I have noticed a trend emerging in my decidedly urban Minneapolis surroundings: places that have Wi-Fi that should not. For instance, Arby’s. Although I love a hot-from-the-fryer potato cake as much as the next person, grease slicked fingers and laptop keyboards don’t mix.
Another inappropriate place for Wi-Fi, I feel, is busy intersections. With the Minneapolis municipal Wi-Fi network it is possible to check your email in traffic and surf the web while waiting for the light to change. I have actually seen people do this.
Since I express myself best in Haiku, here it is:
Wi-Fi signal finds
All who seek a connection
So please drive safely
I am a wireless keyboard guy. Actually, wireless everything. I like the freedom to type while spinning in my chair, email with my feet up, or throw the keyboard across the room without endangering my laptop.
So naturally I was puzzled when my co-worked chose to do her daily ration of typing on an older Apple keyboard. That is, until I noticed what she had plugged into it.
Since winter set in our office has been like a meat locker. Many Arcstonians go through the day wearing mittens or clutching hot cups of tea. My cube neighbor found a better way to beat the cold; sport a pair of USB fingerless gloves. With a port on each side, an old school Apple keyboard works great with the gloves, preventing tangles during intense typing sessions.
Thankfully I live in a very wired(less) city, where even Arby’s operates a free Wifi hotspot so you can check your email while enjoying freshly fried potato cakes.
Continue reading to see my favorite Wifi spots in Minneapolis.
Oh what fevered dreams bid to rip the cellular industry a twain? With Google’s new mobile OS out, talks about a 700Mhz bidding war, and a possible Sprint acquisition rumor, the wireless industry is becoming very interesting.
Content providers like Google are increasingly becoming worried over being squeezed by network owners, and with the recent Comcast debacle, Google’s fears are appearing well-founded. The major network owners could destroy content providers’ revenue models if the cost to reach customers skyrockets.
Owning their own networks is the best insurance policy content providers can have, and Google knows this. My guess is, when everything shakes out, Google will own one or more major pathway to its customer. It may be cellular, land-based fiber, or a combination.
There have been a lot of rumors about Google releasing a mobile phone. Well folks - they’re not gonna do it, they’re just going to give away the software for you to create your own phone. I’m calling mine the _Phone.
Available as of yesterday, programmers can download Google’s SDK for Android. Android is Google’s open source mobile phone operating system. This is probably a very good strategic move for Google - remove obstacles for accessing its applications, making it very, very easy to work within Google’s burgeoning framework of applications from Google Docs to Google Maps….
After many months of speculation, today Google finally confirmed their intentions for the mobile device market. Some expected a radically new take on the cell phone, while others speculated Google would stay in its comfort zone, and begin their foray into the cell industry with mobile software.
The latter group was correct, Google announced a mobile software platform named “Android”. Android is part of the Open Handset Alliance, which aims to create an open and powerful set of tools that will power a new generation of mobile devices.
This all sound slightly familiar. I could swear a few years ago another company tried the same thing and failed. I would write the Open Handset Alliance off, but hey, it’s Google. I have a feeling things are about to get very interesting in the world of cell phones.
Remember two or three years ago? Before Britney got fat, the dollar tanked, and the iPhone was only an Apple fanboy’s wildest dream? Back then urban computer nerds were promised fast, cheap, wireless Internet access courtesy of their good friends at the government.
I am, of course, talking about municipal Wi-Fi. In my fair city of Minneapolis things are under way with US Internet. Although I can’t sign up for it yet, the fledgling networking proved critical in the bridge disaster response.
Other cities are not having as much luck. Various explanations exists for the failure of municipal Wi-Fi, and even Google seems to be unable to pull of this feat. I believe the final nail in Wi-Fi’s coffin will be driven by 3G.
I have a Treo 700p on Sprints 3G network, and enjoy DSL like speeds throughout the city, and even in Wisconsin Dells. Why would I bother with Wi-Fi, when my phone gives me lighting fast access to email, and can even be used to connect my laptop to the Internet?
As cell speeds increase, and cities struggle with Wi-Fi, more and more people will discover they don’t need municipal Wi-Fi. Poor Wi-Fi (sniff), we hardly knew ye.
