Clearwire launches Spot personal WiMAX hotspot
updated 10:35 pm EDT, Thu April 2, 2009
Clearwire
Clearwire at CTIA launched the Spot, a personal hotspot device that connects to the company's WiMAX network and provides Internet via Wi-Fi. The 3-inch by 5-inch router is manufactured by CradlePoint and matches the appearance of the PHS300. Users must insert a CLEAR USB modem into the port on the side of the router. The Spot contains a lithium ion battery that powers the USB modem.
Although Clearwire provided few further details, the device should provide encryption using standard WEP, WPA and WPA2. The only obvious difference between the PHS300 and the Spot appears to be support for the CLEAR modem. The PHS300 supports a variety of modems from other manufacturers, although it is unclear if the Spot offers the same range of compatibility.
The CLEAR Spot carries a price of $140 and should ship early this month.
