Today I got a Verizon MiFi (Novaltel Wireless MiFi 2200) to replace the AT&T Broadband card which came with my Dell E4300. For the last couple months I have really struggled with the AT&T card and I’ve finally given up. I think this is a Dell issue more than an AT&T issue. Dell’s software stinks, I’ve had nothing but problems with it when I ran XP and again now that I am running Windows 7.
Even though Verizon has flooded the airwaves with their “There’s a map for that” advertising campaign I’ve been happy with AT&T’s 3G coverage. The places I go it has worked well. I went back to using my Express Card but ever since I broke the antenna off, it hasn’t worked very well and getting a replacement from AT&T has been difficult.
I have been holding out using a Sony-Ericsson Z750i UMTS phone as a modem in hopes that AT&T would offer the GSM version of the MiFi (Novatel Wireless MiFi 2372) but last week our AT&T rep told me they have no plans to offer anytime soon. Bummer – the GSM version is newer, faster, and has a few more features. So I could continue to limp along with the Z750, keep fighting with my built in card and Dell’s crappy software or I could get a MiFi from Verizon.
The MiFi is really what I wanted so I decided to drop my AT&T broadband service and get one from Verizon. It arrived today. Set up was pretty simple and it seemed to work fine in the office but testing in the office isn’t a real test. I used it for a while in the car this evening waiting for my daughter to finish basketball practice and it worked well.
I have a netbook now so having a solution which I can use with my laptop, netbook, iPhone, or iPod Touch is pretty appealing to me. Now that I have it, I am sure that AT&T will announce the GSM version of it within the next month!
For the past 4-5 days I have been playing with an AT&T 8925 Tilt (AT&T’s version of the HTC’s TyYN II). I am a big fan of Windows Mobile phones, I have been using one for years and I love the way Windows Mobile simply syncs to Outlook. My life is in Outlook so getting a phone to sync with Outlook is very important to me. Windows Mobile does it very well.
There are two versions of Windows Mobile right now – Standard and Pro which are also known as the Touchscreen and non-Touchscreen versions. This Tilt has WinMoPro 6 on it – I haven’t upgraded it to 6.1 because it isn’t mine, I need to return it. It belongs to the AT&T rep who calls on my employer. I had asked her if it was ok if I updated it to 6.1 and yesterday she sent me an e-mail telling me to go ahead so I will probably do that later today.
The Touchscreen version is much different than the non-Touchscreen version and I don’t think it is better. Years ago I had an iPAQ and the Tilt feels much more like an PDA first, phone second where as devices running the non-Touchscreen version feel like phones first, PDAs second. While it is much easier to work with the calendar and contacts, it is much harder to use as a phone. In fact, it is clunky. It would be nice to try the TouchFlo interface HTC is known for but it isn’t included on the AT&T version of the phone so no luck there.
I have actually sent my Pantech Duo in for repair after using this phone – the Pantech Duo runs WinMoStd (non-Touchscreen) and it just much easier to use. AT&T’s WindowsMobile roadmap doesn’t seem to have much on it although a guy at the local store told me they were getting a new HTC device in November.
I could get an iPhone through work but after playing with a co-workers, I am not sold on it. The iPhone has the same issue I have with the Tilt – I don’t like using the touchscreen. On an I phone I probably hit the delete key once for every two letters I type. If an iPhone had a slide out keyboard like the Tilt has, I’d be all over that.
I am taking the Tilt to Europe with me next week – using it for a few days while traveling will be a real test. After that it goes back to our AT&T rep and hopefully my Pantech Duo will be back by then. I am kicking myself for not sending it in earlier. Not sure why it didn’t occur to me to look into a repair. I was hoping new phones, in particular the Sony-Ericsson Xperia X1, would be out by now but there isn’t anything, at least from AT&T, on the near horizon I am excited about.
