Novatel MiFi Mobile Hotspot for 3G networks
In South Africa, where I live, hotspots are frequently used in the context of crime, i.e. such and such place is a crime hotspot, but much less fequently in the context of internet access. In fact, public wifi hotspots in South Africa are scarcer than apps in Palm’s app store. We do have good 3G mobile network coverage though with two large network operators competing fiercely to provide the SA consumer with the best possible coverage at the highest possible price – the result of an oligopoly. So much for Economics 101. Next time you and up to 4 of your closest friends are killing time in your local library/pub/park/shopping centre and you feel the need to surf the web using your Vivienne Tam netbook, pull out your Novatel MiFi, equipped with a 3G SIM card from your favourite oligopolist, connect your netbook to it via wifi and voila! you have created your own hotspot. Actually not even necessary to pull the MiFi out of your pocket or stylish laptop bag, as it runs off batteries and requires no wires to be connected, although I guess you will want to pull it out to press the On button if not to show it off to the unconnected laptop users at nearby tables.
The GSM version supports 3.5G HSDPA which means that you can get up to 7.2Mbps download speeds which is pretty decent. There is also a CDMA version should anyone be able to find a public spot in the US that is not already covered by a wifi hotspot.
It is selling for around ZAR2,000, which is not cheap, but I am not going to put a price on real style.
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