You may have heard the praises of the iPad, but the device can only unlock its true potential when it is connected to the internet. When it is, you get access to NetFlix, Safari, and of course the App Store and iTunes Store. To do this you can pay for the 3G iPad to get internet service or you can get a regular WiFi enabled iPad and the Verizon MiFi hotspot which can give you 4G speeds.
The iPad gives you the smooth and sleek styling that people have come to expect from Apple. It’s a little thick at around a half inch, but still much more portable than a laptop. It comes in a black model and has a silver aluminum backing. Using the tablet was easy to get used to. It operated in a similar way to the iPod touch being able to swipe back and forth between screens and it also has the one home button on the bottom of the device. Typing using the touch keyboard took some getting used to, and while you might not be able to type as fast as you could on a regular keyboard, it will be able to get you through email and web browsing.
The largest problem I encountered with the iPad was that it doesn’t support flash so you may find some websites video content loading and not being able to play some games on the iPad. Also it doesn’t have a USB port included. This made transferring or pulling up files from a flash drive tedious. Fortunately you can buy adapters for various ports such as USB that plug into the iPad’s 30 pin port in the bottom of the device which can help get around this problem. Also the inconvenience of not having a camera on the device was a letdown. This can be solved if you get the newer iPad 2.
The MiFi’s style matched the iPad’s. Its curved edges, smooth look, and simple layout were very appeasing. The front of the device included a small screen that provided basic information about the device. It would let you know signal strength, battery life, and whether the hotspot was currently connected to 3G or 4G. This was a very convenient feature to have considering Verizon’s old hotspot lacked a screen on the front of the device and you were forced to get this information using your computer when it was connected to the hotspot. The hotspot also included a power button on the front and a micro USB on the side for charging.
The MiFi also lived up to its hype of providing Verizon’s 4G network to up to 5 devices at once. Even with several computers connected to the hotspot, there was only a minimal drop in speed. This gave the iPad everything it needed to be able to download apps and movies at speeds that I was used to having only on my home WiFi connection. MiFi’s shortfall was that you couldn’t use it as a hotspot if it was charging from your computer or tablets USB port. This isn’t a problem if you have an iPad since it doesn’t have a USB port, but if you’re trying to use the MiFi with a different device, the MiFi either had to be running on just battery or the AC adapter that it comes with in order to work. This was a big setback because if you were on the go you would need to carry a wall charger with you instead of just a USB cord. Considering the battery life on the MiFi lasts for about 3 hours while using it nonstop, it will without a doubt need to be charged before your iPad has to with its 10 hour battery life.
The iPad’s performance with the MiFi was impressive. With 4G, it was able to download apps and games on the go and stream movies without an issue. Also, if you plan on getting the iPad 2, you can use FaceTime when you’re connected to the MiFi. With the 3G enabled iPad 2, you can’t use FaceTime if you’re on Verizon’s network; you need to be connected to WiFi in order to use it. In this sense the MiFi has a one up on the 3G iPad.
The benefits of using the MiFi with the iPad are easy to spot. You can use it with multiple tablets/computers at once and it gives you 4G speeds that you cant get with the 3G enabled iPad. The major downsides that I faced were the MiFi’s battery life and the fact that plans can start to get very expensive with it if you use multiple devices with it at once. A standard 2 GB plan will cost $30 a month and a 5GB plan is $50. If you’re using the hotspot with multiple devices or for streaming lots of movies, it will be very easy to blow through 2GB, but if you need the internet access and are on the move a lot then the benefit and portability that the MiFi and iPad bring may in fact be worth it.
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