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I’ve been trying to think why today’s announcement of the Apple iPad has left many (including myself) feeling slightly underwhelmed. After all, this is a radical new product from a company famed for innovation.

Apple iPad

Firstly, the device was the worst kept secret in Apple’s recent history. There has been so much speculation about the product that people were bored before it was even announced. Personally, I think Apple may have been better to pre-announce it back in September to benefit from the excitement and fervour that existed back then.

Secondly, as of right now, I realised – it’s just a big iPhone. There is very little it does that you couldn’t theoretically do on an iPhone. Sure there’s the iWork suite of Apps, but I can wait until I’m next in front of my full size computer to do those activities. Capitalising on the large number of iPhone Apps is a double-edged sword; it emphasises that there are lots of applications available for it at launch, but it also leaves the subconscious imprint that it’s just an iPhone – with a bigger screen. There’s little compulsion to splash out or lug around a non-pocket device.

However.

When the iPhone was launched, the App Store didn’t exist. The iPhone was just a phone with a funky interface and significantly less functionality than competitors. It evolved into a tremendous platform, in part because it had an outstanding design from scratch and a solid, long-term strategy behind it. What was built in from Day 1 was exquisite design and engineering that applications could build upon; a combination that results in an experience that’s much more than functionality – it’s, well, beautiful.

iPad games

This is where I think we are with iPad. It doesn’t do that much that is new, in fact it probably does less than an equivalent netbook. But this is just the beginning. What will follow, in my opinion, is the execution of a carefully crafted strategy resulting in new and innovative applications that are made possible – and beautiful – because of the deep and exquisite engineering that has gone into this first stage. Owners of iPhones love how they interact with it perhaps more than what they interact with it for, and that’s a difficult quality to convey without just playing with one. It’s only when you see a video of someone interacting with the iPad that you can begin to get a feel for why someone might desire to use one. Compare it to the experience of interacting with a netbook running Windows or Linux. The Apps that build upon this foundation will be new, innovative and beautiful.

What we saw with the iPad today was like the announcement of a new type of motorway in the sky. It has left many people asking “why” and “is that it?”, but just wait until you see the flying cars that will run on it in the future.

One downside I listed against iPhone was that it’s only available connected to O2. Given the choice, I would have connected with Vodafone for one, simple reason – data. As such, I came up with a solution for geting the best of both worlds, using my iPhone on O2 and Vodafone.

If you’d like to know more about the networks, read on. To cut to the “how-to”, skip to “Upton Mobile Hotspot”.

Why Vodafone?

iPhone works great on O2; it would just work better on Vodafone. iPhone, more than any other handset currently on the market, is about the network. It’s half way to being a cloud computing handset. So many applications expect the data network to be there – Shazam uploads samples of music, the Maps application downloads the latest maps rather than storing them locally, even the positioning is performed primarily from a combination of cell tower locations and an online database rather than GPS.

With data being so important to the handset, a good cellular data network is essential. From my experience, that means Vodafone.

Not all data networks are equal. There are many factors that determine how good a cellular data network is, but some of the main factors are:

1) Number of base stations
Quite obvious – the more  cell sites there are, the more likely you will have a strong signal.

2) Basestation hardware
Cell sites can have 2G hardware, giving you painfully slow GPRS/EDGE (<100 kbit/s), or 3G hardware giving you a faster 400 kbit/s wireless link.

3) Basestation software
A 3G site can be upgraded to HSDPA (3.5G), boosting wireless speeds from  400 kbit/s to 7 Mbit/s.

4) Backhaul connection
Your fast wireless link is only to the base station. Each station needs to be hooked up to the data network via wires or microwave link, and this is called the “backhaul”. It’s also expensive. You are sharing this connection with everyone in your cell, so if your network economises on the backhaul, your speed suffers.

From my experience, Vodafone have far more sites supporting full 3.5G, and equip those sites with sufficent backhaul speed to make their data network very noticeably superior. O2′s data network, while better than most, is certainly a long way behind Vodafone.

How about SIM-free?

Another option is to buy an imported, unlocked iPhone and use a Vodafone SIM. This is not without pitfalls however. Firstly, services such as Visual Voicemail require the network to support it. Also, PUSH notifications are becoming far more important since the release of OS 3.0. Apple’s PUSH technology requires support from the network operator and so it’s likely an iPhone on UK Vodafone may not work with PUSH features such as Email, Instant Messenger, and Find My Phone.

Upton Mobile Hotspot

So – iPhone on O2 and Vodafone. Here’s the trick.

JoikuSpot

My previous Nokia N95 is a fantastic, versatile device sporting both 3.5G and WiFi connectivity. An excellent piece of Symbian software (JoikuSpot) can provide a bridge between these two, turning the N95 into a virtual router – a Mobile Wifi Hotspot hooked up to the Internet over it’s 3.5G broadband connection. I have a Vodafone Datacard for use with my laptop, so I removed the data-only SIM to use in the N95. Voila – a pocket-sized Vodafone WiFi Hotspot.

When I enable the software, iPhone thinks it’s in range of a Wifi hotspot and silently uses it for its data connection instead of O2. This is particularly useful at Hursley, which has strong Vodafone 3G coverage but only 2G O2 coverage. Presto – iPhone using Vodafone’s data network. As an added bonus it’s still connected to O2, so PUSH notifications still come through, Visual Voicemail still works, etc.

There’s another bonus. Some iPhone Apps are deliberately crippled to use WiFi networks only. For example, Slingplayer detects if you are on 3G and refuses to stream (this was imposed by Apple because networks were worried about the load placed on their 3G networks if everyone started Slinging). However, my iPhone thinks it’s connected to a WiFi hotspot and so happily streams my Sky+ Slingbox from anywhere.

And still there’s more. This isn’t a Bluetooth (1 to 1) connection; this is a wifi hotspot. So my laptop can hook up at the same time as my iPhone – as can my girlfriend’s laptop. And your’s too if we’re in Starbucks and I give you the WEP key.

The solution isn’t perfect though. Firstly, it’s another device to carry. However I’m used to carrying the N95 and it’s pocket sized after all unlike some alternative solutions. Besides, it often just sits in my laptop bag rather than my pocket. Secondly, powering Wifi and 3G at the same time sure DRINKS battery – a full charge on the N95 lasts around 4 hours!However I have a tiny Nokia USB charger that can symbiotically sap power from my thinkpad’s battery in order to provide it with connectivity. Besides if I get fed up of carrying it, or the battery dies, it falls back to O2′s 3G network. Thirdly, there’s the extra cost of a data contract. I had one anyway for my laptop so I have no complaints here, but even so it’s only comparable to the absurd £15/mo O2 charge for “tethering” – Apple’s re-invention of using the phone’s data connection with your laptop.

Finally, I’m hoping this doesn’t affect my chances of having kids later – that N95 in my pocket sure gets hot!