Working Anywhere

Boingo Buys OptiFi, More Consolidation of WiFi Networks

Yesterday client Boingo acquired OptiFi, another aggregator/operator of airport hotspots, much like Boingo's Concourse Communications purchase, and their buy of Sprint's airport hotspot division.

The timing couldn't be better as one well regarded wireless analyst firm I follow closely has indicated that the rollout of WiMax won't be as fast as people expected, and I think this will also apply to 4G overall including LTE (long term evolution.) This means WiFi hotspots will be where the mobile set will go for reliable and consistent connection.

Information Week and JK on The Run both provide news coverage as did MuniWireless.

Cablevisions WiFi Is Live In Westchester

Pal Jonathan Greene reported that he's now able to experience Cablevisions' Optimum WiFi in his neck of the woods, Westchester County. While it is not the same on the train like T-Mobile offers in London, the area wide WiFi service serves as a model of what cable companies should be doing to keep their subscribers connected away from the house.

It is the WiFi connectivity that will drive the sale of added services to one's cable bill.

More Benefits To iPhone Users in USA

AT&T is rolling out more benefits to Apple iPhone users all the time, as the war with T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless gets rolling with new devices (the Google Android G-1 and Blackberry Storm.)

What they are doing is offering all iPhone users free AT&T Hotspot access in their WiFi locations. This means for the most part Starbucks and McDonalds.

It's a tasty offer in my book.

Connect To WiFi Easily

SF Bay Area based Devicescape have rolled out EasyWiFi, a simple to install, easy to use WiFi and Access Point login aggregation application that stores your usernames and passwords safely in the cloud, and logs you on automatically. DeviceScape works with both mobile handsets that have WiFi as well as Macs and PCs.

For those of you who use multiple hotspots, like Boingo, T-Mobile, BT OpenZone, The Cloud and others, plus have your own access points at home and in the office DeviceScape is a simple and easy way to stop the constant "what are my log on detail" maladies. It's also FREE.

I've used it a lot in my travels, and in conjunction with client Truphone, it's a fast and easy way to log on and make VoIP calls.

I've also used the Boingo Mobile Client from Client Boingo and find that now with their roaming relationships with both AT&T and T-Mobile rolling out, that Boingo Mobile meets most of my needs. The one benefit with DeviceScape is it manages your other providers as well. So get a Boingo Mobile account, then decide which app you need.

One More Reason to Love 3 In The UK

This new travel router has a difference. It works with a 3's 3G data stick.

In many ways this is like Cradlepoint, the device I use to share my Sprint or ATT mobile broadband USB devices.

These make sharing your Internet connection very easy. Try one. You never know who you'll meet sharing the Net over WiFi. Heck, I met my wife that way!

Pat Phelan's Travel Tips for the Recession Era

MaxRoam's founder, Pat Phelan, picks up on my thread of how to be a better road warrior/Global Nomad with his recession busting travel tips.

In many ways Pat picks up on some of my earlier tips, including client Boingo for hotel WiFi where he writes:

Finally and most importantly get a Boingo account, Boingo were good enough to give me a test account on this trip and I have used wifi which I would normally have to pay for in Dublin, Chicago, Dallas airports and The Westin, this is a huge saving.

He also riffs of a proven model I use of taking my own travel router with me. I carry both an Apple Airport Express and and Asus travel router in my bag. Why both? Some hotels like to use the 10.xxx.xxx.xxx IP while others use the 192.168.xxx.xxx range. Having both with me means no fooling around with settings.

Mastering Better Working Anywhere Experiences

Having now spent almost a year on the road non-stop while my house and community goes through a major restoration, renovation and upgrade process I pretty much have mastered the art of working anywhere.

Here some tips that go beyond simply making technology work for us.

1. Don't be cheap

2. Don't try to cut corners

3. Be savvy, but spend wisely

4. Stay in boutique hotels like those found in TabletHotels.com or properties where you can create a relationship with the hotel GM and staff as they treat you better.

5. Don't fly economy for flights over 4 hours. Flying business or first class means your body feels better for it and your mind is sharper.

6. For stays of over four nights consider a corporate apartment with living room and kitchen. You don't get cabin fever and you also feel more like you're not on vacation.

7. For places you visit regularly, buy a pre-paid SIM card, avoid roaming rates. If you visit multiple countries get a travel sim from SIM4TRAVEL or MaxRoam. If you are in WiFi environments a lot, get an account with client Truphone. Bottom line is you will save money and be more connected.

8. I can't stress enough the value of well made, well constructed baggage and bags. I prefer Eagle Creek, Swiss Army (Victorinox) and Crumpler, but am always on the look out for more brands or unique one offs like those from Mandarina Duck and Waterfield Design.

9. Shoes-forget about just looking good. Be comfortable. My brand and shoe of choice is the 1803 slip on loafer. I've worn them now for almost three years and find them great for dress wear, tradeshow walking or just wandering anywhere. They're never out of place and they are SOOOO incredibly comfy.

10. When traveling with colleagues rent a two bedroom two bath apartment. You'll collaborate more and find that you end up learn more about each other.

11. Include your spouse when you can. My wife can get around well on her own. By day I'm working. At night, we're dining and spending time together.

12. Enjoy the airline clubs. Nothing beats the Virgin Clubhouse in London's Heathrow airport where you can get a haircut, shave and massage, eat like a king or queen and work over WiFi. But other clubs have their benefits, but most of all you not standing around near the gate waiting for your flight, plus you're more relaxed. Travel is stressful enough.

13. Take you vitamins, carry you meds and use anti-infamatories if you need them. I'm a believer in some homeopathic solutions but I also carry and take Advil. For some reason it helps me relieve muscle stiffness from carry bags and sitting in a confined space too long, and overcoming the occasional bad bed.

14. Socks and under garments. My wife gets credit for this. Find a local discount store like Burlington Coat factory and buy as you travel and toss away old stuff. It's cheaper than buying full retail or paying for hotel laundry.

15. Walking, Cabs and Public Transit-if the weather is good, walk. If you're carrying things take a cab. If you just need to go point to point and don't have to change too often use public transit. In London and Paris the underground/Tube or Metro are fantastic. So is the subway in Madrid and Lisbon as are trains in most of Europe. In the USA I prefer to rent cars and drive, take the Amtrak to avoid traffic jams or use a hired driver and car service when it's more than me or I'm going one way. Why? I can get work done. Lots of work. You may pay more than you think a hired car and driver is excessive, but its both safer and much more relaxing.

One Billion Dollars for Mobile Broadband

It's easy to see that the GSMA is a tad nervous about the pending deployment of less expensive broadband via WiMax in the USA. Mike Elgan points out the cold hard facts that they don't need to only promote, but the mobile operators should fix it too wit the money.

As better broadband comes along from the cable operators with Docsis 3.0 the speeds and quality of the broadband will increase and that means better WiFi also gets hung off of it.

At the end of the day, Mobile broadband is good for the business traveler, but for the everyday person, WiFi with proper "pipe" behind it is more than enough.

Boingo Get's High Marks

Client Boingo received high praise from the folks at ZDNET today.

In a post about trying out the service, Dennis Howlett, tabs Boingo as "a traveler's lifesaver" saying that it is "an easy way to avoid all those ludicrous $X per day charges that hotels and airport operators try to gouge out of you when on the road and especially when out of range of your home network provider."

I agree. Even before Comunicano began representing Boingo, I was a multiple account holder. It's always been Working Anywhere Approved and deserves to be. With folks like the independent voice of Howlett and others, it seems to be approved by more than me.

Connect Those Data Cards to the Asus EEE PC Linux Models

For those of you who have discovered just how wonderful those new Asus EEE PCs are as laptop substitutes but wanted to make them connect with all the latest and greatest data cards (like the Novatel Merlin MC950D which I use, but didn't want to learn how to deal with Linux OS, nor buy the Windows edition, relief is now here.

The folks at Nova Media, perhaps the best at figuring out how to connect things that should work with other things on the planet have released a new version of their super terrific Launch2Net application especially for the Asus EEE PC.

I'm using the Mac version now and it's effortless to set up.

This is a great boon to those of us who travel globally, switch SIMs and use Pre-Paid data SIMS like those available in the UK from 3 and T-Mobile, as well as Spain from Yoigo and others. These data cards are also a great way around poor hotel broadband or jammed coffee shops that don't have business grade broadband.

This is one piece of software that is easily WORKING ANYWHERE APPROVED!!!