All these small boxes are so called mobile routers. I usually carry one or two of them in my bag so I can connect to the Internet and do my work in a cafe, train seat or anywhere I like. Thanks to these small devices, I have acquired freedom of working location, but it's not perfect yet. Why do I have so many boxes? The reason is very stupid. Not one of them fully satisfies my requirements. My requirements are very simple; to connect to the Internet for hours with enough speed from anywhere. From left to right, each device is called the Bmobile, Emobile and WiMAX. The Bmobile has the biggest service area, but its speed is restricted up to 300KB which is not enough for receiving movie, voice and large images. It costs about 3,000 yen per month, but it's free if I never use it entire month. So, I use it only when I have to connect to the Internet from a very remote area or a basement room. It's like an emergency box for me. The WiMAX is the latest product in my collections. Its speed is wonderful if once connected, however, it's rather hard to find a spot within in its range even in Tokyo. It costs 600 yen per 24 hours and is charged only when I use it. The Emobile has the intermediate speed and coverage. Its speed is barely enough for watching YouTube and it worked very well in Kushiro. One problem is that its battery capacity is too small. I can't use it continuously more than three hours without power cable. It costs from 1,400 yen to 5,000 yen which depends on how much data was transferred in a month. For now, I'm mainly using the Emobile, but I will change it whenever a better service is provided. I wish the iPhone can be used as a mobile router in the near future. Technically, the iPhone already has such function but it's restricted by the cellphone carrier in Japan. From an ordinary consumer's point of view, the situation of mobile data service in Japan is annoying because great technology is blocked by legal restrictions and carrier companies' ego.
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