The Verdict

Which one of these makes the most sense depends on your needs. At $630 for the 4G iPad compared with only $99 for the NetZero 4G Hotspot, NetZero is clearly a cheaper solution.

NetZero also has better battery life than the Verizon device, allows you to connect more devices simultaneously than the iPad or the Jetpack, and provides 200MB of data for free (at least for awhile). It also has the advantage of offering smaller, cheaper data plans for sharing so you're not required to spend $50 for 5GB if you don't really need it.

However, if you're buying the new iPad anyway, that changes the math some. If you plan to buy a new Apple iPad, and you're just trying to decide between Wi-Fi only or 4G, then you're only talking about an additional $130 investment which puts it much closer to the cost of the NetZero device.

The $50 a month you have to spend for a data plan to use the iPad as a Wi-Fi hotspot is higher than some of the smaller data plans at NetZero, but think about that for a second. You're trying to connect multiple devices to share a blazing 4G connection--how long do you think it will take to burn through 500MB or 1GB? What happens when you're in the middle of important business and you exceed your NetZero data plan, and your service just stops?