While you are in 4G coverage these two modems will offer you download speeds of 5 to 12 Mbps and upload speeds of 2 to 5 Mbps and when you are in Verizon 3G areas, you will still be able to connect.

Samsung 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot SCH–LC11

The Samsung Mobile Hotspot SCH–LC11 is available to order now for $99 after an instant $50 online discount and a 2 year contract. The Samsung Mobile Hotspot allows you to connect up to 5 WiFi devices to the internet over the 4G or 3G cellular connection. This includes notebooks, tablets like the iPad, game consoles or pretty much any device with WiFi.

Verizon USB551l 4G Modem

Novatel has also announced a new 4G USB modem for Verizon. The Verizon USB551L is 50% smaller than the existing 4G USB modems and is compatible with Windows and Mac. The Verizon USB551L is $99.99 after a $50 mail in rebate or $50 instant online rebate with a 2 year contract. The Verizon USB551L will be available for purchase on March 31st 2011.

While you can turn your HTC Thunderbolt, a 4G Verizon Android smartphone, into a wireless hotspot, these offerings allow you to do so without a voice plan. Also, given the battery life on the HTC Thunderbolt you may prefer to have a separate device for connecting to Verizon 4G.

Verizon 4G mobile broadband plans start at #$50 for 5GB of Data. Additional plans offer 10GB for $80 a month. Both plans offer an additional GB of data for $10.

Verizon Adds 4G LTE Hotspot and Mac Compatible 4G USB Modem is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

The new MiFi 4G mobile hostpots from Sprint (WiMAX) and Verizon (4G LTE) both run on the faster 4G networks, but that’s not all. The new MiFi devices have a new look which includes an eInk notification display that provides the status of your signal, battery life, GPS and more. This is a huge improvement over the previous MiFi 2200 units which essentially alerted you to a low battery with a flashing red LED and then it would turn off.

The features that really seal the deal are part of the MiFi OS which is now available for the first time on Verizon and Sprint MiFi devices. The MiFi OS allows you to manage your MiFi from the web and includes widgets and the apps you need to connect so that you aren’t always installing the connection manager on new computers you use.

Another new feature we like is the ability to use your MiFi for WiFi while it is connected to your computer. The earlier MiFi 2200 devices wouldn’t provide WiFi while plugged into a computer to charge. This meant you would need to run a connection manager and couldn’t connect another device to the MiFi while it recharged. There’s also a microSD card reader that allows you to easily share files between connected users which coworkers on the go will really appreciate.

The Novatel Mifi 4G Devices from Sprint and Verizon is Notebooks.com’s Choice for Best Notebook Accessory of CES 2011.

Best Notebook Accessory of CES 2011: Novatel 4G MiFi from Sprint and Verizon is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

The MiFi Mobile Hotspot is able to deliver wireless high-speed broadband to up to five different devices at a range of up to 10 meters. The new one will not only have its own operating system and support for apps, but will also have a microSDHC slot that can support cards up to 32GB. In addition it will have GPS capabilities. The MiFi OS is browser based.

The first wireless company to offer the new MiFi is Orange in the UK for 40 pounds or $79 plus a 15 pound ($24) monthly contract. No word yet on which US carriers may offer it.

Source: ConnectionsPros.com

Novatel Updating MiFi with Its Own OS, Widgets and Flash Storage is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

The Droid 2 has been rumored to be released on August 12. However, Motorola, nor Verizon have released any information on this new addition to the Droid family. In North Carolina, rumors of the device were ultimately confirmed on the shelves of a local Best Buy where an employee had put a Droid 2 “dummy unit” on display.  Product information confirms that the device will come with Android 2.2 Froyo, a 5-megapixel camera, and will cost $199.99 with new two-year agreement. Putting a little extra frosting on the cake is the newspaper ad that was also leaked.

In other news, Verizon’s 2010/2011 roadmap that was leaked shows plans for Android tablets, LTE MiFi units, Android 3.0 Gingerbread devices, video conferencing, and more. Among the possible devices are:

• DROID Pro –  1.3GHz CPU, 4-inch screen, and global roaming capabilities
• Motorola device – Featuring a slab form-factor, looks similar to the Motorola Q, full touchscreen, and Android 2.2 Froyo
• Global Android devices from Samsung and HTC
• 7-inch Samsung tablet – Android-based with front-facing camera
• 10-inch Motorola tablet – Either 1GHz or 1.3GHz CPU, front-facing camera, and Android 3.0 Gingerbread
• Novatel LTE MiFi device – With support up to 10 simultaneous WiFi users

The leaked roadmap also included Verizon Wireless’s goal to have at least 75% of the country with LTE service by April 2012 and pointed to LTE data pricing  remaining at $59.99 per month for data cards. LTE is the next-generation data service, which is much faster than current 3G service.

Via Engadget, BGR

Verizon Leaks: Droid 2 at Best Buy and 2010/2011 Roadmap is a post by Carter Sprunger from Notebooks.com.

The 2,000 page long list of the 114,000 compromised email addresses that was sent to Gawker

Though AT&T closed this hole, it looks as though everyone who purchased the iPad 3G may have had their email address harvested. But, the only real drawback for most users is the possibility of some extra spam. No passwords or other information was leaked besides the email addresses. However, many top government officials, CEOs, and military officials had their email addresses compromised, which means they may need to change their email addresses to avoid unwanted email.

Top military and government officials

CEOs and other important executives

This mistake seems to fall mostly on AT&T, which may hurt the already tense relationship with Apple. It also is proving to be bad PR on AT&T’s part. Security issues and data caps do not tend to make users very happy. Along with that, AT&T reportedly knew about the hole for a few days without notifying its customers. However, Apple must bear some responsibility as well, due to the fact that they provide AT&T with email addresses so that those users may activate their iPad 3G.

In an interview with Matt Buchanan at Gizmodo, AT&T’s Chief Security Officer, ED Amoroso, provided an explanation for the breach, highlighting the fact that it was due to AT&T’s efforts to make life easier for its customers.

Though AT&T claims that all is well, and that only email addresses and their related ICC-ID numbers (numbers used to identify specific iPads) were exposed, security experts told the New York Times that all is not well.

“Experts said that ICC-ID numbers could, in the right hands, be used to get other information, like an iPad’s location.

The breach “should be worrying people a lot,” said Nick DePetrillo, an independent security consultant.

Michael Kleeman, a communications network expert at the University of California, San Diego, said… “you could in theory find out where the device is,” Mr. Kleeman said. “But to do that, you would have to gain access to very secure databases that are not generally connected to the public Internet.”

The good news for all of you iPad without 3G owners is that you are safe.

iPad with WiFi + 3G start at $649. The iPad with WiFi starts at $499 at the Apple Store .

Via Gawker, Gizmodo, LaptopMag

Photos via Gawker

Hole Discovered in AT&T Security, 3G iPad Owners’ Email Addresses Harvested is a post by Carter Sprunger from Notebooks.com.

I started the trip using PDAnet for my Droid, but was very excited to get a review MiFi unit from Novatel late the first day so that I could get connected without any cables or fussing around with software.

With a freshly charged MiFi, and an Eye-Fi card on loan from Xavier, I set out to cover day two of CES and immediately recognized the benefits of the MiFi unit over tethering to my phone. Leaving the Venetian I hopped onto a 10-15 minute shuttle ride over to the big show and while I wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of connecting my Droid for such as short period I was able to connect my HP Mini 1000 to the MiFi quickly and knock out a post I had leftover from the evening before. Tethering my Droid wouldn’t have been practical in this quick cramped situation.

The MiFi unit also came in incredibly handy throughout the show as I had it turned on in the pocket of my ScotteVest for practically instant on connectivity wherever I ended up; be that on the floor, a corner of the USPS booth or camped out at RunCore’s booth in the Netbook Zone.

When the entire Notebooks.com and GottaBeMobile team covered the Intel keynote the four of us each connected a computer to the MiFi unit as well as Xavier’s Eye-Fi card which he used to provide the rest of us with almost instantaneous access to his photos that were uploaded to his Flickr account. This situation highlights one of the biggest benefits of a MiFi card over any tethering solution; the ability to share a connection and do so without any extra installation.

Connected with MiFi wishing for a backlit keyboard!

If I wanted to share my PDAnet tethered Droid with the rest of the group I would have had to pull some workarounds in Windows to share over the built in WiFi or lend the connection to one person at a time and even then they would have had to install the software and USB drivers and hope it worked. Because the MiFi shares over WiFi the only setup is typing in the network password and clicking connect.

The ability to upload pictures from anywhere with a Eye-Fi card and a MiFi was another positive at the show after a helpful Eye-Fi rep showed me how to fix a user error that prevented the images from uploading when the notebook was on one connection and the Eye-Fi card on the MiFi. This connectivity is one of the things I will miss most as I pack up the MiFi unit and return it to Novatel tomorrow. The fact that combining a MiFi and the new Eye-Fi Pro X2 means you can keep taking photos without ever running out of room may be enough to cause my wife, who is a shutterbug, before I do!

As far as speed goes during the comparison I tested both PDAnet and the MiFi several times; both moving and standing still and the speeds were very close no matter which device I used. That said the MiFi was faster by about 200 Kb/s up and down while in a moving vehicle that was traveling between 35 and 45 mph. It is likely that this difference was due to small changes in location and networks rather than a clear advantage but nonetheless the differences existed in my non-scientific tests.

Really the only trouble I had during my test was uploading large files to YouTube, but I wouldn’t have even attempted that when tethered and it’s possible that part of that was due to network and YouTube saturation at CES.

If you couldn’t already tell, I am sold on the MiFi. Not only is it dead simple to use, easy to share and tiny but it just works. Not once during my use did I run into an issue like you see below that popped up with PDAnet on a few occasions. The MiFi device is one of the simplest ways to connect to the internet on the go and offers several advantages over traditional tethering such as the ability to share and Eye-Fi connectivity.

You can currently get a MiFi device from Sprint or Verizon for practically nothing if purchased on Amazon with a contract. If you don’t want to pay between $40 and $60 a month you can pick up a Pay-As-You-Go MiFi device and use it only when you need it which may fit those of us like myself who travel less frequently better than adding another monthly data fee.

For the time being I haven’t decided to pick up a MiFi, only because while I continue to have a day job that puts me behind a desk 9 hours a day without much travel I don’t connect as much on the go to justify purchasing one. If that situation changes, or Verizon lets you add a MiFi to the same pool of data my Droid uses, I will be much more likely to pick one up.

Bottom Line: If you need mobile access from Verizon or Sprint a MiFi is the device for you — it does so much more than the USB cards they both sell and when purchased from Amazon a MiFi is as about as cheap as you can get.

Here’s what the MiFI looks like when it’s up and running.

Novatel MiFi Review: Easy On The Go Connectivity is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

Novatel MiFi:

Novatel’s new MiFi” personal pocket Router/Access Point was definitely one of the more interesting products I saw (and craved. This It’s about the size of a business card and a few millimeters thick, and it lets you create a Wi-Fi hots)pot using 3G technology such as GSM based HSUPA or CDMA based EV-DO Rev A. While no carriers have been announced yet, AT&T offers HSUPA 3G technology and Verizon offers EV-DO Rev A 3G technology. The Wi-Fi hotspot you create supports a secure WPA2 802.11 wireless network which can connect up to 5 IP devices (which I assume means they’re using a 255.255.255.248 subnet mask which is limited to a total of 5 usable IPs).

While this isn’t a new technology and you can already do this with some Windows Mobile smart phones, you’re not going to drain the hell out of your cell phone battery because the Mi-Fi supports 40 hours of standby time and 4 hours of active usage. You can also recharge the MiFi via mini-USB from your laptop if you happen to be plugged in on the laptop somewhere.

The advantage of this kind of technology is that you don’t need to plug it a massive dongle in to the USB port of your laptop which ruins the laptop’s form factor and also requires a boat load of complex drivers, software, and configuration. You also don’t need to bother with Bluetooth tethering which is a real beast to configure even for computer savvy users. Furthermore, a lot of mobile devices and Netbooks don’t have Bluetooth unless you pay extra money. With a Wi-Fi network, you just click on the SSID and type in a WPA-PSK (I recommend a minimum of 11 minimum random characters) for the passphrase and you’re up and running. With a product like the MiFi, you can surf the Internet on your Wi-Fi enabled cell phone, iPod touch, netbook, Mobile Internet Device (MID), UMPC, laptop, desktop (as a backup for wired broadband service), and anything else that uses Wi-Fi for network connectivity. If the product runs smoothly as advertised (which I hope I’ll get to review), then it’s a must have.

The MiFi is $200 MSRP before contract subsidies.

Redfly’s Smartphone terminal

Redfly has an interesting new product that turns your cell phone in to a computer. Basically it’s a input/output extension of your laptop by gives your cell phone a larger 7” 800×480 display and a small netbook-style keyboard. Because it doesn’t have an operating system, it may be an easy sell to IT departments since they don’t have another computer to manage.

However, the product starts at $200 for the 7” model and it’s nearly as big as a netbook so I’m not sure who’s going to want to use such a device. I suppose you could use this as a computer replacement if everything you want can be done form a Windows Mobile or Google Android phone, but the user interface seems slightly sluggish to me and the 7” model keyboard seems cramped though I think I can get use to touch typing on it. But for some people, this might be the perfect device to have if all they wanted was a bigger keyboard and display for their cell phone. You can connect the device over Bluetooth or USB cable. Redfly also makes a small hand-size box that connects to any standard computer monitor.

Hantech Tablo

Hantech has an interesting pen-input device that doubles as a paper digitizer or screen digitizer. The device uses a sensor that either snaps on to your laptop’s screen magnetically or clips on to a pad of paper. If you use it in screen mode, make sure you remember to change to the plastic head and not the ball point ink head because the lady showing off the technology accidentally wrote on the LCD screen with an ink ball point pen (I hope she can clean it off). Forgetting to change heads in paper mode isn’t too big a problem because you’ll know immediately when no ink comes out.

The interesting thing about this product is that it tracks well even when you’re hovering an inch more away from the paper or screen. Accuracy seems to be a little off at the far corners of the LCD display even after we ran some calibration, but accuracy is good on most of the screen. In paper mode, the accuracy isn’t that big a problem since the content you’re writing still comes out looking OK even if you’re off by a few millimeters because there is no abrupt discontinuity in what you’re writing or drawing. Being a few millimeters off when you’re trying to tap the close button in Windows on top-right corner is a bit more challenging if you miss the button. The other problem is that the pen isn’t pressure sensitive because it isn’t spring loaded. This may have been a conscious design decision since normal LCDs don’t take too kindly to pressure unlike tablet PC computers with hardened screens. Hantech’s representative said that they use pen velocity to determine thickness.

PPC’s high quality antenna connectors

One of the things you’ll notice at CTIA is that not only is it a consumer oriented tradeshow, it’s also an industry specific tradeshow where vendors show off their wares to other companies. PPC’s showed off its heavy duty compression connectors that are used to hook up a heavy coax cable to a cell tower antenna. While that doesn’t sound terribly sexy to consumers, PPC says that these connectors will produce a better quality cell signal which could translate to lower customer dissatisfaction and customer churn. I’ve never worked with antenna connectors this big and the biggest connectors I get to work with in the corporate enterprise space with Wi-Fi gear is the N type coax connector which is about the size of your cable TV coax connector.

These connectors from PPC are several times the diameter and it’s crucial that it is completely sealed with solid contact. These compression connectors apparently grip like crazy in 3 separate places. While I’m no expert of this type of product since I haven’t seen other too many other connectors on the market, these seem solid and it’s worth checking out. Considering the fact that a cell tower costs hundreds of thousands of dollars, spending a few extra hundred dollars on one of the most important components is well worth the money if the product delivers on its promises. This is definitely one of those things a wireless company wants done right the first time since it costs a lot more money to send out a technician or lose customers.

Showstoppers, Night Before CTIA is a post by George Ou from Notebooks.com.