12-02-2012, 08:05 PM | #1 | |
Grand Sorcerer
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FreedomPop and the Kindle
I googled a few articles on FreedomPop (www.freedompop.com) and can't understand how it fits with the way I mobileread.
Suppose Amazon ever pulls the plug on the 3G text web site internet I get with my Kindle Keyboard. Or suppose my wife, who has a WiFi only Kindle, wanted to use email, or read the latest www.twp.com news, from outside normal WiFi range. One would hope that we could then pay Freedompop a $99 deposit*, and $4.99 shipping, for a little WiFi transmitter, and I would be back in business anywhere there is FreedomPop service (apparently about a third of the US, with coverage area increasing). I went to the web site, put in my home address, and they said I live in a service area. However, when I went to the next step, putting in my Kindle's MAC address and clicking Validate, I got a "no device exists" message. Huh? How do they know that mistaken fact? Would they have said the same if I had a Kindle Fire? And how does one reconcile "no device exists" with this statement on the freedompop.com home page: Quote:
* Deposit price apparently goes on sale from time to time; this seems to be the list refundable deposit price. |
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12-02-2012, 09:16 PM | #2 |
Zealot
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Which FreedomPop device are you trying to get? And have you tried entering the MAC address for any other WiFi-enabled device? I didn't know that they asked for the MAC address of your device since they don't restrict how many devices you can connect to the FreedomPop device.
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12-02-2012, 10:08 PM | #3 | |
Grand Sorcerer
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None in particular. I was just trying to see what was available. You can't see that until some point after they accept your MAC.
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12-02-2012, 10:47 PM | #4 | ||
I'm Super Kindle-icious
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I believe they are asking for the MAC address of the wifi hotspot device you purchase from them.
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12-02-2012, 11:51 PM | #5 |
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Ok, yeah, it wants the MAC address of your existing device if you already own one, which you don't.
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12-03-2012, 09:15 AM | #6 |
eBookworm
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Interesting link. I don't understand how this works, and there is no info on their site: they offer a mobile hotspot for "free" that costs you a 99 " deposit", yet it does not say what you have to do to get the deposit back, if you get it back in full?
And how can this be free? Has anyone actually used this service? |
12-03-2012, 09:58 AM | #7 | |
Wizard
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Quote:
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12-03-2012, 12:32 PM | #8 | |
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Quote:
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12-03-2012, 12:42 PM | #9 |
Wizard
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^ Ok, I rephrase then. It does not sound like sustainable for long, especially offering free service.
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12-03-2012, 12:45 PM | #10 | |
Zealot
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Quote:
Last edited by AZImmortal; 12-03-2012 at 12:47 PM. |
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12-03-2012, 12:47 PM | #11 |
Addict
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My Freedompop device works fine with my Paperwhite. I would consider the paid plan once they move over to LTE but until then, I will keep my usage low enough to not trip the pay barrier, unless something unexpected like Sandy happens.
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12-03-2012, 01:13 PM | #12 |
eBookworm
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I guess what appears scamm-ish is the fact that they don't clearly state pricing and they overuse the word "free" a bit.
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12-03-2012, 08:14 PM | #13 | ||
Grand Sorcerer
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Quote:
Quote:
Free isn't a scam, but there's usually some work involved. What do you use it for, and how much data traffic does that generate? |
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12-03-2012, 09:17 PM | #14 |
Zealot
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This is exactly how I feel about it. It would be unreasonable to expect any company to simply provide a completely free service without at least a few catches (unless it's ad-supported, in which case the ads are the catch). They need to make money too, and these charges are easy enough to avoid and are spelled out in the terms of service.
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