Novatel’s little MiFi, the personal 3G router that turns a cell-signal into a Wi-Fi hotspot, is about to jump on the App Store train. Applications for the device will be sold by PocketGear, which is billing itself as an iTunes-like store, but is really just a big website that sells software for smartphones.
The MiFi is a surprise winner in the iPad accessory market. Many people are opting for the portable router over a 3G iPad. Sure, you almost always need to sign up for a monthly plan, but you can share the connection with any of your devices, from laptop to iPod.
So what can we expect? The press release is vague, with nuggets like this: “[I]ts onboard Web server enables the MiFi to connect to remote data locations, retrieve data and present it to the user either online or offline.” That web-server will enable things like BitTorrent clients, download management (continuing to pull down content even when you power-down your computer) and even logging your position using GPS, so you could geo-tag your photos later.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen “apps” on the MiFi. Back in March, Novatel added a media-server to the device, allowing you to stream movies from the MiFi’s microSD card to, say, an iPod Touch. This was courtesy of a firmware update, though, rather than a purchased application.
The launch date of the new store is as yet unannounced. One thing we do know, though, is that that the $130 premium for the 3G iPad might be better spent elsewhere.
MiFi App Store Press release [PR Newswire. Thanks, Kevin!]
See Also:
- MiFi Plus iPod Touch (Almost) Equals iPhone
- Hands-On With The MiFi Personal Hotspot
- MiFi Update Adds Movie and Music Streaming
- Blazing-Fast 4G MiFi Could Replace Your Home Connection
- Mifi-hunter
Photo: Charlie Sorrel
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