Ipad 2 Tariff

IPad 2 is released in the UK on March 25th, Dan's 30th is.... you guessed it March 25th so the missus is treating me to a new ipad.

I get close to my mobile tariff (500MB) every month, so will use more than that on the iPad.

What does everyone use for 3g access?

Preferably with a decent allowance?

It's not my birthday, but I'm getting one too..

At the moment I am leaning toward Vodafone - 3GB for £15/month (1 month contract), which should be enough, I reckon.

three plan's look good

http://www.three.co.uk/Mobile_Broadband/iPad/iPad_da...

but I contacted three to change my mobile broadband from a dongle to iPad plan I was told I was better off getting a MiFi and connecting via WiFi as the MiFi connects faster than the iPad not sure how true that is but still the thee iPad pans look the best.

It would be a brave assumption on an unreleased device to say the Mifi connects faster.

But yeah 3 is favourite so far.

Three because they don't squash images into pixelated junk when I'm browsing the web.

I've used 3G direct on the iPad and with wifi to a mifi, for me the iPad 3G wins hands-down on convenience.

- Permanently online, no waiting 30 seconds before you get Internet access
- 24x7 push email and notifications
- No need to keep a second device charged
- I have an AT&T microsim which I use when Stateside ($25 for 2GB is far cheaper than roaming)

There are benefits to a mifi, such as being able to share the connection with multiple devices, but I just love the instant on with instant access.

I grabbed a free T-Mobile PAYG SIM, topped-up £20, text 6MONTHWEB to 441 then cut down the SIM and inserted into the iPad. That's me online for 6 months.

What sort of allowance do you get for your 6monthweb?

It's marketed as "unlimited" with a fair usage policy that limits streaming and "file" downloads to 500MB per month. Even so, it's a great deal.

In reference to www.t-mobile.co.uk/services/uk/fairuse/?WT.mc_id=ON_TM_Deep_fup&WT....:

Fair use policy – Internet on your phone
We're the only operator to offer you a fixed price for surfing and emailing on your phone with no limits and no extra charges.

Use 3G for getting online on your phone when you're out and about. Never pay more than your monthly fixed price. You can always surf and email with no limits

Is there an allowance?
You can surf and email as much as you want.

There is a 500MB allowance for streaming videos, uploading and downloading files. If you hit this limit during the month, you won't be able to do this stuff again until the next month.

For the best internet on your phone at home, connect to your home WiFi, so you won't even touch your 500MB allowance.

What about using apps?
Some apps use a normal internet connection, so they will work just like your surfing and email allowance. But there are some apps that use streaming connections, so these will fall into the 500MB allowance.

Hmm

£20 = 6 x 500MB so 3GB

vs

Three's £15 for 10GB

Admittedly that's got to be used in a month, but for a heavy user the three plan makes more sense.

If your usage falls within T-Mobile's 500MB/mo limit on streaming/download then the total cost over a 6 month period is much lower.

£15 x 6 = £90
£20 x 1 = £20

Personally I rarely hit 200MB on 3G in a month, thanks largely to wifi at home/work and hotspots.

Like you say, it comes down to usage profile. The great thing is that the iPad is unlocked so you can switch deals at a moment's notice