3 unveils wireless hotspot for your car

Want your very own wireless hotspot to follow you everywhere you drive? Mobile operator 3 has unveiled its in-car Wi-Fi to offer just that.

Revealed at The Gadget Show in Birmingham this week, the system connects over a 3G network, letting users create their own local wireless connection in the same way as 3's MiFi device - indeed, it's essentially a re-packaged version of that device with a car kit.

While drivers will hopefully steer away from using the web at the wheel, 3 predicts the mobile hotspot will let passengers entertain themselves with their iPods, netbooks or gaming consoles, as well as give access to traffic updates, email and music on the go.

David Kerrigan, head of internet services at 3, claimed a quarter of those surveyed by the company wanted internet-enabled cars, especially families and mobile workers.

"Mobile workers can check traffic information and email on route to a meeting and kids can social network or download tracks to an iPod Touch while on a road trip," he said in a statement.

For 59.99, the In Car Wi-Fi kit comes with a Huawei MiFi modem, mains and in-car charger, and windscreen holder, as well as 1GB of data for a month. Buying a MiFi device from the company on a pay-as-you-go basis costs 69.