hotspot
Latest
500 of NYC's free WiFi kiosks will be installed by July
LinkNYC's ambitious plan to convert some 7,500 Gotham payphones into kiosks featuring free domestic phone calls, USB charging points, gigabit WiFi and tablet-based internet access is well under way. But if you're having trouble finding them so far (it's only been about a week since installations started) that's understandable. The company promises that some 510 of them will be up and running in beta phase across two sections of Manhattan, the South Bronx, Jamaica Queens, Staten Island and Flatbush Ave in Brooklyn by this July.
T-Mobile wants to put a mini LTE tower in your home
T-Mobile has done a fair amount to get LTE into every nook and cranny of its coverage map, but that doesn't matter much if there's still a cellular dead zone in your home or office. You might not have that issue from now on, though. The Magenta network is launching a 4G LTE CellSpot that promises full-fledged LTE calling and data -- you're not making do with 3G here. You only need an LTE-capable phone and a broadband internet connection to fill in those gaps.
AT&T offers a plug-in WiFi hotspot for your car
Your existing car probably doesn't have a built-in WiFi hotspot, but AT&T will soon have a way to add one and deliver that sweet, on-demand internet access. The carrier is launching the ZTE Mobley, a WiFi hotspot that plugs into your car's OBD-II port and shares an LTE data link with everyone inside. Yes, you could just tether your phone, but AT&T is counting on simplicity to reel you in -- the hotspot goes live shortly after you turn your car on, and you don't have to worry about battery life. It won't cost you much to give this concept a shot, at least. The Mobley will be available for 'free' on a 2-year contract, or $100 outright. The biggest expense is the data itself, which will cost you $20-plus for stand-alone service or $10 if you add the Mobley to a shared plan.
Cuba is getting island-wide WiFi hotspots next month
Cuba's making it easier and cheaper for its citizens to get online by building out an island-wide network of WiFi hotspots. According to local paper Juventud Rebelde, the nation's state-run telecommunications company will open up internet access in 35 locations that should be available from the start of July. The move will also cut the price of getting online in half, with an hour of connection pegged to cost $2 per hour. According to Cuba's director of telecommunications, Luis Manuel Diaz, that's still too expensive for the bulk of the island's citizens. It's hardly a surprise, either, since the cost of a Netflix subscription in the country is around a third of the average monthly wage.
Virgin Media's free WiFi app finally comes to iOS
One of the perks of being a Virgin Media customer is gaining access to the company's suite of mobile apps. They let you make landline calls and watch TV on your smartphone, but if you also use its mobile service, you can connect to thousands of free WiFi hotspots all over the UK. Unfortunately for iOS users, WiFi Buddy, the provider's dedicated wireless app, has been Android-only since launch. That's now changing after Virgin Media finally deemed iPhone owners worthy of free WiFi and has made the app available on the App Store too. Once installed, you'll get access to over 22,000 The Cloud hotspots (thanks to Virgin Media's deal with Sky) in places like Marks & Spencer, Wetherspoon, WH Smith, Pret A Manger, Greggs and other popular locations -- useful, if you're trying to save your Virgin Mobile allowance or you find yourself in an area with poor signal.
Microsoft WiFi could be another reason to get Office 365
Although Microsoft already offers millions of WiFi access points around the world through Skype, it appears the company has bigger plans for its wireless internet service. If a new (barebones) website is to be believed, the Skype branding could be dropped in favor of a new platform called Microsoft WiFi. According to the site, the service will increase the number of hotspots from around 2 million to 10 million and make them available to Office 365 Enterprise subscribers and those who have bought a Surface 2 or Microsoft's Work & Play Bundle.
Marriott no longer wants to block guests' WiFi devices
Marriott's (thankfully) raising the white flag and admitting defeat to Google, Microsoft and everyone else lobbying against its plans to block WiFi devices inside its hotels. The company has issued a statement that makes its new stance clear: guests can now use their own WiFi devices without having to worry that their hotspot connections will be blocked in the middle of something important. If you recall, Marriott recently paid a $600,000 fine due to a complaint that it's been blocking guests' personal hotspots. The hotel chain claims it's to protect guests from connecting to rogue hotspots set up by hackers and has even submitted a request to the FCC to let it continue doing so.
Lenovo's new laptop accessories are modular, stackable, weird
Docks, external hard drives and other laptop add-ons are supposed to make your life easier, but they can be a hassle if you have to carry more than one. Just ask any traveler unpacking a mess of boxes and wires if you need proof. Lenovo wants to get rid of this clutter as much as you do, so it's launching a rather oddball accessory system, the ThinkPad Stack, to simplify things a bit. The modular, magnetic design lets you pile peripherals on top of each other (complete with shared data and power) to save space and eliminate cabling -- think of it as a Voltron for road warriors. As quirky as that sounds, it makes sense in real-life situations. If you need both a wireless hotspot and a battery pack on your big business trip, for instance, you won't have to lug around two sets of cables to keep them powered up.
Italy hopes free public WiFi will help revive its economy
What would you do to stimulate a sluggish economy? Push tourism? Cut taxes? Well, Italy is trying something a little different: free public WiFi. Over 100 legislators have proposed spending €5 million ($6.3 million) over three years to help install gratis hotspots in thousands of locations across the country, including airports, large shopping areas and even courtrooms. Theoretically, the move helps Italy make up for its poor broadband adoption (under 1 percent of residents have service at 30Mbps or faster) by making internet access virtually ubiquitous. It could also help visitors, many of whom would otherwise stay offline during their stays.
Marriott settles complaint that it forced convention goers to use hotel WiFi
Ever suspected that a hotel was forcing you to use its paid WiFi by making your mobile hotspot unusable? Apparently, your hunch has some grounding in reality. Marriott has paid a $600,000 fine to settle a complaint that it blocked third-party hotspots at a Nashville hotel to make convention attendees and exhibitors pay for the venue's commercial WiFi access -- not exactly cheap at $250 to $1,000 a pop. As the FCC explains, the hotel was effectively asking users to either pay twice for internet access or else risk going offline whenever they approached the convention center.
Karma's new hotspot gives you free LTE data when you share your WiFi
Karma's concept of a shareable mobile hotspot is clever -- you not only get data wherever you go, but you get some of it for free if you're kind enough to share with others. The service wasn't very alluring when it was using Sprint's pokey old WiMAX network, however, which is why the company has just unveiled a much-needed LTE hotspot, the Karma Go. You can now hop online (or invite others to do the same) at a far quicker 6-8Mbps typical speed, with much better coverage to boot.
Why T-Mobile wants to give you a wireless router for free
If you're a T-Mobile customer, your company just gave you a very unexpected gift at yesterday's UnCarrier event: a wireless router. Yes, a fully functioning, magenta-branded, ASUS-built router, which can do essentially everything your current router can do -- and if yours is old, this will likely do even more. The device, which would cost roughly $200 if you purchased it on Amazon without T-Mobile's tweaks, only requires a $25 deposit, which gets returned to you once you're done using it. The company is going all-in on its commitment to providing every subscriber and every carrier-branded smartphone with free WiFi calling, and the router -- called the T-Mobile Personal CellSpot -- is the icing on the cake. But, you may ask, why is this a thing that's happening in the year 2014, especially when most of us already have access to a router (and thus, WiFi calling) nearly everywhere we go?
Sprint LivePro review: A mediocre projector hotspot that appeals to few
The "Swiss Army knife of electronics." That's the best way Sprint can define the LivePro, a touchscreen projector/Android hotspot made by Chinese manufacturer ZTE. The device, which goes for $300 with a two-year contract, is the first in a brand-new hybrid category -- and depending on how successful it is, it may well be the last. Although the LivePro has a wide range of capabilities that make it useful on many different fronts, its demand will be incredibly niche. What kind of person needs such a unique device, and is it good enough to even attract them?
ZTE's projector/hotspot hybrid lands in the US with Sprint's help
ZTE's endearingly nutty 1080p projector/mobile hotspot turned a few heads back at CES, and we knew it was coming to the US -- we just didn't know when. You'll soon have a chance to see if those two tastes really do taste great together, though: Sprint will start selling the hardware hybrid (now called the LivePro) on July 11, just in time to power those heated outdoor meetings of your Wes Anderson Appreciation Club. You can connect up to 8 devices to Sprint's Spark LTE network via the LivePro and run your own content through it using an HDMI or Miracast connection, but don't forget -- this thing also runs Android 4.2 and packs a 4-inch touchscreen so you can hog all those movies to yourself too. Feeling more generous than usual? Magnanimously let your friends recharge their ailing phones with the LivePro's 5,000mAh battery and pretty soon they'll agree that Moonrise Kingdom really is better than Rushmore.
Libraries will lend out WiFi hotspots to foster online learning
For the less fortunate, a library may be the only reliable way to get online. But what do they do after hours, or when they can't make the trek? That's where a pair of Knight Foundation grants may prove vital. Both the Chicago Public Library and New York Public Library are starting up large-scale projects that lend WiFi hotspots to households with little to no internet access, giving them a chance to pursue internet education programs that would otherwise be off-limits. Chicago's approach will let those in six broadband-deprived neighborhoods borrow a hotspot for up to three weeks; in New York, the library will offer mobile routers for up to a year as part of existing learning initiatives.
Globalstar Sat-Fi satellite hotspot available now for $999
Globalstar, the company behind the affordable Spot satellite phone, has a new device on the market that can turn any smartphone into a globally connected handset. Sat-Fi is not a WiFi hotspot in the traditional sense -- you can't simply connect and expect limitless web browsing and media streaming -- but it can support email, SMS and voice calls for up to eight connected devices simultaneously. Transfer rates are capped at a paltry 9.6 Kbps, so you're really limited to text applications, and data is billed by the minute, just like a voice call. Like other satellite devices, you also need a line-of-sight connection between Sat-Fi's external antenna and the big bird hundreds of miles above in order to make and receive calls, but assuming you're able to meet that requirement you should be good to go in remote areas all around the world. The device is reasonably priced, at $999, and per-minute rates top out at $1. There are plenty of monthly plans to choose from, too, ranging from $40 for 40 minutes to $150 for unlimited service. Sat-Fi is available now.
Like it or not, your Comcast Xfinity router may now be a WiFi hotspot
Comcast has just transformed part of Houston into a WiFi commune by activating 50,000 residential Xfinity routers, according to the Houston Chronicle. The new service will give any Comcast client free WiFi access via those "xfinitywifi" hotspots, and is just the beginning of a larger rollout. As revealed earlier, the unloved cable outfit may eventually launch a mobile network using WiFi from subscribers' modems along with leased cellular capacity, possibly from Verizon. A lot of customers now broadcasting WiFi may not actually know they're doing so, however, since Comcast opted them in by default -- though it did warn users by mail. It added that the changes won't expose home networks or affect your internet connection speeds thanks to added capacity. There's another 100,000 routers coming on line in the city soon as well, but you can opt out by following the rather convoluted procedure right here.
San Francisco takes the pain out of joining secure public WiFi
Security on public WiFi tends to be either non-existent or a bit of a hassle; it's not fun to track down passwords just so that you can get online from the street corner. If you frequently visit downtown San Francisco, though, it's now a relative breeze. The city has launched a new version of its public WiFi that uses the Hotspot 2.0 standard to give you an encrypted connection with a minimum of fuss. So long as you're using a recent platform (newer Android devices as well as iOS 7, OS X Mavericks and Windows 8), you only have to install a simple profile to get going instead of putting in some credentials.
Apple improves iOS OS X integration with iMessage, Hotspot, and sharing upgrades
It just got a lot harder to say you missed a phone call thanks to Apple. At the WWDC 2014 keynote, Craig Federighi announced a few major changes to the way iOS integrates with OS X. First off you can now use your iOS device remotely from your OS X device. This includes SMS messaging and phone calls. You will be able to see every incoming text, iMessage or not. Your phone calls can be sent to your iPhone and your Mac at the same time. If your phone is charging across the house, that doesn't matter, you'll still see the notification and be able to answer the call from your computer. If you see a phone number in Safari, you can initiate the call on your Mac and send it to your iPhone. You no longer have to use Skype to make phone calls from your computer. Mobile Hotspots are also being made easier. Your Mac can be set to auto-enable hotspot Internet connections to your iOS device. Finally, Macs are getting iOS-to-Mac handoff features that allow users to jump from working on a document on one device to another seamlessly. Say you're writing an email in iOS and you switch to your Mac. Now you'll be able to click on an icon within your Mac mail and continue writing right where you left off. Be sure to visit these other WWDC 2014 keynote posts: WWDC 2014 keynote liveblog Apple announces OS X 10.10 Yosemite Apple announces iCloud Drive Safari in OS X Yosemite gets new sharing and browsing options, saves even more battery life Apple announces iOS 8 HealthKit unveiled as major part of iOS 8 Siri's upcoming update means she's always listening HomeKit brings smart home services under one app What to know before downloading the iOS 8 beta Apple's awesome iOS Camera feature they didn't mention on stage WWDC '14 keynote in 90 seconds (video) Apple expands Touch ID functionality in iOS 8 Apple posts WWDC 2014 keynote online The Swift Programming Language manual available on iBookstore SwiftKey confirms iOS 8 version
This onesie turns you into a walking WiFi hotspot
Forget carrying a separate hotspot router to have a local network wherever you go -- what if you were the hotspot? Fashion designer Borre Akkersdijk has come very, very close to making that vision a reality with his experimental BB.Suit. The goofy-looking cotton onesie is knitted using a special 3D technique that leaves space for WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and NFC connections, turning the owner into an access point. Akkersdijk showed off the potential of the suit at South by Southwest, where it became a roving jukebox: attendees could both track it on Google Maps and upload songs through it to create a special playlist.
