AT&T unveiled its first MiFi gadget on Wednesday, joining Verizon Wireless and Sprint.
Two prevailing theories for how we will access the internet in the future hinge on the success of small plastic gadgets called MiFis.
The devices, many of them smaller than a smartphone, are similar to the wireless routers in many homes except they don't need to be plugged into anything.
They connect to a cellular carrier's data network. Once the battery is charged, a MiFi can be taken anywhere, and it provides a Wi-Fi signal to computers or iPods in a nearby vicinity.
In one of those future scenarios, each family would have their own one of these gadgets.
This can be more economical than subscribing to separate data plans for each cell phone and tablet you buy. Some families have found this especially effective for staying connected on road trips or in hotels that don't offer free Wi-Fi.
AT&T introduced its first MiFi device on Wednesday. Sprint Nextel, which already has the 4G-enabled Overdrive, started selling a thinner gadget called the ZTE Peel last week. Verizon Wireless offers the popular MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot and another equipped for international travel.
These products generally cost $50 to $150 (some require a two-year contract) and $35 to $60 per month for the service, depending on the carrier and amount of data you use. Virgin Mobile also has an unlimited plan for $40 with no contract.
T-Mobile USA, the only of the major wireless carriers not to offer a MiFi device, is considering releasing one next year when it expands and updates its network, Neville Ray, the company's chief technology officer, told CNN recently. Current third-generation technology hasn't been fast enough to serve this growing breed of products, he said.
Read more:http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TECH/mobile/11/18/mifi.wireless.hotspots/index.html
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