Hotspot

Google has snapped up ICOA Inc., a WiFi and wired broadband hotspot specialist providing internet access at airports and other public locations, in what could be another play to bypass traditional carriers. The deal, worth $400m, sees Google acquire more than 1,500 hotspot points across 45 US states, in addition to existing partnerships with other providers including Boingo Wireless and iPass.

Update: Sources close to the situation now tell us that, in fact, the acquisition did not go ahead, and that has been confirmed by ICOA's chairman. It's unclear why the press release was published, and there's no official comment from Google at this time.

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The Olympic Games kick off in London in just a few days, and while O2 and Virgin have covered the high and low ground throughout London, the organization behind the games doesn’t want any pesky hotspots infiltrating the stadium. The Olympic Committee has a long list of exactly what is prohibited from being taken into Olympic venues, and now that includes “wireless access points” and “3G hubs.”

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In many cities, phone booths are relatively rare. In my area, all the phone booths were removed years ago thanks the popularity of mobile phones. There's still a huge amount of phone booths in New York City and New York City is committed to ensuring that those roughly 12,000 phone booths don't become relics. The city is set to turn those phone booths into free Wi-Fi hotspots.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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