Updated
Verizon today announced its long-awaited support for the iPhone. For the most part, the phone and its features look like theya4‚¬a4„re the same whether you get them for AT&'T or Verizon, but therea4‚¬a4„s one cool exception &8212' Verizon says users will be able to turn their phones into five-person hot spots.
The idea is to turn your phone into the equivalent of a MiFi device &8212' personal WiFi networks that you carry around with you. No more struggling to find free WiFi, and ita4‚¬a4„s arguably an improvement on MiFi devices, since you dona4‚¬a4„t have to carry around an extra device. (In VentureBeata4‚¬a4„s case, we try to work on-the-go by connecting my Verizon 3G modem to Owen Thomasa4‚¬a4„ MiFi device &8212' now wea4‚¬a4„ll just make sure therea4‚¬a4„s someone with a Verizon iPhone in the car.)
Verizon hasna4‚¬a4„t released any details about how much it will cost or how it will work. I dona4‚¬a4„t know, for example, how long wea4‚¬a4„ll be able to run the WiFi feature without completely draining the iPhonea4‚¬a4„s battery. But if Verizon can make this work in even a halfway decent fashion, that should give it bragging rights over AT&'T, which struggled to support connecting one computer to the Internet via iPhone tethering.
Update: We have a video of the Personal Hotspot in action.
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Companies: Apple, AT&'T, Verizon
Companies: Apple, AT&'T, Verizon
Anthony is a senior editor at VentureBeat, as well as its reporter on media, advertising, and social networks. Before joining the site in 2008, Anthony worked at the Hollister Free Lance, where he won awards from the California Newspaper Publishers Association for breaking news coverage and writing. He attended Stanford University and now lives in San Francisco. Reach him at anthony@venturebeat.com. (All story pitches should also be sent to tips@venturebeat.com) You can also follow Anthony on Twitter.
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