Marianne Schultz

the musings of a geeky girl

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The iPad 2 is an Evil Temptress

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First and foremost, I love my first-generation iPad. It’s primarily my ebook reader and doubles as a very portable tool for browsing the web, checking my email, and slashing fruit with a virtual sword (not to mention killing those dastardly green pigs). This week Apple announced the second-generation iPad with a few new features and a slimmer design, though not with any particularly earth-shattering specs overall. Despite this, I’m probably going to upgrade even though I don’t *need* the iPad 2.

Why am I going to upgrade? Well, I am an admitted Apple fangirl for one. But I’m particularly drawn to two things about the iPad 2: the thinner casing and the lighter weight.
My current iPad is a good little mostly-svelte workhorse but I do find it to be heavy for its primary purpose as an ebook reader for me. I do work out and lift weights so the iPad isn’t unwieldy in a sheer physical sense for me but it’s just not nearly as comfortable to hold for long periods of time as a Kindle. When I get sucked into a good book, I read for hours at a stretch, sometimes 8 or more hours in a row (which kills my weekend productivity, in case you were wondering).
(I’ve had a Kindle before and know first-hand that they are very good ereader devices. But I like the wider variety of things I can do with an iPad and prefer it over a single-purpose device like the Kindle. Of course, if I feel the burning need to use a Kindle instead, I can just borrow the one I got my husband for Christmas since he never really uses it anyway.)
At the media event, Steve Jobs said they’d shaved off about .2 lbs off the weight of the iPad 2 design. No, this doesn’t sound like much at all but I’m willing to bet I’ll notice it. While I’ll be sorry to say goodbye to my absolute favorite Vaja Agenda 2 case for my first-generation iPad, I look forward to trying out Apple’s new Smart Cover and other accessories as well.
Will you get the iPad 2?
If there’s anyone out there interested in buying a flawless 64GB 3G iPad that comes with the box and all accessories, let me know. 😉

Verizon iPhone 4 plans: Not so compelling after all

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The Verizon iPhone 4 is now listed on Apple’s site and current Verizon customers can check their eligibility for an upgrade. Voice and data plan prices are revealed here as well. 9 to 5 Mac reports the following pricing:

Talk: 450 min/mo ($.45 ea over) $39.99/mo
Talk: 900 min/mo w/unlimited to 5 selected people (any network) ($.40 ea over) $59.99/mo
Talk: Unlimited $69.99/mo
Data: Unlimited iPhone $29.99/mo
Data: Unlimited iPhone + 2GB tethering and Hotspot 3G ($20/GB over) $49.99/mo
Messaging: Pay-per-use $.20/text $.25/video/pic
Messaging: 250 messages/mo ($.10 ea over) $5/mo
Messaging: 500 messages/mo ($.10 ea over) $10/mo
Messaging: Unlimited $20/mo
With AT&T, I have the 450 minutes/month plan that costs me $39.99. I have 200 text messages that costs $5 per month. And I’m grandfathered in on the unlimited data plan at $30 per month. Before taxes and a corporate discount, I pay AT&T $74.99 each month.
On Verizon, I would also pay $39.99 for 450 minutes/month and $30 for unlimited data. I would get 50 more text messages per month for the same price of $5. In the end, I wouldn’t save any money going to Verizon. Considering my corporate discount with AT&T, I would end up paying more each month by switching to Verizon.
When it comes to the hotspot feature mentioned at Verizon’s iPhone 4 press conference, we now know that it will cost an additional $20 per month, matching the cost of tethering on the iPhone on AT&T. In Verizon’s favor, however, is the fact that their hotspot feature actually adds 2GB/month of additional data for you to use. AT&T charges you $20 for the ability to tether only, providing you with no additional data on top of the 2GB/month data plan required to use tethering to begin with.
I had thought Verizon would want to undercut AT&T in some way to draw more people away but this pricing reveals that they haven’t, at least for someone like me. They must be so confident in the reliability of their network and the depth of hatred for AT&T many iPhone users have built up over the years that they feel offering the iPhone at all is enough.
Don’t get me wrong – I know AT&T is far from perfect and have had some issues with them myself.

Temptation: Switching to Verizon’s iPhone 4

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If you don’t already know, Verizon announced today that it will begin selling a CMDA version of the iPhone 4 in February. This marks the end of AT&T’s exclusive contract to carry the iPhone in the U.S., a day many have been looking forward to given the GSM giant’s poor coverage and performance in several regions. While I haven’t been chomping at the bit for a Verizon iPhone I am tempted to switch to Verizon, though I need more information before making my final decision.

Most importantly, I need to know data plan pricing. Verizon did not cover this at the event today, which is a little surprising in my view since I’m certain they’ve already worked this out. My guess is that not revealing this information is a tactic to help draw people in to continue paying attention to Verizon until this information is available, and to not muddy the announcement itself with more mundane details. Verizon’s iPhone 4 splash page lets you submit your email address to get more information as it’s available, which will definitely help them ascertain the volume of interest out there.
My contract with AT&T ends in June and while I could certainly pay the early termination fee to get out of this earlier, I’m not making that decision until I know more about Verizon’s iPhone plans. Also, I’m a little disappointed that the Verizon iPhone will not be a global phone that’s still compatible with GSM networks. While I don’t travel out of the country often, I like having the option to use a local SIM card to get better rates (my AT&T iPhone is jailbroken and unlocked to allow this).
One feature that is quite appealing about the Verizon iPhone 4 is its ability to act as a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot for up to 5 devices, essentially turning it into a Mi-Fi-like device. From the way it was worded at the event, it sounds like this feature will be included for free, though I’m not 100% positive of this without knowing the plan pricing details from Verizon. Technically, this is not something I need since I generally only need to tether one device at a time (my laptop) to my iPhone 4, which I can do easily already with the help of the TetherMe jailbreak app. Plus, I already have a MiFi (on AT&T) and my iPad has 3G capability built-in.
The most significant reason why the Verizon iPhone is tempting to me is when it comes to large events like CES where AT&Ts network is usually overwhelmed and nearly useless in such enormous crowds. However, I only attend these events once a year for a few days, so this is hardly reason to switch carriers and possibly increase my monthly expenses.
When it comes to coverage and service quality, AT&T has not been terrible for me in the Boston area. I do hesitate to make calls on my iPhone sometimes since I do experience dropped calls more often than I’d like though I rarely have trouble getting a decent data connection anywhere I go. My beef with AT&T has been about the dropped calls, the fact that they charge more for tethering without providing any additional data to go along with the $20 premium they charge for this privilege, and how much they charge for text messaging, which actually costs all carriers very little to offer.
However, I’m sure Verizon is not without its faults as well and I think I’ll be content to wait to see how the iPhone 4 works for those who switch before committing to making the jump from AT&T.
Will you be switching to the Verizon iPhone?
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