iPad BasicsTonya Engst- P2A: This ebook is for you if you’re on the cusp of buying an iPad, if you’ve just bought an iPad and aren’t sure what to do with it, or if you’ve had an iPad for a while, but feel that you’re missing out on certain basic functions. | More accurate location-finding is handy for using Maps and GPS navigation apps and for using the MobileMe-based Find My iPhone service which despite the word iPhone works with iPads . Tip Just like a mobile phone the 3G iPad has a removable SIM card that stores your cellular subscriber information. The iPad s tiny SIM card is a micro-SIM 3FF card so you can t swap it out for the larger-sized SIM cards used by most current devices and network carriers The new iPhone 4 also uses a micro-SIM card. There are some cons to the 3G iPad Higher cost You ll pay 130 more for the iPad itself and using the 3G connection requires a paid data plan. In the United States AT T offers two iPad data plans one costs a month for up to 250 MB of data upstream and downstream combined and the other costs 25 per month for 2 GB of data. You can monitor your usage and switch plans easily whenever you want there s no longterm contract. If you exceed the amount of data you ve signed up for within a 30-day billing cycle you can buy a new 30-day plan and restart the clock for either 250 MB 0r 2 GB for the same price. If you are signed up for AT T s now-discontinued unlimited per month plan You can remain on this plan but if you don t keep it current you can t sign up for it again. Rates for data plans in other countries vary. Bandwidth may disappoint A con of using the Internet via the cellular data network right now is slow data transfer noticeably slower than a good Wi-Fi connection. 3G connectivity is okay but not fabulous for average Web browsing but don t depend on it for watching streaming video or downloading big files. AT T s Web site claims EDGE is fast enough for video and music but my experience in rural upstate New York with an iPhone would disagree. When relying on EDGE reception I ve found that access times for apps that go beyond basic text are almost untenable. On the other hand slow is better than nothing when you want to check the weather quickly. 11 Download from .
