David Pogue adores the Novatel MiFi 2200: The tiny cellular gateway, which has a built-in Verizon EVDO Rev. A modem, sports a swappable battery and a tiny form factor. Pogue loves the notion that he can have a Wi-Fi hotspot on demand without any fuss of swapping in cards or hauling a large-format device. He found the device had about 4 hours of battery life in active use, but turning it on and off as needed can stretch it to a day. Standby is rated at 40 hours.
Verizon's pricing is its usual awful level: $15 for 24 hours, $40/mo. for 250 MB per mo (10 cents/MB or $100/GB thereafter), or $60/mo. for 5 GB. Two-year contracts for subscriptions are required, but that discounts the MiFi to $100 with a rebate. A no-contract purchase is $270.
I'll be more excited about the MiFi when it's bundled with WiMax or Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint get more realistic about the data people consume on 3G. Heck, the MiFi could be a multi-mode device and connect and extend Wi-Fi devices to your own private, encrypted Wi-Fi network when available, using 3G only when needed.
Useless and overpriced device.
Cons:
- It solves no additional problem compared to the existing USB/PCMCI routers.
- You need to charge it with its own charger
- Ridiculously priced data transfer (most mobile routers offer unlimited data)
I'd have to disagree on two of the three points.
Compared to existing routers: The other routers aren't necessarily as horsey as Pogue describes (some earlier models were far more so), but I'm aware of none with a 4-hour battery backed option that's compact enough for a pocket. That's a niche that's not filled. Having an integral card makes sense for some markets, too.
Data pricing: If you check, you'll find that all U.S. carriers have the same data transfer limits on all cellular gateways. It's not advertised as well as Verizon's with MiFi partly because Verizon used to advertise "unlimited" service that wasn't so and agreed to change its marketing. The 5 GB limit applies to all gateways on AT&T, Sprint Nextel, and Verizon networks, regardless of whether the company selling or reselling the gateway tells you so.