Swinging by the Novetel Wireless booth this afternoon, I got a great hands-on with the MiFi. The device is far smaller and more lightweight than you’d think; to give you an idea, I took some pics that compare it to my first-gen iPhone. Think of it comparable in size to five credit cards stacked upon each other. It’s so small, I think they goofed on the name: Instead of MiFi, I’d go with the MiNiFi. The device includes both a 3G and a WiFi radio. You simply turn it on, it connects to a 3G network and then broadcasts that signal over WiFi for up to five devices. Aside from the initial configuration, the most difficult interaction you’ll have with the MiFi is pressing the power button. There’s nothing else to do but use it.

The 1150mAh battery lasts for around four hours and you can swap it out for a spare. There’s also a mini-USB port that can be used to recharge the battery if you want to connect it to a computer. That same port is used for configuration: Connect the device and hit a web portal to set up your WiFi network.

But the MiFi isn’t a “dumb,” single-purpose device; it has some smarts, too. Novatel says that the device can actually run applications on the embedded Linux platform inside. That brings a vast number of possible ways to extend the MiFi beyond a simple 3G hotspot. One example: A security application could be installed so that all computers sharing the signal would be protected. Here’s another: With the right software, the device can pull your email and store it, perfect for when you’re about to hop a plane. When you get to your destination, fire up your computer and connect to the device’s hotspot, the cached mail is instantly on the computer. No need to plug in a card, dial for a connection, wait for mail, etc. Carriers and developers alike could create apps and services that seamlessly run inside the connected device.

The MiFi still doesn’t have a firm release date or price, but we should see it this quarter with a goal price of around $200. Bear in mind that the device could be subsidized, since it’s going to need a 3G plan from a carrier. Those 5GB caps might be an issue with the MiFi, since more devices can use the data plan at the same time. My hope would be for a special plan price that lifts the 5GB cap when using this device, but that’s probably wishful thinking on my part.

I almost passed by the MSI Wind X-Slim netbooks, but the form-factor was just too darn alluring. With a starting price of $700, you’re getting a VW-like netbook on the inside, but it’s wrapped up in a nice Ferrari-ish exterior. My first thought was to balk at the price because the same basic guts can be had in other netbooks for far less money. Just a few minutes of hands on with the X-Slim has me reconsidering.

It’s not so much that the device is thin, although that is a nice feature. It’s more about what you’re gaining due to the bigger footprint: a far more usable display paired with a full-sized keyboard. That keyboard has a great feel to it as well; you really can’t compare it to the keyboard on a smaller netbook and there’s no compromise with it. There isn’t much compromise in the number of ports either: you still get three USB, an Ethernet and an SD/MMC card reader. I walked away most impressed, but still keeping in mind that under the hood is a relatively low-powered netbook. Or is a notebook? Looking the way it does at this price, I’m not sure it matters.

While Palm isn’t an official exhibitor at the CTIA Wireless show, their partner carrier is. Last night at the MobileFocus event, I swung by the Sprint booth with Matt Miller and found that they had two Palm Pre handsets. Matt Crowley from Palm gave us a 7-minute look at third-party applications based on Palm’s webOS.

We got a look at Fandango, which is an excellent example of a well-integrated title that leverages the Pre’s native functions. Using Fandango, you search for a movie and the app shows events in your area based on the phone’s GPS. Even better: When you buy tickets for show through the app, the event is automatically entered in the Pre’s calendar. Slick.

Matt and I also saw the NASCAR app and I already want it. I subscribe to NASCAR’s TrackPass, which uses real-time, in-car telemetry to show me where every driver is, right on my computer. That same functionality is in the handset application. I have yet to see that on any other mobile platform, although Sprint may offer it as a paid service. The carrier is the title sponsor of NASCAR.

There’s plenty more to see: Google Maps, the program launcher, Amazon’s MP3 service for direct music purchases (w00t!) and more, so have a look. You’ll note that this video is actually Matt’s; he was kind enough to let me publish it, since I didn’t realize that my video camera had run out of storage memory partially through the vid. Thanks to Matt for covering me on this one. And for not laughing at me due to my SD card issues…well, at least he didn’t laugh while I was around.

After the video was shot, we got a chance to get our fingers on the keyboard. If I was hard pressed to pick a potential Achille’s Heel to this device at the moment, I’d likely go with the keyboard. The keys are small; Centro-small, if you will. That may not be an issue for folks, but I wanted to give it a mention. The keys do have a nice, rubber feel, but they’re as small as they can be while still maintaining a level of usefulness. That’s not likely to stop me from purchasing a Pre, however. The software integration with web services has me giddy.

Anyone remember the rumor about Opera planning a major U.S. carrier deal? That was the word on the street, but it dried up faster than the rain here in Vegas. In fact, I had read that Opera was denying any such deal. Turns out, there is a deal after all, but as far as it being with a “major” U.S. carrier, well… you make the call.

The deal is with Virgin Mobile USA, which at only around 5 million subscribers at the end of last year isn’t who I had in mind when I first heard about this possbility. Regardless, it is a win for Opera; it just remains to be seen how much of one. Initially, Opera Mini will be a download on select handsets through the VirginXL storefront, and eventually the excellent brower will come pre-installed on some devices. Eight handsets are the intial target starting April 14, including the the Samsung Slash, the Arc, Shuttle and Super Slice. Looks like Om is right: Opera isn’t down or out just yet when it comes to mobile browsing.

Will you pay $7.99 a month to watch TV episodes on your BlackBerry? That’s the question QuickPlay is asking…and to which they’re hoping you’ll say yes. Today they introduced PrimeTime2Go for the BlackBerry Bold and Curve 8900: that means AT&T and T-Mobile customers only: Verizon & Sprint folks need not apply. The application arrives in the new BlackBerry App World store next month as a subscription service; $8 a month gets you the privilege of full-length episodes from NBC, CBS, MTV and The CW, for starters. At first, I thought this was a streaming service, but after re-reading the press release, it appears that content is downloaded to your device for playback. You can, for example, watch one show and download another in the background. Content is delivered over WiFi, which is great for the speed requirements of these downloads, but not every BlackBerry offers this feature — yet another reason to get upset when carriers have WiFi removed from a handset.

The only shows mentioned so far include NBC’s “The Office,” CBS’s “CSI,” MTV’s “The Hills,” a part of MTV Networks, and The CW’s “90210,” so come May, we’ll have to see what your $7.99 a month gets you. I don’t have a BlackBerry, but if I did, I’d probably opt for a streaming solution like a SlingBox or Orb over this one. Still, there’s something to be said for the convenience of content downloads on demand, so PrimeTime2Go just might have legs.

The jury is still out for sure, but there is an interesting trend developing here. Carriers have traditionally wanted to curb these types of third-party offerings any way they can so they can offer their own services for revenue gains. Granted, the PrimeTime2Go service doesn’t use the carrier’s pipes, so there isn’t a whole lot they can do here. Now that the BlackBerry App World store has arrived, the floodgates might be opening up to more external services like this. I think they can fight this only for so long before realizing that consumers want freedom of choice in their services. The traditional walled gardens are slowly crumbling.

The Celio REDFLY has been an interesting device since we first got hold of it. There is a lot to be said for the ability to use a small laptop as an extended display and keyboard for a smartphone. Today’s smartphones are powerful enough to be used as mobile computing devices once you get past the limitations of the screen and tiny keyboard, and that’s what the folks at Celio delivered in the REDFLY. We got word from the folks at Slashgear that Celio’s new software solution, the Mobile Viewer, is entering a public beta.

Mobile Viewer takes the REDFLY concept and extends it to any netbook or notebook that you already own. Celio recognizes that you don’t need to buy a REDFLY device if you already have a netbook or equivalent and thus have developed the Mobile Viewer. The programs allows you to connect any Windows XP/ Vista notebook to a supported Windows Mobile smartphone and use the bigger screen, keyboard and trackpad to run the phone. This makes it possible to work on documents, longer emails and similar tasks that you might forgo given the phone alone.

According to the folks at Celio, the Mobile Viewer program will handle any display resolution up to 1024 x 768, making a full working environment for document handling. The connection between the phone and the notebook is handled using Activesync (WinXP) or the Mobile Device Center (Vista) and USB connection is supported. To see how useful this type of utility can be check out our video of the REDFLY from last year:

As I went through the ShowStoppers event last night here at CTIA in Las Vegas, I spent more time with the attendees than the exhibitors. These shows are certainly about the tech, but meeting people you’ve only interacted with online is part of the experience as well. The other reason I only made a cursory round of the products and services was that I’d seen nearly all of them before. Plenty of great companies to be sure, but very few with something I hadn’t already seen in person or read about some time ago from most of the two dozen exhibitors in attendance. There was one, however.

I had actually heard about GlowCaps in the past, but last night I got to spend 15 minutes with David Rose, the CEO of Vitality Inc. David told me everything I wanted to know about these network-connected medicine containers and the  GlowCaps Connect service.

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MSI is showing their wares at CTIA and tonight at the MobileFocus event, I’ll be seeking them out to get another peep at the X-Slim line. We saw the MacBook Air-like netbook at CES, but today we get an official starting price, so I want some more playtime to see if it’s worth the premium. The company is officially sharing details on three different netbooks today: the MSI Wind U123 and the X320/X340 in the X-Slim line. The U123 is your basic refresh of the earlier U1xx devices, so let’s dig into the X-Slims.

These two devices are expected to start at $700 and $1,000, respectively, and both feature the small dimensions of 8.8″x 12.9″x 0.7″ with a 13.4-inch screen at 1366×768 resolution. Each is 2.8 pounds with the standard 4-cell battery, although you can use an optional 8-cell battery as well. The main reason for the $300 price differential between the X320 and the X340 is that one is built around traditional netbook components while the other is closer to a standard notebook build. Here’s a rundown of a few examples; the first spec is for the $700 X320 while the second is for the $1,000 X340:

• Processor = 1.6GHz Intel Atom / Intel ULV SU3500 (speed not specified)
• Graphics: Intel GMA500 / Intel GMA4500MHD
• Memory: DDR2-667 up to 2GB / DDR2-800 up to 4GB

Both devices will run on Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium and each offers ample storage and connectivity. Oddly enough, the less expensive device offers optional integrated 3G or WiMAX. I would have expected that on either both machines or on the more expensive one. MSI says we should see all three of these computers on sale in the U.S. come May.

From a form-factor perspective, my fave Windows Mobile phone was my Dash when I used it on T-Mobile’s network. It only got better when it saw the upgrade to WinMo 6.0. I later unlocked the device because it worked just as well on AT&T and I didn’t need a second GSM voice line. Since the Dash didn’t have 3G connectivity, there was really no loss in the functionality it provided. But I always wished it had more functionality to begin with. I figured that would happen when HTC got around to building a successor to the Dash. After long last, they have with the HTC Snap, officially announced today.

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Here I thought that the “i” in the Wilson Electronics iBooster product was for the iPhone. Hey, it’s not a stretch since I reviewed this cell phone signal booster with the iPhone, right? Turns out that there’s a whole line of these in-car devices that charge your phone while increasing the signal strength for  data and voice connections. Wilson just outed the iBooster for BlackBerry Curve and the iBooster Universal that should work with most other handsets.

Although I don’t travel in my car all day long, I can vouch for the product working as advertised when I tested it. But at an expected $240 price tag when the new line hits in May, you’ve really got to be literal road warrior to need one of these. If you live in your car or truck and have a knack for finding dead zones, the iBooster line is worthy of consideration. My video review of the device for iPhone is below if you want to see how much of boost you get.