEAR and Ericsson release 3G wireless router

February 9, 2010

We’ve seen a number of 3G routers released over the past year or so, mostly tied to specific carriers. This latest one, from NETGEAR and Ericsson, could be among the best. It combines an internal 3G radio with a traditional wireless router to provide customers with a primary or backup option for their Internet needs. [...]

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Sprint releases hybrid 3G/4G router

January 7, 2010

One of the most difficult aspects of launching a 4G network is the transition. How does a carrier get its customers, already equipped with 3G devices, to sign up for 4G plans? Sprint thinks it has the answer. They’ve been releasing hybrid devices that can capture both 3G and 4G signal. This not only opens [...]

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Is DataJack too good to be true?

December 30, 2009

When shopping for a 3G mobile broadband package, consumers should expect two things: high prices, low caps. It’s not an ideal scenario, but it’s the situation we’re stuck with. That’s why we view the new DataJack mobile broadband plans with a twinge of skepticism. The company will launch the service at CES with an initial [...]

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