Mobile WiFi + iPod Touch = Better/Cheaper Than iPhone

Leander Kahney ()

mifi-1

An iPod Touch plus a mobile WiFi router is better and cheaper than an iPhone, says Wired.com’s Charlie Sorrell.

Sorrell just got the MiFi — a mobile, battery-powered WiFi hotspot that can share a high-speed cell connection with several devices via WiFi. It’s sold in the U.S. by Verizon for $100. (Requires a two-year contract and a monthly plan costing $40 or $60 — 250MB or 5GB of data, respectively.)

The MiFi is fast and reliable, he says, and can be used with an iPod Touch to make Skype calls and play music streaming from Spotify’s fantastic music library.

“The real point is that if you have a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot in your pocket, it is going to be cheaper than an iPhone contract pretty much anywhere, and can not only enable your iPod Touch to have an always on connection, but let you make Skype calls and stream music without having to worry about the usual iPhone size limits, as you’re on Wi-Fi. You can also share the connection with five machines in total, including a netbook, for true on the go video calls and (gasp) Spotify.”

DON'T MISS
As AT&T Disquiet Grows, More Consider Using iPod Touch As Full-Time Phone

Setup was a little tricky and he’s not been using the setup long, but Sorrel thinks the combo could be all he needs. He’ll be testing his new setup in coming weeks and promises to report back.

27 comments »

About the author

Leander Kahney

is the editor and publisher of Cult of Mac, and author of three books about technology culture: Inside Steve’s Brain, the New York Times bestseller about Steve Jobs; Cult of Mac; and Cult of iPod. Leander has written for Wired, MacWeek, Scientific American, and The Guardian in London. Follow Leander on Twitter @lkahney and Facebook.

(sorry, you need Javascript to see this e-mail address)| Read more posts by .

Posted in Hardware, iPhone, iPod Touch, News, Top stories |

  • JAYnLA

    Is there something evil about Verizon that I don’t know about? Everything I hear about them makes me long to dump AT&T. When I’m home in NC at my parent’s house, the Verizon people can all make calls but I can’t with my iPhone.

    Seriously — what’s bad about them?

  • Devil

    RIiiiiiiiight! But now you’d have to carry the MiFi, the iPod touch ANDDDDDD a cellphone.

  • CashGap

    I’ve considered this but is the 5GB data plan enough? I guess I should look at my usage on the iPhone…

  • Greg Bates, Monroe, Maine

    Last I looked, Ipod touch does not have a microphone… what’s Sorrel use for voice input? Tx. Greg

  • http://tidbits.com/ Glenn Fleishman

    The 5GB per month limit is the kicker, though. It’s an interesting idea. I’d like to see how he uses data in this fashion, because I think it’s easy to hit that limit without a lot of effort. A couple hundred MB per day is not a lot of usage across a day.

    The iPhone’s key advantage in the US is a technically unlimited data usage subscription.

  • solarpos

    And plus if it’s really windy the skinny geek types won’t get blown over carrying around an extra weight in their pocket. “Hey is that a MIFI in your pocket or are you just happy to be a geek?”

  • ItsGene

    This makes no sense.
    In order to use the MiFi YOU STILL NEED A HIGH SPEED CELL CONNECTION. I.e., a mobile tethering account.
    So, you’re trading a single device with data & voice for multiple devices each with one of those attributes, and still costing $60 monthly (with 2 year contract) + $330 (price of the MiFi, $100 plus iPod, $230).

    iPhone 3G, $99 (with two year contract)
    Monthly: $70 (with 5GB data)

    I’m not seeing how the MiFi is cheaper, really.
    Plus now I’d be carrying multiple devices around, recharging two batteries, etc.

  • KB

    However, do you see the problem of this being the limited data plan? 5GB will go quickly, especially if you add phone calls in to the mix.

  • Dave

    Doesn’t Skype need to be running to take calls? And I don’t think Skype can run in the background on the iPod touch.

  • firesign

    a- you are still dependant on being able to get a signal from verizon to use the mifi. it doesn’t get the internet from magical network fairies. only advantage here is if verizon has better 3g coverage than at&t where you are. plus, dealing with verizon is worse than at&t anyday.
    b- another device to carry around
    c- $60 for 5 gb of data is not cheaper than the iphone plan, and to have phone use you still need either a cellphone or to pay for skype out, which will count towards your data usage.
    d – i can stream music over my iphone using 3g and wifi from my home library using simplify without having to carry extra devices around. i don’t even keep music natively on my 3g. and that doesn’t even count things like slacker and pandora.
    i don’t see any advantage here over an iphone. fail.

  • Justin

    @Greg Bates : The 2nd Gen iPod Touches have microphones.

    Overall, this is a batty idea. The MiFi needs power doesn’t it? So, how do you make those great Skype calls when walking through the mall? Carry a long extension cord? Ahh…… here it is : http://www.ubergizmo.com/15/archives/2009/05/sprint_launches_mifi_2200_personal_hotspot.html

    Mifi runs on a battery that lasts 5 hours.

    Okay, so it’s feasible, but who really wants to be carrying 2 devices just to save a few bucks?

  • sam

    this is stupid

  • Alfred

    I totally agree with the guy from Wired. iPhone? Why would I want that?

    I decided to get an iPod Touch instead of the more expensive iPhone. I’m glad that I did.

    It really is the best option for me, as everywhere I go (home, work, collage, and on the train between these) all have free wifi, as do many pubs and restaurants I visit. I even have the passwords to the wifi at my mate’s houses saved into the iPod memory. So most of the time I can check my e-mail, etc, on the iPod.

    As for phone calls, yes I have to carry a mobile phone around too, but I don’t really care. My network of choice is MUCH cheaper than the iPhone carrier in my country, so I get dirt cheap calls.

    Unless my situation changed drastically, I would be much worse off if I gave up my iPod Touch + mobile and bought an iPhone.

    iPhone? No thanks. iPod Touch, for me please!

  • http://islandinthenet.com Khürt Williams

    So … great for making calls. Downright useless for receiving calls.

  • http://www.rtfmplease.com Alex Choi

    I’m almost down this path. I’m so fed up with AT&T not getting good reception. It’s not exactly cheaper($60 for mifi plan, $40 for regular cell phone plan, + text messaging), and I’d have to carry three devices (iPod Touch, MiFi, regular cell phone).

    However, AT&T has been such a miserable experience.

    I think 5 GB is enough, I have wifi at work and won’t need the data except when I’m out.

  • http://www.disruptivestrategies.com Jeff Schwartz, disrupter@large

    I’ve been using an Ipod touch with a cradlepoint (www.cradlepoint.com) phs300 personal router on sprint for almost a year now. Unlike the MiFi, which includes an aircard and requires an expensive, separate two year data plan, the cradlepoint router lets me tether my phone using my phone data plan for just an extra 15.00 a month. The cradlepoint is also an OPEN device that will work on any mobile broadband system–including Clearwire. While it does require that i carry an extra device, the advantages over the both the iphone and the MiFi are huge. It may not have the diminutive footprint of the MiFi, but it has a much bigger battery and it’s OPEN folks…i can’t recommend it highly enough.

  • http://www.otofog.net Alex Bowles

    I called Verizon, told them I was interested in running skype over an iPt through one of their MiFi cards, and asked approximately how much calling I could do within the 5 GB limit on their most expensive ($60/mo.) plan.

    They said 17-20 hours, making this roughly comparably to a 1,200 minute per month plan, which (surprise!) costs about $60.

    Here are a few advantages to buying data in this raw fashion.

    1) Unlike a dedicated phone plan, you get and send whatever you want with it. And you can use any device you like (laptop, wi-fi enabled camera, iPt, whatever). And you can use multiple devices at the same time.

    2) Unlike a dedicated phone plan (which most people use as their one and only phone), you only run up charges when you’re truly on the go, and not in your home or office wi-fi bubble. So substitute ‘free calling on nights and weekends’ for ‘free calling anytime you’re at home or work’ and you see the benefit.

    3) iPod touch doesn’t require a contract. Given that the average monthly cost of an AY&T / iPhone contract is about $120/mo., and extends for two years, you’re looking at $2,880 in service charges, compared to $75-80 / mo. for the Skype in+ out (i.e. your own number) + the mifi data plan and associated taxes. So it’s about $1,000 cheaper. (Cost of the iPod touch + mi fi card is roughly equal to an AT&T-subsidized 3GS).

    4) You’re off AT&T’s crappy network, and onto Verizon’s much better alternative.

    The top disadvantages.

    1) 5 hour battery life.

    2) You may have to stop skype to run other apps.

    For reasons 1 & 2, this option isn’t good for people who always need to be available to others. However, if you have the freedom to send calls to voice mail, and check them when convenient to you, then no problem.

    3) You don’t get the GPS and camera that come with the 3GS. If that’s worth more that $500 / year to you, then it’s a loss.

    My assessment – this is almost (but not quite) the way to go. As soon as you can get better battery life, WiFi devices that run VoIP in the background, and something like Google voice that routes calls to alternate numbers (like your office phone) then you can ditch your dedicated cell plan.

    After all, that’s what this is all about – recognizing data as data, and recognizing any plans that force you to use specific devices limited to certain uses of data as gougy artificial crap.

    Oh, and that whole “but now I have to carry *another* gadget” thing. No, you don’t. You just put the card in your wallet, et voila! – you’ve merged it with something you always carry anyway. And if you happen to loose your iPod touch, then you just buy another (no contract extension!) or make calls with your laptop.

  • jim

    Interesting proof of concept but the same can be had using an actual data plan with a smartphone on Verizon’s network. U can pay $70/month for voice + data if you do a bundle.

  • ian

    Holy bananas everyone, you can totally run skype in the background, with a lil diddy called backgrounders, sure you have to do some work to your touch, but small price to pay, at least I think so.

  • Cety

    All free is better than other thing, no matter if I must carry some devices.
    Here, where are the free things?.

  • Bob

    Just like the people saying “Mifi + iPad = win” — YOU ARE IDIOTS. Seriously. ANOTHER device to carry around and another 2 YEAR contract at $60/mo just to save $120 on the iPad?!

    What a STUPID STUPID idea!! Forget these ridiculous ideas of leaving skype open and getting a MiFi/etc. How ridiculous.

  • Brody

    No, this is a brilliant idea. Especially since Virgin Mobile US just released a $40 unlimited plan with a Mifi device using Sprint’s 3G network. The new version of the ipod touch that just came out has a microphone built in and there are oodles of VOIP apps to choose from these days. Anyone know of a good ipod case with a sleeve for a Mifi?

  • Will

    Using Virgin Mobiles Mifi would be the best way. And it would be best to use the new 4th gen ipod touch as it has a microphone. Skype is very cheap for making calls too and you can text with it. Therefore you would get essentially unlimited texting, calling, and internet for 40$ bucks a month. No cell phone plan offers that.

    In my opinion the only down sad is the battery life.

  • Klmum8

    how much for one

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1421393632 Osvaldo Z. Castellanos

      one iPod Touch ranges from $229 – $399. I use a VirginMobile mifi device that cost me $149 for the device alone and I pay $50 for unlimited internet access. No contract. They also have a $10 and $20 plan.

    • Donnabowman5268

      use line2 with ipod touch 4, has a mircophone, and mifi.  line 2 is way better then skype. it cost 49.00 for six months, no contracts, and you get unlimited calling usa and canada and unlimiting texting to both countries.  it is so much clearer then skype. easier to use. it is really like an iphone then.

  • Klmum8

    how much for one