Verizon confirms the iPhone with personal hotspot

Verizon announced the CDMA iPhone today and put some pressure on AT&T by offering the smartphone with a personal hotspot feature (like the MiFi, but built-in) that supports up to 5 devices. Pricing for the mobile hotspot was not announced, but select Android smartphones include this feature for an additional $20 per month. This charge is on top of the unlimited data plan which is available for $30 per month. Presumably, the mobile hotspot will be a Verizon-exclusive app or preference setting that enables this functionality. [Techcrunch showed the interface for this, it is enabled through the Settings app.]
Currently, AT&T offers the iPhone with the 2 GB DataPro and tethering plan for $45 per month. This is a one to one tethering option that lets you connect one phone to one device. The Verizon option lets you add up to five devices that are WiFi-capable. The next question is, how will AT&T respond?
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Verizon announced the CDMA iPhone today and put some pressure on AT&T by offering the smartphone with a personal hotspot feature...
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DAMN! AT&T is going out of business! LOL
January 12 2011 at 2:29 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI'm hoping Verizon will offer mobile hotspot for free.
I know they charge for Android phones, but they don't for webOS phones, which has been incredible for me.
So if wifi tethering was not included or disabled because of AT&T, what about other countries where the iPhone is available on networks that can handle the load? Seems a bit unfair that the entire world has to play by AT&T's rules because they don't have the infrastructure in one country.
January 11 2011 at 6:18 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyThen use Skype,Google Voice or Viber..
January 11 2011 at 1:36 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyJailbreak+MiWi=Free Hotspot on ATT
January 11 2011 at 12:20 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Replynot free* it's been a while since I bought it so I'd forgotten it was a paid app
January 11 2011 at 12:31 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Replyive had verizon for over 12 years atleast. back when it bought gte wireless and i had a beeper in 6th grade. ive waited so long as i made a pit stop and got a sidekick from tmobile as my 2nd phone a few years ago..then i got an iphone on att in 08 i think
. ive never lost hope that this would happen so i kept my rinky dink phone and now will be BACK to verizon. i dont care the pricing as it has to be better than att.
The Talkatone app. It lets you use your GVoice VOIP over WiFi and 3G-data.
January 11 2011 at 11:48 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyWas going to mention - that's going to suck for your five friends using the WiFi when you get an incoming call. I'm very happy for the iPhone getting onto a competitor network, but CDMA not having the capability of doing data + voice at the same time seems like a design failure to me. The excuse that they're "working on it" and LTE is the solution isn't solid enough for me. How am I supposed to use GPS navigation with streaming maps in my car with someone on the phone or if I get an incoming call? Am I supposed to just pull over and wait for the data connection to reestablish after I miss my turn?
January 11 2011 at 11:46 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI am wondering when Apple and these providers will give us our cake and let us eat it too? When will I be able to have 3G coverage like Verizon's, at AT&T's 3G speed, tether/hotspot for free, and be able to use the phone & web at the same time. I think we pay enough for these devices and per month to get all of this...
January 11 2011 at 11:45 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyNo, the next question is, "Do they need to?". If the hotspot pauses while you are on the phone, it will not be as useful. Talk on the phone=no laptop connection.
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