Private WiFi takes its VPN mobile
Private WiFi debuts mobile apps for all the major smartphone platforms, just in time to protect you from the insecure public Wi-Fi at CES.
LAS VEGAS--Private WiFi has been making a name for itself as a subscription VPN service on desktops. At CES 2013, the company has unveiled mobile apps for iOS and Android.
Private WiFi wraps your data in 128-bit encryption as it runs in the background of your phone or tablet. Based on the open-source OpenVPN, the service will block attacks on public, unsecure networks such as man-in-the-middle attacks, rogue networks, honeypots, ARP spoofing, sniffing, and session sidejacking.
Private WiFi CEO Kent Lawson said that his app stands a better chance than the competition because Private WiFi is low-cost but avoids privacy complications from being ad-supported.
The mobile version of Private WiFi doesn't have subscription pricing yet, although it's apparently coming soon. The trial gives you 499 MB of encrypted traffic for free. Thereafter, you can purchase 1 GB for 1.99, or 10 GB for 7.99.
There are also laptop versions for Mac and Windows, including Windows 8. Lawson said that a Windows Phone version is due soon.
The app indicates your level of safety using colored Wi-Fi icons. Red means you're not protected, yellow means that the service is starting up, the icon turns green when Private WiFi is protecting you, and blue means that you're on a secure network and Private WiFi isn't necessary.