As we've often lamented, there simply
isn't enough free or open Wi-Fi access in public spaces anymore. It's rare that you'll find a hot-spot that either doesn't require a password or some kind of fee to access it, making the prevalent use of Wi-Fi-enabled
laptops,
MP3 players,
smart phones, and other wireless devices somewhat difficult (we wouldn't care, except that certain gadgets, such as the
MacBook Air, actually require the availability of a much-hyped Wi-Fi hotspot to connect, at least without an adapter).
So we were happy when we heard that
AT&T just bought public-Wi-Fi provider Wayport, which operates about 20,000 wireless hotspots in airports, hotels (Marriott, Wyndham, Four Seasons) and restaurants (McDonald's). Why? Because, as
Mashable points out, many avid laptop users are hoping that AT&T will offer the
same deal to McDonald's customers that it offers to Starbucks customers, which is two hours of free Wi-Fi per day to anyone with an AT&T iPhone or
BlackBerry, a Starbucks Card, a
T-Mobile Wi-Fi-enabled phone or T-Mobile Hotspot account, or AT&T broadband service at home. (McDonald's already offers
free wireless access to the Zune Marketplace for
Microsoft Zune owners.)
Presumably that means that
McDonald's might soon be offering a prepaid buyer's card along the lines of the Starbucks Card (which only needs to be used once a month to keep the free stuff going). Many of the blogs out there seem to think free Wi-Fi at McDonald's is a good thing, but we don't know the last time we wanted to mix our greasy Big-Mac-and-French-Fry-smeared hands and our pristine laptops (not to mention fingerprint-prone
iPhone touchscreens).
And honestly, with the price of Quarter Pounders (not to mention Venti Lattes) lately, we're just as keen to pony up the $7.95- $21.95 a month fee for
Boingo Wireless, which gives us unlimited access to not only Wayport and Boingo-affiliated wireless hotspots around the world, but also those of T-Mobile and AT&T.
After all, who actually plans to go to McDonald's? Isn't it usually a spontaneous, reckless binge that you fully regret later? And while we're on the subject, would you rather work or surf the Web in McDonald's or Starbucks? Do tell! [From:
Mashable and
AOL Money & Finance]
