[CES 2013] For the less discerning user, finding free public WiFi while in a shopping mall or at a cafe or even on public transportation is a great way to cut down on your mobile internet’s bandwidth usage, but at the same time it should be noted that by using public WiFi, it is possible for hackers to intercept the information being transmitted, meaning that logging into your bank account and emails while using public WiFi might not necessarily be the best idea. With that being said, Private Communications has announced that their Private WiFi VPN has now made its way onto mobile devices.
The software was previously only available for computers, but given that a lot of us bring our smartphones and tablets with us wherever we go these days, hopefully the mobile version of Private WiFi will bring that added sense of security to mobile users. For those who are hearing about Private WiFi for the first time, it’s basically an app for both computers and mobile devices that encrypts incoming and outgoing data, helping ensure that even while logged onto public WiFi that hackers will not be able to intercept your data.
The app is currently available for iOS devices and is free for up to 500MB worth of data. If this is not enough, you can buy additional bandwidth for $1.99 to protect up to 1GB, or $7.99 to protect up to 10GB. The app is also currently being developed for Android and Windows-based mobile devices, although no word on when those will be available. In the meantime those interested can grab the app via the iTunes App Store.