I have never presented at a conference. I guess I still haven't really, but I did lead a poster session at CONNECT 2013. Although there weren't many visitors to my space, it was very interactive and quite rewarding. My session was about using AirPlay in the classroom, something that is rarely as easy as setting up an Apple TV at home. I will cover my own discoveries and solutions in another post, and hopefully it will help others as well.
After describing the problem and walking through the steps for my solution, I was told it addressed the very problem a school had been struggling with for a long time. In fact, it offered up even more than simply getting AirPlay to work from a single iPad.
There were a lot of things to like about CONNECT, but helping a teacher solve an annoying problem felt great.
Conference adventures
CONNECT 2013 was an amazing experience, although it was tiring. I can only imagine what it was like for the folks from the District School Board of Niagara who also had UGC on the weekend before.
Although I will share more about my experiences related to educational technology at the conference, the first thing I want to talk about is shoes. That's right. Shoes.
I knew I would be on my feet a LOT, and that some of the events during the conference would require me to be dressed more formally. I really did not want to wear dress shoes all day, nor did I want to have to carry around and worry about an extra pair of shoes.
I went shopping last week and bought some Clarks' Pickerton black leather slip-on shoes. They are incredibly light, very comfortable, and just formal enough for some daytime meetings and luncheons. That reads a lot like an ad, but considering just how many hours I was on my feet from Sunday to Tuesday, I am amazed that my feet are not killing me today.
Although I will share more about my experiences related to educational technology at the conference, the first thing I want to talk about is shoes. That's right. Shoes.
I knew I would be on my feet a LOT, and that some of the events during the conference would require me to be dressed more formally. I really did not want to wear dress shoes all day, nor did I want to have to carry around and worry about an extra pair of shoes.
I went shopping last week and bought some Clarks' Pickerton black leather slip-on shoes. They are incredibly light, very comfortable, and just formal enough for some daytime meetings and luncheons. That reads a lot like an ad, but considering just how many hours I was on my feet from Sunday to Tuesday, I am amazed that my feet are not killing me today.
Wireless display done right... and wrong
I have experimented with a variety of wireless display gadgets over the years. About 15 years ago I purchased a kit that included a transmitter and receiver for RCA video, allowing me to watch DVD movies from the brand new DVD drive in my computer without running a bunch of cables across the room. I have been looking for something that works as well as this did ever since.
In June 2011, Apple announced AirPlay mirroring. At first glance, this is wireless display technology done right. For most people, it just plain works. Plug in an Apple TV, get it on your wireless network, and then just search for it on an Apple device capable of mirroring. It really is that simple. Well, except for when it's not.
The first problem with AirPlay is that it is exclusively for Apple devices. For many educators, that's not really a big deal. I'm sure there are countless teachers who are completely within Apple's walled garden. The second problem (and yes, regardless of how Apple wants to spin it, it is a problem) is that the whole device discovery falls apart when used on a network that is designed to support more than just a couple hundred devices (like the networks typically used in schools). You can have your iOS device and Apple TV on the same network, but no matter how hard you try, sometimes they just can't see each other. There are workarounds out there, but they depend on supported IT infrastructure and configuration by IT staff. I'm sure many educators have already blamed their IT staff for not "working with Apple" to get AirPlay working. Let me be clear here. Apple is to blame. They wanted to beat the WiFi Alliance to the punch and rushed out a protocol that was not well thought out.
In January 2011, the WiFi Alliance announced WiFi Direct Display. WiFi Direct Display would show up in various news articles over the course of nearly two years (including being rebranded as Miracast) before any devices based on the standard would be available.
Miracast does not depend on your existing wireless connection. A Miracast transmitter and receiver setup a completely separate WiFi connection using an existing method known as WiFi Direct (thus the original name of WiFi Direct Display). This is truly where Apple went wrong with AirPlay.
So, Miracast is wireless display done right, right? Well, maybe.
Google announced Miracast as a feature of Android 4.2. This was wonderful news, although it was quickly discovered that even one of Google's newest tablets, the Nexus 7, doesn't support Miracast despite running Android 4.2. Even now, many months since the release of Android 4.2, only a handful of devices are actually available that have Miracast capability. None of the devices that I have access to fall into that category.
Intel obviously thinks Miracast is the way to go. With version 3.5 of WiDi, Intel has added Miracast compatibility. I do have a laptop that supports WiDi 3.5, so I picked up the Netgear P2TV-3000, a Miracast receiver. After installing all the right drivers in the prescribed order, I had absolutely no luck getting it to work. After several hours of trying various installation and connection options and methods, I stumbled on a page that had the answer. I had to uninstall the Windows 8 Intel WiFi drivers (from my Windows 8 laptop), and install the Windows 7 drivers. Sure enough, this worked (even though it shows an error every time it connects). While I was happy to have it working, I doubt that most people that walk into a Best Buy to purchase the P2TV-3000 would actually go through all of this hassle.
I suppose what I find most remarkable is that there really shouldn't be anything particularly challenging with implementing an open wireless display standard that works. Device discovery and pairing protocols have been used for decades. Encryption protocols have also been around for a very long time. Audio and video encoding and decoding have been hardware accelerated for a few years now, even on handheld devices. These are the pieces, and yet everything still seems to be a struggle, and it feels like it's just one software update away from getting broken.
How strange is it that the wireless transmitter and receiver from 15 years ago is by far easier to setup, and more reliable than anything we have now?
The first problem with AirPlay is that it is exclusively for Apple devices. For many educators, that's not really a big deal. I'm sure there are countless teachers who are completely within Apple's walled garden. The second problem (and yes, regardless of how Apple wants to spin it, it is a problem) is that the whole device discovery falls apart when used on a network that is designed to support more than just a couple hundred devices (like the networks typically used in schools). You can have your iOS device and Apple TV on the same network, but no matter how hard you try, sometimes they just can't see each other. There are workarounds out there, but they depend on supported IT infrastructure and configuration by IT staff. I'm sure many educators have already blamed their IT staff for not "working with Apple" to get AirPlay working. Let me be clear here. Apple is to blame. They wanted to beat the WiFi Alliance to the punch and rushed out a protocol that was not well thought out.
In January 2011, the WiFi Alliance announced WiFi Direct Display. WiFi Direct Display would show up in various news articles over the course of nearly two years (including being rebranded as Miracast) before any devices based on the standard would be available.
Miracast does not depend on your existing wireless connection. A Miracast transmitter and receiver setup a completely separate WiFi connection using an existing method known as WiFi Direct (thus the original name of WiFi Direct Display). This is truly where Apple went wrong with AirPlay.
So, Miracast is wireless display done right, right? Well, maybe.
Google announced Miracast as a feature of Android 4.2. This was wonderful news, although it was quickly discovered that even one of Google's newest tablets, the Nexus 7, doesn't support Miracast despite running Android 4.2. Even now, many months since the release of Android 4.2, only a handful of devices are actually available that have Miracast capability. None of the devices that I have access to fall into that category.
Intel obviously thinks Miracast is the way to go. With version 3.5 of WiDi, Intel has added Miracast compatibility. I do have a laptop that supports WiDi 3.5, so I picked up the Netgear P2TV-3000, a Miracast receiver. After installing all the right drivers in the prescribed order, I had absolutely no luck getting it to work. After several hours of trying various installation and connection options and methods, I stumbled on a page that had the answer. I had to uninstall the Windows 8 Intel WiFi drivers (from my Windows 8 laptop), and install the Windows 7 drivers. Sure enough, this worked (even though it shows an error every time it connects). While I was happy to have it working, I doubt that most people that walk into a Best Buy to purchase the P2TV-3000 would actually go through all of this hassle.
I suppose what I find most remarkable is that there really shouldn't be anything particularly challenging with implementing an open wireless display standard that works. Device discovery and pairing protocols have been used for decades. Encryption protocols have also been around for a very long time. Audio and video encoding and decoding have been hardware accelerated for a few years now, even on handheld devices. These are the pieces, and yet everything still seems to be a struggle, and it feels like it's just one software update away from getting broken.
How strange is it that the wireless transmitter and receiver from 15 years ago is by far easier to setup, and more reliable than anything we have now?
New Windows 8 Laptop - Part III
So, after considering buying a Mac laptop, I decided to stick with Windows one more time, even though it meant switching to Windows 8. I tried out the Windows 8 pre-release on a virtual machine last summer. The forced tablet interface on the desktop was just too painful to deal with when my real machine was running a perfectly good Windows 7 install, so eventually I just ended up deleting the Windows 8 virtual machine.
There are a number of reviews and opinions of Windows 8 out there. There are two points of view in particular that I connected with. One is Philip Greenspun's blog posting and this article by Jakob Nielson. The second article sums up much of the experience by saying that "Windows" is now a misnomer and should be called "Microsoft Window". Indeed, many of the tasks I try to perform, like reviewing a PDF or looking at an image, will switch to a full-screen only view of the content. If I'm doing something else, say like editing a blog entry, and I want to reference content from a PDF, I cannot view them side-by-side on the screen. I have to switch back and forth between the PDF and editing the blog.
Probably the most frustrating thing is that the "old Windows" is still in there, and many programs (like Chrome) will flip you back to the familiar Windows Desktop mode. I say that it's frustrating because you can't have that as your default environment, and triggering simple tasks (once again, like viewing a PDF) will flip you back into the new tablet-style interface. You then have to use awkward gestures or keyboard shortcuts to get back to whatever it was you were doing on the traditional desktop.
One other application now under Microsoft's care is Skype. The Y580 actually included a Skype Premium account, which is nice. Unfortunately, the version of Skype for Windows 8 is far less usable than the version you find on virtually every other platform. As an example, you cannot edit the name of a contact in Skype for Windows 8. The solution? Use "Skype for Windows Desktop". I can do this incredibly simple task on my two-and-a-half year old Android phone, but somehow this wasn't viewed as important for Skype for Windows 8.
Not everything about Windows 8 is terrible. There are some great technical changes that do improve some aspects of Windows, particularly performance-wise. Start-up time with an SSD as the boot drive is incredible. I am not exaggerating when I say that Windows cold-boots faster than my Nexus 7 or 3rd-gen iPad. I was stunned. I know that in the long-term Windows has a habit of taking longer and longer to boot as new applications push their way into the startup process. I have already installed some applications that do that, but my total boot time from off to "desktop" is less than 15 seconds. If the laptop is just in sleep mode, it is virtually instant-on, just like my tablets. Sadly, these improvements are over-shadowed by the poor user interface experience.
Overall, I am trying to adapt to the new Windows. So far it hasn't interfered too much with what I do with my computer on a regular basis. I will also not fault the Lenovo Y580 for Windows' shortcomings. It is a great laptop that plays my games very well, manages virtual machines with ease, converts videos faster than my old desktop, and has a really nice display.
And if Windows 8 really gets to me, at least I have the option of looking at Linux, or maybe even trying to use the Y580 as a Hacintosh.
There are a number of reviews and opinions of Windows 8 out there. There are two points of view in particular that I connected with. One is Philip Greenspun's blog posting and this article by Jakob Nielson. The second article sums up much of the experience by saying that "Windows" is now a misnomer and should be called "Microsoft Window". Indeed, many of the tasks I try to perform, like reviewing a PDF or looking at an image, will switch to a full-screen only view of the content. If I'm doing something else, say like editing a blog entry, and I want to reference content from a PDF, I cannot view them side-by-side on the screen. I have to switch back and forth between the PDF and editing the blog.
Probably the most frustrating thing is that the "old Windows" is still in there, and many programs (like Chrome) will flip you back to the familiar Windows Desktop mode. I say that it's frustrating because you can't have that as your default environment, and triggering simple tasks (once again, like viewing a PDF) will flip you back into the new tablet-style interface. You then have to use awkward gestures or keyboard shortcuts to get back to whatever it was you were doing on the traditional desktop.
One other application now under Microsoft's care is Skype. The Y580 actually included a Skype Premium account, which is nice. Unfortunately, the version of Skype for Windows 8 is far less usable than the version you find on virtually every other platform. As an example, you cannot edit the name of a contact in Skype for Windows 8. The solution? Use "Skype for Windows Desktop". I can do this incredibly simple task on my two-and-a-half year old Android phone, but somehow this wasn't viewed as important for Skype for Windows 8.
Not everything about Windows 8 is terrible. There are some great technical changes that do improve some aspects of Windows, particularly performance-wise. Start-up time with an SSD as the boot drive is incredible. I am not exaggerating when I say that Windows cold-boots faster than my Nexus 7 or 3rd-gen iPad. I was stunned. I know that in the long-term Windows has a habit of taking longer and longer to boot as new applications push their way into the startup process. I have already installed some applications that do that, but my total boot time from off to "desktop" is less than 15 seconds. If the laptop is just in sleep mode, it is virtually instant-on, just like my tablets. Sadly, these improvements are over-shadowed by the poor user interface experience.
Overall, I am trying to adapt to the new Windows. So far it hasn't interfered too much with what I do with my computer on a regular basis. I will also not fault the Lenovo Y580 for Windows' shortcomings. It is a great laptop that plays my games very well, manages virtual machines with ease, converts videos faster than my old desktop, and has a really nice display.
And if Windows 8 really gets to me, at least I have the option of looking at Linux, or maybe even trying to use the Y580 as a Hacintosh.
New Windows 8 Laptop - Part II
In the previous post, I mentioned the shortcomings of the Lenovo Y580 Windows 8 laptop, but didn't go into detail. There were a few issues, almost exclusively software related. To start, I will talk about the hardware because finding something negative to say about the Y580 from a hardware perspective is difficult.
There are only two things that immediately come to mind. The first is that the Y580 does not have a Thunderbolt port. While this isn't an issue right now, it would be nice to have the port for potential expandability down the road. I have not yet found any Thunderbolt accessories that interest me in the least. Most Thunderbolt devices right now seem to be monitors or external storage. The Y580 has a really nice 1080p display and an HDMI port, so a Thunderbolt display is irrelevant. It also has three USB 3.0 ports, so fast external storage isn't a problem either.
The second issue with the hardware is the weight. The Y580 has impressive hardware, but weighs in around the 6 pound mark (about 2.8Kg). I am not a small person, nor did I buy this laptop to constantly carry around, so this is a non-issue for me, but could make a big difference for others.
The only other remotely negative thing I have to say at this point is that the brushed aluminum design is a fingerprint magnet. Everything else about it seems okay so far. It doesn't feel remotely fragile. The display is fantastic. It was unbelievably easy to get access to the RAM, hard drive, and mSATA port. The backlit keyboard is good. I wish the left Shift key was longer, and that the shape and placement of the Enter and backslash keys were slightly different, but I know that's more of a personal preference thing.
Overall, I am very happy with the hardware. The software, both from Lenovo and from Microsoft, is where the Y580 stumbles, and will require some patience.
I'll start with Lenovo's software decisions. First, there are no recovery disks included. You have to purchase them for $60. Apparently it used to be possible to burn your own recovery disks, but that feature isn't there anymore. The installed hard drive does have a separate 40GB partition with all of the device drivers, and a folder named "Applications", but in that folder you only find the highly undesirable McAfee anti-virus install. The one pre-installed application that would be very useful but isn't on that partition is PowerDVD BR. That is the software that enables playback of Blu-Ray disks.
Lenovo also includes a utility called OneKey Recovery (OKR). This tool can be used to make a backup of your system to restore later. This sounds useful, but is ultimately quite useless. You cannot use it to restore your system to a new drive (like an SSD). In fact, even if you decide to re-partition the installed drive to get rid of the previously mentioned 40GB drivers/applications partition, you will completely break OKR. There is a dedicated button next to the power button to get quick access to the system BIOS and to OKR, but even that functionality gets broken if you make any changes to the layout of the hard drive.
The best advice to using an SSD along with the installed hard drive is to install Windows fresh on the SSD, and simply reformat the 950GB system partition on the hard drive (reformat only, do not delete the partition). Unfortunately, re-installing Windows means losing PowerDVD BR and other pre-installed applications. There are a number of complaints about this on the Lenovo forums. It also means searching online for a Windows 8 ISO in order to install Windows on the SSD. The reason for keeping the partition layout on the hard drive is so that the OKR hardware button continues to work, giving you quick access to the system BIOS. If you have an external drive, you could use OKR to make a backup of the system before you format the 950GB partition, just in case you ever want to restore the laptop back to factory default.
I'm not sure why Lenovo felt the need for OKR when Windows has built-in functionality for making system backups, and I'm not sure why Lenovo doesn't put all of the application installs on that 40GB partition. Throw in a Windows 8 install disk, and I would have had just as much difficulty finding issues on the software side as I did with the hardware. A couple of very minor changes can significantly improve the user experience here, and reduce the number of complaints on the forums.
Finally, we get to the Microsoft side of the software issues. I think I'll save that for another post.
There are only two things that immediately come to mind. The first is that the Y580 does not have a Thunderbolt port. While this isn't an issue right now, it would be nice to have the port for potential expandability down the road. I have not yet found any Thunderbolt accessories that interest me in the least. Most Thunderbolt devices right now seem to be monitors or external storage. The Y580 has a really nice 1080p display and an HDMI port, so a Thunderbolt display is irrelevant. It also has three USB 3.0 ports, so fast external storage isn't a problem either.
The second issue with the hardware is the weight. The Y580 has impressive hardware, but weighs in around the 6 pound mark (about 2.8Kg). I am not a small person, nor did I buy this laptop to constantly carry around, so this is a non-issue for me, but could make a big difference for others.
The only other remotely negative thing I have to say at this point is that the brushed aluminum design is a fingerprint magnet. Everything else about it seems okay so far. It doesn't feel remotely fragile. The display is fantastic. It was unbelievably easy to get access to the RAM, hard drive, and mSATA port. The backlit keyboard is good. I wish the left Shift key was longer, and that the shape and placement of the Enter and backslash keys were slightly different, but I know that's more of a personal preference thing.
Overall, I am very happy with the hardware. The software, both from Lenovo and from Microsoft, is where the Y580 stumbles, and will require some patience.
I'll start with Lenovo's software decisions. First, there are no recovery disks included. You have to purchase them for $60. Apparently it used to be possible to burn your own recovery disks, but that feature isn't there anymore. The installed hard drive does have a separate 40GB partition with all of the device drivers, and a folder named "Applications", but in that folder you only find the highly undesirable McAfee anti-virus install. The one pre-installed application that would be very useful but isn't on that partition is PowerDVD BR. That is the software that enables playback of Blu-Ray disks.
Lenovo also includes a utility called OneKey Recovery (OKR). This tool can be used to make a backup of your system to restore later. This sounds useful, but is ultimately quite useless. You cannot use it to restore your system to a new drive (like an SSD). In fact, even if you decide to re-partition the installed drive to get rid of the previously mentioned 40GB drivers/applications partition, you will completely break OKR. There is a dedicated button next to the power button to get quick access to the system BIOS and to OKR, but even that functionality gets broken if you make any changes to the layout of the hard drive.
The best advice to using an SSD along with the installed hard drive is to install Windows fresh on the SSD, and simply reformat the 950GB system partition on the hard drive (reformat only, do not delete the partition). Unfortunately, re-installing Windows means losing PowerDVD BR and other pre-installed applications. There are a number of complaints about this on the Lenovo forums. It also means searching online for a Windows 8 ISO in order to install Windows on the SSD. The reason for keeping the partition layout on the hard drive is so that the OKR hardware button continues to work, giving you quick access to the system BIOS. If you have an external drive, you could use OKR to make a backup of the system before you format the 950GB partition, just in case you ever want to restore the laptop back to factory default.
I'm not sure why Lenovo felt the need for OKR when Windows has built-in functionality for making system backups, and I'm not sure why Lenovo doesn't put all of the application installs on that 40GB partition. Throw in a Windows 8 install disk, and I would have had just as much difficulty finding issues on the software side as I did with the hardware. A couple of very minor changes can significantly improve the user experience here, and reduce the number of complaints on the forums.
Finally, we get to the Microsoft side of the software issues. I think I'll save that for another post.
New Windows 8 Laptop - Part I
So I recently decided to replace my home desktop system with a laptop.
My home desktop was also a media center PC, and it had worked quite well for a couple of years. Unfortunately, the cable company made some changes to their analog service, and my PC was only tuning in up to channel 30. I tried a few methods to get my PC to record the digital channels, but none of the information I found seemed to work.
Ultimately, it was just easier to get a digital DVR from the cable company and retire my media center PC. I had already been thinking about switching to a laptop for some time, so I started researching my options.
My home systems have always been Windows-based. Windows 8 had recently been released. I had tested out the pre-release on a virtual machine, and even read a few reviews and opinions. It really wasn't looking promising for Windows 8. The user interface was going to be a significant change from previous versions, and for the first time in my life I looked at switching to Apple. Honestly, it seemed as though switching to OSX would actually be easier than switching to Windows 8.
After looking at the MacBook Pro options, I discovered the "Apple Tax" was alive and well. In fact, it seems like it's higher than ever before. I was eyeing the 15" MacBook Pro. The Retina model starts at $2200! Ouch! I looked at the regular 15" model with the optional high-res (1680x1050) screen. Even that starts at $1800. Configuring it the way I wanted pushed it up over $2500 (8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, and a VGA adapter).
Needless to say, I started looking at my Windows options. After some digging, I came across the Dell Inspiron 15R Special Edition, a laptop with a powerful processor and a 15" 1080p display. I wasn't too sure about the video chip (Radeon 7730M), but otherwise things looked quite good. While reading reviews of that model I saw a reference to the Lenovo Y580. Some research into that model revealed a machine with good reviews, good specs, and a good price.
The Y580 has the Intel Core i7 quad-core processor, 8GB of RAM, a 1TB 5400rpm hard drive, Nvidia GTX660M 2GB video chip, Blu-ray drive, HDMI and VGA, bluetooth, and more. It is also very easy to open up to access the hard drive, add RAM, and even add a mSATA SSD. Just a few days before Christmas, the price went down to $950! I added a blue Lenovo laptop bag to the order for another $35. A couple weeks later, I found a Crucial M4 256GB mSATA SSD for $180. I even ordered 16GB of high-speed RAM for $60. The total price, including taxes, for everything was less than $1400!
I know that someone will get defensive about build quality or other aspects of the MacBook, but honestly, I'm getting a laptop with better specs for over $1000 less! I don't know about you, but I can forgive some shortcomings for $1100, and in the next part I will endeavour to be honest about those shortcomings. Also, I have already shared my own opinion about the tired, age-old Mac vs PC argument.
My home desktop was also a media center PC, and it had worked quite well for a couple of years. Unfortunately, the cable company made some changes to their analog service, and my PC was only tuning in up to channel 30. I tried a few methods to get my PC to record the digital channels, but none of the information I found seemed to work.
Ultimately, it was just easier to get a digital DVR from the cable company and retire my media center PC. I had already been thinking about switching to a laptop for some time, so I started researching my options.
My home systems have always been Windows-based. Windows 8 had recently been released. I had tested out the pre-release on a virtual machine, and even read a few reviews and opinions. It really wasn't looking promising for Windows 8. The user interface was going to be a significant change from previous versions, and for the first time in my life I looked at switching to Apple. Honestly, it seemed as though switching to OSX would actually be easier than switching to Windows 8.
After looking at the MacBook Pro options, I discovered the "Apple Tax" was alive and well. In fact, it seems like it's higher than ever before. I was eyeing the 15" MacBook Pro. The Retina model starts at $2200! Ouch! I looked at the regular 15" model with the optional high-res (1680x1050) screen. Even that starts at $1800. Configuring it the way I wanted pushed it up over $2500 (8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, and a VGA adapter).
Needless to say, I started looking at my Windows options. After some digging, I came across the Dell Inspiron 15R Special Edition, a laptop with a powerful processor and a 15" 1080p display. I wasn't too sure about the video chip (Radeon 7730M), but otherwise things looked quite good. While reading reviews of that model I saw a reference to the Lenovo Y580. Some research into that model revealed a machine with good reviews, good specs, and a good price.
The Y580 has the Intel Core i7 quad-core processor, 8GB of RAM, a 1TB 5400rpm hard drive, Nvidia GTX660M 2GB video chip, Blu-ray drive, HDMI and VGA, bluetooth, and more. It is also very easy to open up to access the hard drive, add RAM, and even add a mSATA SSD. Just a few days before Christmas, the price went down to $950! I added a blue Lenovo laptop bag to the order for another $35. A couple weeks later, I found a Crucial M4 256GB mSATA SSD for $180. I even ordered 16GB of high-speed RAM for $60. The total price, including taxes, for everything was less than $1400!
I know that someone will get defensive about build quality or other aspects of the MacBook, but honestly, I'm getting a laptop with better specs for over $1000 less! I don't know about you, but I can forgive some shortcomings for $1100, and in the next part I will endeavour to be honest about those shortcomings. Also, I have already shared my own opinion about the tired, age-old Mac vs PC argument.
Staying Connected in the US - November 2012
Well, after switching between three SIM cards (Wind Mobile, AT&T, and T-Mobile) for several months, it seems the best solution for me is to just pay Wind an extra $5 per month to get a US roaming plan.
When AT&T ditched the pay-per-use data for the pay-per-day phone plans, I tried switching to T-Mobile. T-Mobile offers a pay-per-day plan for $3 that includes unlimited data (the first 200MB at 4G, then it switches to 2G). That's actually really good. The problem is as soon as you go somewhere without T-Mobile coverage, you lose the data. Honestly, this probably isn't a problem if you're planning on visiting a major city. Unfortunately, if you wander off the beaten path, you'll be roaming (most likely on AT&T) and you will not have any data access at all. It doesn't even appear that you can pay T-Mobile extra to get it. You're simply offline.
So, what does $5 per month (on top of your monthly plan) get you from Wind? Calls are 10 cents per minute (normally 25 cents), outgoing text messages are 5 cents (normally 15 cents), and data is 50 cents per MB (normally $1). The rate for data is still high enough that you won't want to watch any streaming videos, but shouldn't break the bank to at least stay up to date with your favourite social networks. I have confirmed that the data works on either T-Mobile's or AT&T's network, so it doesn't really matter where you end up.
When AT&T ditched the pay-per-use data for the pay-per-day phone plans, I tried switching to T-Mobile. T-Mobile offers a pay-per-day plan for $3 that includes unlimited data (the first 200MB at 4G, then it switches to 2G). That's actually really good. The problem is as soon as you go somewhere without T-Mobile coverage, you lose the data. Honestly, this probably isn't a problem if you're planning on visiting a major city. Unfortunately, if you wander off the beaten path, you'll be roaming (most likely on AT&T) and you will not have any data access at all. It doesn't even appear that you can pay T-Mobile extra to get it. You're simply offline.
So, what does $5 per month (on top of your monthly plan) get you from Wind? Calls are 10 cents per minute (normally 25 cents), outgoing text messages are 5 cents (normally 15 cents), and data is 50 cents per MB (normally $1). The rate for data is still high enough that you won't want to watch any streaming videos, but shouldn't break the bank to at least stay up to date with your favourite social networks. I have confirmed that the data works on either T-Mobile's or AT&T's network, so it doesn't really matter where you end up.
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