I have to say the best thing so far about the new iPad on Verizon is the mobile hotspot feature, which is included for FREE as part of their normal tablet data plans. Data use from both your tablet and from mobile hotspot comes out of the same GB pool, which is typically $30 for 2GB (and as low as $20gb for 1gb), with no contract.

I had been spending $50/mo for 5GB on a dedicated Verizon 4G LTE mobile hotspot (the Samsung Jetpack model) on a 2-year contract. I and many others have had numerous problems with this device. It is slow to power up and connect to the network, and sometimes won’t even connect at all or drop the connection after just a few minutes. I also never used anywhere near the 5gb/mo (or even 2gb for that matter), but there is no cheaper plan for the dedicated hotspots.

So when I first heard the new iPad would have mobile hotspot I was initially quite annoyed at being stuck under contract for the Jetpack. Then I realized I might be able to simply “switch the device” on my contract over to the new iPad. Low and behold it worked! I was able to do it entirely online via the Verizon Wireless website. And it let me select the 2gb for $30/mo plan, saving $240/year! Over 2 years, that pays for a good chunk of the cost of the new iPad…

I tested the new iPad as a hotspot with two other iPads simultaneously connected streaming Netflix for a few minutes while also surfing Safari on the new iPad itself - all worked seamlessly. 4G connects instantly and performance is fast: using the hotspot feels no different than Wifi on Cable/DSL. You can tether via Bluetooth and USB as well, something you can’t do with Jetpack.

Better yet, if you know you are going to use 4G service on your iPad every month anyway, I recommend actually signing the 2-year contract under certain circumstances (like mine). You will then be eligible for a “new every two” discounted phone upgrade for that “line of service” as well. Verizon lets you purchase a discounted phone if you have an upgrade available on any line of service. I have my main voice line (iPhone) and my second hotspot (now iPad) line renewal dates staggered by about a year, so now I’ll be able to get each new iPhone at the discounted price every year! This is $400 in additional savings (or the privilege of not having to wait 2 years between new iPhones, depending on how you look at it).

Kudos to Verizon for supporting all of this. By contrast, it’s amazing and disappointing that AT&T won’t be supporting the hotspot feature at all on their iPads. Given a) Verizon’s far superior 4G LTE coverage b) similar pricing, and c) since Verizon iPads will work identically to the AT&T ones overseas, I can’t see any reason to go with AT&T: definitely go Verizon on your 4G iPad.

And if you have a 4G LTE MiFi or Jetpack: switching the device on your contract to the new iPad could save you money, with even better and more reliable performance.

Saw this Fidelity ad on the New York Times homepage with lead-in of “It takes 35 gallons of water to make one cup of coffee.”  OK, enough for me to read on.  Found their spin interesting: we’re thinking about these things so you can take advantage and profit through your investments. :-)

Gotta love Chinese restaurants!

Enjoyed our BBQ w/ @eekim for @DavidChiu for #SFMayor Impressed w/ his vision re: tech, families, diversity

Hmm, I guess this isn’t gluten-free.

Wow, this is sweet

A friend of ours recently asked for our recommendations on diapers.  Figured I’d share our answer for posterity…

“As for diapers, I think it can often depend on the baby’s shape in terms of fit.  Pampers underwent some changes recently with their new “Dry Max” chemically stuff that a lot of people don’t like.  However, Pampers Swaddlers Sensitive (which still DO NOT have Dry Max) were our favorite for Sizes N, 1, 2.  Super soft and convenient wetness indicator on the outside.  However, once your get to Size 3+ even the Swaddlers Sensitive use Dry Max (and lose the wetness indicator). 

So at Size 3 we tested a whole new round of diapers.  Ultimately we went with the Earth’s Best diapers and have been using them since (now on Size 4).  However, close second were Huggies Pure & Natural (though they are pretty expensive).  It was more about the fit at that point, esp. since the baby is crawling, walking, and generally moving around by that point.

But for nighttime, we highly, highly recommend Huggies Overnites, which start at Size 3.  They last all night, and probably contribute to Serena still being able to sleep a straight 12 hours through the night.  I think a normal diaper would get overwhelmed (which did happen when I accidentally used the wrong one).

Anyway, there you have our wisdom on diapers!  Probably more to add when she gets to potty training and pull-ups stage.”

Pictured above:  The Pizza Romana at Tony’s Pizza Napoletana in North Beach.  Each third of the pizza has a different topping combo.  This was:  a) proscuitto, arugula, pamigiano, b) white cream sauce, chopped garlic, meatballs, c) gorgonzola, dates & pecans, apples, honey & nutella.

We love Gialina in Glen Park but Tony’s may be our new favorite pizza place in SF based on number of recent visits.  Award-winning Margherita is a must-order; he’s imported all the same ingredients (and oven!) that he used to win the World Pizza Cup.

The place has five (!) different pizza ovens:

• 900 Degree Wood Fired Oven for Napoletana and California styles
• 550 Degree NY Flat Top Gas Brick Oven for Classic American and Sicilianstyles
• 650 Degree Domed Gas Brick Oven for Classic Italian style
• 700 Degree Italian Electric Brick Oven for Romana style
• 1000 Degree Coal Fired Oven for Coal-fired pizzas

By now, we’ve compared and contrasted pizzas from all the various styles, and differences you might not ordinarily notice are readily apparent when compared head-to-head.  You can start to taste the differences from wood vs. gas as well as the different types of flour used.

One more thing to recommend about Tony’s: the Meatball Gigante, with the mushroom sauce.  It’s quite frankly the best meatball we’ve had in the US (it’s just really hard to beat Umbria where they can use wild boar, venison, rabbit, and other game in their meatballs though).

Only downside:  Tony’s award-winning success and exposure on Food Network means the place is a lot more crowded than when it opened, and now he’s also going to be opening a place in NYC…  Happy for him, but there’s the eternal scale vs. quality debate, which is a topic for another day.

Japanese take on macarons @ Mitsuwa Marketplace in San Jose