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Novatel MiFi proves "3G hotspot" and "sexy" can coexist
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.
Securing your iPhone web traffic with Hotspot Shield
Have you ever wondered whether the wifi data you send and receive with your iPhone or iPod touch at the local coffee shop or airport is secure? Well, I bet if you hadn't wondered that before, you are now. It's easy to forget that inside that cute little handheld device live the guts of an actual computer, and likely a lot of personal data. Depending on your surfing habits, you could be sending and receiving personal information in a non-secure way over public wifi. If you're concerned about your data's safety, consider using Anchorfree's Hotspot Shield free VPN service. Hotspot Shield has been a great way to lock down your laptop's wifi for a long time now, and just recently they have released instructions on how to take advantage of their service on an iPhone / iPod touch. Pleasantly, the service does not require that a program be downloaded to your device, but rather takes advantage of the iPhone and iPod touch's built-in VPN functionality. My only gripe with Hotspot Shield is that it can sometimes be challenging to get the VPN to successfully connect. Anchorfree recommends performing a quick reboot of your device to get your connection going, but in my experience even that can be a hit-or-miss scenario. But it's still better than letting that creepy guy that keeps hitting on the barista peruse my http requests. 'Cause I'm not paranoid, but I'm sure that's what he's doing.
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]
Eye-Fi and SmugMug team up for geotagging
The Eye-Fi card is an SD card with a difference -- it has Wi-Fi built into it for easy camera-to-internet transfer of photos. It comes in three different flavors; Eye-Fi Home, Eye-Fi Share, and Eye-Fi Explore. The latter card (US$129) includes free Wi-Fi access at Wayport hotspots, unlimited geotagging using Skyhook Wireless (the same service Apple and Google use for location data on pre-3G iPhones and iPod touch handhelds), and an unlimited WebShare service for sharing photos.Eye-Fi and SmugMug (an online photo sharing site) announced a partnership providing a year of geotagging and hotspot access for SmugMug members using an original Eye-Fi Card or the $US99.99 Eye-Fi Share. SmugMug provides standard (US$39.95 annually), power user (US$59.95 annually) and professional ($149.95 annually) accounts, all of which provide ad-free, backed-up, and secure hosting of your photos.Do you use an Eye-Fi card with your digital camera? If you do, what service do you upload your photos to, and do you use the geotagging capability? Leave us a comment.
T-Mobile, AT&T & Starbucks reach new agreement over WiFi switchover
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.
Free Wi-Fi for DS no more at North American McDonald's now
Personally, we can't remember the last time we were in a McDonald's, so this news comes as, uh, well ... news to us. You see, the partnership between McDonald's and Wayport actually expired back in November of last year. Canadians are also up the same creek without a paddle, as the deal with Fatport also expired. This is not to say you can't still get online at McDonald's, it'll just take a bit more for you to get online with your DS. Apparently, using the DS Opera Browser or a wi-fi dongle with a laptop will still allow you to get your DS online. But, as one might imagine, these alternatives aren't the best. Unless you go with the second choice, you won't even be able to enjoy a game online. Oh well, if it forces you to get wireless internet in your home, it can't be all that bad of a thing, right?
Details emerge on T-Mobile's upcoming Samsung and Nokia releases
We're still kinda weirded out by that figure of six-frickin'-teen new handsets for T-Mob between now and August, but details on five of those alleged sixteen is a solid start. Boy Genius Report has scored internal release information on three Nokias and two well-known Samsungs, the t229 and t339. Starting with the Sammies, the t229 will be launching in red (and red only) to shore up the low end with what seems to be a VGA camera, Bluetooth, and not much else, while the t339 will offer WiFi for HotSpot@Home compatibility and a 1.3 megapixel cam; both will be available in June. On the Nokia side, the XpressMusic 5610 slider (which we've seen in T-Mobile trim courtesy of the FCC) will be joining the just-announced 5310, though the carrier has yet to determine a launch window for this one. The forgettable 2760 clam launches on June 16 -- nothing more to be said about that one -- and finally, the 6301 with WiFi gets real on June 23. We're holding out for the new Shadows, but yeah, it seems like a fun time to be a T-Mobile customer -- particularly if you're into the UMA stuff.
AT&T's bringing free wifi to the iPhone -- once it finishes wigging out
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]
AT&T WiFi access now listed as "included" with iPhone
We're not exactly sure what was going on with that whole on-again / off-again love affair with iPhones having gratis access to AT&T WiFi hotspots, but we're content with letting bygones be bygones. On the slightly tweaked iPhone "Plans" page, the carrier now lists "Access to AT&T WiFi hotspots" as an included feature along with call forwarding, 3-way calling and Caller ID. Sure, it's not a bona fide press release, but same difference, right? [Via MacRumors]Update: Oh, ha, it's gone again. We have a feeling it'll be back soon enough though.
AT&T WiFi hotspots free to iPhone owners, anyone with a brain
Now that AT&T has full control of wireless hotspots like Starbucks and Barnes and Nobles, it looks like they're doling out freebies to their favorite customers: iPhone users. Apparently, if you've got one of Apple's devices, you can hop on the WiFi networks for exactly zero dollars provided you enter your phone number at a login screen. Great for iPhone owners, but a raw deal for everyone else, right? Not so fast, apparently a dumb hack gets you the service on the house too -- just switch your browser's user agent to Mobile Safari, and presto! Free internet. We can't imagine this is a hole that won't get plugged real fast, so get it while the gettin's good.[Via TUAW]Read - AT&T Providing Free Wi-Fi Access to iPhone UsersRead - Hotspot hack
AT&T and Starbucks officially begin WiFi rollout
Remember that WiFi pact brewed up between AT&T and Starbucks earlier this year? How could you forget, right? As if it wasn't official enough already, the two have announced that the rollout has begun at company-operated Starbucks locations, and the nationwide effort will continue throughout 2008. Effective May 1st, qualifying AT&T high-speed internet / WiFi customers -- that's those who subscribe to one of the three higher-speed residential broadband packages, a small business broadband package or a U-verse offering with high-speed internet -- will have free WiFi access at over 7,000 coffeehouses across the US. Unfortunately, we're not given any real insight into what kinds of potential deals are in the works for AT&T wireless customers (if any at all), but here's to hoping you all can get a little love, too.
Panasonic's Lumix DMC-TZ50 gets official in US: Picasa / T-Mobile HotSpot-friendly
Panny's Lumix DMC-TZ50 isn't brand new or anything -- after all, we first caught wind of this WiFi-equipped point-and-shoot late last month in Japan. Nevertheless, Panasonic is now announcing that said camera will be heading Stateside with 802.11b/g capabilities, access to T-Mobile HotSpot service and the ability to upload photos directly to Google's Picasa Web Albums -- exactly like we saw at CES. Specs wise, you'll find a 9.1-megapixel sensor, 10x optical zoom, 28mm wide-angle lens, 720p movie mode, SD expansion slot, video output, red-eye correction, optical image stabilization, the Venus Engine IV and a 3.0-inch LCD monitor to boot. Unfortunately, there's still no word on when (or if) this technology will filter out to more Panasonic models, but folks interested in this here camera can pick one up next month for $449.95.
T-Mobile launches WiFi-laden BlackBerry Pearl 8120, we handle it
The next episode of the ubiquitous Pearl is now available in T-Mobile stores across the land, bringing the spec sheet in line with the features Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T customers have been enjoying for a little while now -- a 2 megapixel camera, external microSD slot, and 3.5mm headphone jack, just to name a few. Unlike the 8130 for CDMA networks, the 8120 that T-Mobile and AT&T share adds a 802.11b/g radio, but the T-Mobile version packs yet a couple more tricks up its sleeve -- you know, the ones you'd probably expect of any modern T-Mobile phone with WiFi, namely support for myFaves and HotSpot@Home. That last bit about the WiFi calling is where it gets really interesting. Put simply, the experience we had setting up, using, and making calls with the new Pearl linked up to our router was the best we've had so far with any HotSpot@Home device; it definitely seems like T-Mobile and RIM are learning a thing or two about how to make this a truly seamless and painless process. A "UMA" indicator on the display lets you know that calls are being routed over the service, but if you're not paying attention to it, you might never know it's happening -- it's just that good. Grab it starting today for a shade under $150 on contract, or if you'd prefer to keep your money firmly in your pocket, you can still live vicariously through our gallery here!%Gallery-20499%
Samsung's t339 for T-Mobile: yep, it does HotSpot@Home
Thanks to a few BlackBerrys, we can keep our standard "there aren't any HotSpot@Home-compatible smartphones!" argument to a minimum here, but still -- you've gotta admit that T-Mobile's seriously going overboard with the midrange WiFi handsets. It looks like the upcoming t339 flip will be yet another, thanks to FCC documentation showing the presence of 802.11 aboard its thin, brownish shell. For what it's worth, this could end up being the sexiest HotSpot@Home dumbphone yet (we're not huge fans of the Katalyst's look, we admit), but still, guys, give us an N95 or something. Please. No release date here yet, but we'll keep y'all in the loop.[Via phoneArena]
T-Mobile's BlackBerry Pearl 8120 spotted in the wild
Fresh off an announcement for an April 14th release, the latest rendition of the Pearl for T-Mobile -- the WiFi-enabled 8120 -- is strutting its stuff in its natural (somewhat natural, anyway) habitat. Casual observers would have an awfully tricky time telling this apart from the Pearl 8100 of yore, but the trained eye will notice a "WiFi" logo chilling on the display and a mildly revised keypad layout here. Probably just a matter of time before T-Mobile has these bad boys in every color of the rainbow, we imagine.
T-Mobile trials HotSpot @Home Talk Forever Home Phone in Seattle, Dallas
Well, goodness, try saying that five times fast. T-Mobile has officially unveiled its rather longwinded "HotSpot @Home Talk Forever Home Phone" plan add-on for folks that aren't quite ready to put their landlines out to pasture quite yet, though there's a catch: much like the original, it's beginning life as a trial in just a couple of test markets. Lucky folks in Seattle and Dallas will be able to march into their local T-Mobile outlet and pick up the long-rumored WRTU54G for $49.99 on contract, at which point $10 a month tacked onto their T-Mobile bill will allow them to jack in their old-school landline phones and get unlimited domestic calling. In the event they need a landline phone (o rly?) or are looking to upgrade their 70's vintage AT&T Slimline, stores will also be offering this lovely DECT system from VTech to complete the package. There's no word just yet on when we might see the hardware outside the test markets, but with landline popularity waning the way it is, we'd suggest they get a move on.
Boingo bringing $8 WiFi to iPhone, Sony Ericsson
If you're tired of shelling out laptop prices for your WiFi smartphone browsing, Boingo's got help on the way. At Mobile World Congress the company announced Sony Ericsson and iPhone / iPod touch versions of its connection client software, with the SE version to show up in the second half of the year, and the iPhone software to hit as soon as Boingo can get a hold of the SDK. Boingo already has Nokia and Windows Mobile-compatible versions of its software, but with 6 percent of users attempting to connect to Boingo already rocking an iPhone, it looks like this software can't come soon enough.
T-Mobile's HotSpot @Home Talk Forever: same service, lower price
Don't get us wrong, it's great that T-Mobile has lowered the price of its unlimited WiFi calling service both at home and at T-Mobile Hotspots everywhere from $19.99 down to $9.99 per month (forgetting for a moment that it was $9.99 per month as an introductory price, anyway), but in changing the name from HotSpot @Home to HotSpot @Home Talk Forever, we'd been hoping for something just a little more compelling. Previous intel had indicated that we'd be seeing the introduction of T-Mobile's first SIM-sporting routers, allowing the use of traditional landline phones in conjunction with the service -- but at this point, it looks like it's going to be at least a little longer before the hardware launches, and it's unclear whether there'll be yet more trademarked service branding introduced when it does.
Starbucks brews up WiFi pact with AT&T, disconnects T-Mobile
Announced today, Starbucks is gearing up to transition its WiFi relationship from T-Mobile to AT&T in over 7,000 of its locations in the US. For T-Mobile HotSpot customers feelin' a bit like day old espresso right about now, fret not, as the coffee giant has assured us all that you folks "will be able to continue to access WiFi services at no additional cost through an agreement between AT&T and T-Mobile." Starting "sometime this Spring," Starbucks card holders will be treated to two hours of free WiFi access per day, while more than 12 million "qualifying AT&T broadband and U-verse internet customers will have unlimited free access." For whatever it's worth, the press release also notes that the carrier will "soon extend the benefits of WiFi at Starbucks to its wireless customers," but it (sadly) fails to elaborate. For those of you out there without any ties to AT&T, expect to pony up $3.99 for a two hour session or $19.99 for monthly access. [Via mocoNews] Read - Starbucks to expand technology relationship with AT&T Read - More than 12 million AT&T, Starbucks customers to get free WiFi access
T-Mobile adding BlackBerry 8820 with WiFi next month?
We're hearing rumblings that T-Mobile's going to drop a WiFi-enabled version of the BlackBerry 8800 -- better known in the public vernacular as the 8820 -- on March 5th. Yeah, it's just a rumor at this point, but the move would make total sense for several reasons: one, the 8820 already exists so RIM doesn't need to do any custom magic for T-Mobile; two, T-Mobile already sells the 8800; three, the 8800's little brother, the Curve, is already sold in WiFi form on the carrier; and four, Hotspot@Home could always use another compatible handset or three. We'll find out in a few weeks -- but in the meantime, we might suggest holding off on that 8800 purchase.[Thanks, T]
