I'll ask this again, re access.

Forums: Consumer Electronics, Smartphones, Wifi Access
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I know my questioning is lame. But to the extent that I get all this, I see that a smart phone does me no good near my home. All the stuff on the rest of this post, useless. Could you confirm that?

http://able2know.org/topic/165879-5#post-4458729
If anyone has the patience to give me a clue, I'd be grateful.

I have a landline phone with a dsl modem/connection. This costs me an arm and a leg, approximating seventy dollars a month for the phone and dsl combo.
The phone charges are the largest part of that.
I have a mac desktop with an airport card.
I have no wireless hot spots near me and expect there won't be any time soon. Or maybe I don't understand how far away they can be...
I have a sprint cell phone with a low pay contract (about $13.00 a month)
A link butrflynet gave me to a local wifi/dsl/dial up firm shows to get my own wifi (if a tower available, which I'm assuming) would be be 395.00 plus $60. a month, for the slower capability.
So, if I sprung for my own wifi, and activated my airport card (whatever that takes) I'd save approx. $10. a month. Ugh, not enough.

So, if I got a somewhat smart phone - through, say Sprint -
http://now.sprint.com/nownetwork/mifiProductPage.html?ECID=SEM:Google:R:Sprint:Mobile:Broadband, if I could, not clear.
I'm confused what all this means re features described like this (see below for reference):

The one shown immediately on that site is currently not supported in my zip code, but many other phones that are free with contract are supported in my zip code - or so it seems. (87120 is the zip)

What I want is to be able to connect to the internet - to web browse and post on, say, a2k, with qwerty, and email. I probably would want mobile hot spot available (not clear on that) - but sounds like it.
No interest in camera, music, gps system, voice activated dialing, bluetooth.

If I read these descriptions right, I'm still out of luck with one of these phones because of no nearby free mobile hot spot.
I fibbed a bit, the local library (to me fairly far) is a possibility as it is listed as a free hot spot -
Does that mean I need to use their computers for however short a time, or does it mean that I could use my own smart phone near the library?
If I can use that wifi, how close to the library must I be?
If I can use it, is that 24/7 or only in library hours?

Just for reference re the terms I was mentioning -
Sprint 3G/4G USB U600
Access to 4G speeds that are up to 10x faster than 3G
Dual-mode 3G/4G device, access to dependable 3G speeds and accelerated 4G speeds where available
3G speeds where available
GPS Navigation enabled
Web browsing capable
Email capable (no apparent keyboard)

LG Remarq™
Slide-out QWERTY keyboard
Music capable
Web browsing capable
Email capable
Camera
Bluetooth® Wireless

SCP-2700 by SANYO®
GPS Navigation enabled
Web browsing capable
Email capable
Camera
Bluetooth® Wireless
Voice activated dialing

Overdrive™ 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot by Sierra Wireless
Access to 4G speeds that are up to 10x faster than 3G
Dual-mode 3G/4G device, access to dependable 3G speeds and accelerated 4G speeds where available
3G speeds where available
Mobile hotspot
GPS Navigation enabled
Web browsing capable
(This one's not free but I add it to show the "Mobile hotspot" bit.

Samsung Epic™ 4G
Access to 4G speeds that are up to 10x faster than 3G
Dual-mode 3G/4G device, access to dependable 3G speeds and accelerated 4G speeds where available
Dual cameras
1 GHz processor
Mobile Hotspot capable
3G speeds where availab

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I picked up some groceries at the Brooks market we both shop at occasionally and noticed that the new doughnut shop that has opened up in the same parking area has a sign in their window advertising free wi-fi there.

I bet you can sip coffee and munch on doughnuts while surfing all day there.

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@Butrflynet,

Thanks, Butrflynet. That is closer than all the other places I found that I might be apt to drive to anyway (around Albertson's and the next patch of buildings up. Walkable (for me, for now) in some weather. Dagnabbit, I wish they'd build some small charming village center at the corner of St. Joseph's and Unser.. (I think St. Joseph's owns that, not sure).

On the larger question that started the thread, I was still not clear - I know this seems dumb - that getting, say, a blackberry (or whatever, including Iphone or Ipad) to replace my computer still wouldn't do me any good while sitting in my house unless I subscribed to a personal wifi service, which is actually larger than my dsl bill. I get that now.

I have to plan ahead. When I moved here I didn't know I'd have driving and mobility issues. Those are quite a bit allayed now, but I am trying to look at all sorts of options for the future.

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@ossobuco,

So, you're looking to pay less than 70 bucks a month for broadband internet service?

Your best bet is to look into cable broadband internet. See what Comcast offers. Cable broadband internet is generally cheaper than DSL, and it's faster too.

Try the link below:
https://www.comcast.com/Localization/Localize.cspx?Referer=%2fshop%2fbuyflow%2fdefault.ashx%3farea%3d6%26SourcePage%3dInternet

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@InfraBlue,

I'm considering the not entirely distant possibility that I won't be able to afford either comcast or dsl, and that I could get along with another device, some smart phone, for example, and wifi, but didn't understand wifi and my access to it. That just because one of those smartphones I listed can use free wifi doesn't mean I have it.

My dsl is down to 24.99, but there are all the other charges that come with the phone bill, which is inherent with having the dsl.
If I ditch the phone and get wifi, keeping only my low end cellphone bill, my bill to use the internet would only go down from 70 to 60, and I don't trust that 60 to be just 60. (I'm not counting the $13. for my wee cell phone, which I'm paying anyway).

I looked at comcast before, from a link from Butrflynet, and didn't see it as much better, but I'll check again. Thanks for the link, Infy Blue. (Your new nickname, don't mean to offend)

It is possible that I could talk up a neighbor into letting me pay them for using their wifi (another whole thread question there on how people arrange that), if I could find a neighbor with wifi. (Thus the question of how close is close enough to their wifi? I've no clue on that). And then of course there would be the discomfort of owing a neighbor money, which might sticky up a relationship. I probably don't want to do that. A free tower a block away would be nice.

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I'll ask this again, re access.

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