My wife came across this device at the local Sprint retail store. It is essentially the same concept as the Best Buy device, however it appears to be noticeably smaller and less intrusive. I’m guessing that also means less powerful.

From Sprint.com:

The PHS300 Personal WiFi Hotspot is a true plug ‘n’ play solution that creates a powerful WiFi network almost anywhere. Connect all your WiFi enabled devices by simply plugging in your activated Sprint USB data modem and turning on the PHS300. It’s that easy! No more searching for a hotspot, you are one! This high-performance router platform, powered by WiPipe technology, supports multiple and concurrent VPN pass-through sessions, plus encryption modes including WEP, WPA and WPA2. Now you can confidently access the Internet and share your connection with friends, family or colleagues on the road, in the office and at home.

Features:
* A WiFi extension to Cellular Broadband
* Compliant with IEEE 802.11 b/g Standards
* Tethers to Sprint USB modems for WiFi access anywhere in coverage
* Compact and portable
* Built-in Li Ion battery provides hours of WiFi with your 3G handset
* Added firewall prevents unauthorized use of your cellular connection

As Thor mentioned on my last post, there certainly is a limitation to this solution: data plans. Sprint and several other major carriers only allow 5GB of data PER MONTH. Now that could seem like a lot, but compared to what you probably consume on your home or office broadband connection, it’s probably just a fraction.

So, the proper application for this device is to use it as a temporary mobile hotspot (service vehicles in the field could share with nearby computers) or as an emergency backup for your DSL or Cable broadband.

According to device specs, it is also compatible with:

[598U by Sierra Wireless, 8703e™ by BlackBerry®, 8830 by BlackBerry®, A900M by Samsung®, AirCard® 595U by Sierra Wireless, Aircard® 595 by Sierra Wireless, Aircard® 595U by Sierra Wireless, BlackBerry® Pearl™ 8130, Centro™ by Palm® , Centro™ by Palm® (Original model closeout), Compass™ 597 by Sierra Wireless, KATANA® II by Sanyo®, KATANA™ by Sanyo®, KATANA™ by Sanyo® (Blue), KATANA™ by Sanyo® (White), M1 by Sanyo®, MOTO Q by Motorola, MOTO Q™ 9c by Motorola, MOTOKRZR™ K1m by Motorola, MOTORAZR² V9m by Motorola, MOTORAZR™ V3m by Motorola, Mogul™ by HTC, Muziq™ by LG®, Ovation U727 by Novatel Wireless, Ovation™ U760 by Novatel Wireless, PPC-6700, SCP-8400 by Sanyo®, Touch by HTC™, Treo™ 700wx by Palm, Treo™ 755p by Palm

Turns out he’s a wireless router designed specifically for sharing an internet data card on a local network. In other words, the little USB modem you can get from your cellular carrier can be plugged into this router so that all the computers in your home or office can connect to the internet.

I don’t know if this router is compatible with data cards from Alltel or Cricket, but I would assume it works with major carriers like Sprint, Verizon or AT&T.

(article posted from my iPhone)

Why was I suprised? Just yesterday I had posted a link to http://www.thetruthaboutken.com on facebook, after I saw an ad on facebook with Ken’s face bopping around like a bobble-head. I clicked on the link and found myself on a very spammy-looking website devoted to all things anti-Ken. But these weren’t political things–they were all very personal. It looked like someone pulled his credit report and posted it line-by-line with commentary and nasty remarks.

So I posted the link on facebook, remarking that “…this is downright dirty politics. Way to go Nebraska Democratic Party.” However, my remarks did not show up on bradpc.com, as the feed only displayed the link. Now I’m assuming someone from the Svoboda camp received a google alert, because only 6 hours later I had a voicemail from Ken on my phone.

This shows some real dedication on Svoboda’s part to be not only monitoring internet buzz surrounding his campaign, but to personally take action and addressing the comments. I do have one suggestion, however. Although a phone call is official and authentic, also taking the time to reply online by leaving a comment, sending an E-mail or creating a website responding to the attacks would probably accomplish more in the long-run. By using the same media outlet, those who find negative information about Svoboda online would have a fair opportunity to hear the other side to the story.

I agree that a person’s character should be a sizable factor when choosing a candidate, but for a small-town, city council election, this kind of negative campaigning is over-the-top. If nothing else, it signals that Lincoln is becoming less of a wholesome Midwestern city, and becoming more like everywhere else.