Working Anywhere

Starwood No Star When It Comes To In Room Broadband

Of all the hotel chains I stay in around the world, the most consistently inconsistent is Starwood Properties.

Last fall at the W in Seattle we noted some problems, only to have some lame exec type out of New York try to explain what little she knew as to what the problem might be...now I'm in another signature property of theirs and I had to go through the torture of 30 minutes at 11 PM at night to learn that some port that my Macintosh looks for was being blocked...Huh?

Almost all hotel broadband authentication is done via a Java script probe and then one logs on. The port in question wasn't a VoIP port or anything odd, and after a long session of changing settings, then undoing what the support person suggested he called me back to say it was a port that had been closed.

Amazing, but since these problems only seem to occur at Starwood, maybe the issue is how Unisys built them, not the user's PC.

Oh and the speeds are nothing great. Under 760k down and less than 250k up...barely broadband on the d/l and clearly not real broadband on the upload.

Cellular Goes To The Seas

It's a start and Oliver Starr has the scoop on how Cingular will hit the oceans really soon but at a price. Roaming prices that is.

Still, for those who want to get away, but need to be connected and working anywhere, the new deal with Carnival Cruise lines, the WalMart of big ships, at least there will be an option.

No word though on Blackberry's working while you're working on your tan.

Boeing May Toss Off Connexion

I'm one of the happy users who has been on a series of intercontinental flights on both Lufthansa and SAS who has used the Boeing In Flight Internet Service and it has worked as advertised. Hopefully Boeing won't mothball it.

The fact that the financially troubled US airlines can't see the value in this for passengers is downright old school thinking. That's the same kind of thinking that the record industry took about downloads as a way to sell music in my view, and we all know what happened there.

My view on this is simple. As each new plane rolls off the assembly line this service should be standard equipment and an available option to the airlines to activate.

Once the service got rolling last year I found that the connectivity is as good as EvDO on the ground with even better upload speeds. VoIP actually works if you have a good headset, but best of all is the feeling of relief when you step off the plane and know you're all caught up on email and blogging.

Having taken my last three trips to Europe this way, like WiFi or broadband in hotels, it's something that the real road warrior today will find makes it easier to be working anywhere.

Say Good Bye To The AirFone

Verizon will be getting out of the AirFone business.

In both the short and the long run this is smart move. The use of AirFone's has been a declining business as more cell phones get used because people have access to a phone right up to take off and shortly after landing. No longer are people out of touch for as long as they used to be.

And with in flight WiFi and VoIP calls coming real soon, it's better to bite the bullet and get out sooner, rather than later for Verizon.

WiFi Going More Places

WiFiNetNews has a good post about the expanding footprint of WiFi hotspots beyond hotels and coffee shops.

I've often felt that WiFI is an amenity that should be offered anywhere people can sit down and relax. As a solo diner from time to time being able to have a PC at my table keeps me from wanting to eat and run. It also is a great lure for me to find places to dine or meet others in.

I recently did a demo of SightSpeed for a very respected cable industry analyst and used the WiFi connectivity the restaurant, Arterra, in the Del Mar Marriott has available. It worked great and we had a wonderful lunch too.

It's places like that whom help define my concept of "working anywhere."