Hey everyone, Jon Rettinger from Techno Buffalo here. Last week, Tom Merritt from cnet.com put a video about how you can sort of use the iPhone on Verizon or Sprint’s network, no hacky required. And well, it was a very good post. It actually was really informative. I thought it needed a little bit more explanation and you can go on to a little bit more detail about the new ones that had to do it.
So, let me go ahead and explain. Before you guys get to excited about using your iPhone on Verizon or Sprint completely and freely, it’s not going to happen but there is a way to sort of use your iPhone on Verizon or Sprint completely legally non-hacking, non-jailbreaking, or nothing. And it involves a device you that I reviewed last week, the MiFi. And again, this is available on Sprint or Verizon.
For you that may not have seen the video, what the MiFi does and this is the Verizon version, sucks in Verizon’s CD network and splits out of WiFi signal which is actually a quite—and you can use it for data for any WiFi equipped device laptop or phone. So, what you can do, turn the MiFi on. It really is just about the sign about E-credit cards, that’s so quite small. You can fit it in your pocket or a backpack or purse, whatever you might carry. And hook it up and connect your iPhone to it.
So now, essentially what you’re doing is you’re using Verizon’s EVDO network for data on your iPhone. Nothing terribly fancy right there but it’s coming out looking like WiFi but you’re still using Verizon’ EVDO network. So, that’s fine for data. What if you want to make calls, well there a lot of options you can do now to make calls now that you’re using Verizon’s EVDO network. You can use call for being with a system like Skype so if you got a Verizon number, you can set that number to forward to your Skype number and always have Skype up and running on your iPhone. With things like Google Voice which I assume will eventually be released for the iPhone, there are a lot of other voice over—that you use.
So essentially, you really don’t have to go through AT&T if you want to use although you do have to purchase a MiFi which will be the $99.00 on contract or if you want to buy other contract, about $260.00. And you got to be careful at plans with these two. You can either spend about $60.00 a month for 5GB plan or $40.00 a month I believe for 250MB plan. And these prices are the same with Verizon or Sprint. So, it’s not an unlimited all you can need sort of solution but it is a way to go if you’re stock in a Verizon contract, your way to get out or maybe you don’t get AT&T service where you are or you get better Verizon or Sprint coverage. It’s a nice way to go.
One of the other side effects about using the MiFi is your phone thinks that you’re trying to get a WiFi since well it really is. It doesn’t know that you’re just using a EVDO network that’s being converted so you get around a lot of limitations at the iPhone put in placed.
For instance SlingPlayer, if you use SlingPlayer, you can use it over WiFi but since you are technically over WiFi, you can now use SlingPlayer anywhere you are. The same is through for lot of other WiFi on the applications. For example, like Skype or like iTunes, if you need to download app that’s over 10MB, you can now do that. And you can use a lot of streaming applications as well like Joost that is only WiFi. So, if she needs a nice sort of middle ground right there, so it’s not the iPhone on Verizon or Sprint that some of you might be looking for. But it’s definitely an alternative for how you can do it. So, it’s just a kind of a short summation about how this works in case you got confused.
The MiFi, this little device right here converts a cellular data network into a WiFi signal so you keep it as a portable router essentially. So, you turn this bad boy on, you connect your iPhone just like you’d see any other WiFi network. You throw this in your bag, you put in your bag pocket, whatever and now, you’re connected via WiFi to Sprint or Verizon EVDO network. You can now set up call forwarding and you can have all your calls forwarded right to Skype or voice over IP client. It actually works out quite well or you can just use the other carriers data network if you prefer it.
Like I said, if you don’t get good AT&T coverage where you might be, if you are in a roll area or if you’re in just one of those spots that it doesn’t quite work well. It is a very nice alternative and I think it’s a very good idea and I think Tom Merritt when he first brought this up, really had a brilliant idea to use your iPhone or really any phone for that matter on Verizon’s network. And this sort of trick and not really hack again will work for any WiFi equipped phone, kind of cool.
Anyway, hope you enjoyed. This is something that you’re going to consider doing. You do have to eat a $60.00 a month plan but technically you could not have a data plan on your iPhone and just keep this with you. You can either have a voice plan actually on your iPhone and just keep this with you and just always have Skype or some other sort of voice over IP client open and well you can use it. So, it’s something that you might consider, is it worthwhile or not worthwhile? I can’t tell you that the MiFi works fantastically. Data rates are really, really fast. But you’re going to be kept to 5GB of space or 5GB of a download or upload. So, hope you enjoyed and hope this was a good explanation. If you have questions, go ahead and leave them in comments down below and leave your video response or something that you think that you might do.
Anyway guys, for exclusive content, be sure to check me out t Twitter, twitter.com/jon4lakers. And to learn more about Techno Buffalo, check out technobuffalo.com. See you in the next video, bye-bye.
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