How many times have you been caught with the need to do something on your laptop when you're out and about, but you don't want to drop five bucks for a coffee to suck up some ''free'' Wi-Fi? The solution is simple: just use your phone as a wireless router and share your phone's data plan with your laptop or tablet or even desktop computer. I've got a Nexus 5 so that's what I'll use for this example, but of course, many other phones are capable of operating as a portable Wi-Fi hotspot – the layout and options may just be a little different.