Vodafone has become the latest network to launch a personal wi-fi hotspot with the launch of the  Vodafone Mobile Broadband Hotspot. The device will initially be available in Germany, Romania and Spain.
The Vodafone Mobile Broadband Hotspot enables users to connect several devices wirelessly, anywhere within the Vodafone Mobile Broadband footprint. The credit-card sized, operating system-independent Mobile Broadband Hotspot enables customers to connect quickly and easily to any device that supports the wi-fi standard, then connect to the internet using Vodafones mobile broadband connectivity. Voddafone says the device is expected to bring the benefits of mobile broadband to a new range of devices such as MP3 players, digital cameras and gaming consoles
With one touch to power on, users will be able to detect the mobile wi-fi cloud using any device configured for wi-fi and connect up to five devices within a 10-metre radius. An internal battery provides up to four hours of active use on a single charge. The device delivers speeds of up to 7.2 Mbps on the downlink and 5.7 Mbps on the uplink between the Mobile Broadband Hotspot and the mobile broadband network.
The device offers expandable memory support for up to 16GB via microSD for storing and sharing personal content such as documents, music, video and pictures over wi-fi. Access to the expandable memory is separately available to all devices connected to the Vodafone Mobile Broadband Hotspot. The device is supplied by Novatel Wireless, which specializes in the design and development of wireless broadband access solutions. It will be available through Vodafone direct and business sales channels. Theres more information here.