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The folks at FreedomPop have a fairly unique offering: 500MB of free mobile internet access, assuming you’re willing to fork over a few bucks as a refundable security deposit for the hardware first.
Software coder Lee Fyock has posted an interesting first look at the FreedomPop mobile hotspot, which offers 500MB of free data each month on Sprint’s aged WiMax network.
The only “catch” (if you can call it that) is that you’ll need to pony up a refundable security deposit to get the hardware. In Fyock’s case, that was $89 for a Wi-Fi hotspot, although a USB dongle is also available, and cases for the iPod touch and iPhone are also coming soon.
Rather than wait for one of those sleeves, Fyock sprang for the hotspot instead, which is ready for immediate availability. “As a tech device, the hotspot is delightful,” Fyock writes on his blog. “It’s small, pleasantly heavy, and smoothly rounded. With blinking colored lights. It also has a soft-touch coating so it’s a pleasure to hold as well.”
While Fyock knew FreedomPop’s wireless data wasn’t available near his home, a quick trip to nearby Cambridge soon produced a signal, and one that was respectably zippy considering it was free.
The FreedomPop hotspot produced 9.36Mbps download and 1.38Mbps upload, although Fyock notes that it didn’t take long to burn through 56MB just testing out his new toy. The service also seemed to be quite spotty when inside the old brick building where he works.
All in all, the FreedomPop hotspot appears to make for a nice free companion for any iPhone or iPad user, assuming you don’t use more than 500MB of data in one month. Be sure to check out Fyock’s entire hands-on at his blog.
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(Image courtesy of Lee Fyock)
