Entries tagged with “Wi-Fi” from WIRELESS AND MOBILE NEWS

Besides celebrating the 40th birthday of Sesame Street, Google along with Boingo Wireless, Advanced Wireless Group, Airport Marketing Income and others will  provide free W-iFi as a holiday gift now through January 15, 2010.

The gift of free wireless currently includes 47 airports, including Las Vegas, San Jose, Boston, Baltimore, Burbank, Houston, Indianapolis, Seattle, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando, St. Louis and Charlotte. Additionally, as a result of this project, Burbank and Seattle airports will begin offering airport-wide free WiFi indefinitely.

The upcoming Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's holiday is one of the heaviest travel seasons of the year, and according to FAA estimates, over 100 million people will pass through the participating airports between now and January 15, 2010.

Due to bad weather and other extenuating circumstances, travelers often have extra time on their hands in the airport after they pass through security - 70 minutes, on average. Not surprisingly, having an Internet connection during this time can make a difference. A recent study conducted by the Wi0Fi Alliance reported that 50% of business travelers take red-eye flights in order to be "reachable" during business hours, and an overwhelming 82% said that being connected through Wi-Fi would help solve that problem.

Boingo Wireless, provider network of Wi-Fi hotspots,  announced the availability of its authentication software and Boingo Mobile service for the BlackBerry platform. Available immediately from the Boingo Download Center,

Boingo Mobile offers BlackBerry smartphone owners with an alternative to cellular data through one-click, high-speed access to Boingo's Wi-Fi network of over 100,000 hotspots.

The Boingo Mobile application will at first be available for the BlackBerry Curve 8900, BlackBerry Curve 8320 and BlackBerry Bold smartphones. Boingo will announce support for additional BlackBerry  models as they become available.

The free Boingo Mobile application improves the Wi-Fi user experience for BlackBerry smartphone owners by providing a convenient, automated way to connect. It automatically notifies users when they are in a Boingo hotspot, and connects to the Boingo network with a single click. Boing Wi-Fi acess costs $7.95 which could mean savings over pay per megabyte data plans.

JiWire released its Mobile Audience Insights Report that shows demographic and behavioral interests of Wi-Fi users.  Wi-Fi users are rich, travel and buy a lot of tech stuff.

The café Wi-Fi audience also reported that 38 percent make an online purchase during their visit and 77 percent are in the market to make a major purchase in the next 12 months.

AT&T reported a huge second-quarter increase in the number of Wi-Fi connections on the AT&T network, fueled by the rising number of customers with Wi-Fi enabled smartphones.

In the second quarter, AT&T handled nearly 15 million Wi-Fi connections on its network -- a 41 percent increase over the first quarter. With approximately 25.6 million connections so far in 2009, AT&T Wi-Fi connections this year have already surpassed the 20 million connections seen in all of 2008.

The number of customers with Wi-Fi access as part of their AT&T service, also continues to grow. AT&T broadband connections -- which include both wireline broadband and wireless LaptopConnect cards -- grew by 209,000 in the second quarter to reach 16.9 million in service. AT&T includes unlimited Wi-Fi access with qualifying AT&T High Speed Internet plans, 3G LaptopConnect plans and with select smartphone plans.

Wi-Fi Connections Increasingly From Smartphones Versus Laptops

In the second quarter, 49 percent of the total connections were made by integrated devices. This is an increase of 41 percent over the first quarter 2009 -- a significant shift that tracks with the growth of Wi-Fi enabled devices.

Mmmn lets see how the sale of  52 million new iPhones increase Wi-Fi traffic.

Barnes & Noble with the help of AT&T will provide complimentary in-store Wi-Fi to any customer that visits a Barnes & Noble bookstore nationwide.

The existing AT&T Wi-Fi network at Barnes & Noble has been available to customers since 2005. Now, anybody walking into a Barnes & Noble store anywhere in the country will have complimentary and unlimited access to the network at all store locations.

As a part of the Wi-Fi offering announced today, customers will soon be able to opt-in to receive personalized messages from Barnes & Noble -- such as a coupon to the in-store café, notices on an author book signing or details on where to find a new book release in their favorite genre -- on their Wi-Fi enabled devices when they enter the store.

Customers can also download free Barnes & Noble Apps giving them access to the world's largest eBookstore with over 700,000 eBooks titles and exclusive content, customer reviews, information about in-store events, store locations, and more.

US Airways flys with Wi-Fi via Aircell’s Gogo Inflight Internet service beginning in early 2010. Full Internet access including Web, Instant Messaging, email and VPN access will be available for purchase to passengers with laptops, smartphones and other Wi-Fi enabled devices.

“Gogo Inflight Internet will allow our customers to make the most of their flying time by catching up on work or relaxing and surfing the Internet. This is an exciting new option for our passengers that we believe will enhance their travel experience,” said Andrew Nocella, senior vice president, Marketing and Planning

According to Bango, over 20% of people visiting web sites to purchase content using their mobile phones are now connecting via Wi-Fi. Bango is developing a billing system for carriers so that Wi-Fi content purchased can be made via the carriers.

They believe that the Wi-Fi usage presents a major challenge to both content providers and operators as these mobile visitors are unrecognized by the networks, making it difficult to sell and market mobile services to them and significantly impacting mobile content revenues.

Smartphones and high end mobile devices with Wi-Fi, such as Blackberry smartphones, the Apple iPhone, Windows Mobile devices, Google Android and Nokia Series 60 (N95, etc) represent the fastest growing mobile phone segment. The smartphone growth leads to Wi-Fi  appearing more frequently as a primary connection method across a growing range of handsets, according to data recorded in Bango Analytics.

Wi-Fi hotspot provider Boingo Wireless is offering the Wi-Fi hotspot finder and connection manager for Android smartphones.

Boingo Mobile currently is available for all Android smartphones, including models running the latest version of the OS, Android 1.5.

Most Android smartphones include Wi-Fi, which the Boingo application enhances by providing an automated way to connect. The application automatically notifies users when they are in a Boingo hotspot without needing to open the application, and connects to the Boingo network with one-click. When in a hotspot, the Boingo application will appear in the notification bar, and depending on phone settings, will either vibrate or play a sound.

Boingo will continue to foster innovation and update its application to provide new features providing users even more benefits from the Boingo network and its locations, such as hotspot location mapping.

AT&T broadband customers tripled Wi-Fi access over the rate from a year ago.

AT&T reported Wi-Fi usage reached 10.5 million connections along with increases of the number of hotspots and an increase in subscribers with Wi-Fi access.

AT&T has over 20,000 domestic hotpots and offers free Wi-Fi access to customers with iPhones, some smartphone data plans, AT&T high-speed Internet plans and 3G LaptopConnect plans.

The service is also available at most Starbucks along with McDonald's restaurants.

AT&T broadband connections - including wireline and wireless LaptopConnect cards - grew by 471,000 in the first quarter to reach 16.7 million in service.

Some analysts contribute the increase to the number of iPhone and BlackBerry Bold users.

A full list of AT&T Wi-Fi locations is available at www.attwifi.com. If you are thinking of buying an AT&T phone, don't forget to use the Wireless and Mobile News' $50 off online only coupon-link with a contract that reduces your price for a phone or accessory by $50.

A new report by Devicescape Wi-Fi by Decipher, Inc, Wi-Fi users have high expectations, like smartphones, and want Wi-Fi in their handsets.

Here's what the survey found:

• An overwhelming number of Wi-Fi users expect Wi-Fi while on the road (91%).
• Most respondents want citywide Wi-Fi (84%) and, surprisingly, many are willing to pay for it (56%) as they would a utility.
• When traveling, the most-often used device for accessing Wi-Fi was the smartphone, such as an iPhone (vs.laptops).
• The overwhelming majority of smartphone users (81%) prefer using Wi-Fi over 3G for browsing websites, downloading data, Google searches and sending e-mail.
• 86% of respondents want OEMs to build Wi-Fi into their handset.
• 82% of respondents want the service provider to provide an overall 3G/Wi-Fi data package.

AdMob has released some new information about smartphone ad serving and Wi-Fi

• The iPhone is at the forefront of Wi-Fi usage and recently launched smartphones such as the G1 and BlackBerry Bold suggest that Wi-Fi traffic will continue to grow in the coming months. Mobile devices that aren't phones (e.g. Sony PSP, iPod Touch) are also generating significant traffic on WiFi.

Novatel Wireless, unveiled MiFi last week. I's a teeny tiny, intelligent mobile hotspot router that fits in your pocket or handbag. MiFi is about ths size of credit card and connects to HSPA and EVDO networks.

MiFi creates a personal cloud of high-speed Internet connectivity that can be  shared between multiple users and Wi-Fi devices such as laptops, cameras, gaming devices and multimedia players. It supports of 5 users at the same time. It also has a microSD slot avaiable to store data.

MiFi also serves as an intelligent, open platform capable of hosting advanced software applications.

WeFi has discovered ten million Wi-Fi access points which have been recognized and classified by WeFi. WeFi also announced that it has passed one million users, spread over 215 countries and territories worldwide. These users contribute to what is the largest virtual global Wi-Fi network, and the largest worldwide map of Wi-Fi access points available today.

New Wi-Fi access points have been added by the WeFi software on members’ devices at an increasingly growing rate. As the network is user-generated, the more users, the more access points discovered and added to the network.

Starting today, travelers on American's Boeing 767-200 aircraft can access complete coast-to-coast coverage on nonstop flights between New York and San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles, and New York and Miami. American Airlines and Aircell have joined together to bring the first full inflight broadband service to the U.S. market.

Aircell's Gogo will be available to customers as a fee-based service in all cabins. Aircell will charge $12.95 on flights more than three hours, which include American's Boeing 767-200 flights. Each paid Gogo session includes full Internet access. Cell phone and Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) services are not available.

Delta Air Lines will have broadband Wi-Fi access onboard. Delta is joining with Aircell, to install the company’s Mobile Broadband Network on the carrier’s domestic fleet.

The system, Gogo, will enable Delta customers traveling with Wi-Fi enabled devices, such as laptops, smartphones and PDAs, to access the Internet, corporate VPNs, corporate and personal e-mail accounts, as well as SMS texting and instant messaging services. Gogo will be available to customers for a flat fee of $9.95 on flights of three hours or less, and $12.95 on flights of more than three hours.

Several sources note that Cablevision will launch an extensive Wi-Fi network this fall in the NY NJ CN Tri-State area. The $300 million network will be available to Cablevision broadband Internet subscribers for free, heating up the broadband/free Wi-Fi competition for AT&T.

Wi-Fi hotspots are continuing to grow greatly in 2008. According to ABI Research's WI-FI Hotspots Forecasts, by the end of this year global hotspots will grow by 40% over 2007. The greatest growth and the largest number of hotspots continue to be found in Europe. While the UK has long led in European Wi-Fi hotspots, there is also marked growth in France, Germany, and Russia.

Most remarkable about the hotspot market, says vice president and research director Stan Schatt, are the dynamics of a fast-changing business model. "Starbucks' decision to go to a virtually free Wi-Fi hotspot model is having a profound impact. Hotspot owners are beginning to see Wi-Fi as a cost of doing business and an operational expense, rather than as a profit center." Schatt expects major retailers to move towards a free service model in phases. "The first phase is likely to be a free or almost free service for good customers, those who have signed up for loyalty cards."

One reason hotspot owners are willing to move towards such a business model, according to Schatt, is the realization that, "Charging for service is counter-productive in the long run because the real money will be in value-add content downloads." In the near future hotspots are likely to encourage users to pay to download the latest music and TV shows. Airport clubs are likely to offer hotspot users the chance to download movies for their upcoming trips. Starbucks has already begun selling music CDs in its stores. The next logical step will be to move to selling music downloads.

Chrysler will bundle a bunch of entertainment and communication technologies under one umbrella name - “uconnect.” The featues are named, uconnect phone, uconnect tunes, uconnect gps, uconnect studios and uconnect web.

It includes Bluetooth hands-free, hard-drive stored media( 30GB that can handle up to 6,700 songs in a variety of formats) Sirius TV & Radio, GPS and the ability to turn your car into a WiFi hotspot. It will be available on most Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles starting in August.

UConnect Web, will be available as a dealer-installed Mopar accessory. The technology delivers uninterrupted, secure Internet connectivity for all passengers in and around the vehicle. a wireless router, connects to a 3G cellular data allowing passengers to connect to the Internet and any Wi-Fi capable device in the car can in turn connect to the via the auto-hotspot to the Internet.

The U.S. manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of UConnect Web is $449. Dealer installation is estimated at approximately $35 to $50. Autonet Mobile offers wireless Internet account service at $29 a month.

Alltel Wireless is offering premium Wi-Fi access to more than 25,000 hotspots developed through Alltel’s relationship with Boingo Wireless.

Alltel Wi-Fi is available for purchase by anyone in the United States as a stand alone offer. Consumers can access unlimited Wi-Fi access for $19.99 per month or $3.99 per day with no contract commitment. In the past year, more than 15,000 additional hotspots have been added to Alltel’s nationwide service, which includes thousands of hotels, bookstores, coffee shops and fast food restaurants. Travelers can also take advantage of Alltel’s premium Wi-Fi service, which provides Internet access in more than 100 of the nation’s airports and thousands of hotspots across Canada, Mexico and Europe. Exact locations of Wi-Fi hotspots can be found at http://wifi.alltel.com and downloadable Wi-Fi software for laptops can be downloaded for free at http://software.alltel.com.

Recently, Alltel Wireless began offering an Internet Anywhere Bundle, allowing Alltel customers to bundle their Wireless Internet plan with unlimited Wi-Fi access for their laptop. The $69.98 per month bundle gives customers the choice of connecting to either Alltel’s EVDO network or a Wi-Fi hotspot. More information about the bundle is available at www.alltel.com/internet.

T-Mobile USA, Inc., today announced the availability of the Nokia 6301 and Samsung SGH-t339, the newest additions to the growing lineup of phones that support T-Mobile HotSpot @Home service, which provides unlimited, nationwide calling over any accessible Wi-Fi connection in addition to great in-home coverage.

The Nokia 6301 and Samsung t339 bring two stylish phone options to the expanding T-Mobile HotSpot @Home family. With a stunning red finish and a thin flip form factor, the Samsung t339 is a Wi-Fi-enabled phone, outfitted with stereo Bluetooth, a 1.3 megapixel camera with video capture, a music player and instant messaging capability.   The Nokia 6301 provides the style of a home phone with the look of a mobile. The stainless steel bar phone comes with a standup charger so customers can conveniently dock their phone, similar to the design of a home cordless phone. The Nokia 6301 is also equipped with a robust feature set, including a 2.0 megapixel camera with video capture, stereo Bluetooth and a music player.  

The Nokia 6301 and Samsung t339 will be available beginning June 23, 2008, at select T-Mobile retail stores and online at www.t-mobile.com. For more information about the new phones, please visit www.t-mobile.com. For more information about T-Mobile HotSpot @Home, visit http://t-mobile.com/talkforever.