Going mobile on the cheap
When you proclaim something is FREE in all caps in an ad, I'll admit it, you've got my attention. But then you read the fine print and notice that free is anything but. Far from it. Sound familiar?
Case in point are those ads proclaiming you can get one of those broadband wireless USB laptop adapters that basically serve as a portable modem for free. Wireless adapters from Verizon and AT&T, for example, are free this week at Best Buy. But that hinges on signing a two-year agreement that requires a monthly access charge. (The amount is conspicuously absent from the ad, but they generally run in the $50 to $60/month range.)
Here's what I would love to see: a pay-as-you go adapter for those of us who don't need to use it 24-7. I don't want to be burdened with any kind of contracts, thank you very much. Just the ability to pop it into my laptop say during a long road trip when I'm a passenger and would like to kill time on the Web.
But I can't justify spending more than $700 a year for that luxury. I'm sure many feel the same way. So maybe the reason we haven't seen it yet is because the business model to make it profitable is still a work in progress, not that companies don't think it would sell.
