Verizon really does want to differentiate itself from the pack, doesn’t it? Aside from getting sued for allegedly comparing its 3G network coverage and allowing free GPS navigation on a smartphone, it’s treading where Sprint has decided not to walk — smartphone tethering. The Motorola Droid will indeed support Internet tethering, Sascha Segan at Gearlog reports, allowing customers to use their Android handset as a 3G modem. Sascha expects this to be a $15 monthly fee, which sounds about right based on Verizon’s current offerings. The Broadband Access Connect plan should hit the Droid in early 2010.

About four years ago, I used a phone as a wireless broadband modem all day long. It worked perfectly well over USB or over Bluetooth. But I was in a relatively fixed location, and I had access to an electrical outlet for my computer, which in turn charged my phone over USB. These days, the only times my mobile devices see outlets is overnight, so I’m not so sure I’d rely on phone tethering for all of my 3G needs. For occasional use it would work just fine for me. And I do have Internet tethering on my iPhone as a backup, which really saved the day once before. I’m curious — would you consider using the Droid or another tethered phone for a primary 3G connection?

On the current MobileTechRoundup podcast Kevin, Matt and I discussed the physical keyboard, or lack thereof, on Android phones. We pointed out that keyboards (or the desired lack of one) are a personal choice, and everyone has a different opinion. So how about it? Does a smartphone need a hardware keyboard before you’ll consider adding it to your belt holster? Or maybe your smartphone better not have one at all? Take a moment to answer today’s poll — it will be interesting to see what everyone thinks.

It’s no secret that my netbooks have all had MOSPD, or what I call Multiple Operating System Personality Disorder. From the very first netbook, my ASUS Eee PC 701, to my current Toshiba NB205, all of my devices have changed operating systems at various times. Making matters worse is that some were dual-booting — that’s the current setup for my Toshiba: Windows XP on one partition and the final, release version of Windows 7 on another. Then there was the Mac OS X “hackint0sh” experiment, various Ubuntu builds, some Moblin betas, Linpus Lite… you name it, the list goes on.

The point is, netbooks are great little machines for experimenting with operating systems. Sure, you can use any machine for these activities, but the devices — and their prices —  are relatively trivial by comparison and that can lend a more reckless experimental attitude when it comes to operating systems. At least, for me it does.

Matthew Dillon has a nice summary of netbook operating system choices today at Gotta Be Mobile and after reading it, I got to wondering what you folks are running on your netbooks. Our polls don’t allow for multiple choices, so if you have a multi-boot system, choose the OS that you use the most. And if you have multiple netbooks, base your response on your primary netbook. These days, I’m using Windows 7 far more than XP on my device. Even more now that the gigantic trackpad has proper drivers! For the poll, it’s not possible to list out oodles of Linux distros, so I’m lumping them all together for now — don’t hesitate to be specific with your distro in a comment. Perhaps we’ll chat about which distro is best suited for mobile devices in the future!

I am constantly analyzing the way I use mobile technology, and as a result, I often change the way I do things. I am in the fortunate position where I get exposed to lots of technology and that exposure keeps me looking at how I use it. A recent survey of mobile phone users disclosed that many in the U.S. who own Bluetooth headsets don’t use them. It pointed out that while 43% of them used the headsets previously, only 26% of them use them currently. That’s a significant drop in usage, and in a group of people who already own a headset.

This got me thinking about my own headset usage. I get to try lots of cool Bluetooth headsets and I probably own three or four of them. There was a time when I used a Bluetooth headset every day — in fact it was a common sight to see me with one in my ear even around the house. I never left the home without one.

That changed at some point recently, and I didn’t even realize it happened. I rarely use a headset these days; In fact I can’t remember the last time I put one in my ear. It wasn’t a conscious decision, I just stopped using them. This realization surprised me quite a bit. I was a big believer in the technology and the benefits of using a headset, yet I stopped using them. To tell you the truth I haven’t missed it at all. If I had not run across this survey that made me think about it I wouldn’t even be writing about this.

So how about you? Do you use a headset? This poll is strictly driven by my own curiosity about Bluetooth headsets and how others view them. If you want to respond to the poll, great. Otherwise it’s no big deal. I’m just trying to figure out if I’m alone in my lack of headset usage.

Doesn’t it figure that days after I became a Remember The Milk Pro user, Google graduates Tasks out of beta? Now my wallet is $25 lighter, but I think I’m more productive. The only part I’m debating is if I made the right move. Oh well — even if it cost me $25, Remember The Milk Pro along with the iPhone app with support for pushing task reminders seems to be working. I also noticed that the iPhone web interface works better on my Palm Pre than the standard mobile view. Try http://i.rememberthemilk.com instead of http://m.rememberthemilk.com and you’ll see a huge difference.

Maybe I didn’t give Google’s Tasks a close enough look, but my solution is definitely working for me. Ultimately, that’s what the best task management system needs to do — work for you. I often get asked what task tool I use, so now it’s right back at you. What are you using? I’ve tried various solutions: OmniFocus, Things, RTM, Hiveminder, Google, and various GTD plugins. I really wanted something that was mostly platform independent and could easily be used on the web. How about you?

Hacking or jail-breaking a smartphone has been around for as long as smartphones have existed, and as we recently discussed, there is an active community participating. Our poll a few days ago showed how strongly our readership feels about the ability to hack a phone: Over 800 folks responded in the first day. Here are the results of the poll, which has now been closed.

We should first point out that our readership is a technically savvy bunch for the most part, and this no doubt impacted the results of this poll. Most newbies shy away from doing things like jailbreaking a phone simply because they are intimidated by the process, but not so our readers. The results of the poll bring to light how smartphone owners definitely feel that they own the phone, not the OEM or the carrier.

Read on to see the results.

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Yesterday, the Windows Experience Blog put together a checklist of considerations when buying a netbook. There are some good basics points in there, but there’s a wee bit of Windows-nudging as well. Hey, it’s a Microsoft blog, so that’s to be expected. The first bit asks “Is it easy to use?” and this particular tidbit caught my eye:

“Are you using this as a companion to your primary desktop or laptop PC? If so, then you’ll want it to have the same interface and experience as your primary machine so you can seamlessly move back and forth without any confusion or hassle and easily transfer and share files between your computers.”

That’s definitely a valid question, although having the same interface and experience isn’t a requirement in my book. For many consumers it does make things seem easier. To me the bigger question is: Will your netbook be a true companion to another computer or is it your primary device? This gave me pause and it really got me thinking about how people are using netbooks with their other computers. More specifically: How are folks managing the data between multiple computers? Put your netbook on the same network as your other computers and you can easily transfer files and data. But are folks really doing that?

The obvious alternative is to use some type of online cloud storage or synchronization tool for data access. That’s what I do, although it’s not an ideal solution for everyone. It requires web connectivity on an as-needed basis and also some heavy faith in third-party services. I have both, so I’m good. But what about you?

I’ve set up a poll to see how you’re using a netbook with data on other computers, but don’t hesitate to elaborate in the comments, too.

OK, at this point I think we know just about all we’re going to know about the Palm Pre. Well, at least until we get them in our hot little hands starting on June 6, that is. While I was disappointed to see the apparent 3G tethering function pulled a few months ago, I’m pretty much set for a purchase. I’ll keep this one simple, with just a yes or no: Are you planning to buy a Palm Pre? I’m curious about this one since back in February, 39 percent of respondents weren’t likely to make the switch to Sprint for the new handset.

Drop a note in the comments, and tell us if this is replacing or complementing other handsets you have. It’s a complement for me as I’ll be keeping my iPhone for the moment.

The ASUS Eee PC 1008HA netbook is hitting local shores this summer for $429, according to Engadget. I like the slim-looking device, and it offers just about everything a solid netbook should: 1.66GHz Intel Atom, 160GB hard drive, webcam, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR, and a nice keyboard with a properly sized and placed right-Shift key. I’m not sold on the battery scenario, though.

ASUS opted for an integrated, non-user replaceable power pack, much like Apple did with the MacBook Air. The difference between the two, however, is vast: The Air runs for around three hours on a single charge, while ASUS claims their Super Hybrid Engine should net you double that with the 1008HA. Six hours ought to be enough for a netbook used as a companion device. But I personally can’t get past this from a mobility standpoint. There are times when I do work on the run all day long, sometimes for more than six hours. For that reason, I nearly always purchase a spare battery for my devices. I can’t do that with the 1008HA, so as much as I like the design and specifications, I simply can’t pull the trigger. For folks that do indeed use a netbook as a companion and/or don’t rely on for more than five or six hours at a time, the newest ASUS netbook is well worth the look. How about it? Does the battery situation have any impact on your potential purchase?

Since Om divorced his iPhone and AT&T’s service in general, he’s wondering if there are others in the same support group. I personally think that AT&T’s service issues (or any carrier’s really) are more dependent on your location and less so on the device you use. Om proved that very point when mentioning that a BlackBerry device exhibited the same challenges on AT&T’s network: is it any wonder he’s using a BlackBerry Curve 8900 on T-Mobile now?

There’s something to be said for a phone’s internal design and signal strength, but my iPhone shows “more bars in more places” more often than Om’s did. Case in point: I used a gallon of gas last week just to find a two-bar signal on my iPhone to test a signal booster. That’s because I don’t live or work in an area that’s oversaturated by iPhones and AT&T customers. Still, I can see why Om broke up with the device: if it’s not working for him, why should he agonize with it on a daily basis?

Anyway, Om’s running a little poll on the main GigaOm site that I’ve also embedded here after the break. He’s wondering how satisfied folks are using an iPhone on AT&T’s network. Me? I’m pretty happy, but I don’t live or work in a major metropolitan area so there are fewer handsets competing for service. Last I checked, the cows by me hadn’t even signed up for Twitter yet.

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