Wi-Fi vs. prepaid 3G data dongles

Keeping data usage costs at bay Wireless Alert NetworkWorld.com | Wireless & Mobile Research Center | Update Your Profile Sponsored by Infoblox Take Control of Network TCO by Automating IPAM Growing networks are in a vicious circle of rising costs, increasing downtime, and rising staff stress. Join Enterprise Strategy Group's Jon Oltsik, for this information-packed webinar on how enterprises can reduce stress and operational expenses by automating IPAM, listen today. Spotlight Story Wi-Fi vs. prepaid 3G data dongles By Joanie Wexler There are some attractive emerging options for getting international mobile voice services with predictable, flat-fee pricing models, as discussed last week. Now, what about taming data usage fees? Read full story Joanie Wexler is an independent networking technology writer/editor in Silicon Valley. Related News: iPhone to get global flat-fee voice service A carrier-grade voice over Wi-Fi (Vo-Fi) application will soon be available at the Apple App Store for the iPhone, as well as for Apple's Wi-Fi-enabled iPod Touch portable media player. The availability of the application should remove the risk of unpredictable and often sky-high cellular usage and roaming charges for international travelers. Global iPhone usage poses economic risk I was talking to a telecom manager of a large U.S.-based multinational company recently who lamented the fact that worldwide data roaming charges are too steep and unpredictable to justify his business using the multimedia-centric iPhone as an enterprise device. Executives in his organization recently took some complimentary iPhone 3Gs overseas and returned to discover data-usage bills of $4,000 to $5,000 apiece. According to the telecom manager: "They had a cow!" Living in fear of usage charges The global voice and data roaming charges users incur when they travel internationally have long been a thorn in the side of multinational companies. Usage for data is particularly difficult to control for several reasons, one of which is that some of the usage gets sucked up by background housekeeping duties - such as regular automatic checks to weather, e-mail and other services. Even if there's no new data downloaded, these pings eat up some portion of the allotted kilobytes. iLife '09 already on torrents, but no reason to celebrate Pirated copies of the Appl'es new "lifestyle" software suite are already available, but blogger Yoni Heisler says this is not good news. Cisco in the home: Anonymous or poised for domination? Cisco seems to be making an elaborate multi-course meal out of making home networking easier. While we know some of the ingredients we’re still not quite sure what the final meal will become. Cisco Security Expert: Jamey Heary: Cisco updatest SSL VPN with performance boost, Windows Mobile support Cisco recently released a new version of its Anyconnect SSLVPN client that adds support for Windows Mobile 6.1, 6.0 and 5.0 touch-screen devices. Betting on SuperNAP In Las Vegas, data center takes power and cooling to the limit. Data gone missing 10 woeful tales involving backup tapes: some current, some classic and one just plain unusual. Sponsored by Infoblox Take Control of Network TCO by Automating IPAM Growing networks are in a vicious circle of rising costs, increasing downtime, and rising staff stress. Join Enterprise Strategy Group's Jon Oltsik, for this information-packed webinar on how enterprises can reduce stress and operational expenses by automating IPAM, listen today. 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