Monday, October 29, 2012
Remember FreedomPop and that “free†4G data they started pushing earlier this year? A lot of buzz has been generated since March, and now the company has announced an accessory for your 4th-gen iPod Touch [1] . It’s called the Freedom Sleeve Rocket, and boy is it ugly. But even so, the $99 gadget makes up for one of the only detractions from the iPod Touchâ€"lack of a data connection.
We gave you some of the details on FreedomPop back when they unveiled their device for the iPhone 4/4S, and it looks like the available plans for the Freedom Sleeve Rocket and iPod Touch follow a similar model… $99 gets you the case, and from that point forward you get 500MB of free 4G data at absolutely no charge. As FreedomPop is so excited to tell usâ€"“No contracts, no commitments, no hidden fees.â€
Currently, the Freedom Sleeve Rocket case only supports the 4th generation iPod Touch. But by the end November, a case for the 5th gen iPod Touch and the iPhone 5 should be available. As an alternative to this ugly case, users can also choose a My-Fi style device called Freedom Spot â€" Photon [2] . With a dimension of 2.6 by 2.6 by .5 inches and weighs only 2.1 ounces, it’s small enough to carry around in your pocket. You can order the Freedom Spot- Photon or the iPod Touch case at Freedom Pop’s home page [3] .
So how do they plan to make money? Well, 500MB isn’t a lot, and FreedomPop is apparently banking on users requiring more data than that once they get a taste of the pure, unadulterated FREEDOM… If you stick with the free monthly plan, going over 500MB will cause you $0.02/MB ($20 per 1GB). The “Casual†plan costs $18 a month and comes with 2GB, with additional MBs priced at 1-cent each ($10 per 1GB). Finally, there is the “Premiere†package, coming with 4GB for $29 a month, and additional data on top of that priced the same as “Casual.â€
It’s a lot of numbers to consider, but it probably doesn’t matter since won’t pretty much everyone go with the free 500MB plan? We’re not sure how viable this business model is for FreedomPop, and yes, they could have done better with the design of the iPod Touch case, but we’re not looking to find fault in the offer of free 4G data, as well as an innovative way to get it on your device.
ÂToday's Best Free Apps
Do you know that dozens of highly rated paid apps briefly go free every week? Discover the best of daily free apps on our Best Free Apps page.
Subscribe to Us
Click below to subscribe to our RSS, Twitter, or Facebook feed and get more cool iPhone and iPad news. Get the info on the day's best free apps. Don't miss out!
Links
- ^ an accessory for your 4th-gen iPod Touch (www.freedompop.com)
- ^ Freedom Spot â€" Photon (www.pcmag.com)
- ^ home page (www.freedompop.com)
- ^ -- Subscribe to our Reader (feedproxy.google.com)
No comments:
Post a Comment