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JiWire, AWG use location-based ads to spread free airport WiFi in the US
Many of us here at Engadget know the value of free airport WiFi all too well, having just flown back to our various corners of the globe -- if a cellular or toll-based hotspot isn't an option, free internet access can be a lifeline. JiWire and AWG don't want us to face that dilemma. They're expanding their partnership to use JiWire's location-based ad system for free, sponsored WiFi across the US. Requiring that passengers see a local ad when they hop online is the best of both worlds, the partnership claims: we get the connection we crave, while nearby shops get exposure. Few would call AWG's minimum 1Mbps connection an abundance of bandwidth, but it could mean the difference between catching up on YouTube and twiddling thumbs during a layover. Neither company has said exactly when and where they plan to expand. When just 15 US airports rely on AWG's current service, though, there's plenty of room to grow. [Image credit: Charleston's TheDigital, Flickr]
Widget Watch: JiWire
Today's featured widget over at Apple is one of the most useful I've seen so far: a JiWire widget. It's the best of both worlds when it comes to wireless widgets: part stumbler, part search engine tool for JiWire's database of wireless hotspots. The stumbler has a completely automated interface to Airport: clicking the link in the widget connects you to any network you can see. In fact, the stumbler seems to be just a wrapper for AirPort's built-in functionality, but it does provide some extras that you can't see in the Airport menubar dropdown, like which networks are open and which have encryption enabled. The database lookup is nifty, too. Results are returned in the widget; clicking on them opens the JiWire detail page for that hotspot in Safari. Who knew the McDonald's around the corner has an AT&T hotspot?
