Andy’s Tech Blog

Three are launching their MiFi device on 17th September 2009.  So what is it and why do I care I hear you ask?  Well it is basically a self contained, battery powered 3G Modem with a built in WiFi Access Point allowing any device with WiFi to access the Internet via Three’s 3G Mobile Broadband.  Giving around 5 hours of life it recharges via USB.

So take an iPod Touch, Sony PSP, or a Nintendo DSi and off you go your own WiFi access point wherever you want one.  Out and about with your Laptop or NetBook then no troublesome 3G Dongle installation and configuration.  Forget about nasty proprietary access software, just get online whenever and wherever you have a 3G signal.

I can’t wait to get hold of one of these!

Having been a user of a USB Mobile Broadband Modem on the Three network for about a year now I was pleased to discover their new D100 Wireless Mobile Broadband Router.  If you have one of their Huawei USB Modems then plug it into the D100 and you have an instant Wireless Hotspot for up to 32 users.  This is perfect for the traveler who needs to stay in contact but may have more than 1 device or for small groups.  With an onboard Ethernet port there are numerous connection possibilities.

You may know I have been using the Skypephone on the 3 network since December and I though I should give a short review here. The Skypephone is a slim candybar design, with all the usual features (2 megapixel camera, media player, Internet, Email, Java applications, Micro SD Card).

The Skype client has been customised for use on the 3 network and has had 2 of it’s most useful features removed, namely SkypeIn (your choice of numbers in many countries so your callers only pay local charges) and SkypeOut (cheap calls to loads of countries), despite this I have found in invaluable.

On Pay As You Go you get 30 days of Skype usage (up to about 60 hours worth) with each £10 top you activate. Calls to landlines and mobiles are charged at 12p per minute and texts are also 12p. They have a range of add-ons, including TV, Internet, and Mobile Broadband. I mostly use the phone this way, but when I expect that I will be making a lot of calls I buy a Stretch pack for £15 which gives me 300 minutes any network any time and an additional 100 minutes of 3 to 3 minutes. If the 300 minutes run out you can continue to make calls at 5p per minute until the 30 days runs out.

My only reservation so far has been regarding talk time which does seem to run out sooner than I would like, though it does charge via a USB (Mini B to A) cable so this has never really been an issue for me. This handset works with everything I have connected it to (ie used it a a Bluetooth modem with my iBook), in fact the only problem I have had is getting it to sync with iSync which is notoriously finicky about new products.

For the money (£39.99) it is easy to recommend, though I will probably end up replacing it with a Sony Ericsson or Nokia handset sometime in the near future for the sake of compatibility with iSync.

I just noticed that O2 are planning on offering the iPhone on Pay As You Go. No details as yet on the pricing and features, but will update when I have more news.

Update: According to various sites the pricing of the Pay As You Go iPhone will be £299.99 for the 8GB version and £359.99 for the 16GB version. This includes unlimited browsing and WiFi for the first 6 months following activation, with an option to continue for £10 per month thereafter. You will be able to choose from the standard O2 Pay & Go tariffs for voice, text etc.