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Wall Street Journal to offer free WiFi hotspots in NYC and San Francisco during September
Oh New Yorkers and their marvelous, no-cost WiFi access points. Only a few days after Google Offers and Boingo happily announced they'd brought gratis wireless connectivity to additional underground locations within the city, The Wall Street Journal is now let it be known it too will be kind enough to gift the NYC crowd with some WiFi hotspots of its own. The nice gesture will bring around 1,300 network units to areas such as SoHo, Greenwich Village, Union Square, Chelsea and, naturally, the renowned Times Square during the month of September -- all in hopes of giving "people the opportunity to sample The Wall Street Journal." Meanwhile, folks in San Francisco can also grab the internet-friendly freebies in a couple of different places, including Nob Hill and Fisherman's Wharf. And don't worry, there won't be any donkeys involved here.
London minicab firm equips cars with free WiFi, says you don't need no stinking LTE
London may be late to the LTE party, but it's more than making up for its laggard mobile ways by bulking up its citizens' access to WiFi. The Tube's been acquiring hotspots in preparation for the crush of Olympic fans expected to use public transport, and now it's time for taxis to do the same. The Inquirer reports that Greentomatocars, a London minicab service, is now equipping every car in its fleet with free WiFi. Each cab has its own SIM that affords passengers up to 7.2Mbps downloads and 2Mbps uploads, and gaining access merely requires you profess your affection for gratis internet -- the password is ilovefreewifi.
AmtrakConnect free WiFi added to 12 East Coast routes, snack car will still cost ya
Remember when we noted the existence of AmtrakConnect WiFi on the Adirondack train (number 69) about two weeks ago? Although it wasn't official at the time, it is now -- and it turns out that was just a sliver of what to expect. Amtrak recently announced that the free service is currently available on twelve of its East Coast routes, which should please many a railway commuter accustomed to WiFi deprivation. Eight of those routes (Northeast Regional, Keystone and Empire services, Carolinian, Downeaster, Ethan Allen Express, New Haven – Springfield Shuttle and Vermonter) feature full wireless connectivity from head to caboose, while the others (Adirondack, Maple Leaf, Palmetto and Pennsylvanian) have designated cars that allow for internet access. Factor in its Acela and Northwest Regional lines, and Amtrak says 60 percent of its fleet is now WiFi-capable with more additions due in California before the year's out. Better yet, "4G speeds" are also in the cards for the future, but we won't hold our breath waiting for an equally swift rollout. Full press release after the break.
Amtrak to finally launch free WiFi for regional trains on October 1st?
Rumor 'round the Twitterverse has it that Amtrak may finally be implementing free WiFi on October 1st -- finally seeing the bet laid down by various plane and bus companies over the past couple years. The casual conversation between conductor and passenger yielded the information that the system is finally ready to extend beyond Acela, apparently "ready to roll and it's just a matter of 'flipping the on switch.'" This comes as great news for commuters who spend their mornings and evenings stuck on slow, old, often curious smelling Regional trains. Unfortunately, other than the tweet, there's no word (official or otherwise) whether net surfage will be possible beginning next month. Regardless, looks like the "I didn't have internet access" excuse is still valid for a little while longer for all you nine to fivers. Update: To be clear: Amtrak Acela trains by and large already have WiFi, as do some regional trains in the Northwest. This latest addition would be for Northeast Regional trains. [Thanks, @melanierenzulli]
Auckland amps up free WiFi for Rugby World Cup
Just in time for play-by-play tweets about the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, Auckand has instituted a fully-integrated WiFi network across its Link public transit system. According to officials, buses and some trains will get the free internet treatment, giving passengers up to three 30 minute sessions a day between September 1 and October 31st. Powered by Tomizone and sponsored by Localist, the network promises 2 - 6Mbps downloads and is based on point-to-point links around town using fiber assets for backhaul. If that wasn't enough connectivity, CallPlus and Slingshot are dishing out some gratis WiFi of their own with an additional thousand hotspots sprinkled throughout the city. Hopefully, the added infrastructure will mean WiFi access par excellence year round for maximum non-Rugby related tweetage. Check out the full PR after the break. [Thanks, Scott]
Samsung CL80 will come with three months free Boingo WiFi, oh joy
While we're still waiting for Sammy's 14 megapixel, WiFi-enabled point-and-shoot to make its stateside appearance, it seems it won't be lacking for software when it crosses the pond -- this week, ubiquitous hotspot host Boingo announced that its service will be preinstalled on every new Samsung CL80 and ST5500, and the cameras will come with three free months of use. After that point, you'll still be able to upload your pictures from Starbucks, never fear -- you'll just have to pay $8 monthly for the privilege. PR after the break.
