X

Hands-on with Yota Ruby, not your average hot spot

The makers of the wacky e-ink Yota Phone turn their attention to the humble hot spot.

Jessica Dolcourt Senior Director, Commerce & Content Operations
Jessica Dolcourt is a passionate content strategist and veteran leader of CNET coverage. As Senior Director of Commerce & Content Operations, she leads a number of teams, including Commerce, How-To and Performance Optimization. Her CNET career began in 2006, testing desktop and mobile software for Download.com and CNET, including the first iPhone and Android apps and operating systems. She continued to review, report on and write a wide range of commentary and analysis on all things phones, with an emphasis on iPhone and Samsung. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds. Jessica began leading CNET's How-To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones and home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick (UK).
Expertise Content strategy, team leadership, audience engagement, iPhone, Samsung, Android, iOS, tips and FAQs.
See full bio
Jessica Dolcourt
2 min read

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's Ruby is multimodal, skipping among 4G LTE, 3G, and 2G connections depending on signal strength. It supports five global LTE bands at the moment (B1, B3, B7, B20, and B38), with more support coming up, like for the U.S. (Sadly, we didn't have a chance to try the hot spot and its glowing indicator for this very reason.)

Shopping for a faster internet speed?
We’ll send you the fastest internet options, so you don’t have to find them.
 

Yota Ruby, a different kind of hot spot (pictures)

+4 More
See all photos

Yota has integrated some other neat design elements as well. The power turns on with a sliding switch. Notch it to the left and you've got a private network just for yourself. Notch it to the right and you can share with up to 9 other devices for a total of 10.

In addition to the number of connected devices and battery strength showing on the Ruby's e-ink display, a smiley face pops up to let you know when you're connected in "public mode." Don't worry, you can still set a password.

You charge the 2,100mAh battery through the Micro-USB charging port, but you can also flip open a USB connector to charge the device or to use it as a personal USB modem. This USB connector conceals a micro-SIM card slot so you can swap SIMs if you hop countries. That makes a lot of sense for a global device.

The battery runs for about 16 hours off a full charge, Yota says, and for 60 hours on standby, about two and a half days. In an hour, according to Yota, the Ruby's battery can charge up to 70 percent.

True, there's no touch screen, which is the way that a lot of hot spots are going, but I enjoy Yota's thoughtful design touches.

There's no pricing for the Ruby hot spot yet, but it should sell globally for about $120, starting in Russia around November and expanding in Europe after that. Yota is currently seeking North American carrier partners for the device. We hope to go even deeper into the Ruby's performance as soon as the device supports U.S. LTE networks.

Catch all the latest news from CTIA 2013.