FreedomPop FREE 4G Mobile Internet 500MB per month with $49.99 deposit

Well I went ahead and ordered the photon. There was no tax in texas.

So really, the risk as someone else pointed out is under $10. $5 shipping fee, no tax and probably $3 to ship it back should I need to and the hope that they refund my money in that event. Not too shabby.

I really hope the photon charges via microUSB. Unfortunately I couldn't find any data or even full sized pictures of the device.

EDIT:

"You can charge your Photon through its Mini USB port using the provided Mini USB cable."

Doh, it uses miniUSB!

Thanks op, in for the hotspot.
Beats NetZero's alternative.

I see that it will employ WiMAX but according to the engadget article "FreedomPop says it will switch to Sprint's LTE spectrum sometime in early 2013."

That being said I hope there isn't any incompatibility with the current hotspot and LTE when the switchover takes place.

Edit: It appears as though we may need to get a compatible device once LTE kicks in. http://venturebeat.com/2012/09/30...s:dsc02860 This link also has a nice photo showing how small the devices are.

Edit 2: Read the return policy in the wiki. Unless I misinterpreted something it sounds pretty misleading calling it a "refundable security deposit" when you have 30 days to return it and get your deposit back.

Quote from MeatCatalog : Does anyone know if the usb stick works directly with a USB OTG adapter with an android phone?

No, unless you write your own driver. And it isn't even a feature request in the AOSP.

Do they charge your card now or when they deliver the device? As far as I can tell, the service is not yet available?

Quote from ai42 : Sorry your right it is 500MB/mo. I stated it wrong. Virgin Mobile uses the same Clear Wimax network as FreedomPop. I've traveled to Atlanta plenty this last year with my Clear 3G/4G Hotspot (I'm on an old unlimited Wimax + 5GB 3G of data plan) and I get decent coverage with Wimax around town. However, there are many instances where I cannot get Wimax signal and drop down to 3G speeds. Yes 3G speeds are lacking quite a lot but it's better than having nothing.

...FreedomPop runs on Clears network.. not the other way around, FreedomPop has stated that in the future when Sprints 4G network is up they will utilize that also

Quote from bleuiko : Do they charge your card now or when they deliver the device? As far as I can tell, the service is not yet available?

They already charged mine and from what I'm reading the service is available now.

Quote from parker1018 : Edit 2: Read the return policy in the wiki. Unless I misinterpreted something it sounds pretty misleading calling it a "refundable security deposit" when you have 30 days to return it and get your deposit back.

Wow, if that is true that is really misleading!! I looked all over for return details, so that could very well be the case!

lol. Just read about this on WSJ today.

Quote from cobra11murderer : ...FreedomPop runs on Clears network.. not the other way around, FreedomPop has stated that in the future when Sprints 4G network is up they will utilize that also

Yes, but that doesn't mean that this hardware will work on the new spectrum. You may get stuck with useless hardware.

Quote from user3657 : Wow, if that is true that is really misleading!! I looked all over for return details, so that could very well be the case!

I doubt that is the case. If it is a deposit, then you can return it at any time to get your deposit back.

Quote from fbueller : Yes, but that doesn't mean that this hardware will work on the new spectrum. You may get stuck with useless hardware.

This is certain to be the case, actually. However, there is a FAQ about this on the accounts page which states:

Can I upgrade from my current device to a new one?

As we get closer to releasing a new product line, we will inform users of our upgrade options and policy.

So they may have an exchange program or maybe a rebate system, etc. Addtionally, the "old 4g" might stay up while LTE is also up. This is unclear.

Quote from bolland99 : I doubt that is the case. If it is a deposit, then you can return it at any time to get your deposit back.

According to their own wiki this is NOT the case. So the title to this thread is very misleading. You only have 30 days to try it. After 30 days if you haven't returned the device you must keep it. They don't even support the device if it fails unless you pay $3/month.

Because of these facts its hard to keep my thumbs up for this thread. The title is completely misleading, though the OP probably didn't know the details because these FAQs are only accessible once you signed up and have an account.

Does anyone see the warranty policy?

can someone please confirm whether the "deposit" is only good for 30 days, after which point we must keep the hotspot device?

or is it a true deposit, where we can return the device at any time and get our full initial deposit amount back?

kind of a "make or break" situation there