Las Vegas - The selection of WiMAX-equipped personal Wi-Fi hot spots is growing with the introduction by Franklin Wireless of the battery-operated R536 WiMAX Wave II, due in May through Franklin Wireless and carriers.

The San Diego-based company brought the WiMAX-only Wave II to CTIA Wireless 2010 here, where the device joined the currently available 3G/4G Overdrive from Sprint and Clear's Clear Spot. The latter device is a portable Wi-Fi router that accepts an optional WiMAX USB modem or a WiMAX/CDMA modem.

The 2.5GHz-band Wave II weighs about 2.46 ounces, features 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, and supports the Windows, Macintosh and Linux operating systems. It comes with replaceable, rechargeable lithium-ion battery and a Web-based user interface to set up the device.

Details on pricing and distribution were unavailable.

Franklin is a maker of cellular USB modems and PC cards and embedded cellular modules.