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I have no idea why I felt like writing that as an old-timey newspaper headline, but I did. Anyway, people who know me know that I’m a huge tech nerd. I love having all the latest gadgets, and tend to spend whatever money I have on them. One thing I don’t spend money on though, is a data plan from my cell phone company. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love my cellphone company and have been with them for nearly a decade, but I see no reason in paying for a constant data connection. That’s where NetZero comes in with their 4G mobile internet to save the day. 

I like being connected when I’m on the go, but cell phone companies always force you to sign a lengthy contract that locks you into a $50 per-month (and upward) data plan. I have a smartphone, and I’ve been relegated to buying them at full price and only using wi-fi in my home and work, until now. NetZero’s little device (about the size of a small deck of cards) creates a wi-fi signal that is password protected, so multiple devices can be connected at the same time. That means I get all the functionality of having a data connection AND a wireless network without being locked into a contract with my cellphone provider. I love it.

Sure, it means carrying around a small device, but the added security of a password-protected network and not being locked into a contract is what sells me on the device. Much like the cell phone providers, you can choose how much data you think you’ll need. You pay for the device, pick your data allotment, and then you’re ready to go; you can cancel at any time. Any device that connects to a wireless network will connect to this, so it’s really seamless and does a lot more than a cell phone data plan. You can even get 200mb of data per month for free! There’s no reason not to try this out, I think it trumps a lengthy cell phone contract any day!