If there's a single device that's almost as universally adored as the iPhone, it's the Novatel MiFi 2200.
This ingenious gadget puts a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot in your pocket, delivering 3G broadband to up to five nearby devices.
Normally the card costs $99.99, but right now Wirefly is offering the MiFi 2200 for free with a 2-year Verizon contract. Shipping is free, too, though you will have to pay a $35 activation fee.
You'll also have to pay monthly service charges, but, hey, that's the price of doing mobile-broadband business. Verizon charges $39.99/month for 250MB of data (joke) or $59.99 for 5GB.
Steep, I know, but if you need a solution like this, it's aces. To learn more, read my complete review of the MiFi 2200, then read CNET's review (which, surprisingly, is even more price-hostile than mine). You can also check out the above video review.
If you've been eyeballing a MiFi, now's the time to pounce. It's a truly phenomenal little gadget; one I can enthusiastically recommend.
(Credit:
Huawei)
Aside from its Android smartphone, Huawei also showcased its E583X wireless modem at CommunicAsia 2009. Other HSDPA modems are usually shaped like flash drives that you plug into a free USB port on your computer.
The E583X does it differently because it's able to send out a Wi-Fi signal that you connect to wirelessly (like at a hot spot) from your notebook. This means you can leave the device out of sight and not have something dangling from your slim, fashionable Netbook. A 1,500mAh battery powers the device, giving about five hours of wireless productivity. It charges via USB, and if you prefer, you can also use it plugged in to your notebook like regular HSDPA modems.
Now, freeing up a single USB port may not seem like a fantastic reason to pick this product over a regular USB modem. What's more, your notebook will probably consume more battery power with Wi-Fi turned on. But variations of this product will allow up to five users running a single cellular connection, perfect for situations when others around you need to share your Internet access.
Like all of Huawei's products, this one will be sold through mobile operators. It will first appear in Europe come July. Below is a quick hands-on video of the E583X.
(Source: Crave Asia)
(Credit:
CP Technologies)
The $149 LevelOne MobileSpot is really a pretty simple idea. Take a fairly standard portable 802.11b/g wireless router and build in a PC Card slot and USB port that lets you turn a 3G wireless PC Card or USB modem into an instant hotspot. Then basically all you need is a decent signal and you can set up a network just about anywhere.
The MobileSpot (WBR-3800) can also be used with a cable or DSL modem connected by Ethernet allowing you to leave the 3G option as backup, so there's less chance your connection will ever be interrupted. It's reasonably compact, too, at 5.1 inches wide by 4.8 inches deep by 1.3 inches high and weighs in at 11.2 ounces.
Security includes a double firewall, WEP, WPA-PSK, WPA2-PSK, and TKIP/AES Wireless encryption support, and support for VPN pass-through of PPTP, L2TP, and IPSec secured data connections.
The SlingModem: cable modem plus Slingbox
(Credit: Sling Media)EchoStar will be officially unveiling the SlingModem at next week's Cable Show trade event in New Orleans. As the name suggests, the product combines a standard DOCSIS cable modem and a Slingbox media placeshifter--which transmits live TV broadcasts to Windows PCs, Macs, and a variety of smartphones--in one compact housing. If it sounds familiar, it's because the product was soft-launched at January's Consumer Electronics Show (following several online appearances at various enthusiast sites). The SlingModem will be sold directly to cable providers, who will then sell or lease the product to their customers. Exact price and availability weren't disclosed.
Having the SlingModem in the AV rack would be potentially helpful for the increasing number of consumers using network-capable devices for home entertainment (TiVo, Apple TV, and all three game consoles, for instance). ... Read more
(Credit:
OhGizmo)
Note to Toshiba: Different doesn't always mean better. Judging from the photos of its G450 phone, we wouldn't be surprised if the company has hired some of NEC's batty designers.
It's got the oddest-looking keys we've seen since the triangles of Nokia's "Prism" line, but not because of their shape--it's their positions, divided into two circular number pads. Then again, maybe it's not really classified as a phone at all; Toshiba is marketing the G450 in the U.K. as a 4-in-1 gadget that performs as an MP3 player, USB flash drive, and high-speed modem as well as a mobile handset, according to OhGizmo.
You'd think they'd want to conserve space instead of having two keypads, given that the whole device is only 3.8 inches long. But if they were going to go through all that trouble, couldn't they have thrown in a camera, e-book, and DVR too?
(Credit:
Newegg)
Most cable companies charge at least $3 per month for your modem, which adds up to $36 per year. But there's no law that says you have to lease their modem; BYO and you can pocket that cash instead.
You'll start recouping your investment around month seven with the D-Link DCM-202 cable modem, currently on sale for $19.99, shipped, after a $20 mail-in rebate.
Before you buy, you should call your cable company to make sure they support the DCM-202. But judging by the roughly 400 Newegg buyers who rated this modem 5 out of 5, compatibility isn't an issue. And while I know many of you detest (or at least don't trust) rebates, you'll still end up ahead even without it.
The bigger concern is getting your cable company to stop charging you for their modem even after you turn it in. Keep a close eye on your bill after making the switch.
The rebate deal ends January 31.
The CradlePoint WiPipe, attached to a Verizon EVDO USB Modem
(Credit: Rafe Needleman / CNET)An odd little device made me a hero tonight. We were in the middle of a what turned out to be a 13-hour blackout in my San Francisco neighborhood, and my wife was getting antsy since she couldn't get her laptop online to work. She had some battery power left, but no connection. (My computer has cellular, but I'd rather let my wife drive my car than use my laptop.)
But I had brought home a demo unit of the Cradlepoint PHS300, a battery-powered cellular-to-WiiFi router. With a Verizon USB EVDO modem plugged into it, it turned my house into a battery-powered hot spot even though we had no power to our cable modem.
Setting it up took no time at all. Other cool features, which we didn't use, include a built-in chat function for people sharing the connection, and flexible security and administration utilities.
The use cases for this device are limited. It's an expensive networking backup, for example. While the device itself is $179, you'll also need a cellular data plan and modem to use it, and that usually costs about $60 a month. Individuals who need to guarantee themselves that they'll always have Internet access should get a laptop or modem that connects directly to a cellular data network; there's no need to use Wi-Fi as an intermediary. But if you need to quickly pop up a hot spot for several people to use, it's worth looking at.
Eons ago, before free Wi-Fi networks existed (yes, there was once such a time), we experimented with a wireless laptop modem that theoretically worked with our Motorola cell phone. It was a bizarre-looking setup that would have had us clip the handset to our notebook screen if necessary to get a better signal.
(Credit:
Engadget)
Naturally, it was an unmitigated disaster that ended up costing more than the phone itself. And, of course, we never were able to browse the Web even once. So imagine our delight at learning of Novatel's "Ovation" USB modem, which Engadget notes is available on Sprint's site for just $50 after rebates and such, promising full Internet access through its broadband network. Let's just hope that Novatel resists the urge to dress it up like other USB devices we know.
- prev
- 1
- next
