Wi-fi
by Nicholas Deleon on November 13, 2009

It’s getting harder and harder to be surprised about the MPAA’s silly tactics. So, surprise! The MPAA has successfully shut down an Ohio town’s municipal Wi-Fi network because one person was caught illegally downloading a movie. You know, peers and seeders and all that.

In an age of free and abundant wi-fi, Starbucks takes a stand
8 Comments
by Devin Coldewey on November 4, 2009

starbucks
Here in Seattle, there isn’t enough room to swing a cat without hitting an open wi-fi access point. During lapses in my own internet service (damn you, Comcast) I have gotten by on my neighbors’, or one of the dozen cafes or bars within half a mile that have free, unfettered internet access. In fact, it’s become a sort of lifestyle I and other Seattleites subscribe to, flitting about the cafes, sharing music, blogging together. Pretty obnoxious, now that I think about it. But if there’s another thing Seattle is known for, it’s Starbucks. Now, like any true Seattleite, I haven’t set foot in a Starbucks in years except when absolutely necessary (airport, gift card, etc) — I could make some statement about burned beans and corporate culture, but really, it’s because of their lack of wi-fi.

Oh sure, they have wi-fi. There’s a guy in Madison Park who’s been playing WoW almost nonstop for years at one of the flagship stores. But it isn’t free, and internet you pay for isn’t really a hot item in the most wired city in the country.
Read More

by Nicholas Deleon on October 12, 2009

You’ll soon be able to surf the Web on your BlackBerry or laptop while onboard a Lufthansa flight. The German airline said today that it’s re-introducing in-flight Wi-Fi, and that everything will be up and running by by the first half of next year.

by Nicholas Deleon on October 8, 2009

Yup, another airline is poised to offer in-flight Wi-Fi. United Airlines has said that it will start use of Aircell’s Gogo service beginning with flights between New York and California. It’s $12.95 for laptop access for the duration of the flight.

by Nicholas Deleon on October 1, 2009

We’re pleased to say that 802.11n has finally been finalized (hmmm… “finally been finalized.” I see that’s why we make the big bucks, lol!). That’s right, you won’t be buying “draft n” routers anymore, as the Wi-Fi Alliance has updated its tests, going from “draft n” to “Wi-Fi Certified n.” Does that make a difference in your everyday computing? No, probably not—how many years now have we been using “draft n” items with nary an issue?

by John Biggs on September 30, 2009

In an effort or “re-engage customers as a serious bookseller,” Borders is offering free Wi-Fi powered by Verizon in over 500 stores. Fair enough. Might be a nice little treat for those dudes who sit in the anime aisle reading book after book or the weird guy who is totally angry at the latest of Atlantic Monthly and willing to tell everyone about it near the cafe. It will, in short, make the Borders experience just that more varied and magical.

by Nicholas Deleon on August 6, 2009

Pretty interesting article in the WSJ this morning dealing with the scourge of Wi-Fi-hogging laptop users in coffee shops, also known as cafés. It’s a trend story, and the trend is that, hurt by the recession, several New York area cafés are now banning the use of laptops. It seems laptop-wielding customers would frequently hog all the space, preventing “real” customers from eating lunch or whatever. So, ban.

by Nicholas Deleon on July 27, 2009


A British DJ (well, ex-DJ), Steve Miller, claims to be allergic to Wi-Fi. As such, he’s had to spend recent days hiding away in his house, away from any and all Wi-Fi signals. Supposedly he’s one of the 2 percent of people who suffer from electromagnetic sensitivity.

by Nicholas Deleon on July 20, 2009

Ever find yourself wandering around Manhattan with nothing but a netbook in your backpack? Who doesn’t, right? Well, if that’s the case, get thee to the New York Public Library. It seems there’s a new Wi-Fi room that’s the bee’s knees.

by Peter Ha on May 20, 2009

Whether we realize it or not, there’s a race going on in the skies above us. With the advent of wireless Internet access creeping into what once our sanctuary of solitude at 37,000 feet has now become a domain for self-righteous dingbats to livestream their flights for all to see.

Leading the way is Virgin America who announced today that they are the first airline in all the land to offer Aircell’s Gogo in-flight Wi-Fi service on every single flight. To mark the occasion an air-to-ground Skype video call will take place with thee Oprah Winfrey herself and will air on Thursday the 21st. VoIP calls aren’t allowed on any Virgin America flight, but, you know, you can’t say no to Oprah or she’ll eat you.

by Peter Ha on May 7, 2009

A few weeks back I hopped onto my first Virgin America flight with Aircell’s Gogo service on-board. It wasn’t the first time I’ve reviewed Gogo and if you recall I was on the first commercial Gogo flight with American Air. The plan was to interview James Weatherson, Virgin America’s inflight entertainment engineer, while I was up in the air, but there was a scheduling mix up and the interview never went down. So we opted to do it the old fashioned way. Below is my brief conversation with James about Red and where it’s headed.

by Nicholas Deleon on April 28, 2009

A fascinating bit of Apple gossip for your Tuesday morning, gossip that piggybacks on the never-going-to-die “iPhone on Verizon Wireless?” rumor. Does an “iPhone lite” interest you? Or perhaps a “media pad that would let users listen to music, view photos, and watch high-definition videos” that makes calls using Wi-Fi?

by John Biggs on March 11, 2009

Reader Michael writes:

I could not log onto my Starbucks ATT WiFi account today. I called ATT and they said it’s part of the Starbucks issue that they are tying to resolve as quickly as possible. And that it’s not a technical issue but rather a business issue that is the reason for the denial of access.

by Peter Ha on March 11, 2009

Just a quick update for the transcon flying tech folk. Virgin America updated their online booking system to show you which flights are wired for Wi-Fi so, you know what you’re getting yourself into before you board the plane. Also, starting April 5th, the following routes will all be wired for Wi-Fi: Boston to LA, Boston to San Francisco and Dulles to Los Angeles.

by Peter Ha on February 22, 2009

A bill that was introduced last week by two Texas Republicans would require all ISPs and anyone providing Internet access otherwise (that’s you and me, reader, if you have a Wi-Fi router) to keep logs of activity for up to two years. This bill aims to seek out those sick individuals who are trafficking child porn. The Internet SAFETY (Internet Stopping Adults Facilitating the Exploitation of Today’s Youth Act) Act, introduced by Rep. Lamar Smith and Sen. John Cornyn, threw out some numbers that are quite startling.

by Peter Ha on February 11, 2009

Virgin America, my favorite domestic airline, is launching service to and from Boston today with three daily routes from LA and two daily routes from San Francisco. This is important for those traveling between Boston and California because all flights to and from Boston are equipped with Aircell’s Gogo in-flight Wi-Fi service.

Update: We’ve got a list of all Wi-Fi-enabled VA flights after the jump.

by Peter Ha on February 7, 2009

I don’t know about you guys, but $109 for a flight from NYC to the west coast is dirt-cheap. Sure, airline flights are neither gadget-y nor gear-y, but VA has Wi-Fi-enabled flights and Doom on-board. Just book your transcon flight by February 17th and fly by April 1st. Virgin America flies from NYC’s JFK to Las Vegas, San Diego, Las Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle.

For those traveling between LAX and JFK, you’ll be happy to know that VA is offering flights between June 17th and July 22nd for only $105 each way. Score!

Virgin America

by Arun Venkatesan on January 26, 2009

You may soon be able stop your packet sniffing, WEP cracking neighbors from stealing your precious internet with Wi-Fi blocking paint. That’s right. Nothing complicated, just paint.

by Nicholas Deleon on January 8, 2009

Sony’s DSC-G3 point-and-shoot digital camera not only has built-in Wi-Fi, but it also has its own Web browser. Guess that makes uploading your photos to the Internet a little easier.

And now that FCC meeting concerning free nationwide Wi-Fi won’t even happen
2 Comments
by Nicholas Deleon on December 14, 2008

wino

How great is this: the FCC meeting that was scheduled to take place this week where they’d discuss the plans for free nationwide Wi-Fi isn’t even going to happen. The meeting, which was supposed to occur on the Dec. 18, was killed because a bunch of congressman objected to any “controversial” items emerging from the FCC during the last day’s of George W. Bush’s presidency. Better to let the new congress and Obama-influenced FCC tackle the matter.

Kevin Martin, the FCC chair, wants the nationwide Wi-Fi network to be be pornography-free (yeah, that’ll happen; the Internet is for porn), dontcha know?

In any event, it’s best to look at this latest development as merely a postponement and not an outright killing of the plan.

Next year, then.

via Boy Genius Report

bugbugbug