G+_John Mink Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Given how much of a PITA cellphones carriers are I'm seriously considering the idea of just doing everything on a tablet & only using my phone as a modem/hotspot. Apart from having 2 devices, would there be any hiccups/difficulties with this type of usage? Also if this strategy is valid, would there be any reason not to get the cheapest android phone possible (and/or best battery life)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Cole Brodine Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 iyaz akhtar did a Know How episode on Staying Connected without a Cell Phone (http://twit.tv/show/know-how/16) which might be of interest to you. He goes over a lot of information about mobile hotspots, tethering, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Elizabeth Whitmire Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 iyaz akhtar went some extended time staying connected mobilly with no cell service. Check out his Know How episode #16. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_John Mink Posted March 18, 2013 Author Share Posted March 18, 2013 Cole Brodine I totally forgot about that episode. I'll clearly hafta rewatch it :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_John Mink Posted March 18, 2013 Author Share Posted March 18, 2013 Elizabeth Whitmire i'll Google the extended stuff (it usualy makes it onto youtube somehow or another) but I think I'd start off using the phone for those obscure "phone calls" I hear about (not to say this is the :p So I guess it's not just a hotspot, more of a 'hotspot plus phone'...my goal would be to use the tablet as much as possible so that I don't care that the phone OS is out of date & bloated beyond belief. Plus tablets are way cheaper than phones ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Cole Brodine Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 For a while, I was considering using a normal cheap cellphone for just calling and having the tablet with a hotspot for everything else. I even thought maybe I could get a cheap flip phone and a 4G tablet. I couldn't make the numbers work out with my carrier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_John Mink Posted March 19, 2013 Author Share Posted March 19, 2013 Cole Brodine i'm not expecting to save money, at least not on a month to month term, though I certainly wouldn't complain if it happened :p As you indicated, i'm sure the carriers have worked out how to get their money regardless of the setups we come up with Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Ricky Cash Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 I've pretty much been doing that for the last 9 months or so. I got saddled with an LG Revolution which is a pretty pathetic phone except it is LTE and works with wifi tether. So my Galaxy Tab 7+ rooted with CM 10.1 is my everyday device. I don't text and make very few phone calls. It works out really well. The phone fits in the front pocket, the Tab fits in the back pocket. A little cloth pouch for the extra phone batteries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_John Mink Posted March 19, 2013 Author Share Posted March 19, 2013 I actually text a fair bit, but I use Google voice so it's fine on the tablet. +Ricky Cash does your tablet have a removable battery? Also, how long does your phone battery last if you only use it as a hotspot?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Ricky Cash Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 John Mink The tablet does not have a removable battery. I get about 4 to 6 hours of actual usage from the tablet. Less If games are involved. The Phone with hotspot turned on gets about 3 hours but I have lots of batteries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_John Mink Posted March 19, 2013 Author Share Posted March 19, 2013 jon winston hmm, sounds like Iyaz may need to update the episode...hmmm! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Lucas Nichols Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 This is why I got a nexus 7. My moto photon gets crazy battery life and awesome signal strength, but the laggy os and being stuck on gingerbread pissed me off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Cole Brodine Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 I would love to give tmobile a try, but they just aren't anywhere near my area. I'm glad to hear there are other options for folks out there these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_John Mink Posted March 26, 2013 Author Share Posted March 26, 2013 Lucas Nichols so presumably you tethered your N7 to your photon? How do you like it & how often do you use your phone vs the N7? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Lucas Nichols Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 John Mink when I first got my n7 I started paying sprint to use the photon as a WiFi hot spot. It cost me $30 a month for 5gigs. I used my n7 quite a bit for the first few months. But found I didn't like typing on the bigger screen or lugging it around every where. 3mo ago I got my gnex back from Samsung and my n7 doesn't get used as much. For me the 7 inch form size is too inconvenient a lot of times. If my gnex still wasn't working I may still be using the n7 a lot though. Them jelly beans are the shiznit!!!! Lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_John Mink Posted March 26, 2013 Author Share Posted March 26, 2013 Lucas Nichols huh, I've never heard anyone say they like typing on the smaller screens better! But I know what you mean, especially when you're on the move. And yeah, I do love me some Jellybean :)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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