Sorry Jon, you have a valid point that what is clear to one isn't always clear to another.
I'll try to answer you now.
Droid: this refers to any phone running the
Google Android system.
There are three major players in the smart phone arena, Droid by Google, Iphone by Apple, and the starter of the trend Blackberry (aka Crackberry
) All have rabid supporters, all are good, choose the one you prefer. Iphone is currently only offered by ATT.
Tethering is connecting your phone to your computer by either a cable or bluetooth (wireless device system).
This option saves you money. For example, I tether my Droid and use
PDANet (app) to use my phone's unlimited data allowance. If I were to use an aircard, Verizon limits me to 5g and tells me to
BOHICA if I go over. By tethering, I don't have to worry about exceeding my data plan, and also don't have to pay the extra $70 per month for the aircard service.
A router is a way to share you Internet connection. Fuzzy and I used to connect the aircard to a Cradlepoint router to have a private wifi network in our coach. When we bought the Droids, we dropped the aircard and now each do straight tethering to our computers.
An aircard can either plug into the designated slot on your computer, or if it plugs into your USB port it is also called a dongle.
As for service, when we are in a 3G area, we can watch
streaming video with no problems. Hence how we were exceeding our data plan.
Ok, did this help?
Cheers, Sherry