Sprint 4G Tri-Fi Hotspot Connects Devices to Three Flavors of Wireless

Sprint 4G Tri-Fi Hotspot Connects Devices to Three Flavors of Wireless
10/05/2012 by Taylor Hatmaker for Tecca on Mashable

The term “4G” gets slapped onto wireless networks and devices to encourage sales — often at the cost of clarity. Sprint announced the 4G LTE Tri-Fi Hotspot, after driving this point home at the CTIA Wireless conference, on Tuesday.

The handy gadget can convert LTE, WiMAX, and 3G networks into a Wi-Fi signal for web-hungry devices like laptops and tablets. The device lets 3G and4G Sprint customers share their Internet connectivity with up to eight Wi-Fi enabled devices. That’s not limited to cameras, music players and phones.

The device is powered by a 3600mAh battery, which gets users up to eight hours of connectivity. The Tri-Fi portable hotspot provides on-the-go small businesses, health care teams and individuals who work remotely with reliable mobile broadband.

Sprint launched its WiMAX 4G network back in 2010. Now, it’s shifting its weight toward LTE — a new 4G standard pioneered by Verizon in 2011.

With the Sprint 4G Tri-Fi hotspot, users won’t have to worry about finding a 4G LTE network — or even a 4G network at all while traveling. The device can even hook into 3G, taking the guesswork out of the entire process.

Sprint’s LTE network won’t be rolling out until this summer, but that isn’t stopping the carrier from readying its hardware arsenal now. The Tri-Fi hotspot, manufactured by Sierra Wireless like Sprint’s Overdrive 4G hotspot, will cost $99.99 with a 2-year contract (plus a $50 rebate) on May 18. If being away from the web gives you separation anxiety, a cleverly signal-agnostic tool like the Tri-Fi might be just what the doctor ordered — but those data-overage fees can still kill you if you aren’t careful.

This article originally published at Tecca here.

Source: Mashable

8 Handy Tablet Styluses to Boost Your Creativity

8 Handy Tablet Styluses to Boost Your Creativity
by Stephanie Buck on Mashable

1. Cosmonaut by Studio Neat

Studio Neat designed the Cosmonaut as an alternative to all the pen-like styli already out there. This crayon-inspired stylus works with nearly every capacitive touchscreen device, and is great for the kids.

Price: $25

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2. Adonit Jot Pro

This stylus pen features a precision disc at the tip, which gives the user "the freedom to write or sketch like you’re used to," at any angle.

The Pro resides in a line of Jot styli that also includes the Jot Classic and the Jot Mini, among others.

Price: $29.99

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3. Wacom Bamboo Stylus

Touted as lightweight and ergonomic, the Bamboo comes in six festive colors. Use it to write or sketch on the iPad.

Price: $29.95

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4. Griffin Stylus

Speaking of colors, the Griffin stylus mimics your fingertip with its cushioned tip.

Price: $19.99

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5. AmazonBasics Stylus

Amazon's stylus is compatible with Kindle Fire, iPad, Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab and BlackBerry PlayBook.

Amazon promises its product is "perfect for the ladies out there who have their nails done, or for those who don't want to take their gloves off during a cold day."

Price: $11.01

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6. LunaTik Touch Pen

LunaTik Touch Pen marries the traditional rollerball with modern stylus technology. Like any other pen, click the top to actually write on paper. Un-click and use the tip of the stylus to write on your tablet.

The pen comes in both alloy and polymer.

Price: Pre-order for April 2012, $39.95

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7. Nomad Compose

Nomad is already a well-established brand for tablet paintbrushes. The dual-tip Nomad Compose (left) is made of natural and synthetic capacitive fibers.

Price: $18-$39

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8. Sensu iPad Paintbrush by Artist Hardware

Although it won't be available until May, the Sensu Paintbrush is both an iPad stylus and a capacitive paintbrush. The brush was designed and manufactured by Artist Hardware, a design consultancy that has studied paintbrush craftsmanship for years.

Price: Available May 2012, $34.95

Whether you’re sick of getting fingerprints all over your iPad or you want to get seriously creative, try a stylus for your tablet.

The above styli range from crayon-like to paintbrush-inspired. One even doubles as a ballpoint pen. Most of the gadgets are compatible with nearly any capacitive touchscreen, so you don’t necessarily have to own the latest and greatest iPad. (That’s the newest iPad’s name, right?)

Which stylus is your favorite? Know of any others you’d add to the list? Or do you prefer your fingertip only? Let us know your stylus thoughts in the comments below.



Source: Mashable

Conan O’Brien Buys Mashable, Ousts Pete Cashmore as CEO

Conan O’Brien Buys Mashable, Ousts Pete Cashmore as CEO

By Conan O'Brien On Mashable at 1st april

Hello, fellow Mashables. It’s Conan O’Brien, and I’ve got big news. Two hours ago, I purchased Mashable.com. I’ve taken it over. Why did I take it over? Very simple reason.

I’m sick and tired of scanning the Internet looking for any news about technology: Devices, gadgets, what’s coming up, maybe even a rating system for gadgets that are out there. It doesn’t exist on the web and it’s high time it did.

I go to the Mashable see the atrocious job they’re doing. So I decided it’s time for me to take it over.

That’s why, several hours ago, I called Pete Cashmore and I told him, “You’re out! Get out! You’re through Cashmore! Through! Get out!”

Of course, keep in mind, I was screaming “Get out” from a phone call and he was speaking at home…So it wasn’t clear what I was throwing him out of. We straightened that out.

He said, “You’ll have to buy me out.” I said, “Buy you out? How about thirty-five hundred smackeroos?” He didn’t know what smackeroos were, but we talked again.

There’s going to be a lot of changes around here. So stay tuned, cause I’m in charge now. I’m going to be sending out a lot of tweets!