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Karma's anonymizing LTE hotspot arrives January 15th
Want to keep your internet activity under wraps regardless of what device you're using or where you are? You won't have too much longer to wait. Karma has revealed that its anonymizing Karma Black LTE hotspot will ship on January 15th, with pre-orders open now. Spend $149 ($249 after January 15th), plus $20 per month for security services, and you'll get a portable router that encrypts all your internet traffic while masking your location and other potentially identifying data markers. You can use it to boost the privacy of your home connection, too, and there's the promise of feature expansions that include Tor anonymity network services, antivirus safeguards, ad blocking and parental controls.
Karma's new hotspot gives users a cloak of invisibility
Personal hotspot hardware provider Karma has announced a new security-focused product, Karma Black. A specialized version of the company's KarmaGO hotspot device, Karma Black will provide anonymous browsing (Tor), an integrated Virtual Private Network (VPN), blacklisting and ad-blocking. KarmaGO allows users to establish a WiFi connection through 4G via a small portable device, either on a pay-as-you-go basis or through a monthly data plan -- it's particularly popular with business travellers. Karma Black will operate in the same way, but will act as an invisibility cloak for users, encrypting web activity and hiding physical location. It'll also provide beefier protection against intrusive advertising and viruses.
Karma slows down unlimited speeds to deal with data hogs
Karma has quickly discovered the downsides of offering unlimited data. The company debuted a $50 a month "Neverstop" unlimited plan for its Go hotspot a few months ago, but since then it's discovered that some users are taking that concept to the extreme by using it as their home internet connection. As a result, they've been racking up hundreds of gigabytes in downloads and uploads. To counteract this, Karma is lowering the plan's speeds from 5 Mbps to between 1.5 Mbps and 2.5 Mbps, reports The Verge. The company hasn't yet settled on an optimal speed for its unlimited plan, but it's certainly going to be lower than 5 Mbps.
Karma's CEO on reinventing the hotspot
It's hard to get excited about a mere hotspot these days, but the Karma Go is something different. It's a $149 device that lets you pay for mobile internet access (on Sprint's LTE network) as you go for $14 per gigabyte, or get unlimited access for $50 a month. Right now it's also on sale for $99 if you sign up for an unlimited plan from the start. The kicker is that it shares your connection, so that others can hop onto your hotspot with their own Karma accounts. You'll get a bit of credit for everyone who joins your Karma Go, so there's an incentive for you to share. Now, the company is gearing up to begin next-day shipping for the Karma Go, just in time for last-minute holiday shopping.
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.
