hot spot

Yota Ruby: An LTE hot spot with cool design details (hands-on)

LAS VEGAS -- When the guys behind the dual-screen Android and e-ink YotaPhone say they're working on a hot spot, you know that the Yota Ruby isn't your average portable Wi-Fi router.

Just consider the hot spot's design. Unlike a lot of hot-spot bricks we see, this white device has smooth, rounded edges and a flat top and bottom (it'll come in black, too.) Different-colored LED lights behind the playful Yota insignia shine out to indicate if you're on 4G, 3G, or 2G, so you can tell at a glance.

Like other hot spots, Yota'… Read more

HP printer can act as Wi-Fi hot spot

Hewlett-Packard has launched a new printer that can serve as a hot spot, though it's available only in India and China for now.

The HP Hotspot LaserJet Pro M1218nfs MFP lets up to eight people hop on to wirelessly connect their mobile devices to the Internet.

As a multifunction printer, the device comes with the usual print, copy, and scan features. It also offers several options for printing wirelessly, including Apple AirPrint, HP ePrint, and HP wireless direct. HP's Smart Install tries to ease the burden of installation by letting you set up the printer without the need … Read more

5 ways to avoid pulling a Petraeus

The extramarital affair scandal engulfing former CIA director David Petraeus has brought massive public attention to the convoluted U.S. laws governing e-mail privacy. We've got some quick tips for keeping your electronic communiques private.

Before getting into the more technical side of things, there are some simple behavioral changes you can make.

Always log out of your e-mail when you're done using it. This goes for any online service, including social networking sites. Logging out prevents a cached password from keeping you signed in even after the browser has been restarted.

Never use your preferred personal e-mail … Read more

AT&T's MiFi Liberate LTE is first touch-screen hot spot

What would you say to an LTE hot spot that connects up to 10 Wi-Fi devices and comes with a 2.8-inch touch screen?

The MiFi Liberate, made by Novatel Wireless, uses the screen to offer easy access to management menus directly from the device. Icons that smartphone and feature phone users are accustomed to pressing lead you to data usage, connection details, and settings.

The Liberate will offer 11 hours of continuous use on its battery, AT&T says, and comes compatible with networks in more than 200 countries. We don't have any pricing and availability just … Read more

Donkeys schlep Wi-Fi into Bible theme park

At the Village of Yore in Northern Israel, visitors can "ride the rolling hills as Abraham rode them" and "take in the scents that Jacob smelled tending Laban's flocks." Thanks to the newly-Wi-Fi-enabled donkeys roaming the grounds of the Bible theme park, they can also partake in that popular second-century activity of uploading photos to Facebook and Twitter.

The park, called Kfar Kedem in Hebrew and located in the Galilee region of Northern Israel, offers a reenactment of ancient Judean life. Visitors can don traditional Rebecca-style robes and headdresses, recline in rustic shepherds' tents, shear sheep, spin wool, and ride donkeys that now double as wireless hot spots. … Read more

Olympics turns to gold for Expat Shield

As the Summer Olympics kicks into high gear, complaints about television coverage from outside Britain appear to be driving people watching the games online to Expat Shield (download for Windows only) to get real-time BBC streaming.

Anchor Free's ad-supported Expat Shield masks your actual IP address and sends your Internet traffic through its servers in England. Like its software sibling HotSpot Shield, it's a VPN service that encrypts your traffic as it reroutes it. The primary differences between them are that HotSpot Shield (Windows | Mac | iOS | Android) offers an ad-free Elite version, and that HotSpot Shield's VPN … Read more

HotSpot Shield's new shine not without blemish

Following the addition of anti-malware protection in January, AnchorFree pulls the covers off a new look for HotSpot Shield, available exclusively today from CNET Download.com.

Both the standard, ad-supported HotSpot Shield (download) and the paid upgrade sport the refreshed interface and easier install options. However, it still has a lot of visual clutter that could make many either upgrade to Elite or uninstall it.

The new version is easier to install. HotSpot Shield 2.5 automatically detects your Internet connection in all instances, can be used on corporate networks and no longer requires administrative privileges to install. It also … Read more

Homeless hot spots at SXSW: A manufactured controversy

commentary AUSTIN, Texas--If you've been reading South by Southwest-centered blogs over the last 24 hours, you've probably gotten a sense of the outrage over what's being called the "homeless hot spots" program.

If you don't know what that's about, let me catch you up. A marketing agency sent some Austin homeless folks out on the streets, wireless hot spots in tote, with the idea that SXSW attendees in desperate search of Wi-Fi would pay a few bucks for the connectivity and for the chance to help out someone in need.

Some of the … Read more

HotSpot Shield strengthens VPN with anti-malware wall

HotSpot Shield maker AnchorFree has built an extra wall of protection into its popular virtual private network software, available today. The update adds a malware site guard to the VPN client without requiring you to download a new version of the program because the changes have all been made on the server, not on your computer.

With the anti-malware site guard in place, HotSpot Shield will throw up a warning like the one you see in the screenshot above. Available on Windows (download), Mac (download), and iOS (download), the new anti-malware site protection is based off a database of more … Read more