MiFi
May 9, 2009 3:13 PM Subscribe
Sup dawgs, Novatel and Verizon Wireless recently announced that it will be selling a portable wireless router that runs on the 3G network for $99 after rebates. It's name? MiFi. It will be available two months before July 14.
This post was deleted for the following reason: My personal gushing enthusiasm for the idea notwithstanding, this cutesy "it sounds like mefi and also here's an oblique reference to the site's birthday" framing combined with meh links makes this not really a very good post. -- cortex
"It will be available two months before July 14"
Errrrm couldn't you just say in five days or May 14? Strange phrasing = PR shilling? Did the brand manager make you so it that way?
posted by treblekicker at 3:20 PM on May 9, 2009
Errrrm couldn't you just say in five days or May 14? Strange phrasing = PR shilling? Did the brand manager make you so it that way?
posted by treblekicker at 3:20 PM on May 9, 2009
Hey dawg, you might want to give us a bit more context.
What's the significance of having a 3g/wifi mobile hotspot? If you have this in a more static location, I can't see this being more cost effective than setting up a wifi network wherever you are (office, construction site) using a traditional land line. If you're mobile, you can buy a device with 3g connectivity built in.
Granted, if you are at a project site only temporarily, this 3g/wifi bubble-making-thing might come in handy, but this kind of gee whiz really doesn't fit into the blue without a bit more elaboration.
posted by phyrewerx at 3:24 PM on May 9, 2009
What's the significance of having a 3g/wifi mobile hotspot? If you have this in a more static location, I can't see this being more cost effective than setting up a wifi network wherever you are (office, construction site) using a traditional land line. If you're mobile, you can buy a device with 3g connectivity built in.
Granted, if you are at a project site only temporarily, this 3g/wifi bubble-making-thing might come in handy, but this kind of gee whiz really doesn't fit into the blue without a bit more elaboration.
posted by phyrewerx at 3:24 PM on May 9, 2009
July 14th is a date not without some local significance.
posted by cortex at 3:25 PM on May 9, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by cortex at 3:25 PM on May 9, 2009 [1 favorite]
Which two months?
posted by found missing at 3:25 PM on May 9, 2009
posted by found missing at 3:25 PM on May 9, 2009
As far as the actual technology, this is really kind of neat stuff. I've been using a USB dongle EVDO card for the last like year or so and it's fantastic for computing on the go—free wifi is getting more and more ubiquitous, yeah, but it's still very swiss cheese even in the city, and hopeless outside of it, and hotels and airports still generally charge $10-15 a day for access.
And wifi doesn't do you any good on the bus.
So that end of it is pretty nice; the main selling point on this router is that instead of having to jam a USB stick into your laptop and run through a connection routine, the 3G connection is handled automatically by the wireless router thingy itself, which you just power on when you need it, and you laptop just picks up the connection like any other wifi setup. No more dongle, no more goddam Sprint connection app, etc.
It also means being able to share a connection on the go really easily, which you can technically do with e.g. Sprint's EVDO thing but not if they can help it, apparently.
posted by cortex at 3:29 PM on May 9, 2009 [1 favorite]
And wifi doesn't do you any good on the bus.
So that end of it is pretty nice; the main selling point on this router is that instead of having to jam a USB stick into your laptop and run through a connection routine, the 3G connection is handled automatically by the wireless router thingy itself, which you just power on when you need it, and you laptop just picks up the connection like any other wifi setup. No more dongle, no more goddam Sprint connection app, etc.
It also means being able to share a connection on the go really easily, which you can technically do with e.g. Sprint's EVDO thing but not if they can help it, apparently.
posted by cortex at 3:29 PM on May 9, 2009 [1 favorite]
I could see this being useful for some rural friends, but at $60/month for 5gb of data they won't be doing much.
posted by furtive at 3:29 PM on May 9, 2009
posted by furtive at 3:29 PM on May 9, 2009
This thing would be awesome for roadtrips and meetups.
Not so sure about it being awesome for a metafilter post.
posted by loquacious at 3:30 PM on May 9, 2009
Not so sure about it being awesome for a metafilter post.
posted by loquacious at 3:30 PM on May 9, 2009
« Older Ball Passing | The Last Man in Europe Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by ORthey at 3:20 PM on May 9, 2009