Fonera
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Fon brings its WiFi-sharing service to the US
Reach a certain level of fame in Europe and you've got two choices: rest on your laurels, or risk it all for a shot at America. It's one transatlantic journey that few careers survive, but the latest to try is Spanish muni-fi outfit Fon. Buy one of the company's $60 WiFi hotspots and it'll portion off a your chunk of your home bandwidth for public use. The benefit to you, of course, is that you'll be able to take advantage of the same facility when you're out and about. The new Fonera hardware doubles as a network extender, but that's not the only trick hiding up its plastic sleeve. Any of your Facebook friends who visit your home will be recognized by the system and granted WiFi access without you having to share out your password -- assuming, of course, that you want to.
Fonera SIMPL router now on sale for $49, moving quickly to telcos
Still holding tight to the "Sharing is Caring!" mantra? Not afraid in the least of handing out a few kilobytes to lost tourists down below? If so, you're a prime candidate to own a Fon router; for those unaware, Fon's goal is to equip the world with its 802.11n routers, and then distribute WiFi through them for all to enjoy. The device creates two WiFi signals (SSIDs), one private and one public, and for anyone who knows the pain of being desperate for just a single open hotspot, it's a product (and mission) worth supporting. The Fonera SIMPL was introduced way back at Mobile World Congress, and while the company said it had an order for 400,000 then, that figure has risen rather significantly since. Today, it's revealing that two million of these guys have been sold to telecommunication companies around the globe, with British Telecom, MTS-Comstar Russia, SFR France, SoftBank Japan and ZON Cable Portugal named in particular. The general idea is to provide these to customers in order to lighten the overall load for everyone else, but those looking to buy in sans help can finally do so -- the SIMPL's going for $49 / €39 right now directly through the outfit's website and we're confident that you'll do the right thing.
Fonera SIMPL aims to ease 3G overload, give smartphones a better way to upload
If you've never heard of Fon, its mission is pretty simple: to equip the world with Fonera routers, and thus blanket the planet in WiFi that no one is scared to share. Over at Mobile World Congress this week, the company unveiled a new device that exploits the impending bandwidth crisis that operators all over the globe are attempting to deal with. The all-new SIMPL is a palm-sized router that has just two Ethernet ports and could be doled out by carriers in order to provide a city-wide WiFi network that can be accessed by any WiFi-enabled phone, thereby easing the demand on its 3G network. Equipped with 802.11n, a faster CPU than the Fonera 2.0 and a shiny white shell, we're told that an order has already been placed by an undisclosed customer for 400,000 of 'em, though it's unclear when these will be made available to the general public and for how much. Hop on past the break for a five minute showcase video.
Fonera 2.0n web applications router now available in the US
It can get a bit confusing at times amid all the announcements about announcements, but the folks at FON have now finally confirmed that their Fonera 2.0n "web applications" router is indeed available in the US, and for the bargain price of just $99. As its name suggests, in addition to functioning just fine as a regular 802.11n router, this one will also let you manage a whole host of web applications like Twitter, Facebook or Flickr even when your computer is turned off -- finally giving you the ability to, for instance, tweet when an upload or download has completed (a surefire way to hang onto those followers you've amassed). Still not up to speed on all this Fonera business? Don't worry, there's a helpful video after the break.[Via Wi-Fi Planet]
Fonera 2.0n available - adds media sharing, shared storage
Remember that Fonera 2.0 wireless router that's been blowing minds in Europe since way back in April? FON has announced today that it's now available Stateside as the Fonera 2.0n. If that weren't excitement enough for a Tuesday morning, the thing has received a slathering of new features, including storage (just supply your fave USB 2.0 drive), 802.11n, and the ability to sync your YouTube, Flickr, Picasa, and Facebook files, as well as clients for managing your RapidShare, Megaupload, and bit.torrent addictions. Just make sure you're not violating anyone's copyrights, huh? The movie industry is struggling enough as it is. PR after the break.
Fonera 2.0 on sale in Europe April 21, US in May
It's been a while since we heard from those lovable rapscallions at FON, but it looks like the Fonera 2.0 wireless router is finally ready to make the jump from developers-only to the consumer market -- it'll go on sale in Europe on April 21, and in the US, Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan in May. The new unit runs Linux, and supports BitTorrent and services like RapidShare and MegaUpload, so you can set downloads to run without firing up your computer. The launch party seems like it was pretty adorable -- it took place in FON CEO's Martin Varsavky's Paris flat, with pasta, wine and cheese. Experience it yourself (in French) after the break.
La Fonera 2.0 gets demoed on video
Developers have been able to get their hands on a Fonera 2.0 for some time now, but others haven't been able to do much more than stare at their current Fonera and imagine all the USB devices that'd be so much better connected to it. Now folks can at least get a pretty good idea of what's in store courtesy of a demo video from Fon CEO Martin Varsavsky himself (available after the break), which provides a decent overview of the device and includes a couple of new details. From the looks of it, the router delivers as promised, with it able to get along nicely with a whole host of USB devices including hard drives, printers, or a 3G modem, and make use of plug-ins for everything from Flickr to BitTorrent. What's more, while Varsavsky didn't offer too many specifics, he did throw out €50 or €60 as a possible price point, and said that it should be launching in the next 60 days or so. [Thanks, estqwerty]
FON CEO teases ruggedized outdoor Foneras
While this isn't the first device we've seen of its kind, new images of a wireless-capable, ruggedized la Fonera router have surfaced on the FON head honcho's personal blog. CEO Martin Varsavsky clearly states that "this is not a product announcement," and that the pictured devices are part of an R&D project, so pricing and availability info are certainly out of the question. Still, it's promising to see FON working to extend the reach of its network beyond the current Fonera / Fontenna combos. Just let us know when this one hits the market, okay Mr. V?[Thanks, Joas]
La Fonera 2.0 emerges for developers, encourages USB-related shenanigans
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]
Fon's new La Fonera hits FCC
Ok, Fon's new La Fonera isn't too different from last year's business-stealing La Fonera -- except this time it has a second Ethernet jack if you have a computer or device you want to plug right on in (and don't want / need to use an external switch), or, we suppose, if you want to jack your Fonera into your home network (if you do want / need to use an external switch). We kind of wish Fon changed the name up a little on this thing, maybe re-conjucated it so it would become La Fonero or something, but it would seem the ethernet jack is the only think you've got to look forward to in version 2.P.S. -Don't mind that USB port -- it only appears in some of the pictures and not in the documentation, so we're assuming that's just a port used in testing / debug units.
FON router used in DIY wireless network printer
Sure, turning your OS X or Linux-based machine into a FON Spot is snazzy in and of itself, but what about that dusty grey printer that stays shoved beside your desk? In an admittedly impressive feat of determination, a certain modder took a screwdriver, cutting utensil, and a few dollars worth of FON routers to the inside of a printer's case, and the result is a lesson in utility to say the least. By shoving one of those inexpensive FON routers inside the case, and relying on DD-WRT to open up the appropriate channels, he was able to convert a HP LaserJet 5 into a wireless printer and WiFi hotspot, all without making a scene. Still, the idea of turning your tethered printer into one that accepts incoming jobs wirelessly is no easy task, and judging by the laundry list of duties required to pull this all together, we wouldn't recommend giving this a go without hordes of spare time on your hands. That being said, those still interested should be delighted that a step-by-step guide (with pictures, no less) has been made available for the brave and talented, so be sure to hit the read link and start digesting.
