SPRINT DUMPING UNLIMITED HOTSPOT PLAN

We'd heard rumblings that unlimited data for Sprint's mobile hotspot plan was going the way of the dodo, but come November folks, it'll be official. Data sent and received over tethering -- not smartphone usage -- will now be measured against a 5GB cap. The same applies to mobile broadband subscribers, who will lose "unlimited" WiMax, instead having all their bits counting towards 3GB, 5GB or 10GB buckets (as seen above). Going over your allotment in either plan naturally incurs overages, which could get pricey at 5 cents per MB, and worst of all, existing unlimited plans won't be grandfathered in.

DISABLING LOCATION SERVICES DOESN'T STOP iPHONE FROM TRACKING YOUR LOCATION

The recent rediscovery that Apple’s iPhone is tracking and storing users’ locations, after users all agreed to let Apple track, store and use their locations, of course, has caused quite an uproar. Unlike the last time this was discovered, the ordeal continues to make news nearly a week later instead of being forgotten immediately.

In this latest round of outrage, The Wall Street Journal has revealed that Apple’s iPhone continues to collect and store users’ locations even when location services are disabled. The Journal believes that the data is collected using data from cell towers and Wi-Fi hotspots as the iPhone communicates with them. This, too, is well within Apple’s rights, and the rights of other cell phone providers, but the revelation is still likely to result in a new round of chatter.

Additional reports reveal that government bodies in several countries including South Korea, France and Germany are investigating Apple’s location-tracking practices, and they will likely make formal inquiries once they have enough information to do so.

HOUSTON GRANDMOTHER BECOMES FIRST HOST OF WHITESPACE SPECTRUM HOTSPOT; AKA SUPER WI-FI

This ain't your grandma's WiFi -- that is, unless your grandma is 48 year-old Leticia Aguirre. The Houston woman became the host of the very first "super WiFi" hotspot, earlier this week -- the new network takes advantage of unused UHF TV channels to bring internet service to underserved communities.

In collaboration with researchers at Rice University, a Houston-based non-profit fittingly referred to as Technology for All (TFA), facilitated the setup and is in the process of deploying more whitespace hotspots across the area. The FCC approved use of whitespace for the new "super WiFi" back in September of last year.

LONDON UNDERGROUND TO GET 120 WIFI HOTSPOTS IN ADVANCE OF 2012 OLYMPICS

A big announcement arrived today if you live in or around London: to prepare to the onslaught of data-hungry visitors for the 2012 Olympic games that the city is hosting, 120 WiFi hotspots are being added to various locations along the Underground subway system's stations and platforms, in addition to other measures being taken to beef up tech. No WiFi will be in the actual tunnels, mind you, but it should definitely come in handy for all those tourists trying to find their way around the city. British Telecom has already tolled out a trial run at the Charing Cross station, with further installations expected in the lead up to the games.

iOS 4.3 TO RELEASED TODAY

We have been told Apple will be releasing iOS 4.3 today at 10am PT. One of the highly anticipated features of the update is the personal hotspot feature. Our sources are telling us that by default 3 devices will be supported, however if the carrier requests it, the hotspot can support up to 5 wireless connections.

AT&T LAUNCHES NEW DATA PLANS

Now that AT&T has starting selling 4G Android devices with hotspot capabilities and is "working with Apple to bring it to iPhone", they have unveiled a new set of data plans. The new plan for hotspot gives you 4GB of data for only $45/month, which is only slightly better than the MiFi type device's plans of 5GB for $60/month.

AT&T's plan breaks down to $11.25 per gigabyte of data, with overage at only $10 per gigabyte. The plan applies to users with either the tethering plan or hotspot.

VERIZON iPHONE DATA PLAN & HOTSPOT PRICING ANNOUNCED; $200 FOR AT&T USERS

When Verizon announced they would be carrying Apple's iPhone, they also stated the purchase price. The last piece of the puzzle has now been put in place with the announcement of data plan costs. As expected Verizon is keeping their existing plan in place for now. The current plan, required for all smartphones, is the $30/month unlimited data plan.

The key words of Verizon's statement are "for now". When a customer purchases an iPhone (or any smartphone) with the associated data plan they will be able to keep that plan during their contract period. Once the contract ends AND the customer purchases a new device, the customer will need to subscribe to a data plan available during that time. With the launch of their LTE 4G phones coming soon, it is highly expected Verizon will move away from the all you can eat for one price model and shift to tiered data plans.

The cost of using the Verizon iPhone as a hotspot for up to 5 devices will be $20/month which gets you 2GB of data allowance. This is on top of the $30/month unlimited data plan. The hotspot plan is optional, while the data plan is not

In addition to the data plan announcement, Verizon also stated that any AT&T customer turning in their i Phone will get $200 for it which can be applied to a Verizon phone.