Sony Vaio laptops to get in-built MiFi

Posted on 18 Jun 2010 at 10:38

Sony has announced that its latest Vaio Z and Y series notebooks will be able to act like WiFi hotspot to nearby devices.

Dubbed 'Share My Connection' (SMC), owners of the new laptops will be able to use the devices' built-in 3G modem both as a data connection for the laptop itself and as a shared connection between up to five other devices.

Designed to offer the same facility as the increasingly popular 'MiFi'

devices - creating a private, local WiFi network specifically for sharing a 3G Internet connection - the SMC technology will come as a welcome bonus to those who regularly use multiple WiFi-enabled devices such as iPads and smartphones.

However, Sony may have missed one of the main selling points of the MiFi devices with its SMC technology: portability. While a small battery-powered device is easy to carry around with you as a way of getting WiFi-enabled devices online away from a hotspot, if you need to power the laptop on to enable the SMC sharing then you might as well browse the Internet on that, rather than a separate device.

That aside, for people who do have a need for it - or for those who want to generously share their mobile broadband with up to five of their friends - the out-of-the-box support will come as a welcome option.

So far, Sony has only announced the technology in partnership with Verizon in the US, with no mention of UK partnerships just yet - and equally no mention of pricing.

Author: Gareth Halfacree

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