Sprint have announced two 4G Mobile Broadband Routers, aimed at personal and business users, for both WiMAX and EVDO Rev.A connectivity. The Sprint Personal Hotspot PHS300S supports up to four simultaneous WiFi connections, while the Cradlepoint MBR-1000 Broadband Router supports up to 32; each rely on one of the carrier’s USB modems for their 3G/4G connection.
UK carrier 3 have become one of the first to sign up with Huawei’s E583X mobile 3G WiFi router,the company’s rival device to Novatel Wireless’ MiFi. Capable of acting both as an individual 3G USB dongle and a WiFi router, sharing the 3G signal among several wireless clients, the 3 Mobile WiFi will reach stores by Christmas 2009.
Official support for tethering is still one feature conspicuous by its absence from the Palm Pre’s abilities, and the last we heard Palm were cautioning tweakers not to unofficially enable it lest Sprint get upset. If, though, the promise of sharing all that EVDO Rev.A goodness is just too good to miss, and you fancy some MiFi-style WiFi hotspot action, then homebrew app My Tether is the answer.
Video demo after the cut
Apple have quietly added a new 2TB Time Capsule to their line-up, three months after the backup device refresh was tipped. As with the existing 1TB model, the 2TB Time Capsule acts as both a WiFi draft-n router with simultaneous dual-band support and as a backup facility that works with OS X Leopard’s automated Time Machine app.
Standalone Twitter displays aren’t anything new, but we’re particularly enamored of David Nichols’ Tweetster. Whether it’s the open-air aesthetic, the laser-cut wooden parts or the fact that it reminds us of a flashing, Twitter-blurting sleigh, we don’t know, but we’ve the OpenWRT project and an ASUS Wireless Router WL-520-GU to thank for the functionality.
You’d be forgiven for mistaking the D-Link DIR-685 Xtreme N Storage Router for a cheap digital photo frame, at least from just glancing at it. Dominated by a 3.2-inch LCD display, and lacking obvious giveaways such as external antennas, it’s a stylish way to upgrade to draft-n WiFi. There’s also plenty of interest inside, with an internal hard-drive bay and surprising file-sharing flexibility. Have D-Link forgotten their connectivity basics, however, in the rush to fill the spec-sheet? SlashGear set to finding out.
Routers are seldom the most interesting thing to look at in the tech world, but all that could change if the FutureRouters Route O’Clock concept ever reaches production. Intended to easily convey periods of free-flowing or lumpen bandwidth, it uses historical information to suggest when might be good times for online gaming or downloads.
Video demo after the cut
As hugely convergent devices go, D-Link’s DIR-685 Xtreme N Storage Router could be best of breed. Announced at CES in January, the DIR-685 not only offers WiFi draft-n support and four gigabit ethernet ports, but a 3.5-inch display with multimedia widgets, dual USB 2.0 ports for sharing printers and external drives, and an internal 2.5-inch HDD bay for turning it into a NAS. Overkill or network overlord? OhGizmo! took a look, and while the DIR-685 is expensive it’s also just as capable as you’d hope.
D-Link have announced new CAPTCHA security for selected models in their router range, promising more resilience against DNS-altering malware and spyware. The new firmware – which is also available to upgrade on existing models – adds the familiar distorted letters and numbers to common router settings pages.
Verizon have officially launched their own personal internet gateway, the MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot. First tipped back in March, the Verizon MiFi 2200 is based on Novatel’s MiFi device and packs an EVDO Rev.A 3G connection into a battery powered WiFi b/g router. That means users can share the mobile broadband hook-up with up to five WiFi devices at the same time.
Video overview of the MiFi after the cut
SlashGear Japan
