Jul 2008
A Tether That Cuts the Leash
04/07/08 07:00 Filed in: Work
In the spirit of passing along new
discoveries that make life ever so much more pleasant, let me tell
you about tethering. The name itself is an oxymoron since the
discovery has all but set me free from my desk, and wires, and
squeaky office chairs, but the concept? The concept, no make that
the REALITY, is just incredible.
First of all, this is not about the iPhone, or about what the iPhone might eventually have. Our whole philosophy is to highlight options that are available now, which you can utilize without voiding your warranty. Much as Apple’s latest gizmo sets my heart aflutter, in the end, because of its limited network capabilities at present, I knew it would just be a toy, and what I needed would not be so glamorous.
The problem for me was simple. I wanted to be able to work from anywhere, anytime, and be sure I had internet access (for my work, this is essential). So how to make sure I had access wherever I found myself? The answer was in my pocket, or would be once I picked out a new cell phone.
I won’t bore you with the possibilities, I’ll just cut to the chase. The phone that offered the fastest wireless internet connection through a cellphone service (3G) and allowed for laptop tethering when combined with an unlimited data plan, was the Blackjack II through AT&T (No. They didn’t pay me to say that). In my experience thus far, the ease and speed with which I’m connected the phone to my MacBook has been incredible. The speed of downloads and even connection is just about as fast, and at times easier, than connecting to my home wireless network, and the speeds are damn near equal!
In the spirit of light, painfree mobile offices, I’m soon looking to combine my Blackjack with a cheap, ultra-portable laptop like the Asus eee
and when I do that, I’ll
give you a more thorough update of how it works out. Not sure if
I’ll brave international data fees when I go to the South of France
in June, but I’ll certainly be reporting back on my experience with
tethering and the 3G network when I work from Cape Cod for a week
in July.
If you’re looking for a way to carry your office with you, and not be weighted down by unnecessary equipment and disappointing operation, in my experience, this has so far proved to be the best option.
First of all, this is not about the iPhone, or about what the iPhone might eventually have. Our whole philosophy is to highlight options that are available now, which you can utilize without voiding your warranty. Much as Apple’s latest gizmo sets my heart aflutter, in the end, because of its limited network capabilities at present, I knew it would just be a toy, and what I needed would not be so glamorous.
The problem for me was simple. I wanted to be able to work from anywhere, anytime, and be sure I had internet access (for my work, this is essential). So how to make sure I had access wherever I found myself? The answer was in my pocket, or would be once I picked out a new cell phone.
I won’t bore you with the possibilities, I’ll just cut to the chase. The phone that offered the fastest wireless internet connection through a cellphone service (3G) and allowed for laptop tethering when combined with an unlimited data plan, was the Blackjack II through AT&T (No. They didn’t pay me to say that). In my experience thus far, the ease and speed with which I’m connected the phone to my MacBook has been incredible. The speed of downloads and even connection is just about as fast, and at times easier, than connecting to my home wireless network, and the speeds are damn near equal!
In the spirit of light, painfree mobile offices, I’m soon looking to combine my Blackjack with a cheap, ultra-portable laptop like the Asus eee
and when I do that, I’ll
give you a more thorough update of how it works out. Not sure if
I’ll brave international data fees when I go to the South of France
in June, but I’ll certainly be reporting back on my experience with
tethering and the 3G network when I work from Cape Cod for a week
in July.If you’re looking for a way to carry your office with you, and not be weighted down by unnecessary equipment and disappointing operation, in my experience, this has so far proved to be the best option.