Karma?

[master7045]

I just read this article on engadget last night and it sounds like an interesting idea. Anyone use this little pocket sized, shared internet dooad?

Here is a blurb from engadget:

subscribers to the Clearwire-rooted network are required to share their Internet link-ups with the public as a WiFi hotspot. As the name suggests, though, sharing the connection ideally pays back dividends through free access: for every guest who signs in on Facebook to get 100MB of free data through the hotspot, another 100MB goes towards the hotspot owner. If all goes well, the Karma user creates a virtuous circle (pun entirely intended) and pays little if anything for Internet access; while the WiMAX hotspot costs $69, the $14 per gigabyte rate only kicks in if the credit runs out. Trial runs are starting in New York City and might only hit 500 hotspots by the end of 2012, but the hope is to upturn the wider industry and make sure there's never a shortage of public WiFi.

[wirednuts]

wifi tethering is awesome, but a battery sucker. sharing wifi tethering would be even worse!

[sygyzy]

It just went live today and I placed my order. $79 for the hotspot and $14 for 1GB. I know hotspots are a dime a dozen but here are the key points that work for me:

1. No contract
2. No minimums
3. Earning 100MB to share

I have a unique situation - my city doesn't even have Clearwire coverage but here I don't need it because I have 4G LTE and of course wifi at work and home. Where I really need this is when I am going to LA to visit friends and my family. My parents only have dialup. And free wifi is not at all widespread like you'd think. I can tether but that can rack up data really fast. With no contracts and no minimums, I can spread the 1GB balance over weeks or months. If I don't travel or use my hotspot for weeks at a time, the data just sits there waiting for me.

Not to mention the cool integration with Facebook and the really really well designed site/experience. It honestly feels like a super clean product. The user experience (just from the blog/signing up/ordering/etc) is impressive.