Wow am I confused after reading through everything I could tonight...can anyone please help clarify?

I was just gifted a 3G iPad and since I currently have our phones with Verizon that's who I initially thought I would go with for my iPad since they have the best coverage out here. But am I correct in understanding that even though Verizon has 3G and offers plans for 3G devices, my iPad would still require a MiFi device and would actually be using wifi, not 3G? And if I'm understanding that correctly, does that mean I would or would not have 3G functionality such as GPS?

Saw tonight that Verizon is offering $29.99 unlimited plans for 3G Smartphones so I'm thinking it might make more sense to get that Droid Incredible I've had my eye on and use it as a hotspot? Even if I pay the extra $20 month for the hotspot, that would be $50/month for unlimited data for both devices, correct?

You would still have GPS capabilities, however it would not be as accurate without the 3G signal. I understand that it's not that big of a deal.

I would check with several sources about using the the iPad tethered to the Droid or any other phone. I have heard that it makes for a slow connection when tethered.

And the iPad many have to be jailbroken.

Neither your phone nor your ipad have to be jailbroken to use tethering. I have a Palm Pre from Sprint that I use as a hotspot. Yes, it is slower than 3G but in a pinch it will work. You can get a program on the web for android based phones that can turn your phone into a hotspot without jailbreaking. To do it legally, you would have to pay the hotspot fee which I believe is $29.99 through Sprint for some of their new phones.

If your area has 4G you could purchase an iSpot device for $99. Of course 4G is brand new and its coverage is limited now.

Thanks for the responses everyone. It was easiest for now to pay the extra $20 month to Verizon to have the 3G Mobile Hotspot enabled on my phone. iPad is not slow at all tethered using this method, but it is limited to 2GB/month. Was hoping it would piggyback on my unlimited plan, but no.

I have a rooted droid and use the wifi tether app for free and get my unlimited data aswell.

Not that i use it much as i never leave home with my ipad and i have dsl wireless at home. But i tried the wifi tether and it was pretty fast so its nice to have that option if we go on a trip.

Originally Posted by Carey

Thanks for the responses everyone. It was easiest for now to pay the extra $20 month to Verizon to have the 3G Mobile Hotspot enabled on my phone. iPad is not slow at all tethered using this method, but it is limited to 2GB/month. Was hoping it would piggyback on my unlimited plan, but no.

I have an env touch from verizon and I used the dun hack (google it) and I use ibluever (Cydia jailbroken) to tether Internet over Bluetooth. It uses less battery and it is faster than wifi tethering.

Check to see if Clear has you covered with it's 4G network. If so, you can purchase their iSpot for $99 (or $20 if you catch it on sale), and pay $25/mo for unlimited, month to month data.

Understandably, 4G may not be in your area. But since it is growing fast, I would recommend not locking yourself into any 3G plan/contract, as unlimited 4G is a much better wireless connectivity experience for a mere $25/mo. Not to mention it has a 150 ft radius vs. a 32 ft radius, and you can tether up to 8 devices, vs 4 or 5 (depending on the carrier/router). If you find that another wireless provider isn't offering 4G service in your area for some time, I would utilize any reliable 3G service in the mean time, as long as it was affordable and contract free.

How do you get the $25/month data plan? I just see the $45 and $55 plans on Clear's website.

Originally Posted by Mark_K

How do you get the $25/month data plan? I just see the $45 and $55 plans on Clear's website.

The MiFi plans are $45 and up; the iSpot plan is $25 because the device is limited to Apple iDevices (iPods, iPads, iPhones). Clear was selling the iSpot last week for $20 and I suspect they were dumping them - they pulled the device from their web site this week, and now show only the MiFi option. You can still get the iSpot in stores for the $25 plan (but at the full $99 price), but you can't order it online anymore as it apparently sold out.

Xune, SeaRat and I have a thread going about the iSpot: 4G experiences?