Price/ Fees:  

Laptop Computers

For purposes of this review, the term Laptop Computer refers to a number of portable computer. For details of these devices, check out our reviews of Laptops, Gaming Laptops and Netbooks.

Verizon Wireless’ Mobile Broadband costs $59.99 per month for 5GB of data service. That puts it right in line with the competition. While this is the plan that most users are likely to choose, VZW offers a couple of options that could be a better deal for very light of occasional users. There’s a tiny 50MB plan for $39.99 monthly and also a DayPass for $9.99. These plans should only be considered if you’re sure won’t exceed the data limits because overage charges add up very quickly. Still, it’s nice to have the options and other carriers don’t offer them.

If you’re considering the purchase of a portable computer for use with Mobile Broadband services, we think you’ll find our objective reviews of Laptop Computers, Netbooks, and Gaming Laptops to be indispensible.

To know which plan is right for you, you have to have some idea of how much data is involved in typical web usage. As a reference point, 1024 KB equal 1MB and 1024MB equal 1GB. These are some illustrative examples of data content:

• Single page email without attachments 3KB
• Five pages of text using Microsoft Word 70KB
• Accessing a web page with moderate amount of graphics 150KB
• Sending a 20 page PowerPoint presentation with minimal graphics 500KB
• Downloading a 3 minute song 2 – 4MB

Verizon Wireless allows for a couple of online activities that could specifically be viewed as terms of service violations with other carriers. Specifically, they permit uploading, downloading and streaming of audio, video and games, and absolutely remarkable, VZW permits Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephony. For more information on this money saving potential, visit our VoIP Services Review site, and most notably the entry for Skype.

PC Cards, AirCards, and Wireless Modems available from Verizon Wireless range in price from $29.99 to $129.99 with a 2-year service contract. The provider charges $35.00 for service activation. There is also a $175.00 fee for terminating service before the contracts end but that is reduced by $5 for each month of service completed.

Over 5GB Warning

The reason that we spend so much time talking about the 5GB limit which applies to almost all companies’ Mobile Broadband plans is because charges for going over the limit are outrageous. In the case of Verizon Wireless, data usage beyond 5GB costs $0.25 per MB. Not too bad, you say? It’s just a quarter. But at that rate, 1GB costs $256. That’s right…$60 for the first 5GB and $256 for the sixth. As bad as that is, it compares very favorably to AT&T which will gouge you $503.31 for that same gigabyte. On the other hand, it’s horrible compared to Sprint which charges a relatively reasonable $51.20.

Smartphones

Pricing for wireless broadband on Verizon Wireless is in line with the competing providers. The plan is $29.99 monthly and is, like other providers, unlimited. If you choose to have data service on your device without a voice plan, the fee is $5 more. Text messaging is charged separately with the ability to pay for messages individually or in $5 increments up to $20 for 5,000 text and multimedia messages.

In addition to using smartphones for mobile broadband independently, many of the devices, including BlackBerries, can be used as a tethered modem for a computer, essentially replacing the data card for connection. Verizon Wireless offers a free download of software that is easy to use for this purpose. There is, however, a $15 monthly charge in addition to the data plan for the smartphone. Also, when used as a tethered modem, you run into the same 5GB limit and enormous overage charges that are imposed with data cards.

Wi-Fi

Verizon Wireless includes unlimited data access via Wi-Fi connection where available. You can use it with wireless home and office Local Area Networks (LAN) or at Wi-Fi hotspots. Wi-Fi connections are notably faster than mobile broadband speeds, regardless of the network. An additional benefit is that you don’t eat into the 5GB data limit so it’s a great way to prevent overages.

Network Speed:  

The claims about which broadband network is fastest can be pretty confusing. Because the speeds are stated in ranges of speeds, there’s a lot of overlap. Verizon Wireless’ data network, like Sprint’s and Alltel’s, operate using the EVDO (Evolution Data Only) architecture. On paper, the three carriers share the same typical and maximum download and upload speeds. AT&T’s 3G network, again on paper, is a bit faster.

Real world tests over that past year have given mixed results with AT&T, Sprint, and VZW all winning under particular circumstances. Analyzing the results gives an edge to AT&T with Sprint a close second and Verizon Wireless an equally close third. It’s safe to say that all of the services are very fast compared to ancient dial-up internet connections but only run about half as fast as a DSL broadband connection.