Worst case, as someone mentioned in that thread, you could get a FreedomPop wifi hotspot for $50-$60 that includes 500MB/month of free usage.
I bought a Samsung Chromebook a year ago so I can't remember what the exact price difference was between the wifi and the 3G model, but I feel like wifi model + hotspot would about be a wash vs the 3G model.
A warning about FreedomPop: They'll charge you for the next package of bandwidth when you hit 400MB (supposedly so "You'll never run out of data", more likely so "We'll never run out of cash!") You can't set it to turn off when 500MB is hit.
They also used to charge an "inactivity fee" if you used less than a certain minimum amount of data in a month, even if you were supposedly on the free plan. That wouldn't be so bad, except that the only mention of it is buried in the middle of a 5,000 word document that isn't even directly linked at any point in the signup process: https://www.freedompop.com/service_plan_terms.htm
It looks like they abandoned the inactivity fee in June 2013, but even so, it left me with a very negative impression of the company.
Wow, FreedomPop has a terrible site. No coverage map, overly SEO coverage list, everything tries to get you into the funnel rather than giving you helpful info.
Tell me about it! I couldn't find how much the service honestly costs because they don't you!
Pro 500MB Data Plan Trial - FREE
Freedom Spot Overdrive Pro (Refurbed) - $59.99
1 GB of Bonus Data ($20 Value) - FREE
Shipping - $6.99
Due Today - $66.98
First Month Service - $0.00
All I want to know is how much are you going to charge me on a recurring monthly basis? This feels scammy to me... is this a dark pattern?
UPDATE: I finally found were the monthly prices were/are found (they used strike-through on the monthly price on the plan selection page and wrote in larger font behind it 100% FREE Trial)... They're hurting themselves by making it difficult to find.
They also hide on the FreedomPop Premier page that after the first month those "free" ($20 value mind you) offerings cost you $9.99 each month after the first one. They make the "Continue" button huge and the "I don't want free stuff" continue link much smaller.
I would definitely say there are Dark Patterns in use by FreedomPop. Caveat Emptor.
Both Karma and FreedomPop run on the same Sprint network. However, that's a big issue since it only uses WiMax which never really saw much coverage penetration. In addition, Sprint is ditching that entire network for LTE.
Karma is apparently preparing to launch a new hotspot which runs on the new LTE network and I would suggest waiting for that device.
Seems there's a lot of hate for FreedomPop, but they aren't as bad as it seems. The way I see it is, you get what you pay for. I've been using them since 2012 and they've never overcharged me or ripped me off. Yes, they use to charge you for inactivity, but they no longer do that. If anything, I was always able to resolve any issues with a quick email. They've even given me credits on occasion. To date, I must have only paid them $20-$30, strictly relying on the free MBs from referrals. They aren't perfect, but for the price I'm paying (nothing), I'll happily deal with some issues on occasion.
I bought a Samsung Chromebook a year ago so I can't remember what the exact price difference was between the wifi and the 3G model, but I feel like wifi model + hotspot would about be a wash vs the 3G model.