Airport Extreme with Verizon FIOS modem

After arriving in Washington on Tuesday I found my hosts' wifi network to be rather unreliable. They have the fast Verizon FIOS system which comes with its own wifi router. However, because of reception problems they had recently added a booster unit. Unfortunately this booster had a separate address and it was necessary to switch wifi networks when moving around the house.

I suggested an Apple Airport Extreme in conjunction with the four Airport Express units that had been used solely for music streaming.

This proved to be a sensible and very easy solution. We plugged an Ethernet cable from the Verizon modem into the new Extreme and disabled the wifi on the existing modem/router. The Extreme set itself up in bridge mode and we were in business within half an hour.

The motley collection of Expresses took a bit longer; three needed firmware updates, which were performed automatically, but all four were soon connected and performing well.

Following these modest changes we had a transformed network with a strong signal throughout the house and seamless moving from one location to the other.

We had some concerns that the Extreme would not pair easily with the unusual FIOS modem but they proved to be groundless.

T-Mobile: Welcome back after seven months

Last October I related how I had found a good deal from T-Mobile when visiting San Francisco. I paid $50 for unlimited wifi, US calls and texts for a month. I was staying in the USA only one week, but it was still a good deal. I didn't expect to use the SIM card again, but stored it away for a rainy day. Then, last week, I received a "welcome back" email with instructions to insert the SIM card and I would enjoy two weeks' free wifi, calls and texts.

As I was about to fly to Washington, DC, this couldn't have come at a better time. On arrival at Dulles Airport I stuck the SIM in my iPhone and was instantly hooked up to T-Mobile. The internet service is the relatively slow Edge or 2G (the E on the phone) but it's good enough for emails and modest browsing. Especially when it's free.

I couldn't resist calling in to a local T-Mobile store to get them to check the status of the account. The assistant consulted the computer and insisted I had topped up my card on May 23. This I hadn't done, and T-Mobile do not have any credit card details on file. So I conclude that the company paid the top-up as a sweetener for my return. I now have free service for the duration of my visit. Can't be bad. 

The only snag is that, for the most part, T-Mobile does not offer 3G speeds. That's why it isn't the most popular service in the US. But for occasional visitors, it's a good deal.

Post-traumatic life expectancy of phone vendors

Whither BlackBerry after the latest downturn in profits? Horace Dediu of Asymco sees a clear trend, and he's seen it before. His analysis makes for interesting reading.

iPad cannibalisation of Mac sales could be a good thing

Our own experience and strong anecdotal evidence points to the conclusion that iPads are cannibalising Mac sales. Confirmation comes in an article in AppleInsider relating how a leading analyst, Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray believes that some switch of sales from Macs to iPads is unavoidable. Apple is not worried. In January, Tim Cook said, "if this is cannibalisation, it feels pretty good."

With Apple's current domination of the tablet market, it is clear that the iPad is cannibalising the PC market to a much greater extent and this is one of the reasons Cook is sanguine. This is a win-win situation for Apple because every sale of an iPad to a non-Mac user adds to the already strong halo effect. Most of these iPads are bought as an addition to a laptop or desktop computer, rather than as a replacement.  And a successful experience with the iPad will persuade many to defect to Macs when they decide to buy a new PC.

Cuckoo meets the Pebble in another watch Kickstart

If you missed out on the Kickstarter subscription for the über-successful Pebble watch? Here’s a chance to stake your claim for a similar e-ink smart watch called the Cuckoo which also links to your iPhone. The pledge is $80 (plus $15 international shipping) which is $35 below the Pebble.