Considering you can tether with a handset with MicroSD I don't see the point in charging so much for this device. I'm not complaining about this device. The device looks shiny and shiny is always a plus (like the DSLite).
I'm talking about usb modems in general. The V3xx I have has microSD and miniUSB. I connect a regular miniUSB cable and it can run as a USB Modem or direct access to MicroSD as a removable drive. With a 2 year contract it's only $79 with no rebates needed. Also, 3.5G speed range I get are from 900kbps-1.5mbps (though average is about 1.4mbps). I'm sure the device can go past 1.5mbps, since the restriction was placed by AT&T, not a hardware limitation. (the hardware says 3.6mbps)
My question is, how can they charge so much for a simple USB stick when other phones can do all that and more (VOICE/SMS/MMS/Camera/Bluetooth) for less? I pretty sure it's not just AT&T that lets you tether with handsets.
Because not everyone wants to tether, i.e. use their phone as a modem. It's really as simple as that. I sell PC Cards (USB, PCMCIA, and Express) and I sell phones with tether ability... and PC Cards are WAAYYYY more popular.
Now that we've thrown 'em off the trail, use the form below to get in touch with the people at Engadget. Please fill in all of the required fields because they're required.
Considering you can tether with a handset with MicroSD I don't see the point in charging so much for this device. I'm not complaining about this device. The device looks shiny and shiny is always a plus (like the DSLite).
I'm talking about usb modems in general. The V3xx I have has microSD and miniUSB. I connect a regular miniUSB cable and it can run as a USB Modem or direct access to MicroSD as a removable drive. With a 2 year contract it's only $79 with no rebates needed. Also, 3.5G speed range I get are from 900kbps-1.5mbps (though average is about 1.4mbps). I'm sure the device can go past 1.5mbps, since the restriction was placed by AT&T, not a hardware limitation. (the hardware says 3.6mbps)
My question is, how can they charge so much for a simple USB stick when other phones can do all that and more (VOICE/SMS/MMS/Camera/Bluetooth) for less? I pretty sure it's not just AT&T that lets you tether with handsets.
Because not everyone wants to tether, i.e. use their phone as a modem. It's really as simple as that. I sell PC Cards (USB, PCMCIA, and Express) and I sell phones with tether ability... and PC Cards are WAAYYYY more popular.
I should clarify that PC Cards are way more popular for people wanting wireless high speed internet... by far.