Clear's iSpot Is a WiMax Hotspot For iPhones and iPads

With more cities being blanketed in the warm glow of WiMax every month, 3G speeds are going to start seeming primitive, fast. Clear's iSpot hotspot lets iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches get a taste of the delicious 4G future.
Clear's iSpot can serve as a hotspot for up to eight Wi-Fi enabled devices at a time—its site says it was optimized for Apple's mobile devices, whatever that means—while running on its rechargeable battery or juicing up over USB. 
The device, which looks a lot like a Mighty Mouse, or a bar of soap, will be available August 10 for $99, with a no-contract, $25 monthly plan for unlimited data. Not too bad, if your city has already been given the WiMax treatment. Because there's no buzzkill worse than waiting for a snappy new iPhone or iPad to suck down a page over 3G. [iSpot via SlashGear]
Update: Today and today only, you can net the iSpot itself for $29—70% off.
Update 2: Ars discovers why this is so cheap, when the standard CLEAR plan is $40. It's dedicated to just Apple devices—in that, it detects what devices are connected and can only let them connect if it's an Apple device. If you want to unlock it to all devices, they'll bump you up to the $40 a month plan.
Of course, if you're on a laptop, it's probably rather easy to mimic an Apple device by changing some settings, but harder if you're on, say, a BlackBerry. [Ars]

Soon We’ll All Be Hotspots

A new study by In-stat finds that over 2 billion mobile devices will have broadband capability by 2014. The inclusion of modems capable of data transmission could turn us all into personal hotspots. The mobile devices with 3G or 4G capability will be smartphones, and the ability to share that connectivity may eliminate the need for other types of devices to have integrated modems.

Some folks have been expecting broadband connectivity to be a standard inclusion in all sorts of mobile devices, from personal media players to laptops. Our own Stacey Higginbotham disagrees, as she points out that it makes far more sense to share one data connection with these other devices. The rapid adoption of the smartphone, coupled with the inclusion of 3G and 4G connectivity, will eliminate the need for such integrated modems in these other devices. Rather than put modem chips in other devices, only Wi-Fi needs to be included to share the hotspot from the phone.
Smartphones are already popular — and adoption is rising dramatically. These phones can easily be used as mobile hotspots to get other devices online. No matter how much carriers would prefer otherwise, there is no need to pay for multiple data plans when the one can be shared. Let’s hope more carriers don’t implement metered usage or data caps that make such sharing difficult. Of course, with smartphones becoming full-blown computers in their own right, the need for other types of devices may disappear anyway. We may all turn into our own personal hotspot compliments of the smartphone.

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UK Bill Would Outlaw Open Public Wifi Hotspots

If passed, something called the Digital Economy Bill over in the U.K. could do the unthinkable in this, the digital age: Ban open wifi spots.

The ban comes as part of a bill that seeks to limit copyright infringement, or something. In summary, schools, small businesses and even libraries would have to effectively become their own ISP and manage the wifi hotspot—or face hefty fines. Even if a shop password-protected their wifi and posted the PW publicly (as they probably should be doing anyway), this "management" would also entail detailed record keeping, as the bill requires that hotspot providers log users who've been on their network. Sounds fun!

I'd love for any UK-based small business owners to weigh in on this debate, and the bill. Is it really as annoying as the ZDNet article makes it sound? Are daily, detailed user records really too much a burden for the corner coffee shop to bear? Light those torches and brandish your pitchforks in the comments! [ZDNET]

AT&T Wi-Fi & Hotspots

LaptopConnect—now available with AT&T Basic Wi-Fi

More internet access in more places

Be productive in even more places. In addition to accessing AT&T's 3G and EDGE mobile networks, LaptopConnect customers with a qualified data plan can now get complementary AT&T Wi-Fi Basic access at thousands of hotspots nationwide. Participating locations include Starbucks® stores* and select airports, restaurants, and other familiar places you already visit. That means it will be even easier to stay connected when away from home or the office.

Here's how it works.

What you'll need:

• A current DataConnect service plan of $20.00 per month or higher
• A Wi-Fi enabled laptop running Windows Vista®, XP, or 2000
• AT&T Communication Manager version 6.8 or higher, which is free with your LaptopConnect device and can be downloaded here. To check the version of AT&T Communication Manager you have now, open the software and navigate to Help—>About Communication Manager.
• A LaptopConnect card or USB device

How to get started:

1. At an AT&T Wi-Fi Basic location, insert your LaptopConnect card or USB device (required for user identification). You may find AT&T Wi-Fi Basic locations by visiting the hot spot locator and searching for "Basic Only" locations.
2. Launch AT&T Communication Manager version 6.8 or higher. Communication Manager will automatically select AT&T Wi-Fi Basic hot spots for you when you're in range.
3. When prompted to connect to an AT&T hot spot, click Connect.
4. Communication Manager will take a moment to establish your connection. After it confirms that a connection is established, launch your browser, email application, or other internet application and you'll be ready to go.