[kojisan]

This is a question for people who have/had an Ipad2 with 3G. This is NOT a comparison/bash thread of Ipad2 vs. Playbook.

I am inquiring because I would like to get my wife a tablet for her birthday. I personaly, went from an Ipad2 to a 32GB Playbook which I love! The integration between my 9900 and the Playbook is seemless and it has all the functionality I need.

What I am wondering is how fast and robust is the Ipad2 3G connection?
My unit was wifi only so never experienced the 3G.
Is browsing on the Ipad 3G faster than browsing via. bridge?

The only thing stopping me from getting her a Playbook is 1. sadly the lack of apps for Playbook as she is an app user and 2. she is not overly tech savvy so the bridge process, while super easy for most, will confuse her and become an issue for me. As in everytime she wants to get it going she will ask me to do it! I would really like to have an all in one solution that doesn't create grief for me. My wife (9800) and I (9900) are Berry fans and I love my Playbook however, I want to make the best practical decision for my wifes gift.

Your feedback is appreciated. Thanks!

[jjjahn]

Cant really answer your question but thought i would toss in some more for you. Like where you wife would be going do they have 3g option. In my area Ipad2 3G isnt even a option since their hit and miss on 3G. Also if you do you have tethering on your current plan, if not how will that cost compare to the cost for 3g coverage.

[kevkev3123]

I have something even better. If you're wife has a smart phone, just add the mobile hotspot plan for $20 a month and save the money difference between the 3g model and the wifi model, and you will be able to use it on multiple devices.

I personally like the bridge option but bluetooth transfer rates are REALLY slow. I hope I helped. (of course you can do that mobile hotspot and get her the better tablet [the playbook])

[bb.pl]

Is browsing on the Ipad 3G faster than browsing via. bridge?

Browsing on the Ipad 3G is so much faster when compared to bridge browsing that browsing via bridge will make you think of jumping off a bridge.

[sophace]

Kevkev's idea is a good one, mobile hotspot is better value.

I have both the ipad2 3g and the Playbook, and if you are to purely compare speeds, in my situation the ipad2 3g is faster (ipad - AT&T vs. BB bridged with Verizon). But you are going to pay for it vs. the bridge connection which is decent and no extra cost. Personally, i found having the 3g connection came in handy once in a while, but i was mostly using the ipad in situations with wifi or I didn't really need 3g, so the Playbook having it included with bridge technology is better for me.

I think the bigger thing you have to keep in mind is size. If your wife likes the small form factor of the Playbook, that is going to make a bigger difference than connectivity. Good luck!

Sophace

[joshua_sx1]

To save you a lot of explanation to her, just get her an iPad 3G...

[adjdudley21]

3g works great on the ipad but thats all dependant on what service provider you have and their coverage map... although i personally do not prefer the ipad.. the ipad is a viable option for certain instances and in this instant i would say ipad...

[kojisan]

We are with Rogers and adding a tablet would be an additional $10.00/month.

How does mobile hotspot work? Do I need a hotspot enabled device?

Thanks for your responses so far!

[papped]

If she wants apps just get the ipad. I would never pay the extra data fees for any 3g/4g tablet though, such a rip off...

[Blacklac]

We are with Rogers and adding a tablet would be an additional $10.00/month.

Must be nice. Last time I checked AT&T/Verizon, tethering, Mobile Hotspot and Tablet Data were all $20 with horribly limited data allowances. Just not worth it at all here.

[Blacklac]

Mobile Hotspot isn't available on BB's yet. Still waiting for that update, which was mentioned in a blog post today.

Im hoping there will be a way to hack it so its free like iOS and Android (jailbroken and rooted), but I doubt it.

[kojisan]

Perhaps I should ask this as well - can you tether a Blackberry to an Ipad?

[anon(1603170)]

Perhaps I should ask this as well - can you tether a Blackberry to an Ipad?

Not without jailbreaking, which is why the wifi hotspot is another expected feature on the newer blackberry smartphones that has not been delivered. Choice of using any tablet anywhere, not yet there.

[jthep]

The iPad2 with a dedicated 3G plan is clearly faster and has far less checkerboxing, but those models are more expensive from $700 to $900 dollars depending on how much memory it has and in addition $25 per month extra.

Or an extra $20 per month if you use the hotspot features to you iPhone or Android. If you "jailbreak" or "root" you can in theory circumvent the extra bills though. Also you could buy a WiFi only iPad2 and save $200-$400 depending on memory model over getting a 3G model.

WiFi Playbook with a Blackberry using Bridge, $500 plus only your Blackberry data plan bill which you were paying anyway. No extra fees and most things run really well with the exception of long videos. Don't try to stream a 2 hour movie on Bridge, but a shorter 10 minute Youtube video works fine.

So I would say go with either a WiFi only iPad2 with a "jailbroken" or "rooted" iPhone4 or newer Android phones unlocking the WiFi hotspot feature for free with no additional bills or just get a Playbook and bridge it to your Blackberry.

[papped]

I would rather pay tethering on my phone and be able to tether anything, rather than paying a dedicated fee for one device...

That said, I'll stick with bridging because it's free and offers some PB/BB interactions that tethering won't anyways.

[kojisan]

Great input folks. Thanks!
I think I will just go with the WiFi Ipad 2 and save the hassles and extra charges.
That is until the LTE PB comes out! (waiting . . . . waiting . . . . )

[Matador]

No tethering charges with Telus. I tether all the time and can you use my 6gb of data!

[Cozmik]

OP, if you are with Rogers and have a data plan of 1gb or higher tethering is free. Therefore a wifi only whatever would save you a lot of money, both onthe device purchase and the monthly fees. (btw, Rogers is offering 6gb for $30/month until Sept 30). Your wife already has a Torch so she is familiar with BB, that's a point for the PB. However you mentioned she's an 'app' person so that's a point for the iPad. The Torch/PB combo is EASY tethering/bridge web access. As has been mentioned, to access the web with a wifi only iPad you are looking at a Jailbreak plus some fiddling to get it to work.

I have an iPhone 4/iPad 2 combo. Love it. It works for me. The wifi hotspot feature on my iPhone makes web access easy for me. However my wife has a Torch and a PlayBook. She loves her combo. She wanted the 'full web' and a small form factor.

My best suggestion is to take her to Best Buy or Future Shop and have her play with both. Answer as many questions for her as you can and ask a lot as well. That's how we ended up with an iPad 2 and a PlayBook.

[CrackedBarry]

Yes, 3G browsing on an iPad is much faster than Playbook and Bridge.

Keep in mind, that the PB/Bridge speed is limited by being Bluetooth.

I don't really think you can go wrong with an iPad if you're looking to get her a tablet, but if I may suggest another alternative? A WiFi Android tablet and an Android phone. Using the phone as a hotspot for the tablet is easy and cheap/free, and if you get a 4G phone, you'll be browsing on the tablet at 4G speeds!

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[JR A]

I would go with a PB since she already has a BB.

It's much more cost effective and she'll have a familiar feeling with the two paired together. Paying for 3G data plan dedicated to ONE device (which is a SECONDARY device) is crazy considering how many places have wifi these days (and how many phones can be used as a hotspot).

I wouldn't worry much about speed since I've found most people are using wifi when they actually use data intensive stuff on their tablet, such as in their home or office, or even a friend's home/office. And Bridge works noticeably faster with OS7 devices (I assume she has an OS7 BB or can upgrade to one, or since she's a BB users she'll upgrade to a QNX device once they're released). Besides, if you're going to get a wifi iPad2, why not just get the PB? No dedicated 3G connectivity puts both of them on level playing field with that particular criterion...

Also, your wife likes apps but currently uses the BB. Then it would be my natural presumption that she is fine with the BB and its app offerings. What I don't understand is when someone says they want apps and I ask them, "Okay, what apps do you want?", they mainly just say, "I dunno..."


Don't worry if your wife isn't tech savy. If she can learn to navigate appworld, she can learn to initiate bridge. And when you factor in that you also have a PB, you guys would be able to communicate through the native video chat feature.

[symphara]

Great input folks. Thanks!
I think I will just go with the WiFi Ipad 2 and save the hassles and extra charges.
That is until the LTE PB comes out! (waiting . . . . waiting . . . . )

If speed is your primary concern then the iPad 2 is the right choice in my opinion. I have a 3G iPad and it's noticeably faster on 3G data compared to my BB/PB combo.

But the PB is by no means unusable while bridging. I personally couldn't justify paying an additional data service for the tablet when I have unlimited (subject to "reasonable use") data on the BB, so while I know how fast the iPad is having borrowed a SIM for a while, I use the PB/BB which is satisfactory.

Plus, I can actually take the PB with me when I go out without carrying a backpack, so I feel the 3G feature of the iPad is a bit of a moot point, since for me due to the size it's restricted to in-door use where I typically find a WiFi anyway.