Since it seems like most everyone has a cell phone these days, the need for payphones has predictably plummeted. So, what are we going to do with all of those sad-looking payphone kiosks now that no one is using them? New York City has a pretty excellent idea: turn them into free Wi-Fi hotspots.
Walmart and TruConnect have announced that they have teamed up to offer prepaid Internet on the go using a MiFi 2200 wireless hotspot. The new plan is called Internet on the Go and will be prepaid with no contract required. The service will be sold exclusively at Walmart stores.
Most wireless carriers are doing all they can to cut back on data use or charge customers more. Karma has a different way of doing things with its 4G mobile hotspots. You get free data on your account for sharing your 4G access with other people. Karma gives 100 MB of free 4G data to everyone.
Sierra Wireless has revealed the first triple-mode LTE, WiMAX and 3G mobile hotspot, the 4G LTE Tri-Fi, set to hit the Now Network later this month. Promising up to eight hours of active battery life and sharing for up to eight devices over WiFi b/g/n connections, the 4G LTE Tri-Fi Hotspot also has a microSD card slot for working as a portable NAS using DLNA for easy access.
Verizon has announced new prepaid plans that will let users avoid being bound to a two-year contract. The new prepaid plans will kick off tomorrow, May 1, starting with an offer that includes unlimited talk and text along with 1GB of data for $80 per month. It will initially be available only for one device, the Samsung Illusion, but other devices will likely follow.
Verizon announced today that it will be launching a new 4G LTE mobile hotspot on April 12. The device is called the Verizon Jetpack 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot MiFi 4620L and will be available through Verizon's website and stores as well as through Best Buy for $49.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and a new two-year service agreement.
When testing out the new iPad's battery life, AnandTech discovered that the device could actually achieve 25.3 hours on a single charge when used as a personal hotspot with the power-hungry Retina display turned off. This is about 5 times longer than the LTE MiFi hotspots from Novatel and Samsung. The Verizon LTE iPad model, however, is the only one at the moment that has this feature enabled.
The GSMA and Wireless Broadband Alliance announced today a new partnership in order to simplify smartphone connectivity to wireless hotspots. Right now, there are so many different providers offering their own hotspots that getting on to them individually can be a pain, requiring multiple login credentials. The GSMA and WBA’s hope is to standardize on a universal login.
Nokia's Lumia Windows Phone handsets will soon be updated to support tethering, according to the FAQ section of the Nokia Connects website. This means that a Nokia Lumia phone can act as a mobile WiFi hotspot through which your other devices can connect to the internet. Although the new feature is confirmed, Nokia has yet to reveal when that update might arrive.
Verizon has confirmed that its 4G LTE network will support the new iPad's Personal Hotspot feature at launch. This means that Verizon's customers will be able to use the iPad as a mobile hotspot to which other devices can connect to access its LTE network. Both Verizon and AT&T will be getting the device on March 16, but AT&T will not be enabling the mobile hotspot feature.
Up in Canada folks across the nation will be getting one whole heck of a lot faster with Rogers upgraded LTE speeds via a couple of fancy new pieces of hardware. First you'll find the Sierra Wireless 4G LTE Rocket stick, then the mobile hotspot as well will keep you well on your toes in the very near future. These devices will be the first in the Canadian wilderness to be running on both 1700/2100MHz and the 2600MHz LTE spectrum bands.
If, like me, you have a Nintendo 3DS just collecting dust, there's a new push to take your handheld device out into the world and gain access to exclusive content. There are 29,000 so-called "Nintendo Zone" locations throughout the US and Canada. These special hotspots give dedicated content to anyone who pulls out their 3DS, ranging from videos to mini-games. These Zones haven't gotten much traction, but Nintendo hopes they will now that they've evoked the magic word: Pokemon.