Verizon today officially became the first US carrier to offer a version of Novatel's MiFi hotspot. The 2200 model offered takes up to an EVDO Revision A 3G connection and shares it across its own 802.11g Wi-Fi network, turning it into an impromptu Internet access point for more than one device. It can run on an internal battery for up to four hours before being plugged in.

The device is locked down with up to WPA2 security, a built-in firewall and VPN passthrough support. While it supports nearly any Wi-Fi device in typical mode, it also allows Mac OS X (10.4 or later) and Windows (2000 or later) systems to connect directly over USB and draw on the MiFi as a data modem.

Sales start on May 17th, when the MiFi 2200 will sell for $100 after factoring in both a rebate and a two-year data plan. Verizon suggests either a $40 monthly plan that allows 250MB of data traffic per month or a $60 plan that boosts this to the carrier's maximum 5GB per month.