It's been about two months since I started using the AT&T version iPad mini Retina display. By building almost the same environment as the Verizon version "iPad Retina display Wi-Fi + Cellular model (iPad 4)" purchased last year, it has become possible to always carry it around, including when going out or on business trips.
When traveling in Japan or on a business trip, I mainly use NTT Docomo's line (LTE) with the SIM card of IIJmio's "mio high-speed mobile / D" or public wireless LAN service, and occasionally test. At the same time, I sometimes try to connect with a smartphone tethering or a mobile Wi-Fi router.
For overseas, I am thinking of choosing the usage environment considering the period and cost. For example, I spent a short time in Singapore, which I mentioned in a recent article, and I could use my smartphone for basic purposes such as making calls and emails while traveling, checking maps and web pages, and posting to SNS. When I wanted to use the mini Retina display, I used smartphone tethering and then just connected to Wi-Fi in hotels and airport lounges. By the way, there are many unencrypted and open Wi-Fi environments such as hotels, but "VPN Express" (iTunes Store) is still being used today. Also, a similar VPN service is provided by Symantec under the name of "Norton Hotspot Privacy", but so far it is not provided by the Japanese corporation.
"AIS" counter in the general area of Suvarnabhumi Airport, Thailand. There is also a counter for the Thai mobile phone operator "dtac" right next to it. This time I purchased a plan that allows data communication up to 1GB for 299 baht (about 1000 yen) for 7 days. There was also a nano SIM card in stock. There is also a plan for smartphones that allows voice calls at exactly the same price
On the other hand, the AT&T version iPad mini Retina display is SIM-free, so naturally, you may purchase and use a prepaid SIM card at your travel destination. For example, when I went to Bangkok, Thailand in February, I purchased a prepaid SIM card from a local mobile phone operator called AIS. Thailand is a place where prepaid SIM cards are very easy to purchase and cost-effective, and can be purchased immediately at each company's counter outside the arrival lobby of the airport. If it is a major model such as the iPad, the settings will be done immediately in front of you with the Japanese display (although you can just enter a simple character string into the APN ...). When you arrive at the airport, you can purchase a SIM card and start using it immediately, so you can fill the time lag of news and SNS during the flight while you are on the bus to the city.
These prepaid SIM cards have a fixed amount of data communication and a period of time that can be used for a certain fee. For example, "Up to ○ MB in ○ days". In the case of many prepaid SIM cards, in order to know how much you have used and the balance, you send an SMS to a specific phone number, and the result is sent back by SMS from each mobile phone operator. We are hiring. However, if you have a model that does not support SMS, such as the iPad, you will have to devise a little trick, such as inserting a prepaid SIM card into your smartphone or registering on the web page of each mobile phone operator. In many cases it is not possible.
However, thanks to the spread of smartphones and tablets, mobile phone operators are increasingly providing apps for the iOS and Android platforms in addition to these SMS-based confirmation services. For example, AIS in Thailand, which I used this time, provides an app called "AIS eService", which I was able to use to check the amount of data communication used during my stay and to check the balance.
However, what you need to be careful about is the language, when you download the app and start it, unfamiliar Thai characters are displayed. At first, I had no idea what it was, but when I tried various menus, the [TH] button displayed Thai, and when I pressed that button, the display changed to [EN] and switched to English. I found out. Come to think of it, more than ten years ago, when I went to Germany with the editor-in-chief of this magazine, the screen of the prepaid mobile phone I bought there was written in German. There was a time when I was looking for "Sprache" which means ", but compared to those days, it's a lot easier.
When you start the app, suddenly Thai language …. I understand numbers and letters, but what else is there... The gear icon on the left menu is the setting screen, so if you press the [TH] button there, it will switch to English. The notation such as the expiration date was also displayed correctlyThese apps for prepaid SIM cards are provided not only by Thailand but also by mobile phone operators in various countries and regions. The system using SMS is convenient, but it is more visual and easy to understand because you can check the balance and expiration date just by launching the app. Not only for iPad, when you purchase a prepaid SIM card in various places, it may be a good idea to enter the mobile phone operator name in each app store such as App Store or Google Play and search for a dedicated app. yeah.
In Japan, anti-government demonstrations and the declaration of a state of emergency in Bangkok have been sensationalized, but only a part of the main street in the city center has been blocked and rallies are being held. Including the locals, the shops are as usual, and there are many stalls on the blocked streets that were open, and if anything, it's a fair, or rather, a festival-like atmosphere. There are police officers and security guards at key points, so you can walk around town without worrying about anything.