I hate to say it, AT&T, but this makes sense: Wi-Fi only tablets are cheaper (and I'm not talking exclusively about the
Wi-Fi-only iPad,
but also about tablets that never had a data option, such as the Kindle
Fire and the Nexus 7), and people are discovering that they just don't
need an extra data plan. Don't believe me? Check out these 10 tips for
getting the most out of your Wi-Fi-only tablet.
1. Tether, Tether, Tether
If you already have a smartphone with a data plan, you don't need to
waste money on an additional plan for your tablet. Instead, use your
phone's plan to get an Internet connection for both devices.
There are two ways to tether, or turn you phone into an Internet hotspot, using today's smartphones.
PdaNet tethering appOne
option is to use your phone's built-in tethering ability, which means
you'll likely have to pay your carrier an extra fee for the service. The
other is to download a third-party tethering app such as
PdaNet (for nonrooted Android phones),
Wireless Tether for Root Users (for rooted Android phones), or
PdaNet for iPhone (for jailbroken phones).
The only problem with tethering is that carriers do their utmost to
discourage it. If you use your phone's default tethering ability, you'll
have to pay your carrier a fee of around $20 for the privilege. That's
$20 on top of your already pricey data plan--and you don't get any extra
data.
And if you use a third-party tethering app, your carrier can charge you
if it finds out (unless you happen to be on Verizon). And only
jailbroken iPhones can run third-party tethering apps.
But jailbreaking, rooting, or paying a monthly fee may be a small price
to pay for the freedom to use your Wi-Fi only tablet (and other devices,
such as your laptop) wherever you can use your phone.
2. Get a Mobile Hotspot
Instead of tethering your tablet to your phone's data plan, you may want
to consider picking up a mobile hotspot from your local wireless
carrier.
A dedicated mobile hotspot can yield better results than tethering your
phone's data connection. For starters, it's often faster and more
reliable than a tethered phone's connection. And whereas tethering can
drain a phone's battery quickly, mobile hotspots commonly deliver many
hours of battery life.
Though the MiFi 4510L lost out in
PCWorld's hotspot tests to the
Samsung 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot,
the main advantage of the MiFi 4510L is its ability to keep its
connection while moving. The Samsung 4G LTE is speedier when you're
sitting still, but, in my hands-on experience, the MiFi 4510L maintained
a solid connection on a 9-hour drive to Vegas (our PCWorld tests didn't
evaluate this capability).
3. Preload Magazines and Books
Tablets are the perfect travel device--they're lightweight, they have
large screens, and you don't need to take them out of your bag during a
TSA search. Tablets are also great because they let you carry around
tons of reading material without weighing down your bag.
So the next time you head out of town (or go to the gym or hop on the
train for your morning commute), try preloading some magazines and books
on your Wi-Fi-only tablet so you can read at your leisure--without an
Internet connection.
Zinio reading appZinio (for
Android and
iPad)
is an excellent reading app that lets you subscribe to hundreds of
magazines (in full color). Sure, you have to pay for the subscription
(which isn't much cheaper than a print subscription), but you can
download entire magazines before you leave your Wi-Fi zone.
4. Use Offline Mapping Apps
Mapping applications on smartphones and tablets have made getting lost practically obsolete (
practically...),
but such apps only apply to devices that have constant data
connections, right? Wrong--thanks to offline mapping apps, you can stay
on track wherever you are, data connection or not.
City Maps 2GoIf
you're heading to a new city and you aren't sure when you'll be able to
grab a Wi-Fi connection, try a mapping app such as City Maps 2Go (
Android and
iPad),
which costs $1 to $2. This app lets you download thousands of maps for
offline viewing (the iPad version currently has a promo for unlimited
downloads, while the Android version offers five free downloads).
5. Read It Later
Suppose that you like to read Web pages--not magazines and books--on
your tablet. Instead of letting your lack of Internet connection
frustrate you, try using a service such as
Pocket, formerly known as Read It Later.
Pocket lets you save Web pages from your computer, by email, or directly
from select apps to a special Read It Later list. Once you've saved
something to your list, you can open it from any of your devices,
assuming that you've connected to the Internet long enough for your list
to update.
Download the Pocket app for
Android,
iPad, or
Kindle Fire, and read all of those webpages later on--without an Internet connection.
6. Use Free Texting Apps
Having a Wi-Fi-only tablet with no phone service or data plan doesn't
mean that you can't text your friends with the best of them.
Admittedly, texting on a Wi-Fi-only device doesn't make a lot sense for
most people--after all, texting is normally used for instant
communication, so it doesn't make a lot of sense to have to find a Wi-Fi
connection before you can check your text messages--but some people do
text casually. Plus, this approach will save you some money.
TextPlus Android app for textingOne free texting app, TextPlus (
Android,
iPad,
Kindle Fire) lets you text any U.S. or Canadian number for free. Similarly, Pinger's Textfree (
Android,
iPad,
Kindle Fire)
lets you text to tons of countries for free, and it has the added
benefit of giving you a real phone number so you can pretend that you
really have a phone (and so your friends can text back to a phone
number, instead of to an email address).
7. Load Up on Tablet-Optimized Offline Games
Mobile games are hot these days, but the hottest ones always seem to
require a constant data connection. You can't play social games such as
Zynga's FarmVille or Words With Friends unless you're connected to the
Internet, which is fine unless you happen to have a Wi-Fi-only tablet
and you're in a Wi-Fi-less area.
Osmos HD Android gameTo
deal with that situation, try some tablet-optimized games that don't
require an Internet connection--many games in the action/adventure,
hidden-object, and puzzle genres don't. Titles worth checking out
include the gorgeous puzzle game
Osmos HD (
Android, $3;
iPad, $5); Shadowgun THD (
Android, $5;
iPad, $5), a third-person outer-space shooter;
Dead Space (
Android, $7,
iPad, $10), a first-person horror survival game; and Empress of the Deep (
Android, $4;
iPad, $5), a hidden-object game.
8. Share Files Between Devices Wirelessly
Sending files between your Wi-Fi-only tablet and your computer can be extremely easy if you use an app such as WiFi Files (
iPad) or WiFi File Explorer Pro (
Android/Kindle Fire, $1).
These apps let you wirelessly transfer files between your tablet and
your computer via a Wi-Fi connection. Note: Such transfers are faster
and less complicated than (for example) emailing a file to yourself.
You can also check out syncing apps, such as SugarSync (
Android and
iPad) and Dropbox (
Android and
iPad), which automatically sync your selected files with all of your devices whenever you're connected to the Internet.
9. Find a Wi-Fi Connection
Finding a Wi-Fi connection usually isn't very difficult, but many popular dedicated apps such as
Wi-Fi Finder
require an Internet connection in order to search for a Wi-Fi hotspot.
Obviously, if you're working with a Wi-Fi-only tablet, that prerequisite
won't fly.
Wi-Fi Analyzer Android appInstead, check out apps such as Wi-Fi Analyzer (
Android) and WiFi Scanner (
Android)
to see nearby networks and their signal strengths. (iPad users have a
harder time of it because Apple pulls Wi-Fi scanning apps from the App
Store; consequently, the only alternative is to jailbreak your phone.)
Want to know whether a "free" Wi-Fi network actually requires a browser log-in? Check out WiFi Browser Login (
Android), which notifies you if the Wi-Fi network that you just connected to is about to shut you down when you open a browser window.
10. Use Wi-Fi to Make Phone Calls
WiCall Android appAssuming
that you never make calls on the road, maybe you can get rid of your
pesky cellphone plan altogether--and use your Wi-Fi-only tablet to make
phone calls through a service such as WiCall (
Android), which lets you call over your wireless connection.
These calls aren't free--they cost $0.009 per minute for U.S. calls--but
that's a pretty negligible charge. If you'd prefer to pay up front, you
can sign up for a service such as GrooVe IP (
Android, $5), which lets you use your Google Voice account to make free phone calls.
iPad users can check out the free
MagicJack, which allows you to make free phone calls to any U.S. or Canadian phone number.
Data Plans--Who Needs 'Em?
Considering all of the things that a tablet can do without a data
connection, it's no wonder that people are overwhelmingly choosing to
purchase Wi-Fi-only models. 3G/4G tablets cost more, they require an
extra data plan, and they will incur an extra charge on the new
shared data plans.
In contrast, you can do just about everything you need to do (except,
perhaps, answer emails on the fly or make phone calls on the road) with a
Wi-Fi-only tablet. And if you ever do need an Internet connection, you
can tether your tablet to your phone or sniff out a wireless hotspot.
Apple fans anxious to know when the next iPhone is coming out may
want to circle Sept. 21 on their calendar. That is the date when Verizon
Wireless employees will begin a vacation blackout, lasting through
Sept. 30, a “trusted Verizon employee” told TechCrunch. Earlier rumors have said that Apple will announce its next iPhone on Sept. 12, and release the new handset roughly a week later.
As usual, Apple isn't talking about the new iPhone yet, but numerous reports have claimed that it'll have a 4-inch display,
instead of the 3.5-inch screen found on every iPhone to date. It may
also support 4G LTE networks for faster data speeds, and sport a smaller dock connector
that could cause some accessory headaches. Near-field communications
may debut in the next iPhone, allowing tap-to-pay features at retailers,
but this rumor seems less likely than the others.
