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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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 TECH REVIEW 
7

A WiFi Hotspot in Your Pocket

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(Newser) – Verizon’s newest wireless gadget, the MiFi—a portable WiFi hotspot—has a big fan in David Pogue of the New York Times. The MiFi is a combination of a cellular modem without the “nasty little antenna protuberance” and a wireless router. Anywhere on Verizon’s 3G network, one touch of a button a device the size of a credit card allows up to five people to surf at broadband speeds.

The MiFi also has a rechargeable battery, and a standby mode that can get the average person through a whole day of intermittent surfing. It works just like a regular router and is totally configurable, yet fits in a pocket. Pogue was stuck on a runway happily surfing away when his stunned seatmate asked how he had a signal. “He was floored,” Pogue writes, “when I pulled the MiFi from my pocket, its power light glowing evilly.”

The Verizon-branded MiFi.
The Verizon-branded MiFi.   (AP Photo)
Novatel's MiFi, a 3G Wi-Fi router.
Novatel's MiFi, a 3G Wi-Fi router.   (AP Photo)
A Verizon store in New York.
A Verizon store in New York.   (AP Photo)
Executives test wireless signals in Baltimore.
Executives test wireless signals in Baltimore.   (AP Photo)
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7 comments
VIEWING:
 
Mad
May 9, 09 11:39 AM CDT
Brave New World - I want one! Reply
Vote up! Vote down!
+1
Rob
May 9, 09 12:50 PM CDT
Small enough to wrap it around my brain stem. Reply
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0
drlarrymitchell
May 9, 09 2:36 PM CDT
I'm waiting for wet-wired brain-stem usb port capability. Reply
Vote up! Vote down!
+1
shonangreg
May 9, 09 7:45 PM CDT
Pogue had it broadcasting while in his pocket? Needless cancer risk. That's like keeping a loaded pistol in your pocket with the safety off. Set the cell phone router on the table or in a bag, anywhere away from your body, especially far from your brain, your chest, and your groin. Reply
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0
IN RESPONSE:
Rob
May 10, 09 11:41 AM CDT
There is no evidence what so ever for any of this. Pure stuff and nonsense.
Vote up! Vote down!
-1

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