Want to get a mobile broadband connection that you can share with your buddies? Want to get it at a reasonable price? You’re in luck, because the Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 is on sale for 60% off. This works with the Virgin Mobile service in the United States.

At roughly the size of a thicker business card, the Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 is super easy to carry around and it can provide you with a high-speed personal hotspot just about everywhere that you go. You can connect up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices at the same time and you can do this without having to sign up for a contract. It’s compatible with both the 4G and 3G networks, which Virgin is offering through the nationwide Sprint PCS network. The MiFi range is up to 40 feet.

The Broadband2Go plans from Virgin Mobile start at $35 per month, giving you unlimited 4G where available and 2GB of 3G data where it’s not. You can bump that up to $55 a month to get 5GB of 3G data, while still retaining the unlimited 4G data. Pick up the Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 for $59.99, which is significantly cheaper than the $149.99 list price.

The post Virgin Mobile MiFi 2200 Prepaid Mobile Hotspot for $60 appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

When talking about boosting the performance of Verizon Wireless 4G/LTE service, we mentioned the Verizon JetPack 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot MiFi 4510L as a good supplement to the Sleek 4G signal booster .  Here, at CES 2012, Verizon Wireless and ZTE  have now announced the Verizon Jetpack  EuFi890 model. Developed by ZTE, the Jetpack is a 4G /LTE Mobile Hotspot allowing 4G/ LTE – customers to get download speeds of 5 to 12 megabits per second (Mbps) and upload speeds of 2 to 5 Mbps in 4G/LTE Mobile Broadband coverage areas.  The global ready device will work in 205 different countries, and 125 more with 3G too.

Other key features:

• Support for up to 10 Wi-Fi-enabled devices
• OLED display with interactive keypad
• Backward-compatible with the Verizon Wireless 3G network
• Data usage alerts via text message displayed on the Jetpack
• Wireless Connectivity: 802.11 b/g/n
• Supports Windows®, Macintosh® and Linux operating systems
• Security: WEP/WPA/WPA2 and VPN pass-through support
• Dimensions: 3.49″ x 3.49″ x .70″
• Weight: 4.7 oz

Looking like a 3.49-inch rounded compact plastic square with an OLED display, this particular Jetpack has 3 buttons that let you manage connections, settings and display data usage alerts.  Pricing for the device is not released yet. $269 is the price for Verizon’s Jetpack 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot MiFi 4510L if that’s any indication to you.

The post Verizon ZTE Jetpack 4G/LTE Mobile Hotspot appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

On the surface, it looks like a rather unassuming and nondescript grey box. What makes it interesting is that you can attach just about any USB Internet stick to this and it’ll take that web access, broadcasting it out just like your wireless router at home. Furthermore, it can support as many connected devices as you’d like, unlike the typical five device limit on MiFi devices from Novatel and crew.

If you really want, there’s even an Ethernet jack in there for connecting to a more conventional modem. The USB modem part is carrier-independent, as you’d expect, so that’s pretty useful for traveling. On the downside, it’s a heck of a lot uglier than the comparatively slick MiFi modems.

In any case, the pocket 3G router has an official MSRP of $115, but the street price is closer to $85 or so.

[Electronista]

The post Zyxel pocket 3G router challenges MiFi by sharing USB sticks appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Having a mobile hotspot is pretty useful when you’re traveling across the country with your laptop (and iPad) in tow. Having a mobile hotspot capable of latching onto the 4G WiMAX network from Sprint is even better, and that seems to be happening with the Novatel-sourced Sprint 3G/4G MiFi 4082 pictured here.

At least we think it’s a real product shot and not some enthusiast’s attempt at PhotoShop. As you can imagine, the new MiFi will work in much the same way as the countless other MiFi devices that have now infiltrated the market. You turn it on, it connects to the cellular network, and you get WiFi access to the interweb on your preferred mobile device.

Aside from the obvious appeal of 4G connectivity, it’s also nice that the MiFi 4082 looks a little sleeker than the current plain plastic numbers making their way through most other carriers. It looks like you’ll get some brushed aluminum and a shiny chrome bezel, assuming this photo holds true. The indicator lights above the power button don’t look too bad either.

No word on price or availability, of course, but the Sprint 3G/4G MiFi 4082 has reportedly finishing jumping through the hoops at FCC, so it should be in the clear any day now. You know, assuming Sprint is ready to go.

[Engadget via ]

The post First look at Sprint 3G/4G MiFi 4082 from Novatel appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

If you’ve ever gone backpacking through another country or continent you’re probably well aware of the constant headache that WiFi searching can be. Wandering around in search of call centres and internet cafes that charge by the minute. Buying overpriced coffee to use café WiFi. Dropping a coin in to pay phones or cheap, grabbing local pay-as-you-go cell phones whenever you want to order a pizza or call a cab. The costs add up – and if time really is money, the inconvenience of it all definitely adds to the equation.

Luckily, for those planning to travel to Japan, E Mobile has effectively killed these two bird with one sleek, metallic-blue stone.

The $235 “Pocket WiFi” combines a mobile WiFi router with an Android smartphone, and with plans starting at about $50 per month, combines and cuts down on a traveller’s communication expenses in a huge way.

Plus, you know what they say: The best camera is the one you’ve got with you. And with a 3.2 Megapixel camera, your photos will be the perfect size to send back to friends and family over a mobile connection.

I’ll be honest when I say it’s a bit out of the average vagabond’s price range. But then again, so is travel in Japan.

[eMobile]

The post E Mobile’s new pocket WiFi/smartphone combo is a traveller’s dream appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

It has been officially confirmed by VZW that the iPad will be arriving in its retail stores on October 28th, which is exactly two weeks from today. Should you feel so inclined, they’ll have three iPad + MiFi bundles. You get the 16GB model for $629.99, the 32GB model for $729.99, or the 64GB model for $829.99.

The caveat is, from what I can gather, these are just the WiFi-only versions of the iPad and not the 3G model. After all, the 3G-ness won’t work on the Big Red’s network anyhow, which is why they’re doing the MiFi business in the first place. If you already have a MiFi, you can jump over to a Verizon store to buy the 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB iPad on its own for $499, $599, and $699, respectively.

If you go with the bundles, though, you can go month-to-month on a 1GB/$20 data plan. This plan is only available to those who buy the bundle. On a related note, AT&T will start selling the WiFi+3G iPad on the same October 28th launch date for $629, $729, and $829.

Source: VZW, AT&T

The post Verizon to offer iPad + MiFi bundle later this month, AT&T doing 3G appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

In case you’ve been living under a rock for the last couple of years, the MiFi is a credit card-sized device that will translate the mobile broadband connection into a WiFi hotspot. Other devices like the Novatel USB modem work. This way, any WiFi-enabled device can connect to the Internet, including notebooks, netbooks, tablets, and smartphones.

The new $40 unlimited MiFi plan from Virgin Mobile (Piggy backed off Sprint) is the best (current) deal in the country by about $20 a month. That’s unlimited data folks. This new 30-day plan kills off the old $20/$40/$60 tiered data of old. If you want to save a few bucks, you can still opt to pay $10 for 10 days of access, but that caps off at just 100MB.

Update: PC Mag reports that this is delayed due to “technical difficulties” however, Virgin Mobile’s spokeswoman Corinne Nosal said its only for a few days.

Virgin Mobile shifts up their MiFi plan: $40. Unlimited. Contract-free. Glorious [MobileCrunch]

The post Virgin Mobile offers $40 unlimited MiFi plan, delayed a few days appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

While I’m more inclined to use wireless tethering now, there are still many others who love the MiFi and the terrific utility that it provides. If you want to go even faster, you’ll be happy to hear that Novatel Wireless has just completed testing for the 4G version of the MiFi. That’s right. The credit card-sized box has hopped onto WiMAX, and it’s going to get a heck of a lot cheaper.

Using present 3G MiFi, most users have reasonably happy with the connection, it all works as expected, the web, the tweets, the face books. However, the speed can lag out with hefty data transfers.  The WiMAX 4G version however, will sustain a throughput of 18Mbps.

Theoretically, a maximum download of 30Mbps and upload of 10Mbps are attainable. That’s a lot faster than many home broadband connections.  With that much speed it wouldn’t take you very long to burst through the stingy 5GB data cap.

Some industry sources believe it could replace current home Internet connections, but have all the implications of blanketing communities in another source of radio frequencies been thorughouly investigated?

The post MiFi to go 4G, WiMAX to blanket communities appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

The credit card-sized device effectively takes the cellular connection that it receives and broadcasts that data connection back out as a Wi-Fi hotspot. This way, both you and your traveling companion can use the Internet with your respective laptops. You’ll want an appropriate data plan, of course.

Instead of working off the old Bell EVDO network, the Novatel MiFi 2372 latches onto the company’s new HSPA network. It’ll work with up to five devices, offering a total speed of up to 7.2Mbps. This isn’t quite the 21Mbps that’ll come with HSPA+, but it’s getting there.

The little handheld sells for $99.95 with a three-year contract. If you’re willing to wait it out, you might be able to get the new HSPA+ Internet Stick for about the same price. The trouble with that is that it’ll only hook up one laptop to the net.

Source: Bell

The post Bell Mobility Starts Shipping MiFi Hotspot Device appeared first on Mobile Magazine.