Apple iPad

[bradjones]

hey i been thinking of getting one. I know i have herd how att service is not so great but their service here in oklahoma is not bad. Plus how can you beat no contract for internet and 30 bucks to boot better than 60 bucks for two yr contract.

 

[Jason Foster]

hey i been thinking of getting one. I know i have herd how att service is not so great but their service here in oklahoma is not bad. Plus how can you beat no contract for internet and 30 bucks to boot better than 60 bucks for two yr contract.

Ah...I may be misunderstanding you....but there is a contract for iPhone service 2 year for personal 1 year business. The $30 is just the data, you have to get at least the 450 minute plans ($30-$70 per month, depending on where you live or where you buy the phone...$70 at the Apple Store in Palm Beach, FL). You have to pay extra I think for the GPS service, and you have to pay additional for text messaging. Don't forget to pay for AT&T's service fees and such which are around $4.50 or more. Don't forget to add on the the taxes.

And...as you stated, their network is not wide spread, and Sprint and Verizon are already working on 4g...AT&T...well I haven't heard anything out of them.

Now...if you already have the iPhone...the iPad will require it's own data service contract also. Yeah, many "tether" but it's still against the TOS at AT&T.

 

[Tyler Allison]

The iPad doesn't have a contract.

 

[bradjones]

Hey Tyler, do you have a Ipad if so would you recomend one? All i would want one for is cheap mobile internet to just look at radar data only

 

[Bryan Stokes]

Brad,

The iPad hasn't been released yet, but will be trickling on the market beginning April 3rd.

Bryan

 

[Zach Borst]

Don't waste your money, it's really nothing more than a giant ipod touch. Reading on it is going to be horrific, there is a reason all the e-readers use a monochrome screen that isn't backlit. The backlight on the ipad will give you a headache. The no multitasking is an epic failure. And 500-800$ is enough to purchase a much more useful laptop. There are a ton of Android pads coming out that are priced on average around 300$ with a LOT more features.

 

[bradjones]

Wait a minute im not looking to multitask or run a zillion apps at once i am not interested in all that like I said just a connection to look at radar while on the go and thats it. so why would i not want this. Im only chasing every now an then and only in oklahoma. Lets see... internet connection with no contract 30 bucks a month cancel at any time or 2 yr contrtact 60bucks a month. well im not your average storm chaser so i guess spmething like this would fit my needs.

 

[David Goines]

Brad, if you would rather pay just $30/mo then I would suggest tethering. I don't know a whole lot about tethering with a phone but I do know that unlimited internet is only $30/month for phones with Verizon.
Verizon also offers pre-paid broadband plans for like 1 day, 1 week and 1 month options. You might want to look into that also.

FWIW, I bought a USB modem on Ebay for like $40 and I use Verizon's $60/mo 5GB broadband service. Because I own the device, I'm not on contract with them at all. I can cancel whenever I want so I normally just keep it for April-July. Their pre-paid plans are good for the off-season though.

If you already have a laptop, I would suggest one of the above options over the I-Pad. If you dont have a laptop, you could find a used laptop or a new netbook and spend only $300 on it and save the rest of the money for something else instead of spending $500-$800 on a first generation product that will likely have flaws and will quickly be outdated by later models (like the original iPhone).

Just my two cents though.
David Goines

 

[bradjones]

Thanks for the info. so i guess i could buy a phone on ebay and not be in a contract and pay for the internet for 30 bucks and tether? is that illegal? if it is that is sooooo stupid

 

[Brandon Jenkins]

Thanks for the info. so i guess i could buy a phone on ebay and not be in a contract and pay for the internet for 30 bucks and tether? is that illegal? if it is that is sooooo stupid

You will need a voice plan and/or a data plan as well. This is the info straight from verizon:


For Mobile Broadband Connect-capable
smartphones, BlackBerry devices and handsets
Requires one of the following plans:

* Unlimited Wireless Email Plan
* Email and Web for Smartphone Feature or Plan
* Email and Web for BlackBerry Feature or Plan
* Nationwide Plan with a $29.99 data option


For Mobile Broadband Connect-capable
handsets

Requires any qualifying voice plan

 

[David Goines]

The tethering option would be good if you already have an account with Verizon. I don't think you can purchase JUST the $30 data for phones. You have to have a voice account with it also. The cheapest nationwide plan is $40/month so you're looking at $70/mo if you don't already have an account with them. If you already have a different cellular service, check with them first.
Also do a search in these forums for tethering. I remember there being quite a few discussions about it in the past.

 

[Zach Borst]

Wait a minute im not looking to multitask or run a zillion apps at once i am not interested in all that like I said just a connection to look at radar while on the go and thats it. so why would i not want this. Im only chasing every now an then and only in oklahoma. Lets see... internet connection with no contract 30 bucks a month cancel at any time or 2 yr contrtact 60bucks a month. well im not your average storm chaser so i guess spmething like this would fit my needs.

Why? Because there are going to be devices that will do a lot more for a lot less. These devices are going to be extremely fragile, ask anyone with an ipod touch/phone with the busted screens, aka the cracked glass app. Don't forget that all those multimedia sites that use flash(read: most multimedia sites) won't work on the Ipad because they don't support flash. You can buy usb wireless cards on any other tablet without contracts for 30-40 a month if you look hard, there aren't a lot but they are out there. Trust me, if you are a legit techie (i consider myself a legit techie and I work in IT) you wouldn't get caught dead with one of these. I will not buy anything from apple again, the entire platform is becoming extremely proprietary and they get to decide what you can and can't do on YOUR device. Can you imagine if your tv manufacturer could decide which channels it would show? And if you haven't used a touch screen for long periods of time, like point of sale touchscreens, then you can't appreciate how uncomfortable it is to use it to type for extended periods of time. I am not trying to attack you but save you from spending a ton of money on something that is not worth nearly what they are asking.

Also, there are no USB or any other outputs on the ipad. In order to use these you need to buy expensive adapters and you can only have one external connection at a time. That is asinine to say the least.

 

[Bryan Stokes]

Zach,

It's apparent that you don't like Apple products (which is ok), but you sure have some strong opinions about a product that you haven't even seen, let alone touched. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with disliking Apple products, but there's no need to be so aggressive. The iPad won't meet everyone's needs, but it will certainly meet the needs of millions of every-day users.

With that being said, I agree that the iPad is not the ideal platform for chasing. As RadarScope receives more features, it will begin to work really well for radar, but most chasers have other needs the iPad can't quite meet (yet). I'm also sure that most chasers would prefer to use Verizon or Sprint's network as well.

Time will tell how this works out,
Bryan

 

[Adam Cartwright]

The iPad won't meet everyone's needs, but it will certainly meet the needs of millions of every-day users.

I'd alter this statement to say that millions of every-day users will adjust their needs in order to be satisfied by the iPad. I know, it's splitting hairs, but Apple calls it a "magical and revolutionary product", which is code for "stylish gadget of questionable usefulness". If you already have an iPhone, then you essentially have the iPad-mini, and know what the device is capable of. Simple as that. It will be wildly popular not because of what it can do but because of the status that will come by owning one. And that's okay, to each his own... their turn on earth.

I'll admit, we have one on order, hope to get it sometime in April. I'm by no means an apple fan, but my family is quite tech savvy and we tend to get the latest toys just to feed the hunger. Will I use it for chasing? No. It will probably be tossed in the mini-van to give the kids something to play with while driving them to sporting events or whatever.

I will say this - if you have onboard wifi in your chase vehicle, then it certainly would be handy for IM and web based radar reports, etc. Is that worth the $? Just depends on your priorities I guess.

 

[Zach Borst]

http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/02/ipass-the-best-present-and-future-alternatives-to-the-apple-ipa/

Interesting reading.