If you're like an increasing number of people, you LOOOVE your Internet. I'm rarely without access, and I recently paid too much for a new smartphone primarily so that as long as I have cellular coverage, I have the Internet -- albeit a very slow version -- in my pocket.
A company out of Cambridge, Massachusetts, known as WAAV (formerly Omniwav Mobile) aims to change the clunkiness and slow speeds of mobile Internet by introducing a new generation of in-car broadband Internet routers. Drivers and passengers (mostly passengers, we hope) will be able to access the Internet at speeds comparable to a DSL or cable connection and use all of their favorite applications, up to and including broadband gaming...
The AirBox mobile cellular router effectively takes your existing Internet connection and moves it into your car. The company's latest version, the X2, aims to serve multiple users at once, and could be used to serve many passengers concurrently, with applications for mass transit such as buses and trains.
Users must agree to sign a minimum two-year data contract with their cellular provider to purchase an AirBox. The units weigh about 3 pounds, use DC power, and come with a two-year warranty. The standard AirBox costs $499, and the new X2 costs about $1,100, which, while pricey, may be worth it on those long trips when your teenagers need to access their Facebook accounts or log onto World of Warcraft from the family minivan. -- Fran Irwin, Tech Contributor
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Maybach should put one of these in the back of all its cars - standard!
I just imagine the demand for these would be in chauffer-driven cars.
I remember seeing this in another Straightline blog long ago...
Pretty useless to me. What kind of kid goes on Facebook or plays an online game on a road trip? I'm of that age and I wouldnt dream of doing that, looking out the windows on a road trip is so much fun no matter where you are.