| Pocket Mobility – A Hot Spot That Travels
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Pocket Mobility – A Hot Spot That Travels That’s right, a hot spot that becomes you. It’s the Novatel MiFi 2200 that will be available from Verizon starting in mid-May that allows the person carrying the battery-powered, rechargeable, cellular, Wi-Fi hot spot to easily share the internet access. The “MiFi” device has its Wi-Fi access password printed on the bottom, so if one wishes share (or sell time on) the uplink, one can can invite someone to join networking simply by showing the password to them (it’s printed on each card). This all sounds pretty cool until one realizes that this device is little more than a form factor change from a standard USB plug-in portal with its associated data upload/download limitations and costs (not to mention – RANGE – it is only about 30 feet). So, why not get a “MiFi”, a sandwich-board, and a busy, independent coffee shop and go into business? Sell access in areas where overcharging is rampant, like posh hotels, and airports. All one would have to do is go to critical time crunch convention centers where access may be limited, or purposely restricted, and open up shop for …. say 10 minutes, then move on? It’s a business model for a new age in these trying economic times … or not!
This excerpted and edited from the New York Times – Wi-Fi to Go, No Cafe Needed Someday, we |
