MiFi GPS Apps Get Video Demo; New Versions Discussed

We've been waiting to hear about Novatel Wireless' plans for the MiFi portable internet hotspot and their developer program, and it turns out they've been busy working on improving longevity and enabling GPS-linked apps.  UMPC Portal caught up with the company at MWC 2010, and found out that the next-gen MiFi is on course to pack the same 3G sharing over WiFi only with extended battery life, USB charging from a notebook, and new GPS firmware.

It's apparently unclear exactly what sort of firmware upgrade existing MiFi owners will be getting, and of course there are two different models which complicates matters somewhat.  The MiFi 2200 CDMA units – available through Sprint and Verizon in the US – lack the GSM MiFi 2352/2372 units' application processor; Novatel also demonstrated a slick GPS app that was running on a MiFi itself: