hotspot

One of the most exciting advantages the Verizon iPhone 4 has over its AT&T counterpart is its ability to become a mobile hot spot. A mobile hot spot allows several devices to connect to it via Wi-Fi and then uses a cellular signal to connect those devices to the Internet. Essentially the hot spot becomes a wireless router.

I was curious about the strain something like this would have on the iPhone 4's battery, so I decided to run a little test. I turned on the iPhone 4's hot spot and then connected a Wi-Fi-only iPad … Read more

Places like Starbucks, neighborhood cafes, Barnes&Noble, and universities are all jumping on the "free Wi-Fi" bandwagon--hey, it's trendy. As a result, more of us are connecting to these networks without realizing the security risks.

But did you read the fine print? Wi-Fi hot spots are unsecured networks that hackers like to take advantage of. Everything--including your data, account information and passwords, Google searches, and finances--can become available to the hacker who wants it badly enough.

So before you pay your bills or write your genius business plan at the local cafe, get to know these … Read more

More people are trying to tap into unsecure but easily available Wi-Fi networks around them, according to the results of a poll from the Wi-Fi Alliance.

Conducted by Wakefield Research in conjunction with the Wi-Fi Alliance, the results out this week found that 32 percent of those polled admit to trying to hop onto an unsecure Wi-Fi network that wasn't theirs. Some say they've done it only once while others reveal they've done it many times. That percentage compares with the 18 percent who admitted to borrowing a Wi-Fi connection according to a December 2008 poll.

Though … Read more

Apple has released to developers a beta of iOS 4.3, the newest operating system update for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. iOS 4.3 will include several feature upgrades including the addition of personal Wi-Fi hot spots, new multitouch gestures for iPad, and customizable messaging alerts.

Also included in the first beta of iOS 4.3 is the return of orientation locking by using the hardware switch on the side of your iPad. Users will be able to toggle the usage of that switch from its current function, muting, to the new orientation lock.

The App Store app has … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Verizon's LTE party just got a little bigger with the addition of the Samsung 4G LTE Smartphone.

Debuting on the first official day of CES 2011, the Samsung 4G LTE Smartphone is an expansion of the Galaxy S series and features Android 2.2 and a 1GHz Hummingbird processor. It also rocks a HTML 5 Web browser and access to Samsung's Media Hub video store, which should work nicely with Verizon's 4G network.

Other highlights include an 8-megapixel camera and a front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera for video chats, Swype, and a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus … Read more

As I said last week in CNET's full review of the Samsung Nexus S, I was pleased to find that the handset supports tethering and it can function as a Wi-Fi hot spot. Such is the benefit of using a phone with the stock Android OS. Indeed, both features are increasingly popular among smartphone users, but some carriers have stood in the way of making them a reality.

Sprint and Verizon Wireless, for example, declined to add tethering to their Froyo-equipped handsets, even though the Android 2.2 update promised to add the feature. And though Sprint does offer hot-spot capability on its HTC Evo 4G, the carrier charged an extra $29.99 per month for the privilege.

The Nexus S, on the other hand, adds both features for less money. We're still confirming with T-Mobile if there will be a separate fee. T-Mobile will charge an additional $14.99 per month to use them, but you're saddled with a few restrictions. I was able to play with both over the weekend, and I'm pleased to say that I was quite impressed with the performance on both fronts. … Read more

A couple weeks back I told you about the Sprint ZTE Peel, an iPod Touch accessory that sounded almost too good to be true. For a mere $79.99, plus a no-contract monthly service fee of $29.99, you could add 3G connectivity to your Touch.

Goodbye, pricey iPhone! Hello, much more affordable iPod Touch-Phone! Well, not quite. Now that I've had a chance to test-drive one, I must admit it's not what I expected. Here are five reasons why:

1. It's not actually a dock.

I mistakenly assumed that the Peel plugged into the Touch's dock connector, much like an external battery/case hybrid. But it doesn't: the Peel is actually a kind of specialized MiFi 2200, one that's been molded to function as an iPod Touch (second- or third-gen) case. Just pop in your device--or don't. Makes no difference.

2. Only two devices can access the Peel's connection.

Either the preliminary information was incorrect, or I made a mistake, but I originally wrote that two other devices could tap the Peel's 3G goodness at the same time as your Touch. In reality, it's two devices total. Again, it doesn't matter if your Touch is snapped into the enclosure or not--two devices, period. I wouldn't call that a deal breaker, but it's a little disappointing given that the MiFi supports up to five. On the other hand...… Read more

Links from Wednesday's episode of Loaded:

Google launches Boutiques.com for highfalutin shoppers

Google creates Hotspot to help you discover your friends' favorite haunts

Hulu Plus is now $2 per month cheaper and available on the Roku set-top box

Yahoo launches Amazon Studios goes live in a quest for the next big thing in movies

Yahoo Clues lets you track trending search topics

The Emergency Broadcast System is coming to your cell phone

Intel wants to put computer chips in football helmets to measure head trauma

A New York University professor is going to live-stream his life from a … Read more

Back in June, I wrote about a rumored iPod Touch accessory that sounded almost too good to be true: the Peel, a combination case/cradle that would bring SIM-card-powered phone calling to the device.

The just-announced Sprint ZTE Peel has little in common with that rumored device except the name, but it's no less tantalizing. Drop your Touch into the cradle, press a button, and presto: you're connected to Sprint's 3G network.

But wait, there's more: the Peel doubles as a Wi-Fi hot spot, allowing up to two other devices to tap that 3G goodness at … Read more