For those of us that love our iPod Touch but dislike the task of not having a Wi-Fi hotspot always available or wanting to use the features while traveling, Sprint has unveiled today a solution for your tethering woes. The new ZTE Peel gives users the ability to put the iPod Touch in a cradle and connect with the Sprint 3G service over Wireless Broadband.
The idea is really a nice one as we may already have Cell service with Sprint but also enjoy our iPod Touch. Now, with the Peel, we can have it all. The device specs state that the cradle will work with second or third generation iPod Touch devices and will also be able to connect to another device while cradling the Apple iPod Touch to provide another Wi-Fi Connection. Have a laptop that needs your own hotspot? You’ll be able to provide you own. This is extremely handy for businesses that don’t have Wi-Fi Hotspots. If the user is in a Hotspot area, Wi-Fi Compatibility can also be handled with the 802.11B and 802.11G Standard without having to uncradle the iPod Touch.
The Peel features a 900 mAH Li-Ion Battery which will give the user about 3 hours of active use time. The product is not officially endorsed by Apple but is compatible with Wi-Fi services for Windows 7, Vista, XP and Mac OS 10.5 and 10.6. The service plan for the broadband which is up to 1GB transfer on the 3G network with no contract, $29 bucks and the ZTE Peel itself will be available for around $79 dollars. Sprint stores should be carrying the Peel starting the 14th of November.
We also like the fact that owners of iPod Touch device may also be able to utilize third party apps from just about anywhere a broadband connection is available which could include voice type apps!
More info on the ZTE Peel can be found on the Sprint website at http://www.sprint.com We’re hoping to get our hands on a Peel in the next couple of weeks to give you a look at how they work., Check back at our main site http://www.techtalkradio.com for video and follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/techtalkradio
If this was the same one they reviewed on a tv show the other day the guy was playing World of Warcraft in his hotel room via his laptop and cell phone over the net with a friend and they didn’t even know he was on phone wifi on the other end. No glitches or anything. This is pretty amazing. too bad I am not a Sprint customer because this could potentially cause me to switch it I wasn’t locked in for another 2 years with another provider. Thanks for the update!
Here’s the nice thing about this device, No Contract Required. The Device sells for 79.00 and the service is 29 a month for about 1gb. I would think you could use your regular plan if you were already on Sprint but I mainly use my iPod for connecting to Email and Messaging. This is also nice in case you need a quick check or want to use the laptop to connect because, this also can connect two devices via the Hotspot you can create with it.