Computer, Gadgets and All Things Digital

Now the iPhone 4S has been available at Sprint, which carrier among the three US carriers  to pick when it comes to using it as a portable mobile hotspot? If you opt for a smartphone-cum-mobile-hotspot instead of a dedicated Wi-Fi hotspot iPhone 4S is among the many ubiquitous smartphones with mobile hotspot capabilities to choose from. However choosing the right carrier can be a tricky dealing given the so many things to factor in. This post tries to give an insight into and comparison of  Verizon, AT&T and Sprint mobile hotspot features on the iPhone 4S.

iPhone 4S Hardware And Price

The iPhone 4S, unlike its predecessors has a dual GSM-CDMA chips, enabling it to use over  CDMA-based and GSM-based providers’ networks, so basically Verizon, AT&T and Sprint sell iPhone 4S come with exactly the same  hardware specifications, however it’s still unclear if the unlocked version of an iPhone 4S is interchangeable between the three carriers. All the three sell  the iPhone 4S 16GB for $199,9, iPhone 4S 32GB $299.9 while the 64GB model costs $399.9. Each models comes with two-year contract and requires an activation fee , the same pricing across all carriers are not uncommon anyway.

Data Plan

Verizon and AT&T charge a tiered pricing and have separate plans for web access while Sprint -the last US carrier to carry the iPhone- has unlimited data plan. Sprint’s unlimited data plans starts at $69.99 and is tied to its calling plan. See the bellow table for details:

Verizon iPhone 4S Mobile Hotspot

Verizon uses CDMA Rev A technology with max speeds of 3.2 MBps. As seen in the above table on top of the voice  plan , if you’re a Verizon customer  and want to use your iPhone 4S as a mobile hotspot you need to buy data plan starting at 30/month for 2GB of data and a separate mobile hotspot plan that costs $20 per month.

For $20.00 per month, you can use your iPhone 4S as a portable  Wi-Fi hotspot and connect up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices to it wirelessly. In case  you go over  the 2GB allotted data, you will be charged an additional $10.00 for additional GB.

Sprint iPhone 4S Mobile Hotspot

The meager data cap imposed by Verizon is obviously one of the drawbacks to  Verizon iPhone 4S mobile hotspot. As the iPhone 4S does not support the carrier’s 4G LTE network, you can not also take advantage of Verizon blazing fast wireless internet. Furthermore, given the data limits,  if  you are a heavy data user and regularly watch streaming media  and download a large amounts of data, Verizon mobile hotspot plans are probably not for you. Since the iPhone 4S works on Verizon CDMA, you can not use the phone to make or receive calls when using it as a mobile hotspot at the same time.
One of the competitive advantages of being a Verizon customer is you have access to the US most extensive 3G networks, excellent voice quality and unrivalled customer support. Last but not least you don’t need to be worried your connections will be dropped when using the iPhone as a Wi-Fi hotspot while wandering over large distances across the country.

Like Verizon iPhone 4S, Sprint iPhone 4S is used over the carrier’s 3G CDMA Rev A network and can not be used as a mobile hotspot while making or receiving calls (the connection will be disconnected when there is a phone call).

What makes Sprint iPhone 4S different from Verizon’s is that its data plans are bundled into the calling  plans which start at $69.99 per month for individual plans with a premium $10 monthly data add-on . Sprint places no data cap on web access for use on the phone , however,  as with Verizon,  in order to be able to use it as a Wi-Fi  hotspot you need to buy a separate plan costing  $29.99 per month with a 5GB  data cap. If customers exceed the data limit they will be billed  $0.25 per MB in overage fees.
The Sprint iPhone 4S  will also  have the capabilities of supporting up to five  Wi-Fi capable devices at the same time. The unlimited data plans for web access on the iPhone 4S offered by Sprint plus larger data cap for its mobile hotspot feature are an attractive choice for data-hungry customers who often watch streaming videos, play online games and download large files.

AT&T Mobile Hotspot on iPhone 4S

Starting February this year AT&T allow its customer to use select mostly Android-run smartphones  as a mobile hotspot by downloading the app from AT&T website. AT&T Mobile Hotspot on smartphones including the iPhone 4  comes with 2 GB of data cap for $20 a month and needs to be bundled with at least AT&T’s Data Pro plan starting at $25 for  2GB of data. Customers who exceed the monthly data allotment will need to pay the overage fee of $10 per additional 1GB. AT&T  iPhone 4SAT&T’s is activated on GSM network offering  you a speed advantage, considering that AT&T’s HSPA data network is theoretically faster than Verizon’s and Sprint’s EV-DO Rev. Another advantage of of mobile hotspot on AT&T iPhone is that it can be used to make and receive calls when as a mobile hotspot.

One notable drawback is , for unknown reasons AT&T only allows three devices that can connect to iPhone 4 over Wi-Fi  at the same time , while the other two devices can only connect over USB cable  and Bluetooth. It’s still unclear if this will also apply to the iPhone 4S when used it as a mobile hotspot.

Nokia Lumia 710 and Nokia Lumia 800 are set to go on sale November  year with European countries such as France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, and Britain being the first countries  to get a hand on the Windows Mobile 7.5 (Mango)  smartphones.  Asian countries like India, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan will be able to grab them next year. The US release date is still  unclear, with sources hinting at Januaty 2012 as its  release date. However both phones are available for pre-order at Nokia official site starting this month. The November this year public release of  Lumia 800 and Lumia  710  and is said to be  the critical turning point for the company once which once ruled the smartphone market yet recently struggled  to cope with challenges posed by the likes of iPhone and Samsung Galaxy and HTC smartphones. Both phones are powered by the latest Windows Mobile operationg system or commonly referred to as Windows Mango.

Nokia 710 and Nokia Lumia 800 Specs and Price

Both Nokia Lumia 800 and Nokia Lumina 720  surprisingly have more or less the same technical specs yet they are sold a far different price tags . Which phone is your choice when they’re available given their technical specification similarities? Should you buy Nokia Lumia 800 that is priced at $585 or the Lumia 710 instead that sells half the price of its sibling? This post sums up and details the Lumia 800 and Lumia 7100 key tech specs which will hopefully help you make decision.

Nokia Lumia 800

Nokia describes the Windows Phone 7.5 Mango-run  Lumia 800 as stylish and smart. The Lumia 800 sports 3.7 inch capacitive touchscreen based on Nokia’s ClearBlack technology, that  supports 16 million colors and 480 x 800 pixels resolution screen. The Cleaback technology is designed to boost screen visibility under direct sunlight, a feature usually found in high end smartphones.

Nokia Lumia 800 (image credit : Nokia)

The device is powered by Qualcomm MSM8255 single core processor clocked at 1.4 GHz and   has the ability to record 720p HD video at 30 frames per second and comes with an 8-megapixel camera.  The smartphone however  lacks a microSD card slot for memory expansion and only provides 16GB of internal memory, 512 MB of RAM and 25GB of free SkyDrive (a cloud service like Apple’s iCloud) for storing images and music.

Nokia Lumia 800 comes with three different colors; black ,magenta and cyan and has a design and color almost similar to the Meego-powered Nokia N9. As with other high-end Nokia smartphones , the Lumia 800 camera features Carl-Zeiss optics,  autofocus, dual-LED flash, and  f2.2 aperture , renowned for its ability to  produce excellent  quality images in dimly-lit environment.

Nokia Lumia 800 Price:  The Lumia 800 will sells for around $585 and will initially available in European countries November this year. Click here to find out more about the Nokia Lumia 800 spesifications.

Nokia Lumia 710

The Nokia Lumia 710 is more or less  technically similar to the Nokia Lumia 800 however sells at about half the price of its more expensive sibling. Like the Lumia 800, it  also  sports a  3.7 inch display, 480 by 800 pixel screen display yet unlike does not feature  the Nokia AMOLED screen technology. It  is also  powered by Qualcomm’s MSM8255 single core processor clocked at 1.4 GHz with  an accelerated graphics processor and 512 MB of RAM.

Nokia Lumia 800 (image credit : Nokia)

The Nokia Lumia 710 is available in only two colors; black and white, its design is similar to Nokia Symbian phones and less attractive compared to the Lumia 800 and judging from its physical appearance your pals and colleagues will unlikely be able to tell if you are actually bring with you Nokia Windows mobile phone.

The Nokia Lumia 7100 comes with less memory storage capacity of 8 GB , a rear-facing 5-megapixel , auto-focus with LED flash and  like its big brother it has the capability to record videos in high definition mode (720 p at 30 frame per rate). The storage capacity, display screen  and non-Carl Zeiss Optics camera are the areas where the Lumia 710 lags behind the Lumia 800.

Both Nokia Lumia 800  and Nokia Lumia 7100  bundle such interesting features as the Nokia Drive, a turn-by-turn navigation application, Nokia Music and Radio Mixed, Nokia Sports Hub ( a native Nokia app that provides a sports event updates, including live results and other sports information). Too bad lack a front-facing camera that can be useful to make video calls and mobile Voip calls using Sykpe and othe mobile Voip apps, it is a bit irony since Skype  is now part Microsoft.

Nokia Lumia 710 Price:  The Lumia 710 will sell half the price of Nokia Lumia 800 at around $380 and will also  initially be  available in European countries November this year.

In simple term a router is a computing network device or an application that connects two or more different networks and forward packet data from one network to another. Routers can connect networks within a Local Area Network (LAN), connect LAN network with a WAN (Wide Area Network), a WAN network with another WAN or LAN . A router can also act as an internet gateway to internet service provider and provide internet access to client computers connected to it. In addition routers also perform the network-related tasks such as: filter out, control and manage data traffics, divide  networks into multiple sub-networks, perform network routing to obtain the shortest path to network resources and also provide an alternative in the event the main links are broken or clogged.

There are basically two types of routers, a device router and software router. Device  router is a network gear or hardware that serves as a physical router, among the best known router brands are Linksys, Netgear, Cisco, Belkin and so on. Software Router is an application program installed on an operating system that acts as a router, among the well-known software router are RRAS (Routing and Remote Access), WinRoute, WinGate, WinProxy , SpyGate and so on.

Windows Server 2008 or commonly often referred to as Win2K8 or W2K8 is one of Microsoft’s Windows server line of operating systems introduced to the market in the year 2008. It’s the successor to Windows Server 2003, which was introduced five years earlier. A second release, named Windows Server 2008 R2, was published to the market in the year 2009. Just like Windows Vista and Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 is based on Windows NT 6.x. and like with its siblings we setup Windows Server 2008 as a router. In order to turn Windows Server 2008-powered computer into a router you need first create Routing and Remote Access (RRAS) role on your server . RRAS is a network service that can serve as:

• NAT (Network Address Translation).
• Dial up and VPN Demand-dial Router.
• Dialup remote access server.
• VPN (Virtual Private Network) Server.
• Router

Suppose you want to connect computers between two different networks;  network I and II, network A has computer A as one of its clients, while network II has computer B connected to it. To connect network I and network II, first of all, of course make sure the Windows Server 2008-run computer/ server that you want to turn into a router has two Network adapters (NICs) and the necessary cables to connect them via the router. After the above requirements are met follow the bellow step-by-step instruction on how to setup Windows server 2008 and a router:

• Go to  Server Manager by clicking on  Server Manager icon (located on the right Taskbar), or if it is not there you can go to the Server Manager via the Administrative Tools in the Start menu
• Click on Roles on the left and then click “Add Roles ” menu located on the right pane  (see picture bellow)

• You will then be prompted with the “Add Roles” wizard. check “Network Policy and Access Services” then click Next.

• Still  the ‘Add Roles” wizard , select Routing and Remote Access services option then click the Next button.
• On the Confirmation window click on the “Install” button to complete the installation

• Next : enable Routing And Remote Access – by going to Start —-> Administrative Tools —-> Routing And Remote Access 

•  Next :  On Routing and Remote Access window,  on the left pane just bellow Server Status  right click on the server name then select the Configure and Enable Routing and Remote Access. (see bellow picture)

• You will then be prompted with Routing and Remote Access wizard window, where you will find several configuration options such as Network Address Translation (NAT) and Remote Access (Dial-up VPN )  and Secure connection the between two private networks.  As  we only want to setup router select “Custom Configuration”and then  hit Next . See the bellow picture

• Next check LAN routing option and then hit Next

• A Routing and Remote Access popup windows will appear after that click Start the Service click button

• At this stage you’re done with  the Routing and Remote Access installation process
• Test if the newly-created router works by pinging computer A from computer B and vice versa

If you can ping computer A from computer B and vice versa then you have just successfully setup your Windows server 2008 as a router.

New variants of viruses , Trojans, Spyware and other malicious threats pop up almost on a daily basis, with a lot of them getting harder to detect and to get rid off . Many recent computer viruses and other malicious threats can replicate, propagate and adapt to and even disable security programs installed on a computer. Two of the notorious viruses can update itself and keep evolving and is highly adaptable  to the security applications are Conficker Virus and Heur Virus. A virus-prone computer easily be infected because of users’  lack of knowledge of basic security measures to protect their computer against potential threats or simply because they are not aware how to apply the operating system security patches, configure firewall settings and perform other basic security measures. Windows 7 and its previous Windows versions  have continuously become subject to relentless  virus attacks which according to a statistics figure power 90% of all computers, .  This post explains steps on how to  to prevent , minimize virus infection and  get viruses off your Windows 7 computer.

One of the preventive measures to reduce the  havoc wrought by viruses is by backing up data and the operating system  on a regular basis  on different media storage. The backups should be kept in a separate media and are completely unconnected to the system all of the time, read-only or not accessible from your computer. By backing up your data and operating system files, any possible data loss done by a virus can be restored to the last known good configurations. So first and foremost, you are highly recommended to  create a backup of your data, files, and operating system files when you are 100% sure your Windows 7 computer is free from virus infections and store them on an external hard disk.

Steps to Viruses Off Your Windows 7 Computer

Activate Windows Update. The first step to take is to update your  Windows 7, Windows Update works to close the security holes, weaknesses or flaws contained in the operating system normally used by viruses to exploit, infect or propagate themselves. All paid software vendors are generally required to issue security updates to patch the security holes that may exist  in its products over a certain period of time or when there is  a new security threat that exploits their program weakness . Windows Update is a very important and basic security measure to prevent a virus infections, yet  most computer users disable it from their computers. Windows update is deactivated by users for several reasons such as to make their computer run faster as a frequent and periodic Windows update can interfere with computer and internet access speed  or simply out of ignorance . Given the importance of the Windows updates to get rid off a virus infections or other malicious program’s exploits , enabling  Windows Update is a must.

To enable Windows updates you can do from Control Panel:

From the Start menu go to Control Panel  —- System Security — Windows Update then click Turn Automatic Updating On Or Off.  You will be taken to  a “ Choose how Windows can install updates”  Window where you can select when and how Windows update will be downloaded, it is recommended you select the option Install updates automatically. And uncheck all the available options and then hit the OK  button

Enable Anti Virus.

As the name suggests an antivirus is an application to eliminate or get rid viruses off your computer and  prevent a virus infection. The antivirus needs to be updated on a regular basis or configured to update automatically so as to make your computer as safe as possible against the latest threats. Viruses and other malicious programs essentially play a catch up game rendering an outdated antivirus useless and can not detect and recognize viruses. Most recent viruses can update cleverly themselves to avoid detection even some of them are capable of deactivating antivirus software. A vast majority of savvy computer users install a third party antivirus application on their computer. Personally I use Comodo Antivirus, a free yet powerful antivirus software which ,according to my experience  is among of the best antivirus for Windows 7. Windows 7 itself comes with a Microsoft Security Essentials,  a free built-in Windows antivirus tool designed to prevent, detect and get rid your computer off a virus infection.

To activate it go to Start and type Microsoft Security Essentials in the Search Box then click on it and then turn Real-time protection options on and  make sure spyware definitions are always up to date.You can also configure your computer to make regular scan and determine  when you want to scan your computer by hitting the Settings tab.

Enable  Firewall. A firewall works to control closed or open ports ports. Computer ports are virtual doors that enable computer software to share hardware and communicate with each other’s resources. A computer firewall serves to control network traffic traveling through  virtual ports. It additionally provides some control over the flow of traffic on each port for security purposes. Each port has its own purpose , for example ports 135-139 is used for sharing files over a computer network,  port 25 for sending email via SMTP protocol, port 110 for receiving email, port 3389 for remote desktop and so on. Windows firewall will allow those ports by default and disable other ports that can be exploited by unwanted programs. There a lot of third party firewalls on the market to chose from, some can be used for free with certain limitations with most of them are paid applications. I have covered some of them in the previous post,  just visit the following link : best firewall for Windows 7.

To activate Windows  Firewall Go to the Start – Control Panel – System & Security and then click on the Window Firewall. Windows Firewall will then be displayed, as shown in the figure below, to activate it  select Turn Windows Firewall on or off on the left menu.

Once  Windows Firewall is active, you can pick which ports for specific applications you want to open or close. To make changes to  Windows Firewall settings  select the Allow a program or feature through Windows Firewall  option on the left menu or if you are not sure what ports and applications you want to open or close you can simply click on “use recommended settings”. Once completed click the OK button.

Enable  AppLocker, AppLocker is a new built-in security feature included in Windows 7. which to restrict applications that can be used by a user. This tool is useful when a Windows 7 computer is used by two people or more, you can restrict which applications are allowed to run by specific users, eg, user A may run applications A, B and C, while user B can only run applications E, F and G . In addition AppLocker can also be configured to prevent users from running portable applications requiring no installation which is usually prone to  by malware or viruse infections. To enable AppLocker type in Local Security Policy the Instant Search then click Application Control Policies in left menu and then click AppLocker.

To allow certain users to run specific  tasks right click on Executable rules bellow the “AppLoacker”  and select Create New Rule. You will be prompted by a “Before Your Begin window”, then click Next as shown in the bellow picture:

In Permissions Window, you will find two options (rules): Allow and Deny, for example if you want  prevent certain users from running particular applications select Deny, then from the User or Group windows pick users who will be denied access and then click Next button.

Next you will be prompted with Conditions window where you can restrict users from running specific tasks based on software publishers, Folder  Path and File Hass. For example you want to prevent user A from using an application A installed on your computer you can check  the Publisher option and then browse to the application that user is denied access to and then click OK. If user A login to the computer and tries to use the application A he or she will be denied access to run the application A. Restrictions can also be applied based on folder path in which a user is restricted to run any applications located in the restricted folder, in this case you will need to check the “Path” option.

Still confused on how to configure Windows 7 AppLocker? Just take a look a the video bellow to find out more:

Those are basically steps to protect  and how to get viruses off your Windows 7 computer and other programs that can exploit your security holes in your Windows 7 computer.

Cloud computing has seen exponential growth over the past years. Both large and small companies have jumped on the wagon, and used the technology for their data storage solution. How about cloud computing for individual needs? Whether for corporate or personal use, one problem that remains a concern for many is the cloud computing security and its privacy as the data are placed in the cloud.

Don’t have a wireless router at your home yet you want to create a W-Fi  hotspot and  share internet connection with other family members, your kids even with your neighbors? How to do that? As with other Windows previous versions , Windows 7 hides so many unexposed features many noobs like me are not aware of. One of the hidden features of Windows 7 is you can turn your computer running the latest Windows version into a small personal hotpot. With just a few clicks and easy steps you can make your computer a Wi-Fi hotspot and share the internet connection wirelessly with other Wi-Fi capable devices such as smartphones, the iPod, iPad etc.

To create a Wi-Fi hotspot with a Windows 7 computer  make sure your wireless network adapter supports  virtual Wi-Fi feature. Most recent network adapters have generally supported this feature, if you are not sure you can just give the following tricks a try and if it does not work then you need to replace your network adapter with a virtual Wi-Fi ready adapter or you can first try to find your network adapter’s  latest driver update that supports the virtual Wi-Fi.

Okay then, how to turn your Windows 7 into a personal hotspot? It’s a piece of cake and here are no additional applications required to make your Windows 7 computer a Wi-Fi hotspot as you just need to take the following easy steps:

Make sure your computer that you want to turn into Wi-Fi hotspot is connected to the main internet connection (Wireless Modem/Cable/DSL)

• Open the Command Prompt: Go to Start—-All Program—Accessories,  right click on Command Prompt and left click “Run as Administrator” as shown in the bellow picture.

Type the following line in the Command Prompt :

netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid=yourhotspotname key=yourhotspotpassword

Note: Change the hotspot name and the ssid (password) with your own name and password (highlighted in red color)

or alternatively if you don’t want to type in the command line manually  you can create a bat file by copying and pasting it and save it with whatever name you like, don’t forget do add the .bat behind the file name, for example you want to create wifi.bat, you need to copy and paste the above command line and then hit “Save As” and rename it to wifi.bat. Don’t forget to put the newly-created file in the following location : C:\users\your computer user. Now type wifi.bat on the Command Prompt until you’re prompted with the following message:

Next, type the following command line bellow it, or you can create a bat file and call it the way you do with the above wifi.bat

netsh wlan start hostednetwork

Your virtual Wi-Fi hotspot has now been activated.

The last step is enable internet connection sharing properties. Go to Network and Sharing Center, click “Change Adapter Settings, Right Click on Wireless Network Connection that has the grey “Microsoft Virtual Miniport Adapter” bellow it, Click on Properties, Click the Sharing tab and check the two checkboxes bellow “Internet Connection Sharing”. Hit OK

Done, you have just created a personal  WI-Fi  hotspot and you can start connect multiple  Wi-Fi-enabled devices to it.

Note: when you turn off  or reboot the computer the virtual hotspot will be deactivated and you need you repeat the above steps.

Apple finally rolled out its final version of the iOS 5 Wednesday (12/10/2011). This latest generation of Apple’s mobile operating system is compatible with the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch and comes with a slew of brand new features like Wireless Sync, iCloud, and the long-overdue Notification Center.

The iOS 5  is available for the iPhone 4, iPhone 3G, iPad 2, iPad first generation, iPod Touch third and fourth generation. iOS 5 installation file differs for each Apple device, containing around 700 MB of data. These updates are also available for Apple TV. Apple’s latest smartphone, the iPhone 4S, which has just been rolled out officially on October 14 will also carry the IOS 5.

What’s new in iOS 5?

This new operating system brings more than 200 brand new features. One of them  is the long-awaited notification feature. Notification Center is presenting all the latest information updates from the applications used. The notification  can be viewed by scrolling down the top of the screen just like a user does with an Android smartphone.

Wi-Fi Sync. Performing backup, sync and other tasks  (which previously can only done via a USB cable) can now be done wirelessly thanks to the Wi-Fi Sync feature.This feature spares users the hassle of having to use a USB cable to perform the above task. Awesome!

iMessage . iMessage is Apple’s answer to the hugely popular BlackBerry Messenger instant messaging application from rival RIM. The iMessage service allows iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad users to chat with each other, share images, files, videos, create a group chat just like the BBM does. Just like with other instant messaging application there is a notification when a message is successfully sent and also an indicator telling you that your chat buddy is typing a message

iCloud .The most revolutionary feature is obviously  the iCloud service that offers cloud-based content synchronization where users can access their files stored by multiple Apple devices such as  iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch from anywhere over the internet. Photo albums from multiple Apple devices can be synchronized and stored in the cloud for 30 days and with the “iTunes on Cloud” additional subscription, music files that a user has bought previously via iTunes can be downloaded to multiple Apple devices many times.

Newsstand .The iOS 5 also comes with the Newsstand,  an applications to access the content of digital magazines and newspapers. Safari browser also gets the addition of features and performance enhancements.

In addition to the above major new features, the iOS 5 also offers several other features that make the operating system more convenient for users  such as , a new split keyboard and enhanced features for  the camera application. Message or reminder is not only integrated with the calendar but also with a user’s location.

Torn between Verizon 4G mobile hotspot and Clear Mobile hotspot?. This post will provide a comparison between the two in some key areas, such as prices, dimensions, coverage and other essential details.

Coverage

Clear is a leading wireless internet provider that serves around 80 cities across the US. Not only does the company offer the wireless internet in the US it also offers the service in Belgium and Spain. Verizon, currently is the biggest US carrier with over 31 % of market share. Its broad and extensive network coverage and excellent customer service, I assume, is unmatched by the other big US carriers. In the US, Clear’s 4G wireless internet technology is based on WiMax technology transmitted from cell sites over licensed spectrum of 2.5-2.6 GHz, while Verizon’s is based LTE network technology.

Verizon is currently aggressively building and expanding its 4G network across the US with the last major roll out taking place last September. The company aims to upgrade all of its 3G network to 4G by 2013 with at least new 175 markets by the end of this year. The company claims it now has 4G LTE coverage for over half of Americans. To find out the latest Verizon 4G LTE network coverage clik here . Meanwhile Clear 4G coverage is currently available in around 80 cities. Click here  to find out Clear WiMax 4G network coverage.

Verizon Mobile Hotspot Vs Clear Mobile Hotspot :The Device, Speed, battery life

To avoid confusion and to make it as clear as possible bellow is the table detailing Verizon mobile hotspot Vs Clear Mobile Hotspot prices, dimensions and other key features.

Speeds and the number of devices that can connect. Verizon currently (as of October 2011) offers two dedicated 4G mobile hotspot devices: Samsung SCH-LC11 mobile hotspot and MiFi 4520L mobile hotspot. Both devices sport a sleek and compact designs and can share internet connection over Verizon cellular network with up to five Wi-Fi capable devices. They work both on 3G and 4G networks, when on a 4G the average download speeds are 7 Mbps to 13 Mbps, depending on your locations and signal strengths . Clear currently also offers two dedicated mobile hotspot devices, Clear Spots and Clear Spots (Apollo). Both can serve up to eight Wi-Fi enabled devices at the same time, three more than the Verizon mobile hotspot can. The two boasts average speeds of between 3 Mbps to 9 Mbps, again these speeds vary from location to another. So in terms of speeds you can safely say there is no significance gap between the two.

Battery Life. Samsung SCH-LC11 and MiFi 4510L have battery life of around 4 hours, meanwhile Clear Spots has a battery life of 4 hours and the Clear Spots Apollo has a longer battery life of six hours.

Network compatibility: Verizon  mobile hotspot works both on 3G and 4G networks while Clear Spots only works on 4G network,  rendering it useless if you’re out of Clear’s 4G network.

Cost

Clear Spots sells for around $99 with no contract required or you can lease the device for $6 per month (two-year contract) with monthly data plan starting at $45 without data cap, meaning you can browse, download, play streaming media without restrictions.
On the other hand Verizon’s MiFi 4510L sells for $49.9 and Samsung SCH-LC11 sells for $99.9 with a two-year contract, Verizon offers two-tier 4G mobile hotspot plans: the first plan costs $50 per month with data allowance of 5GB and the second one costs $80 per month for 10GB of data. Both plans include overage fees of $10 per extra 1 GB.

In terms of pricing and data limitation , Clear mobile hotspot’s affordable price and unlimited plan without data cap clearly is one of the areas where Clear mobile hotspot shines and, beating Verizon mobile hotspot plans hands down.

AT&T Mobile hotspot consists  of two data plans:  the  3G DataConnect plan which costs $60 per month and 4G DataConnect plan ($50 per month) . The carrier killed the unlimited data plan few months ago, leaving Sprint mobile hotspot as the sole US mobile hotspot plans to offer true unlimited data access (update: October 2011, Sprint has also killed the unlimited mobile hotspot data plan starting  October 4, 2011) .

AT&T currently offers two mobile hotspot devices in their shelve –the AT&T MiFi 2372 from Novatel and the newly-released AT&T Mobile Hotspot Elevate 4G. The latter is the latest AT&T mobile hotspot device that has supported 4G network (LTE). Just like other wireless providers the company has been expanding LTE network across the country to cope with customer increasing needs for high-speed wireless internet.  AT&T ‘s 4G network is currently available in five pilot cities: Houston,San Antonio,Dallas,Atlanta, and Chicago.

AT&T Mobile Hotspot Vs Verizon Mobile Hotspot Plans

As mentioned above AT&T has a two-tier pricing for mobile hotspot access : 3G DataConnect and 4G DataConnect  data plans which carry the same data cap of 5GB of data  per month yet has different  overage fees. The 3G DataConnect costs $60 per month for 5GB of data and $0.05 per 1 MB if the data cap is reached. The 4G DataConnect costs $50 per month for 5GB of data and   a $10 per 1GB  for those going over the data cap. With this limited data cap, however, customers can enjoy a blazing internet speed if they use the device over the as-yet-limited 4G LTE network.

Verizon has more or less  the same pricing scheme, $50 per-month for  5GB of data and a $10 per 1GB of data  in overage fees  for 3G mobile hotspot  and also  has different pricing  for 4G mobile hotspot . Verizon charges $80 per-month for 10 GB of data and $10 per 1GB in overage use.

The devices

AT&T has two dedicated mobile hotspot devices: Novatel MiFi 2372, which supports 2G, 3G and HSPA+ networks and AT&T Mobile Hotspot Elevate 4G made by Sierra wireless, a brand new mobile hotspot offering that already supports LTE (4G) network for faster connection. The two devices can share internet connection with five other devices simultaneously.

AT&T MiFi 2372 mobile hotspot

The black and sleek MiFi 2372 measures  2.44 x 3.86 x 0.60 inches and weighs only 2,86 ounces. It comes with  a microSD slot to store shared files with other devices connected to it, USB cable, charger and SIM card. To access to the files stored in the MicroSD and to find out battery life, the number of devices connected to the hotspot, signal strength and other user interface you need to type in file://///192.168.1 in the browser. The AT&T MiFi 2372 mobile hotspot battery life is around 4 hours if used continuously.

AT&T MiFi 2372 mobile hotspot (Image credit: AT&T)

 The  MiFi 2372 sells for $49.9 with a two-year contract and carries a pretty hefty termination fee if you discontinue the contract. The Termination Fee for The  MiFi 2372, if bought on or after June 1, 2010, is $150 minus $4 for each full month of your Service Commitment that you complete.

The AT&T Elevate 4G mobile hotspot is one of the two dedicated mobile hotspot devices currently available at AT&T. I got a hold on the compact device few days ago from a colleague who already purchased it for $69.9 with a two-year contract. I needed the device to accompany me during my business trip to Vancouver, Canada. At first glance the Elevate 4G is similar to other dedicated mobile hotspot but after using it you will tell this Sierra Wireless-made mobile hotspot is a huge improvement over the AT&T 2372 mobile hotspot which only offers connection over 3G network. Though AT&T 4G coverage is currently still limited to just few select cities in the US this 4G mobile hotspot is a great choice for mobile people who need fast internet connection while on the go and share it with up to five Wi-Fi-capable devices.AT&T Mobile Hotspot Elevate 4G

The Elevate 4G (Image Credit AT&T)

What makes the device different from the MiFi 2372 is it sports an external LCD display showing  such indicators as battery life, signal strength, GPS location, data usage and more so you don’t need to open to browser to access the above information. AT&T Mobile Hotspot Elevate 4G sells for $69.9 with a two-year contract.

I have internet on my Droid X and I was honestly hoping to get a tethering plan for my phone so I could have internet on my notebook when I am not home and was considering getting a faster 4G mobile hotspot. The AT&T Elevate 4G mobile hotspot is simply fast when you’re on a 4G coverage . I can get 4g coverage in an workplace where I can hardly get cellular signal yet after plugging in the Elevate 4G to my notebook I could get the 4G signal at almost full bar. I was amazed at how blazing fast it was, I could get an average download speed of around 4,6 Mbps during the day. Of course the speeds may vary from one location to another and from time to time , yet for with these speeds essentially you get a cable internet speed on the go.