FON outs European release date, price for Fonera 2.0
updated 10:55 am EDT, Mon April 6, 2009
FON outs Fonera 2.0 router
FON on Thursday held a small, informal demonstration of its Fonera 2.0/La Fonera+ router in Paris, announcing in will be made available in Europe on April 21st, with other markets that include the USA, Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan being added in May. Compared to the original La Fonera, the new Wi-Fi router adds an extra LAN port that allows users to connect a wired device. The new device also can share 3G data network access as a Wi-Fi connection and users can set how much of their own bandwidth they want to share with other FON members.
Supporting 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, the new device offers a wireless reach of up to 164 feet if conditions allow. It can also quickly upload images and videos to Flickr, Picasa and YouTube, and supports RapidShare, Megaupload and Bit Torrent file-sharing sites. The device can download torrents on its own, with storage provided by a USB thumb drive or external hard drive. Other devices, such as printers or scanners, can also be shared over networks.
FON offers a Wi-Fi community that allows registered users to get free Wi-Fi hotspot access from other members in exchange for offering it themselves. Users can also offer up their hotspots for sale to non-FON Community members.
When it launches, the La Fonera+ router will be priced at nearly €50, with US pricing yet to be determined. Tech entrepreneur and FON founder Martin Varsavsky explains the La Fonera+ router in the video below.
