Tech Blog

[#1]

The iPad release dates and pricing schemes have been announced for Canada. 

iPad will be available in Canada on May 28, 2010 for a suggested retail price of $549 (CAN) for 16GB, $649 (CAN) for 32GB, $749 (CAN) for 64GB for Wi-Fi models and $679 (CAN) for 16GB, $779 (CAN) for 32GB and $879 (CAN) for 64GB for Wi-Fi + 3G models.

While you're debating which model to get, the WiFi or the WiFi+3G, there really shouldn't be any debate - the WiFi model is the only one worth getting.

The data plans previously announced from Rogers (listed as either $15 or $35 if you're not a current data plan holder plus an extra $20 a month if you already have a mobile data plan) were incorrect. 

Rogers has issued a statement saying "At this time, we do not have a sharing plan to announce. The information that was posted on the Apple website was made in error and will be corrected."

We all treat the internet as a utility, we depend on it everywhere we go.  Users who had the iPad WiFi before the iPad Wifi+3G was released in the US, claimed it was odd to have a device that was tethered to a home internet station.  The iPad was great in a cafe, at home or in the office, but the moment they tried to use somewhere that an accessible WiFi stream wasn't found, it became a brick.  The iPhone has taught us to use the web everywhere and anywhere.

Initially you'd think an iPad WiFi+3G is the only way to go, but with extra data packages that need to be bought, you'll soon find yourself paying for web access in 3 different places.  You need a data plan for your smart phone, web access for the home and then a third data package for the iPad.  But there's a way to get the data on all the devices with one bill: get a personal WiFi network. 

A few weeks back I wrote about the death of the WiFi cafe.  My thesis was that it was pointless for cafes to offer this carrot to have tech savvy customers come in and then pull the rug out from under us.  It's bad customer service, especially considering WiFi is becoming ubiquitous.

High speed WiFi is everywhere and soon, even when it's not there, you'll be able to put it in your pocket.

I recently tested the Rogers MiFi, an iPhone sized device that acts as a modem to network up to 5 devices together.  The device is $49.99 on a 3 year plan and $250 to purchase outright.  Once you have the Mobile Hotspot up and running, it acts just the way your home router does spraying an internet connection for you to use.  As with your iPhone data plans, you will be facing usage charges, but by having a mobile hotspot powering the web for both your iPhone and iPad - you save yourself on a contract. 

Rogers MiFi pricing has flex and monthly options.

You can choose a monthly data plan that would be the same every month (eg - $30 for 500 MB) or the flex rate data plan that rolls up and down depending on usage (eg- if you use 500 MG one month you are charged $35, if you use 1GB the next month you are charged $40).

The volumes on the data plans might limit the Rogers MiFi as a way to always get online from home, but it will provide you with easy access on the go.  Until true unlimited plans are offered for mobile internet, having a dependable home connection to access larger online media files might be necessary.

The notion of a personal network was tackled in a recent roundtable discussion on TWiT (This Week in Tech).  In Episode 242, Jason Calacanis, Leo Laporte and Robert Scoble discussed the future of WiFi:

Robert Scoble I’m less interested in the 3G, I’m really **bleep** that they didn’t put GPS in the cheaper device because I’m – for my car, my kids are going to be sitting in the backseat with the two of these or three of these. I’m going to put my Sprint 4G modem that’s coming out of San Francisco for the car and it’s really fast. It’s like DSL speeds. And then you spray Wi-Fi into the car and so if you have three devices in the car, they all use the same connection, and I only pay for the connection one time instead of having to buy 3G for each different iPad or Google Chrome OS pad that comes out.

Jason Calacanis This is the future. Yeah, I have one, and in Austin the Sprint Overdrive actually was connecting over 4G and it was legitimate DSL speeds. In Los Angeles, it was getting 4G next from what I understand, and Sprint was is a jihad to get – because Sprint as a company is really screwed up right now. So they basically are saying, let’s bet the farm on 4G so it’s going to be great for consumers. And I think the future is people are going to have this and phones without cellular service on them. So you get one of these…

Leo Laporte What is this – tell us what that thing is. I can see it, for the…

Jason Calacanis It’s a Wi-Fi router. And it’s – what's really cool about it is it has…

Leo Laporte It’s called the Overdrive.

Jason Calacanis Overdrive. And what's cool about it is it has – it creates a little Wi-Fi network, it connects over

3G or 4G. You can connect a bunch of devices to and it’s got this very cool LED display here that shows you how many people are connected to it, how much you’ve sent, your signal strength. And I’m finding myself carrying this with me. And for example, I was playing poker the other night till six or seven in the morning, and I was at the casino, I just popped this out and had my two – my BlackBerry and my iPhone running off of this because it was a better connection and faster. 

A router that fits in a pocket, gets tossed in a bag and instantly provides access to your phone, your iPad, your netbook, your laptop, your home computer; this is how we will access the web in the future.  The minutes plans for phones could also disappear as the smart phone will connect to the web via your personal wifi network giving you the ability to put the calls on Skype or similar VOIP networks.

Getting an iPad?  Get the WiFi, and then look at the Rogers MiFi as a way to spread the web over all your net enabled devices.

catch the buzz ... pass it on.

* the MiFi devices do get very warm and were recently recalled in Canada

[#2]

How would you compare this device to Roger's Rocket Hub?

[#3]

There are a few major differences between the Rocket Hub and the MiFi device.  First, the hub can connect up to 10 wireless devices while the MiFi can only handle 5.  When I spoke with a Rogers Rep last week he claimed it can connect up to 13 devices but I haven't seen that in writing anywhere so I wouldn't put too much stock into it.  Second, the hub needs to be plugged into a regular household power outlet which makes it less portable than the MiFi but, there is a battery pack option that you can purchase to compensate for that.  Third, the data plan for the hub is much better than for the MiFi or Rocket Stick.  For the hub, the FlexRate plan starts at $35 for up to 3GB rather than the meager 500MB offered for the other devices.  The next tier is $45 for 5GB then $60 for up to 10GB and $5 for each additional GB over 10.  Also, there is an antenna option for the Hub for around $40 to increase the signal strength if you need it but I'm not sure it is available in Canada yet.  You'd have to do a little research on it.

[#4]

Well, I just bought the Rocket Hub about 30 minutes ago as I live on a farm where presently we have only Satellite Internet available or dialup and although I do have an active sub to Satellite since 5 years ago I am extremely happy to have just purchased the Rocket Hub.

At the moment I am in a Tim Hortons parking lot and plugged my new Hub into a cigarette lighter Motomaster Eliminator 400Watt Power Invertor, powered up the virgin Rocket Hub and my Netbook and here I am. SWEET.

This is simply awesome in my opinion, speedtest results in 4.62Mbps down and 1.22Mbps up on the 3G network which again is phenominal coming from Satellite. Oh the pingtest result was 150ms to the server 500 miles away in Toronto which again blows the 1200ms pings I was getting with Satellite.

In my opinion the Rocket Hub is the answer to us Rural Internet folk that waited patiently for years to have a true, reasonably priced Broadband service. Thank You Very Much!

Oh btw the Rogers Wireless Store also sold me a Wilson Directional Outdoor antennae for 199.00 bucks that significantly boosts my cell signal.

[#5]

Can i use the mifi as a internet connection when i cant find any other connections?