April 2008 archives

Both Tech Watch and ITProPortal have pieces up about 3’s half-price mobile broadband offer, detailing the savings available to the brand’s existing customers.

Each points out that the lowest price available for mobile broadband a month is £5, which allows a data limit of 1GB. This is then compared to the 7GB limit which comes in at £12.50. In the case of ITProPortal, they compare this pricing in the market and discuss the network coverage available. Interestingly they talk about hooking up their dongle to a PS3 and getting online that way.

That note is an aside however, as they seem more interested in discussing the benefits for 3 in making their broadband for existing customers one of the most competitive offers currently available.

Dan Jones has been moved to post on IT PRO by an interesting USB modem offer from 3. As a customer of 3 already he received a call asking if he’d be interested in 18 month’s mobile broadband-ing with a data limit of 1GB for a fiver a month. Bearing in mind they’ll throw in the dongle, Dan reckons this is a good incentive, “Bargain? I think so…”.

Having written about the emergence of the broadband dongle before Dan is a man who knows what he’s talking about, and although holding fire for now due to wanting to renegotiate his handset contract, he’ll be snapping up 3’s offer of mobile broadband imminently.

Technical Itch have been trying out the 3 USB modem and despite suffering from less than desirable speeds due to the area coverage, they are impressed by the device.

As Dean reviews the dongle, he goes through all the necessary details with assured aplomb - what it does, what’s in the box and how easy it is to get it installed. When he gets to the issue of coverage, he states that were he to have better coverage in his local area he would definitely consider buying one. Feeling that it may not prompt him to be online more as such, but would be convenient for when travelling.

Finishing his article, Dean discusses the mobile broadband in general, raising interesting points about the move into the arena by phone companies and how their presence will only increase as, in 3’s case, turbo coverage rolls out across the country. You can read the entire piece here.

Matt at Gadget Venue has released the dongle from it’s box! And, as such, has give a rundown on what it’s all about.

He states how he has been in the market for mobile broadband, but has not yet taken the plunge. The arrival of the 3 Dongle on trial is going to be the perfect test to see whether or not the service will perform to his expectations. However all this will come later, for now it is all about getting it up and running and checking the speed. Taking about 3 minutes to install and then allowing for it to detect, Matt states you “hit the blue connect button, wait a few seconds and you are now magically online… anywhere where you can pick up a 3 Mobile signal. Amazing!!!”

Although the speed was marginally slower than his home connection, Matt was still impressed, and in his conclusion says that the service is “as good as he had hoped for”. So we await to see how it does on the road… literally, as he gets ready for broadband action in the back of a car from Leeds to Blackpool!

Hot debates have taken place in many hallowed venues, the Roman Senate, the Central Weekend studio and of course, down the local. Comfortable additions to the long list of such cauldrons of opinion are many online forums, and it is in a selection of these that 3’s mobile broadband is being disputed.

With contributors after that elusive ‘best’ mobile broadband service, 3 are popping into threads all over the place. Money Saving Expert has people looking for a deal and Carolwat knows 3 are an option, but is concerned about coverage issues. Thankfully Steven 767 alleviates these worries and suggests ‘3 offers the best PAYG deal’. After asking the bit-tech.net community, ch424 has opted to set the grandparents up with 3’s £5 per month deal. And finally there is RedRumsBum at urban75, who is using 3 mobile broadband which he feels “works a treat” and notes that after having difficulties in the past the brand is now “ahead of the game” having “gone data mad”.

Be sure to jump into the threads to read them in their entirety, it’s an online debatathon.

Jimisel was experiencing Error 619, and although it sounds like the title of a pulp fiction disaster novel from the 70s, Error 619 was a problem that arose while Jimisel was trying to use a dongle with a PAYG SIM.

Seeking help from the 3G forum returned a more than efficient response. In fact, it had the problem solved in no time. Jimisel had wanted to avoid going over the data limit on the MBB contract so switched to a PAYG. It was then that Error 619 materialised. Thankfully ibruceuk sprung forth and noted that a simple change of access point from threeinternet to three.co.uk would get things sorted. Jimisel tried it and the error evaporated. I love it when a community comes together for good.

Paul Tingey is discussing the increase of people in the UK using dongles in his article ‘Mobile Broadband dongles find success in UK‘. The piece cites the BBC, noting that 3 has increased the data whizzing around their 3G network 14 fold in the last 6 months.

Obviously this increase of bits and bytes shifting through the ether via 3’s network is due, most significantly, to the introduction of dongles. Giving people the ability to connect from just about anywhere they please is something that has really taken off, maybe even more so than one would have expected. Paul touches on the price war this has started amongst UK operators and believes that as many as 500,000 new customers have joined 3 for their mobile broadband service. Something he feels will be having an effect on the sector as consumers choice one technology over another.

The article discusses a little more than I’ve included above and is a worthy read, however the crux of it all is that 3G technology is firmly cementing itself within the UK market.

The thread at talk3G entitled ‘3 Broadband - a bit of a let down’ started by a user named ‘miffed’ doesn’t seem to bode well. However, the response to his musings on the service are mostly in a positive vein, and to be fair to miffed he’s hardly shaking down what 3 offer.

Feeling that the company has come a long way, miffed’s gripe with the dongle is that despite getting good speeds at home, things tend to slow down when out and about . Much of the early contributions to the thread discuss the improved coverage area 3 has and is in the process of expanding even further. Also, the morning after miffed had his problems, he tried again and the service was much improved. A temporary glitch in the matrix?

As it continues, the talk shifts to 3’s MBB deal in general with Gorilla, Ben and 3GScottishUser all referring to it as a great option if you’re looking for mobile connectivity. Comments include “certainly is a bit of a steal”, “a great deal if you are an existing 3 customer” and a link through to HotUKDeals where 3’s offering seems to be going down pretty well.

To scroll through the entire thread at your leisure click here.

Ever wondered how those that troop around the country visiting cultural points of historical reference and idyllic countryside get their internet fix? Well, I’ve been reading the Motorhome Facts forum and am now clued up, well more than I was!

Basically, before the dongle the option was, according to b6x, “to smack a great big Netmaster dish on the roof”. It seems now though there has been a bit a of a change in the best way to go about such things, due in no small part to the arrival of said dongle. Forum contributors StAubyns, peterandirene and metblue are all using 3 dongles and are seemingly very pleased with the service. Mobile homes and mobile broadband are naturally a suitable match and the contributors to the thread 3 mobile modem - half price! have been quick to realise it.

Highlight of the thread from a 3 dongle perspective has to be that peterandirene have been posting from a Fleurette 73LJ located in deepest, darkest Derbyshire with no trouble at all. Excellent.

We’re not talking about what your Gran does when she’s had her fill of Patsy Cline! No siree! This is all about Adam of Adam Ok Dot Net testing his dongle.

With Wi-Fi shut down he connected using the dongle and immediately checked his speeds. Although he wasn’t blown away by the rapidity of his download and upload speeds, he was suitably impressed by the possibilities, “it’s amazing to think that I can access the net from almost anywhere in the UK.”

Along with a cute picture he uploaded to Flickr via the dongle connection, Adam has included in the post a rather fetching image of the blue rays emanating from the USB modem as it does its stuff. It is almost as if turning off the Wi-Fi also dimmed the lights, just for dramatic effect. Next test arena is set to be Nottingham.

RichardBrunton:BLOG is run by, unsurprisingly, Richard Brunton who has received his USB Modem and is prepping for go.

He does this by explaining why he decided to take on the trial, bemoaning gently the struggle of maintaining websites (he has a few - notably Film Stalker) via a windows mobile phone. Although it does the job so to speak; slow speeds, small screens and having to type with his thumbs are not ideal. So in the name of “faster and more convenient” Richard has jumped on board.

Although he outlines all the details regarding the dongle and the available pricing structures, making a particular note of the £32.50 a month for a chunk of minutes and broadband, unlimited texts with a dongle and phone thrown in, it is the real world road test Richard has lined up for it that will get us going.

His post is here, and we eagerly await the next install-ment, can you guess what it’s on?

Dan Calladine of Digital Examples has spent a bit of time seeking spots of London without WiFi, something he found a minor challenge. A hero amongst trialists, he succeeded - travelling on a bus down Oxford street and Clapham Common!

Referring to the dongle as an “incredibly cool” bit of technology, Dan highlights the half-price offer available in conjunction with taking up 3 phone contract. Something that for a “keen out and about user” he reckons could be just the job.

Unfortunately, Dan doesn’t go into detail about what he was doing on Clapham Common or indeed on the Oxford Street bus (we like to presume traveling somewhere very exciting), so we’re lacking that human touch. It would have been great to hear if he’d seen anyone else with their dongle out on the common or whether surfing the net while surfing a London bus is actually as awkward as I imagine it is.

Needless to say though, Dan appears to be a fan. To read his article in full head to here.

In case it slipped you by previously we thought it would be sensible to feature GreenHughes.com’s guide again on getting 3 mobile broadband functioning on an EEE PC.

With tiny being the new rock and roll and EEE PC’s literally emerging from rucksacks, handbags and man-bags all over the place, it is important that those seeking ultra-mobility can in fact experience it. So if you are indeed opposed to blogging or just generally surfing, from a tethered location, then investigate Greenhughes.com’s post ‘Using your Asus EEE PC on the 3 mobile network’. It gives you all the information needed. Enjoy your freedom…

After an initial problem of conflicting software, UKGadgeteer got its dongle going and were mightily impressed.

Not only were they happy with the 3.6mbps connection speeds they’ve been experiencing (faster than their broadband), but they were also impressed by the “innovative” tariffs that have been introduced and are tied to the mobile broadband offering. Namely the Unlimited Texter deal. They take the time to highlight the possibility of 500 mins, unlimited texts and mobile broadband plus dongle and phone for £32.50, something that will only be available until the end of May.

For all the specifics head to UKGadgeteer’s excellent post.

I’m doing Temi a disservice, the lay-by was actually a service station. The point however, is not about the type of roadside stop Temi chose, but the fact that the update for Internet Marketing Blogs was done via a 3 USB Modem.

The post performed on the hoof sees Temi reminisce with zero pleasure the days when it was a requirement to phone BT in a vain effort to know when the local exchange was going to be updated, and there is now a sense of irony, as a plethora of broadband providers chase customers. Nevertheless, Temi believes 3 are “the first to come up with a sensible price plan compared with the other players who are always trying to shackle you with long contracts”.

Not only impressed by tariffs and terms, Temi details aesthetics, network coverage and ease-of-use to serve up a glowing rundown on all the dongle has to offer. The only gripe (with the default language of US English), is expressed in a Henry Ford analogy, which brings us back to cars, giving this article a beautifully circular form.