That little gadget up there isn't a cellphone, although it certainly shares some design points with the old G1 Googlephone. It is actually a MiFi-like cellular hotspot, a little battery-powered box which shares a 3G data connection over Wi-Fi.
Like the MiFi, the Huawei E583C will support up to five devices over Wi-Fi, plus one more over USB, and it has a microSD-card slot for storing and streaming data. The E583C is functionally very similar to Huawei's UK-only MiFi E585, with an OLED display to show you the router's status: which network you're on, the router's signal strength and battery level. Lest you think that this is a mere gimmick, I'd point out that one of the biggest annoyances with the original MiFi is the lack of visual feedback, especially on battery status.
The price, when it launches in Hong Kong this month, will be HK$1,380, or $178. And before you go, here's a fun snippet from the press release: "gadget lovers can now experience the excitement of on-the-go wireless internet." Excitement!
Huawei Debut Next-Generation Personal Mobile Wi-Fi Device [Huawei via iTech News]
See Also:
- New MiFi with OLED Display
- Mifi-hunter
- Verizon Mifi: Personal Wi-Fi Coming this Month
- MiFi to Get App Store
- MiFi Plus iPod Touch (Almost) Equals iPhone
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