MobileHotspot
Latest
iPhone 4 to get AT&T mobile hotspot capabilities on February 13th?
So you might have noticed a few reviews of Verizon's iPhone 4 crop up last night, nothing unusual about that, but a couple of its reviewers have had something to say about AT&T's version of the phone as well. Walt Mossberg and David Pogue (who has since stricken the date from his review) both pinpoint February 13th as the date when they expect AT&T to turn on the Personal Hotspot capability that Verizon's iPhone will have from launch. That's expected to happen with an update to iOS 4.3, which recently went out to developers in its third beta iteration, suggesting the software's nearly mature enough for public consumption and seemingly fitting right into this timeline. Mind you, this is still not concrete information, as Mossberg could conceivably have been talking of AT&T's Mobile Hotspot app which is launching on the same day on devices like the Inspire 4G, and Pogue could have deleted the date for similar reasons, but we're somehow disinclined to believe that two gentlemen in a position to have insider(ish) intel would both make such a mistake at the same time.
AT&T adding an extra 2GB to phone tethering plans, launching Mobile Hotspot app February 13th
What, 2GB of monthly data isn't enough for your laptoppin' needs? Yeah, us either -- fortunately, AT&T's tweaking its phone tethering plan a bit with an extra 2GB that can be shared among all devices for a grand total of 4GB. As before, you'll need to start off with the $25 DataPro plan and tack on an extra $20 for tethering, bringing the total to $45 a month. In conjunction with the move, AT&T has announced that it'll begin rolling out a Mobile Hotspot app starting with the HTC Inspire 4G at its launch on February 13th, which means these guys are finally coming around and embracing the data revolution that's been taking hold the last year or two across the industry -- a trend that began with its first launch of a MiFi a few months back. Existing DataPro tethering customers will get the extra 2GB automatically added to their accounts, so there shouldn't be anything you need to do; obviously, we would've preferred something closer to unlimited, but something tells us that ship has sailed. Follow the break for the press release.
HTC Thunderbolt might be getting simultaneous voice and data on 3G after all
We won't lie: we've been pretty skeptical of the rumors so far that the HTC Thunderbolt would have support for simultaneous voice and data over EV-DO -- SVDO, as it's known -- turned on. Perhaps more than any other US carrier, Verizon has a reputation for testing the living daylights out of devices and locking out hardware that doesn't meet its reliability standards, and so we were a little leery of some supposedly leaked internal communication not long ago letting reps know that although it'll be enabled, it shouldn't be discussed because it doesn't offer an "experience... consistent with [their] brand." Well, we've just been fed a second document that features the same wording, so it looks like this might be real after all -- and what's more, it's got updated verbiage stating that mobile hotspot capability will be available at launch, contrary to other leaks floating around today. This particular document is dated today, so we're feeling good that the information is current -- and if anything, it should get potential Thunderbolt buyers more excited than ever. [Thanks, David]
HTC Thunderbolt rumored to be hitting Best Buy February 14th, sans mobile hotspot or Skype video?
The HTC Thunderbolt may have been officially announced way back at CES, but there's still quite a bit we don't know about the phone -- namely, a price or a release date. We now at least have what looks to be a fairly solid hint of the latter, however, courtesy of the above shot of a Best Buy inventory screen that lists an in stock date of February 14th. You'll note that the screen doesn't actually mention the HTC Thunderbolt anywhere, but some sleuthing by the folks at Android Central reveals that the product code matches one found on a Thunderbolt box that turned up in a recent hands-on video. Joining that rumor is a separate one from Droid Life, which has obtained some supposedly authentic Verizon materials that suggest the Thunderbolt won't be shipping with mobile hotspot functionality enabled at launch, and that Skype video chat won't be enabled initially either. No word on a reason for the delay (if there actually is one), but both features will seemingly be enabled at some point, and there will apparently be a placeholder icon in the case of Skype that will display a "coming soon" message if it's launched.
AT&T 'evaluating' support for iOS Personal Hotspot, no plans yet
Although you'd think AT&T would be all over the Verizon iPhone's new personal hotspot feature if only just to keep feature parity with its biggest competitor, the carrier is taking a more measured approach -- an AT&T spokesperson just told us that they're "evaluating the feature, but have no plans to announce at this time." Given that the iOS 4.3 beta just brought hotspot support to the GSM iPhone, we're guessing that the holdup is more tactical than technical -- Verizon still hasn't announced its iPhone data plan pricing or hotspot tax, and we're assuming AT&T's just waiting for some numbers before announcing support sometime around, say, February 10th. We'll see. P.S.- We're also thinking it would be sweet it AT&T supported WiFi hotspot with 3G iPad and its contract-free data plans, but we're just wishing one wish at a time here.
Verizon confirms the iPhone with personal hotspot
Verizon announced the CDMA iPhone today and put some pressure on AT&T by offering the smartphone with a personal hotspot feature (like the MiFi, but built-in) that supports up to 5 devices. Pricing for the mobile hotspot was not announced, but select Android smartphones include this feature for an additional $20 per month. This charge is on top of the unlimited data plan which is available for $30 per month. Presumably, the mobile hotspot will be a Verizon-exclusive app or preference setting that enables this functionality. [Techcrunch showed the interface for this, it is enabled through the Settings app.] Currently, AT&T offers the iPhone with the 2 GB DataPro and tethering plan for $45 per month. This is a one to one tethering option that lets you connect one phone to one device. The Verizon option lets you add up to five devices that are WiFi-capable. The next question is, how will AT&T respond?
Verizon iPhone 4 will have 3G mobile hotspot (update)
It'll probably be subject to an additional fee as usual, but Verizon and Apple have just revealed that the new CDMA iPhone 4 will act as a mobile WiFi connection for up to five devices. It'll come with an iOS-specific version of the Verizon 3G Mobile Hotspot that folks have been enjoying on their Droids for many moons now. That should allowing for laptops, tablets and the like to get online via iPhone without a pesky cord, and almost certainly make the long-verboten iPhone - iPad tethering connection finally attainable. Joy to the world! Update: Verizon called it an app, but getting hands-on we can see that's not the case at all -- Personal Hotspot is built right into the CDMA iPhone 4's build of iOS 4.2.5. Perhaps we'll see it migrate to other devices as well?
Verizon's 4G LTE line: Samsung and Novatel MiFi, 4G Galaxy Tab, netbooks (hands-on)
The LG Revolution, HTC Thunderbolt and Samsung's SCH-i520 were the obvious stars of Verizon's 4G LTE presser today, but a truckload of lesser devices are sure to delight end users when they ship later in the year. 4G mobile hotspots were on hand from both Novatel Wireless and Samsung (with the former working on both 3G and 4G networks), as were a pair of netbooks from HP and the LTE-enabled (and Hummingbird-powered) Galaxy Tab. The MiFi devices were decidedly thicker than our existing MiFi 2200 (shown left, above), but it's a price we'd be willing to pay for the ability to surf on both of VZW's networks. Gallery's below for those seeking a closer look, and you should expect the whole lot to hit your local VZW store between March and July. Myriam Joire contributed to this report. %Gallery-113097%
Samsung bringing 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot to Verizon
Novatel? Yes. Sierra Wireless? Sure. Pantech? Definitely -- but one company we didn't really expect to be launching a pocketable mobile hotspot on an American carrier was Samsung. Sure enough, Sammy is hooking up with Verizon to rock the carrier's very first mobile hotspot product to be announced with LTE compatibility, a crucial feature that should give the Sprint Overdrives and 3G / 4G MiFis of the world a run for their collective money. Though it lacks a creative name, the so-called 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot is precisely as described with a dash of CDMA / EV-DO compatibility thrown in for those rare occasions when you stray outside your local LTE footprint. We don't have a price or date yet, but there's not a lot of rocket science here compared to... say, the Inspiration, so hopefully it won't be long. Though we didn't have a chance to put it through a live test, we've had our hands on this little device already and we can say it's basically a dead ringer for the CDMA version of the first-generation Novatel MiFi as sold on Verizon, Sprint, and others. The only change, really, is that it feels a bit thicker, a bit more "solid," and a bit heavier, but not nearly enough to make a practical difference -- you'll still gladly throw this thing in your pocket when you need a cloud of steamy hot WiFi in your vicinity. Follow the break for the full press release.
Sprint 3G / 4G MiFi hands-on
We sat down for a few moments of quiet introspection today with Sprint's recently-announced 3G / 4G MiFi, and while it's definitely a touch thicker and heavier than the 3G-only model it replaces, we're pretty sure the more luxurious look makes up for it. Okay, correction -- the appearance of a device that you don't ever look at or interact with other than to turn it on is kind of irrelevant, but regardless, it's a surprisingly nice-looking little device. We especially liked the E Ink status indicators above the power button (what can we say, we're always suckers for a creative E Ink application) and the front-loading microSD slot is a new feature -- GSM versions of the original MiFi always had this, but it's new on the CDMA side. On a related note, we've learned that the Overdrive -- Sprint's first 3G / 4G mobile hotspot -- has been discontinued, so the MiFi will be your only option by the time it launches next month. Considering the Overdrive was plagued from the start by high run temperatures and long boot times, we'd say that's a good thing: when we turned the MiFi on, it finished booting within about 15 seconds and stayed cool to the touch, though we'd need to punish it for a few hours before making a call on whether it'll actually burn our pockets with regular use. Stay tuned for a full review as soon as we can score a unit! %Gallery-112747%
Clear iSpot discontinued already
Well, that certainly didn't last very long, did it? Looks like Clear is already sending its unusual iSpot product to the great WiMAX network in the sky less than five months after its introduction. As a refresher, the iSpot's claim to fame is that it was designed to work only with iPhones, iPod touches, and iPads -- and in exchange for the crazy restriction, Clear would charge you less than $100 for the hotspot itself and just $25 a month for unlimited 4G access capped at 6Mbps down. Of course, it's easy to understand why Clear would want to forget the iSpot ever existed: its MAC address filtering was easily defeated and plagued with reports that even approved devices were being denied access, suggesting that the concept probably wasn't a solid one in the first place. For what it's worth, Clear retail stores are still selling through remaining stock if you're interested -- and the company will maintain a supply of units for warranty replacements -- but otherwise, you're out of luck. [Thanks, rand]
Sprint's 3G / 4G MiFi 4082 revealed?
Wasn't long ago that we found hard evidence of a WiMAX-capable MiFi from Novatel in the FCC -- and now, we might have the first press shot of it. Of course, press shots are always prettier than the actual devices, but even if you beat this image with the ugly stick for a minute or two, we're pretty sure it'd still be a good deal more handsome than the first-gen 3G MiFi that Sprint, Verizon, and others are using currently. No word on when this might launch, but with FCC certification under its belt, it's plausible that we'll see it next week at CES -- probably without the tipster's own professionally-Photoshopped status light below the battery indicator, we'd bet. [Thanks, r0fl]
T-Mobile 4G Mobile Hotspot shows up in FCC courtesy of ZTE
Remember those rumors earlier this week that T-Mobile was finally getting ready to launch a mobile hotspot or two? Seeing how Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint have all done it, it certainly makes sense -- especially with this newfangled 21Mbps HSPA+ network T-Mobile's got going on -- and sure enough, we've now got concrete evidence of a unit in the FCC's database. The MF61 from Chinese manufacturer ZTE is pretty clearly labeled "T-Mobile 4G Mobile Hotspot" inside... so yeah, there's your smoking gun. Confidentiality prevents us from seeing the user's manual or a photo of the thing, but from what little we can see, looks like we'll end up with a rounded unit not unlike the variant of the Novatel MiFi on AT&T and a number of European carriers. Really, though, doesn't matter what it looks like -- as long as it fits in a pocket and blasts high-speed data to a handful of WiFi connected devices of our choosing, that's all we need.
Best Buy offering free mobile hotspots with iPad purchase
Planning to pay Verizon an extra $130 for an iPad + MiFi 2200 bundle? Hold on a sec, because Best Buy's planning to give away hotspots free of charge when you purchase Apple's tablet. This advertisement, obtained by 9to5 Mac, does mention that you'll need to shackle yourself to a carrier for two years to qualify -- unlike Verizon's original arrangement -- but in exchange you get a free Verizon FiveSpot, AT&T MiFi, or perhaps most excitingly, a WiMax-capable Sprint Overdrive. Fine print in the lower-right hand corner suggests that the promo will begin immediately and run through January 2nd. What better way to spend your leftover Hanukkah gelt than on gigabytes of wireless data?
Novatel's MiFi 4082 is the WiMAX-capable hotspot the Overdrive has been dreading
Sprint's Overdrive from Sierra Wireless has been handling the WiMAX mobile hotspot duties on Sprint for most of this year, but it's been walking that road alone. Novatel, which took the mobile hotspot concept mainstream with its venerable MiFi line -- has been absent from the 4G race so far... but it looks like that's about to change. We just witnessed a so-called MiFi 4082 earn an FCC filing a few minutes ago, offering both CDMA / EV-DO and WiMAX in a single package, presumably prepping for a launch on Sprint to either replace or supplement the Overdrive. Considering the Overdrive's size, stability, and boot time, another entrant would be more than welcome -- and if Novatel can stuff all these radios into a package no larger or heavier than the original MiFi, we'll submit that they probably have a winner on their hands. Stay tuned for an announcement on this one -- CES, perhaps?
Novatel sues ZTE and Franklin over MiFi-related patents
Smartphones aren't the only mobile devices caught up in patent warfare, it seems: Novatel's just sued ZTE and Franklin over five patents related to the "key architecture and functionality" of its MiFi series of mobile hotspots. What's interesting is that Verizon carries the MiFi and ZTE-built Fivespot, while Sprint's MiFi lives alongside the ZTE Peel and carrier-branded Franklin modems, so we're curious to see if any of the carriers step in to mediate the dispute. We also took a quick skim of the complaint, and it looks like the five patents in question are broad enough to cover WiFi tethering from phones, so we've got a feeling this suit could affect more than ZTE and Franklin -- we'll see what happens.
Samsung's SCH-LC11 CDMA / LTE mobile hotspot gets FCC approval, probably Verizon bound
We've heard rumors that Novatel is working on an LTE-enabled version of its MiFi for Verizon, likely for launch early next year -- but you've got to figure that a few other manufacturers would like a slice of that sweet, juicy 4G pie, right? We just noticed this so-called SCH-LC11 from Samsung has garnered FCC approval, offering CDMA / EV-DO compatibility alongside 700MHz LTE stuffed into some sort of WiFi-enabled mobile router, which would be perfect for Big Red's new network... but then again, it'd also be perfect for MetroPCS' LTE airwaves. MetroPCS has yet to launch any data-centric LTE products, but it's got a good relationship with Samsung -- its only LTE device right now is the Samsung Craft, in fact -- so we could definitely imagine the little guys trying to beat Verizon to the punch with a sexy, pocketable 4G hotspot to do battle with Sprint's Overdrive. One way or another, this is hitting an American carrier... and the sooner, the better. Update: Okay, we can rule out MetroPCS -- the device is approved for CDMA on 850 / 1900MHz, not AWS, which is what MetroPCS uses. Verizon, here we come.
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.
Caption contest: publicity stunt generating publicity
We do hate to play into wily PR folks' attention-grabbing campaigns, but when they're quite so nutty, we can't help but admire them. UK network Three is trying to promote its hotspots (we think) by having dudes wearing full-body underwear running around with "Human Hotspot" signs and what looks like part of the Engadget logo throughout London. We don't get it, but we do love it. Thomas: "I can look up your WEP." Vlad: "Please note, dressing up as a Trojan won't protect you from actual trojans." Nilay: "Touch my junk and I'll have you arrested." Darren: "I'm probably working... even if the tube drivers aren't." Richard Lai: "My SSID is quite well hidden, if I may say so." Carlos: "I'm hot... or not?" Tim: "I knew that Fantastic Four movie was a bad career move. Time for a new agent." Ross: "Ask about where I keep my SIM card." Myriam: "Spot the hotness." Sam: "The Blue Man Group member that never was." Josh T.: "Due to his drug habit and carousing, the Invisible Man had been forced into a number of demeaning jobs."
T-Mobile's $15 tethering option, tiered data available this Sunday
The $14.99 monthly unlimited tethering / mobile WiFi hotspot add-on for your phone that T-Mobile promised in time for the holidays will be getting real this weekend, hitting on Sunday, November 14th. Of course, owners of myTouch 4Gs, G2s with the latest firmware update, and a couple other models in the T-Mobile stable have already been enjoying the option, gratis, for a couple weeks -- so it'll be interesting to see how many subscribers they convert for the $15 upcharge. Certainly makes those roots seem a little more appealing, doesn't it? Available at the same time will be the new 200MB data option for $10, though it won't be available (smartly) in combination with tethering. On a related note, Big Magenta will be rolling out two promotional Even More plans on the same date: a 1,500 anytime minute individual package for $79.99 and a 3,000 minute family plan for $149.99, both including unlimited text and web. Both require re-upping your contract and will be available "for a limited time," though the carrier isn't saying just how long that "limited time" may be. Follow the break for the release.
