AT&T 3G MicroCell. Really?
Okay. So I get this offer. From AT&T. It’s literally so not good I can’t not comment on it.
Here’s the pitch:
I can get “upto” five bars in my own home by buying this AT&T/Cisco prop from Tron for the low, low price of $150. What this magic device does is apparently poach bandwidth from your broadband connection.
Wait. It gets better. You could get a $100 rebate if you sign up for a $19.99 a month calling plan that gives you:
. . . unlimited domestic calling in your home on your mobile phone when connected through your 3G MicroCell.So, I can save $100 by spending $239.88 a year to help AT&T with their spotty network issues. Go. Me.
Thankfully, this is not an issue. I have, on average, 4 bars here. In my secret lair. So I decidedly won’t be contributing to the cause. And I’ll continue to have all my bandwidth for. . . research.
But you might like it. Visit AT&T’s site (featuring music that may drive you insane) or read Engadget’s unboxing.
Of course, I’m curious if this intersects at all somewhere down the litigation/Karma spectrum for AT&T doing an about face on iPhone applications using VOIP on their wireless network. I’ll leave to it to smarter people to chime in, but as far as I can tell this is the Bizarro version of that.
And if anybody has any insight into how much pipe this thing leaches: Post up below.
October 9th, 2009 at 08:56
If you have 4 iPhones in voice calls at the same time you are probably using a maximum of 100kbps on both the uplink and downlink; not too taxing on your cable modem. But if you sit at home and surf for p0r… er, old Julia Child episodes on your iPhone, then of course you are using a bit more.