Nexus 4 on T-Mo Prepaid

Well it looks like my affair with FreedomPop and their Overdrive Pro hotspot is coming to an end. I received my Nexus 4 last night and the data speeds feel a ton faster than what I was getting through FreedomPop. In the Minneapolis suburbs the WiMax coverage is pretty lousy, so I was on Sprint 3G most of the time. Now when I see the little "H" above the signal bars on my N4, I know it's going to be quick.

Apparently Google made a change that locks out the LTE hack on the N4, but I'm so accustomed to the crappy speeds of WiMax and Sprint 3G that HSPA feels really fast. I haven't tried to stream video yet, though a friend of mine does it on his N4 on T-Mo and it works great for him. I'll have to watch some YouTube next time I hit the treadmill. [Update, video streaming works fine when the "H" is displayed.]

I turned on data tethering so my N4 is sharing with my Nexus 7 tablet. Hopefully T-Mobile can't see that since they are both Android devices. I'm using the $30/month prepaid plan that does not include tethering (which is an extra $15/month).

I plan to downgrade my FreedomPop account to get only the free 500 Mb of data per month. The Overdrive Pro hotspot could still be useful on occasion for my tablet. It will be good to have as a backup in case I want access to Sprint's WiMax or just have a dead battery on the N4, or if I need to use it for my laptop. I'm pretty sure I'd get busted if I tether the N4 to my Windows laptop.

I feel like I've spent a lot of money on gadgets recently. $45 for the hotspot, $180 for the tablet, and after tax and shipping the new phone was almost $400. Actually when you add another $10 for the T-Mobile SIM card, is was just over $400. The phone will pay for itself in 10 months because I'm saving $40 per month, if not more. I guess the tablet is just frivolous spending, but there is no buyer's remorse because I really like it!

FreedomPop's "Freedom Phone" is still intriguing. Whenever it comes out I will consider getting that service. If it is compatible with the Nexus 4 and it's cheaper than $30/month, then I might switch. The great thing about my current setup is that I'm not held to a contract. The bad thing is that T-Mobile could change their offerings and get rid of my $30 plan. But either way, I love having options.