Like Atrios, I recently concluded that while the professional blogger lifestyle affords many benefits, I was also driving myself crazy hunting for wifi networks I could hop on. The better alternative was to sign up for a Verizon wireless broadband account and get a nifty USB modem. The per month cost strikes me as more than would be worth paying for most people, but if Verizon wants to give me a corporate sponsorship and pick up the tab for mine I'm happy to revise my opinion on that and recommend that folks who don't blog for a living sign up as well.
« Deep Green and Dark Brown | Main | Foreign Legions »
Cost of Doing Business
13 Apr 2008 10:41 pm
Comments (25)
I hope the Atlantic Media Group at least furnishes its employees with functional 56k modems and nifty mousepads.
Right. The aircard is currently priced on the assumption that the only people buying it are passing the cost on to their employer, or at least getting the tax write-off. Just as broadband was ten years ago.
But if Verizon offered to pick up the tab, would you recommend that folks call their representatives and ask them to oppose Net Neutrality?
Because I have a feeling you might be able to work something out if that's the case.
I don't know if you've signed up for a subscription with Verizon, but it's my understanding that DC should be getting Wimax from Sprint during the next few months. It's going to be limited to a few markets for a while, but if you're just using it to access the internet around town, it might be a better and cheaper solution.
be careful with those. from what I understand, Verizon's "unlimited" data plans have data limits and prohibit downloading video or music. you may also try tethering your iphone to your computer (if you have the cojones to jailbreak it).
You can "tether" your cellphone to your laptop as a modem. Sprint, Alltel, and T-Mobile have reasonable rates for this. Verizon is expensive. However, there are ways to get connectivity without paying the $60/month for it.
Why not just get a wireless router for your home? Don't most of the conferences you go to have wireless access already set up?
Yeah, you can just tether your iphone to your laptop for an extra $40/mo from AT&T with unlimited data. Granted it's on the edge network and not 3G, but it should still be good enough to blog.
Granted it's on the edge network and not 3G, but it should still be good enough to blog.
It really, really, really isn't good enough to blog.
I see what you did there.
I have a coworker with this plan. He already had a Verizon phone, so it was cheaper for him (well, that and the discount beecause of our employer).
There are data limits, but legal music and video downloads are ok. He had to give up his BitTorrent habits, though.
Man, you are such a whore!
What is this, a political blog or a spam bot?
Out with it, people. How much does it cost?
Atrios says it costs $60/month.
When Sprint (I think) was offering a similar rate a few years back, I looked into it, but the $60 was just the basic hookup charge, and you were charged for your wireless use on top of that, which was the deal-breaker from my perspective.
If Verizon's $60/month includes normal levels of Web access, I may have to sign up whenever I replace my current laptop, which may still be a year or two off.
What's attractive to me about this is, there's all sorts of things you're used to knowing if you're near your computer at home or at work, but you're blind everywhere else. If I know I'm going to be in West Podunk at lunchtime and I have the forethought to look up restaurant reviews on the Web, I'm in good shape. But if I find myself in West Podunk at lunchtime without expecting it, I'm SOL.
Also, I don't find $60/month particularly steep. Seems that practically everyone these days is paying $45/month, give or take, for their cell phones. Paying $60/month for Web access nearly everywhere seems pretty comparable.
Twenty years from now when Matt recommends Just For Men hair dye for beards ("No play for Mr. Gray!") take it with a big grain of salt. He's likely taking payola from Walt Frazier and Keith Hernandez.
Matt, you're wonderful and everything, but man--not only are you a shameless unprincipled whore, but you're a cheap one, too. To such a degree, in fact, that i'm surprised that Petey hasn't offered to buy you a year long sub to espn insider in exchange for blogging for Team Hillary.
Petey, if you're reading, even trust fund babies love swag! If you had spent all that time working at Dunkin' Donuts instead of trolling, you could've had MY bought off by Super Tuesday. Don't fret, though, there's still time: she's only 150 delagates behind with ten states to go!
I tether my phone to my laptop. This is much cheaper than buying a wireless card.
There's a hack available to make that work on your iphone.
It really, really, really isn't good enough to blog.
Then maybe it's time to trade in that iphone for the ol' AT&T 8525.
I second (or third) the tethering recommendation on Verizon.
You do have to pay for an unlimited data plan on your phone plus $15, but the upside is that you get that unlimited data plan on a blackberry or (ugh) windows mobile smartphone.
Using a blackberry takes away some of the need to pull out your computer all the time.
or at least getting the tax write-off
I don't know Matthew's tax situation (obviously), but couldn't he deduct the cost as unreimbursed business expenses? I would argue the cost is both ordinary and necessary to Matthew's job. (He might not itemize, or meet the threshold, who knows, but at least theoretically they would be deductible, right?)
Get a Sprint Aircard. It's 3G and $50 a month. DC is also one of Sprint's 4G WiMax test markets, so the speeds should improve by summer if all goes well.
I use a Sprint Aircard and love it. Verizon blows.
Comments closed April 27, 2008.
| 
Heads in the Sand
I've got one of these - it's great. No, it's not particularly cheap, but it's worth a couple bucks a day never to have to worry about a hotspot, ever. Plus my computer has the chip built right in, so I don't even have to worry about losing a USB modem.
Posted by Karl | April 13, 2008 10:51 PM