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Unfinished Windows 7 feature exploited for virtual WiFi hotspots

by Donald Melanson posted Nov 2nd 2009 at 2:19AM

It wasn't all that long ago that Microsoft was talking up the Virtual WiFi feature developed by Microsoft Research and set for inclusion in Windows 7, but something got lost along the road to release day, and the functionality never officially made it into the OS. As you might expect with anything as big and complicated as an operating system though, some of that code did make it into the final release, and there was apparently enough of it for the folks at Nomadio to exploit into a full fledged feature. That's now become Connectify, a free application from the company that effectively turns any Windows 7 computer into a virtual WiFi hotspot -- letting you, for instance, wirelessly tether a number of devices to your laptop at location where only an Ethernet jack is available, or even tether a number of laptops together at a coffee shop that chargers for WiFi. Intrigued? Hit up the link below to grab the beta.

[Via PC World]

Novatel announces new phase of MiFi Developer Program, Eye-Fi gets a mention

by Darren Murph posted Oct 6th 2009 at 9:03PM

We already know that you love your MiFi -- after all, who wouldn't be into a mobile hotspot that can easily slide into your rear pocket? But are you ready to adore it even more? Novatel Wireless has just announced the second phase of its MiFi Developer Program, which seeks to bring all sorts of apps and added functionality to an already heralded device. As the story goes, the dev program provides a set of APIs and tech support to those interested in expanding the abilities of the MiFi, and while the possibilities are obviously limitless (or close to it), we're already hearing of a Nomadesk inclusion that will provide a web UI to access cloud storage when online via the MiFi. Then there's also the Eye-Fi mention, which seems to let you upload photos from your SD card to your hotspot even when a 3G tower is nowhere to be found; once the MiFi gets back in range, it handles the uploading from there. Strangely, we're seeing reports that all this fanciness won't work with Sprint or Verizon's MiFi, though Novatel's own release says nothing of the sort. Whatever the case, guard your heart here just in case the allegations are true.

[Via jkOnTheRun]

Barnes & Noble switches to free WiFi, just the thing for your e-book reader

by Donald Melanson posted Jul 28th 2009 at 6:44PM

Barnes & Noble and AT&T already went ahead and offered free WiFi to iPhone users (and everyone else, albeit inadvertently) last year, and it's now finally gone and given up on those pesky subscription fees altogether. As the pair of companies jointly announced today, that new and welcome change is now already in place at all Barnes & Noble stores in the US that offer WiFi, and the bookstore is not-at-all-coincidentally taking advantage of the opportunity to promote its recently launched eBookstore, to say nothing of its forthcoming e-book reader. Last we heard, they still have actual books and stuff there, too.

UK ATMs set to offer WiFi access, free for BT and iPhone users

by Vladislav Savov posted Jun 27th 2009 at 4:13PM

BT Broadband customers and O2 iPhone owners, rejoice -- some 2,500 ATM machines near you will soon be converted to serve as free WiFi hotspots, courtesy of BT Openzone and Cashbox, perhaps the most mismatched pair of commercial metaphors ever put together. The initial rollout starts with 10 machines this week and numbers are expected to steadily increase. Non-BT users and iPhone heretics wanting to join in the fun will have to shell out £5.88 ($10) for 90 minutes or a more reasonable £9.79 ($16) for 24 hours.

[Via Tech Digest]

Autonet Mobile in-car WiFi router goes national with Amazon availability

by Darren Murph posted Jun 23rd 2009 at 9:31AM

So, what does a company do when the two major outfits hired on to install its wares go belly-up? Why, put the power in the hands of the people, of course! After spending entirely too much time with Chrysler and General Motors, Autonet Mobile has decided to give consumers another option for having an in-car WiFi router installed: Amazon. Starting now, those interested in shoving a hotspot in their vehicle can purchase the router for $299.99 after rebate and handle the install themselves, but none of this makes that $29 monthly charge any easier to swallow.

AT&T's free hotspot access finally useful with auto-connection in iPhone OS 3.0

by Chris Ziegler posted Jun 17th 2009 at 6:31PM

Back in the stone age -- iPhone OS 2.x, that is -- men wrestled wild boar to the ground with their bare hands, wore Members Only jackets, and connected to AT&T hotspots using an archaic, ridiculous process involving text messages, websites, and prayer. One previously unpublicized feature of the just-released OS 3.0, though, changes all that: connecting to your rightful WiFi coverage is now a seamless, no-brainer experience, which magically and very suddenly makes AT&T's hotspots useful. If we had to guess, these guys are looking for every reasonable way to get iPhones from the 3G network over to WiFi as often as possible, and this should certainly help. Follow the break to see exactly what it means to have an iPhone in close proximity to a Starbucks, in case you're curious.

Continue reading AT&T's free hotspot access finally useful with auto-connection in iPhone OS 3.0

Video: Novatel Wireless' GSM MiFi 2352 launches on Telefonica Espana

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Jun 16th 2009 at 12:43PM

Remember that Novatel MiFi 2352 we got our hands on a few months back? Well, it looks like it got a little makeover just in time for yesterday's launch on Telefonica Espana. While we're digging the look of the thing, it's what's going on under the hood that really piqued our interest: Adding to the usual WiFi connectivity and encryption, this guy sports two processors, a separate Linux OS and additional flash RAM for hosting and running third party apps accessible to its WiFi clients. If anything, this suggests that Novatel has "big plans for the platform," as SlashGear notes. While available apps are currently limited to Alcatel-Lucent's Nonstop Laptop Guardian (a user admin package for enterprise users) we're looking forward to seeing what the company and its partners cook up in the future. Now that we've got that out of the way, let's commence with the unboxing. Shall we? Video's after the break.

Continue reading Video: Novatel Wireless' GSM MiFi 2352 launches on Telefonica Espana

Novatel's MiFi 2200 portable EV-DO router comes to Sprint

by Darren Murph posted May 13th 2009 at 1:09PM

What one CDMA carrier can do, another can do better, right? Eh, not quite, but they can stare each other down holding the exact same weapon, just daring each other to make the next move. Just a week after Verizon Wireless launched the MiFi 2200 portable EV-DO router, Sprint has decided to offer up the exact same product for use on its network. The battery-powered box, engineered by Novatel Wireless, enables users to connect up to five WiFi-enabled devices to Sprint's EV-DO Rev. A network, and it'll be marketed in stores as the Sprint Mobile Hotspot. According to the carrier, its unit will be the first in the US to support MiFi's GPS capabilities, allowing users to take advantage of select location and mapping applications. It should be noted, however, that Sprint's service plans differ quite significantly from those offered up by VZW. The up front cost is the same at $99 after a $50 mail-in rebate (on a two-year agreement), though the only two options for getting it connected are as follows:

$59.99 per month mobile broadband only plan (excluding taxes and surcharges)
$149.99 per month Simply Everything Plan + Mobile Broadband (phone plus device connectivity -- excluding taxes and surcharges)
Both plans include up to 5 GB per month and 5 cents per megabyte overage for the MiFi 2200. [Ugh, disgusting.]
Available in early June.

[Via phoneArena]

Continue reading Novatel's MiFi 2200 portable EV-DO router comes to Sprint

Verizon debuts MiFi 2200 portable EV-DO router

by Paul Miller posted May 6th 2009 at 6:40PM

It was hardly a secret 'round these parts, but Verizon Wireless is finally ready to confess to that MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot we've heard so much about. Like the Novatel unit it's based on, the device harbors 802.11b/g and EV-DO Rev. A radios, and can share a 3G Verizon connection with up to five different WiFi devices simultaneously. Battery life is pegged at four hours of active use, and 40 hours of standby on a single charge. Data plans include a $40 monthly subscription for 250MB and 10 cents per MB overages, or $60 for 5GB and half the overages price. If you want to forgo the subscription and pay full-price for the MiFi, you can pick up a 24 hour "DayPass" for $15 -- any way you slice it, you'll be paying good money for the privilege of using the thing. The MiFi 2200 itself hits stores May 17th, and will run you $100 after a $50 rebate.

Proxicast's Cell-PAK: it's a portable 3G / WiFi hotspot, but rugged

by Darren Murph posted May 3rd 2009 at 7:57PM

If you've been toying with the idea of buying a bulletproof shell for your CradlePoint portable hotspot, we're guessing that Proxicast's Cell-PAK is an entirely better option. Said box, which is described as a rugged, self-powered 3G + WiFi wireless hotspot in a box, was designed to provide "mission-critical wireless communications" in the jungle, on the battlefield or in your backyard. Aside from having its very own battery pack for completely untethered access, the device comes encased in an impact and water-resistant MIL-spec rated chassis, and we're told that it can accept "any 3G modem from any cellular carrier worldwide." We're talking over a dozen hours of wireless access from anywhere that you can retrieve signal, and there's even an external high-gain antenna to help with that. Now, if only that $1,295 price weren't so gigantic...

[Via Coolest-Gadgets]

Gallery: Proxicast's Cell-PAK: it's a portable 3G / WiFi hotspot, but rugged

NTT Communications bringing WiFi to Japanese bullet trains in 2009

by Darren Murph posted Dec 19th 2008 at 10:01AM

Remember that Type N700 train that became Japan's fastest in mid-2007? Yeah, well it's about to get a lot more fun to ride. Starting next year, passengers on the ultra-quick bullet trains will be able to hit up their favorite blogs and banter about aimlessly via email / IM at 270 kilometers per hour (that's 167 miles per hour for you Yanks). The service will reportedly be an extension of NTT Communications' HotSpot service, and we're told that download speeds should reach around 2Mbps. As for cost, the fees will be at the usual HotSpot rate, which runs from ¥500 ($5.73) per day to ¥1,680 ($19.25) per month, or in other words, rates you'll totally pay to stay connected on the brisk runs from Osaka to Tokyo.

Novatel MiFi proves "3G hotspot" and "sexy" can coexist

by Chris Ziegler posted Dec 9th 2008 at 8:00AM

Our EV-DO ExpressCards are looking a whole lot frumpier (and less functional) today now that Novatel's shown off this hot little metallic number, the "MiFi" mobile 3G hotspot for getting high-speed data to you and your closest friends on the go. Routing your choice of EV-DO Rev. A or HSPA over WiFi, the slab is about as wide and long as a credit card -- goodness -- and features an internal battery that'll allegedly be good for four hours of use or forty hours of standby on one charge. The MiFi is scheduled to blast off in the first half of 2009 for roughly $200 through carriers and retail channels, which means we can finally look forward to ditching our N78 with Joikuspot and a couple hundred dollars worth of spare batteries.

La Fonera 2.0 emerges for developers, encourages USB-related shenanigans

by Darren Murph posted Oct 11th 2008 at 5:02PM

La Fonera fans, it's finally time to celebrate. Iteration 2.0, which is fittingly dubbed the Liberator, is at long last ready for shipment... to developers, at least. The La Fonera 2.0 box will certainly look familiar to owners of the first, with just 1,000 of these being prepped for consumers in France, Germany and Spain. The intention here is for devs to start toying around and "programming their own applications for other Foneros out there." More specifically, the creators are hoping that more USB functionality will be worked in so we'll eventually have Fonera WiFi boxes that play nice with USB hard drives, printers, scanners, webcams and all manners of cooling devices. It's available now (for a limited time, obviously) for €39.95 ($53) if you're up to the challenge. Oh, and if you design an application sweet enough for the Fonera 2.0, you'll be reimbursed the purchase price -- not bad, eh?

[Via WiFi Romania]

T-Mobile, AT&T & Starbucks reach new agreement over WiFi switchover

by Joshua Fruhlinger posted Jun 11th 2008 at 3:42PM

Just when we thought things were kosher between Starbucks, T-Mobile, and AT&T over the Wi-Fi switchover, it turns out that T-Mobile isn't so happy with how the deal is playing out. They claimed Starbucks secretly colluded with AT&T to offer free WiFi access and left T-Mobile in the lurch. The lawsuit, filed last week in New York state court, alleges that AT&T and Starbucks weren't sticking to the terms of the original agreement, which would have allowed T-Mobile customers to freely roam on the new AT&T service. Now, it seems, they've all entered into a "memorandum of understanding to resolve their disputes and are committed to providing a high quality WiFi experience for customers." So far, though, we don't know any details as to what this agreement will mean for T-Mobile WiFi subscribers, but we'll keep an eye on this.

AT&T's bringing free wifi to the iPhone -- once it finishes wigging out

by Chris Ziegler posted May 12th 2008 at 3:17AM

Hey, do you guys want to hear our AT&T impression? It's pretty awesome. Okay, okay, here it goes: "Great news, we're offering free WiFi to iPhone users! Wait, no we're not. Yes we are! Oh, no, wait, cancel that." Pretty spot-on, right? Sadly, it looks like we might need something else to rag on shortly, since an AT&T spokesman started clearing the air with the New York Times late last week. The bottom line -- for the moment, anyway -- is that AT&T has "long planned" to offer up its WiFi hotspots as a free value-add for the iPhone and all of the other WiFi-equipped devices in its arsenal, but that the brief enabling of the feature thus far and the mention on AT&T's site were results of human error, and the company isn't prepared at this point to commit to an actual launch date or details on how the service will work. Hey, at least we know we're not just suffering from some brutal hallucinations now.

[Via TUAW]