Though we're living in an increasingly wireless world, there's still a long way to go. No one knows this better than photographers who have seen a slew of Wi-Fi solutions for transmitting images through the air come and go in recent years. Oftentimes these "magical" wireless devices or services end up being more trouble than they're worth.

One recent product that does a good job of cutting the cords for photographers is the Cradlepoint PHS300 personal Wi-Fi hotspot. The device was designed as a way to create your own mobile hotspot without having to hook up a cellular modem to your laptop. Instead, just tether your cell phone to the Cradlepoint PHS300 or insert a portable modem into the USB slot; fire the PHS300 up—it runs on batteries—and you've got a 3G hotspot you can share with up to 16 people.

If that were all it did, the Cradlepoint PHS300 would be a handy solution for location shoots when your crew needs to get on the Internet. (Think of how much you'd save on hotel Wi-Fi fees!)

As photographer George Bridges of the McClatchy-Tribune photo service learned, however, if you use a Canon or Nikon digital SLR with a wireless transmitter, you can beam your photos right from the camera to the PHS300 which will then relay them wirelessly to your company's FTP. Bridges first tried the set-up at the Super Bowl and saved time by avoiding having to run back to his computer to file photos. He could just automatically zap them right from his camera and continue to shoot.

Doug Mills, who covers the White House for The New York Times, had a similar experience with the PHS300 while photographing President Obama's first joint session of Congress. Mills was able to wirelessly send images right from his Canon 1Ds Mark III (with attached WFT-E2A transmitter) to his photo editors at the Times allowing him to make the 9:30 p.m. deadline for the print edition of the paper.

The 3 x 5-inch PHS300 comes with Li-Ion batteries which will give you about two hours of power. The device doesn't require you to install any software, though not all cell phones are compatible for tethering with the Cradlepoint. For instance, our 3G iPhone was a no-go but that might change with the iPhone's next operating system update. Check the Cradlepoint Web site for a list of compatible phones.

Cost: $180 Further information: www.cradlepoint.com