Since my mom moved back to our hometown four hours away (from South Carolina, half a day away) almost two years ago, we’ve been somewhat frequently traveling back and forth to visit. The problem with those visits is that I can barely get anything done! Once we’re there, we are visiting with family – but there are a total of eight hours idle time where we are on the road in between here and there which would be ideal to get some work done. In my line of business (web design) I depend on internet access which obviously isn’t available on the road unless you want a two year contract and a $60 per month bill – not very cost effective for someone who travels about 4-6 times per year. Thankfully, Virgin Mobile heard my cries and came to the rescue!
Recently, I had the opportunity to review the Broadband2Go wireless internet device from Virgin Mobile. The device is nearly as small as most flash drives and also acts as a flash drive (using a microSD card). I popped the memory card that I use in my camera into the device and plugged it into my laptop. Sure enough, a screen came up asking me if I wanted to copy the media on the card to my hard drive. This is a great feature for people who don’t have a memory card slot in their computer and can’t find the cord to connect their camera or don’t have an SD adapter card. Since the Broadband2Go is a USB plug and play device, it’s an excellent universal medium to transfer anything from a microSD card to your computer.
As you can see in the photo, the device is about 3 inches long and comes with a neckstrap sporting the Virgin Mobile logo that features a snap-away release switch so that you can disconnect the device from the strap to use it. This makes your Broadband2Go handy and always available… just snap it back on the strap when you’re done! Activation is quick, easy, and painless. When you plug it up to your computer, it installs the software necessary for it to run and guides you through the setup and activation processes. You simply enter your information, add money to your account, and apply funds toward the package of your choice. That’s it. You’re online in a flash! No more wasted trips home for me – I can work from the comfort of the passenger seat in our Suburban the whole way down I-20 :)
I can’t say that the Broadband2Go service is as fast as my cable internet which I have wirelessly routed throughout my home, but it certainly is sufficient when nothing else is available. To be fair, I must also mention that I am subscribed to the highest tier of internet available through my provider which is 10MBPS so it’s hard to top that. Virgin Mobile is one of the prepaid services under the Sprint Network so it boasts of 3G internet speed where 3G internet speed is available (which isn’t anywhere around here – but then again, nothing is).
The main two things I love about the Broadband2Go device are it’s price (the device sells for around a hundred bucks – even cheaper if you purchase it in Walmart) and the fact that it’s flexible (there is NO annual contract – not even a monthly contract)! With Virgin Mobile’s Broadband2Go service, just like any pay-as-you-go service, you only pay for it when you need it. For $10 a month, you can get 100MB of data transfer which amounts to about 5 hours of internet access. The only thing I would suggest about the service terms is to change the $60 package expiration period from 30 days to 90 days. Then, it would be perfect :) Here’s a breakdown of their service lengths, prices, and other details:
Purchase your own Broadband2Go device on Virgin Mobile USA‘s website for only $79.99 (for a limited time). In an on-the-go world, there’s nothing more beautiful than convenience that you only have to pay for when you need it. NOTE: Virgin Mobile’s Broadband2Go service currently ONLY works in the United States.
DISCLAIMER:
Virgin Mobile, USA provided me with one Broadband2Go device in exchange for my honest review of the product and one Broadband2Go device to give away to one of my readers. The opinions and views herein are 100% my own and are uninfluenced by anything other that personal experience.
This is cool..