Archive for: hotspot
Everybody loves them some LTE. Really. Compared to the alternative, LTE is the tech junkie/road warriors single, saving grace. And today Verizon made sure to cater to that very group with two, new LTE hotspots, or as they call them, “Jetpacks”.
The MiFi 4620L features an OLED display that displays battery life, security settings, and connected devices whereas the ZTE-made Verizon Eu-Fi890 which like the former, features an OLED display to display a bevy of device information as well as integrated keyboard to make navigating and using the Jetpack way easier.
Both Jetpacks can support up to 10 simultaneously connected devices and are global in nature, giving users wireless coverage in over 205 countries, 125 of which are on 3G speeds.
Look for booth Jetpacks to hit Verizon’s website in the coming weeks.
Sprint’s plans to cap (literally) mobile hotspot users have been known for quite a while now. Mobile data card users, however, were thought to have escaped unscathed. Too bad they didn’t. A new chart from Sprint has leaked, showing that the current awesome deal of capped 3G and unlimited 4G will soon be replaced by the now standard (and terribly priced) data tiers in 2 GB, 5 GB and 10 GB flavors — no grandfathered options. Going over your allotted bandwidth will cost you $0.05/MB.
Now that hotspot and data card users are getting neutered service it’s only a matter of time before Sprint makes the same changes to smartphone data. Despite promises to the contrary, unlimited data won’t be around on Sprint’s network much longer. On a separate note, Sprint’s network has never been anything to write home about speed wise (on 3G). With the recent launch of the iPhone 4S and the certain flogging iPhone users are putting on Sprint’s network, we can’t imagine things have gotten any better.
Considering one of Sprint’s few redeeming qualities is their unlimited data options, will the drying up of said feature(s) cause people to move elsewhere?
Overall, killing off unlimited data and not giving current unlimited users grandfathered plans isn’t likely to win over anyone.
Verizon Wireless customers and owners of either the HTC Thunderbolt or Samsung DROID Charge LTE phones have a Monday pick-me-up by way of a new announcement via the carrier’s official twitter page. Because of the recent LTE network outage, VZW is extending the free hotspot service through June 15th, allowing customers to reclaim (and then some) lost LTE usage free of charge. Enjoy the extra LTE fun while it lasts!
Until now, the only reliable way to surf the web at close to 4G speeds is by using one of Verizon’s LTE laptop modems. But both of those devices are only good for a single user. Today that changes with the Samsung 4G LTE SCH-LC11 modem. This little unassuming black box provides the awesomeness of LTE speeds for not only you, but four other patrons as well.
For now, there are two ways to to call this your own — pay $269 up front and go contract free, or sign a 2-year contract and get the modem/hot spot spewer for $99. Data plan pricing is the same $50/5GB or $80/10GB regardless of how you acquire said hardware. Add in a ~4-hour runtime and 9-hour standby time and you’ve got quite the little gem on your hands.
Who’s ready to jump on the LTE bandwagon?
- December 31, 2010 9:45 am
Several months ago, Clear debuted a rather unique hotspot modem called the “iSpot”. By design, it was an iOS-specific device that would allow you to tether any and all iOS devices and enjoy up to 6Mbps download speeds. From start, hackers were interested on breaking the iSpot’s device restrictions — the reason being the discounted price of less than $100 for the iSpot hardware and a low $25/month for 4G data access. With that said, the actual process to get around the iSpot’s MAC-filtering security was neither hard nor lengthy in process.
Unfortunately, Clear hasn’t been so pleased with the iSpot’s lackluster security features and has decided to discontinue the modem effective immediately. However, Clear stores are still able to sell remaining stock. If I were you, I’d head down there now and see if they have any left. $25/month for unlimited WiMax is a pretty sweet deal.
- December 20, 2010 2:22 pm
Now that the ITU considers HSPA+ “4G”, T-Mobile is pushing ahead even harder with their HSPA+ network and accompanying devices. While we already have the Web Rocket 2.0 HSPA+ USB Data stick, one thing that has been missing so far in T-Mobile’s big marketing push is a speedy HSPA+ MiFi router piggybacking on said network allowing not only you, but several other devices to enjoy the speedy network as well.
Thanks to the leaked document above, it appears that we won’t have to wait too much longer as T-Mobile will be joining the rest of the civilized 4G world in Q2 2011 with their very own HSPA+ MiFi device. According to the documentation above, the HSPA+ MiFi will support 21Mbps speeds at launch, though no word on if a software upgrade will bring support for the faster 42Mbps speeds T-Mobile is aiming to roll out next year is made. But considering that HSPA+ has so far been giving increased speeds to other hardware via software upgrades means there’s a good chance the same thing will apply here as well. Above all else, HSPA+’s backwards compatibility is a very big selling point in the next-gen wireless wars, especially because it allows extremely quick upgrades network wide.
For now, there isn’t any information regarding a specific launch date, device pricing, or data plan pricing. With that said, we figure T-Mobile will follow the other carriers who have already done the whole MiFi thing — Expect to drop anywhere between $0-$200 on the device itself and ~$30-$50 on the service.
With as much as carriers claim to be here “for the people” and embracing all kinds of new, innovative technologies, they sure do a lot to hamper progress. Take for example the rather disappointing revelation that the upcoming Galaxy Tab will be limited to WiFI-only calls over Skype when used on Verizon’s network. Such a move is rather AT&T-like, usually signaling a desperate attempt to keep an already weak network from crashing to its knees.
But Verizon is well prepared for the onslaught of data-hungry devices — or so they say. For a device costing $599 contract-free, the fact that end users will be further limited by artificial nannies is a sad state of affairs.
Though the few folks who would really ream Verizon’s 3G network with Skype and other VoIP services over 3G will be some of the first to root the device, hack the functionality onto it themselves, and continue on their merry way with or without Verizon’s blessing.
Though I complain, this little hinderance is unlikely to tarnish Verizon or the Tab much, if at all. Because in the end, the Tab is well built device with plenty of potential.
Last week we touched on the iSpot — a simple, WiFi/4G shotspot device for portable Apple devices. The real draw isn’t necessarily the 4G feature or even the steeply discounted price that has come and gone. Instead, it’s the $40 4G “unlimited” data plan that is making waves. One can certainly understand now why someone would want to hack a mobile hotspot device.
On that note, the iSpot is incredibly easy to hack in to. That is, it’s easy if you have a basic understanding of command line and Telnet matters. Don’t let that scare you off though. It’s only a few lines deep. Besides, the end result if mobile 4G awesomeness for a mere $40/month — waaaay cheaper than any other option out there. Have your way with the device by removing MAC address restrictions, preventing future firmware upgrades, and even allowing USB tethering. Put your thinking caps on and use that noodle when you head over to Wojo’s guide to hacking the iSpot.
Video of an iPad/iPhone being cracked in an Apple store via the new Jailbreakme.com 2 update is definitely noteworthy, though not really worth an entire post. However, news of a BestBuy blocking jailbreakme.com only to have a snarky geek use his Nexus One’s hotspot feature to get around BestBuy’s block — priceless. +1 for the nerds. Video of the riveting action inside…
