hotspot

NEW ORLEANS--Sprint has gone to great length to explain to its investors and the press how it's consolidating its various network technologies into one. Its latest 4G hot spot is a perfect example of the concept in practice.

The 4G LTE Tri-Fi Hotspot, made by Sierra Wireless, will support three of Sprint's data networks: 4G LTE, 4G WiMax, and 3G.

I got my first glimpse of the Tri-Fi Hotspot a few months back at CES, and despite all the jokes I cracked about a data three-way, it isn't a very sexy device if you're not looking … Read more

Nokia's Lumia 710 and 800 phones may be one step closer to gaining the ability to act as Wi-Fi hot spots, though the company itself isn't confirming or revealing any details on the matter.

A changelog of the latest update posted by Nokiapoweruser seems to reveal that the tethering feature will be rolling out for phones in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Vietnam. Screenshots of the update point to the 710 and 800C (the Chinese variant of the 800) as the recipients of the update.

No specific date was listed as to when the update would actually launch. Nokiapoweruser … Read more

Twitter has acquired social-media analytics startup Hotspots.io for an undisclosed price, the companies confirmed today.

The company, which touts itself as delivering "social media intelligence you actually use," appears to still be in beta mode and its Web site lacks much in the way of product details. However, there is demo of data collected during the Super Bowl measuring social-media interaction with TV ads.

Hotspots.io said in a statement posted to its Web site that it would be joining Twitter's revenue engineering team:

For frequent and infrequent travelers alike, nothing beats the convenience of a mobile hot spot.

Folks who travel a lot will probably want something with unlimited data and 4G service, but occasional users may want to consider a more affordable solution.

Here's one: DataJack has the MiFi 2200 mobile hot spot for $49.99, plus around $10 for shipping, when you use coupon code DEALNEWS1.

That purchase also entitles you to a free month of service, albeit with DataJack's low-end, 200MB data plan. Thankfully, there's no contract here, so you can let your service expire if you … Read more

Do you ever sit at a cafe that provides you with a free Wi-Fi connection? I often work from cafes and airports, where I connect to the free public Wi-Fi that is provided to me, but little did I know, I was an easy prey for hackers and snoopers to access my personal information.

Many of you probably already know the difference between HTTP and HTTPS, but some of you may not, so I'll go over that a little bit here. If you are just browsing around the internet, HTTP will do, which stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. Not … Read more

Hotspotters, start your engines. The latest MiFi hot spot, known formally as the Verizon Jetpack Hotspot MiFi 4620L, delivers 4G LTE to up to 10 devices.

We first heard of the Novatel-made Jetpack at CES, where it was one of two hot spots revealed at the show. The Jetpack promises 4G data speeds up to 12Mbps down and 5Mbps up. The global-ready MiFi will work wireless data services in more than 205 countries -- though expect to surf 3G speeds in more than 125 of them.… Read more

The capability for a smartphone or tablet to also double as a hot spot has quickly become an expected feature of every new device -- the new iPad included. As you may have read in Jessica Dolcourt's post, Verizon includes the hot-spot feature with the iPad data plans, while AT&T doesn't support it...yet.

Using your iPad as a hot spot will allow you to share the iPad's data connection with up to five devices, including your iPhone (FaceTime over LTE, anyone?).

To set up a hot spot on your iPad, start by opening Settings … Read more

Facing greater expenses, the wireless industry is trying to drum up profits by relying more on such services as prepaid and mobile broadband, says a report out today from PwC.

Surveying wireless carriers in the U.S. and Canada last year, PwC found a variety of challenges to their profitability.

Rising smartphone subsidies have forced providers to pay more up front for the privilege of carrying certain smartphones. Though obviously popular, the iPhone requires carriers to pay a huge subsidy, crimping per user profit.

And though providers have been pushing smartphones to their customers, the resulting rise in data usage … Read more

Today only, Newegg has a killer deal on an 8GB flash drive... (Kidding! Just a little joke for anyone who was following yesterday's comment thread).

In case you missed it, CNET's Dong Ngo recently reported on a new 4G broadband service from NetZero.

I thought I'd revisit this from the Cheapskate perspective, as it's kind of an unprecedented deal. For $99.95, you get the NetZero 4G Hotspot, which can share your 4G connection with up to eight devices. (You can also get a USB stick for $49.95, but I honestly don't see the … Read more