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Virgin Media's free WiFi app finally comes to iOS
One of the perks of being a Virgin Media customer is gaining access to the company's suite of mobile apps. They let you make landline calls and watch TV on your smartphone, but if you also use its mobile service, you can connect to thousands of free WiFi hotspots all over the UK. Unfortunately for iOS users, WiFi Buddy, the provider's dedicated wireless app, has been Android-only since launch. That's now changing after Virgin Media finally deemed iPhone owners worthy of free WiFi and has made the app available on the App Store too. Once installed, you'll get access to over 22,000 The Cloud hotspots (thanks to Virgin Media's deal with Sky) in places like Marks & Spencer, Wetherspoon, WH Smith, Pret A Manger, Greggs and other popular locations -- useful, if you're trying to save your Virgin Mobile allowance or you find yourself in an area with poor signal.
Virgin Mobile customers get free access to thousands more UK WiFi hotspots
Since Virgin Media and Sky extended their partnership by another five years, cable subscribers have been able to enjoy additional perks, like being able to use Sky's sport and movie apps. From today, some Virgin customers will gain an additional benefit from a Sky-owned company: free access to 22,000 WiFi hotspots across the UK. It comes from The Cloud, by way of a separate agreement, which lets Virgin Mobile customers use an app called WiFi Buddy to connect to its access points, on top of the 3,000 public Arqiva hotspots located in some of Britain's biggest airports and hotels.
Logging in to 'The Cloud' WiFi networks in the UK just got a lot easier
In the UK there are over 18,000 WiFi hotspots known as "The Cloud" that users can join to get free or low-cost WiFi to their devices while out and about. Now "The Cloud" owner BSkyB has updated its WiFi FastConnect Hotspot Locator app to make logging into the cloud network easier than ever from your iPhone. Instead of having to manually join a Cloud WiFi hotspot and enter your username and password, now the app allows an iPhone user to install a provisioning profile on their iPhone. Once this provisioning profile is installed, any time a user joins a Cloud network they are automatically be logged in. The provisioning profile allows this by registering up to two of your devices to each Cloud login username. The Cloud isn't the first wireless hotspot provider in the UK to enable provisioning profile functionality. Earlier this year, BT updated its BT WiFi app to offer the same functionality. As anyone who is on the go knows, when you want to log into a WiFi hotspot, you want to log in now -- fumbling with entering usernames and passwords on the iPhone's small screen has always been a pain. But now with The Cloud joining BT WiFi in adding provisioning profiles to iPhones, the login process just got a whole lot simpler and faster. The Cloud's WiFi FastConnect Hotspot Locator is a free download.
The Cloud offering free Wi-Fi hotspots to AT&T customers in the UK
If you're an AT&T cellular customer, you're due for some free WiFi on your next trip to the UK, courtesy of The Cloud. The company, which is owned by satellite and telephony provider BSkyB, has inked a deal with AT&T to offer its customers free access to 16,000 WiFi hotspots throughout the United Kingdom -- up to a point. Under the deal, you'll be able to get up to 1 GB of data usage a month from hotspots operated by The Cloud. There's no word on whether or not AT&T customers will receive any special pricing on additional data if they go over that amount. Still, it's a nice bonus and should be enough for most travelers who'd normally have to pay for additional data bundles before heading abroad to avoid massive roaming charges. AT&T offers a free WiFi International app on the App Store for finding hotspots abroad -- including those operated by The Cloud -- and signing into them without the need for password-based authentication. [Via iMore]
D-Link Cloud Storage 4000 NAS stores up 16TB, hooks up to your smartphone and tablet
D-Link's latest storage solution is pitched at small business and households looking to escape into the world of cloud storage. There's four SATA bays, each of which can carry up to 4TB, with D-Link adding in compatibility with its own cloud cameras (for network video recording) plus connectivity to Android, iOS, BlackBerry and Windows Phone devices. Remote access from your phone or tablet is possible through either the dedicated app or D-Link's portal website. There's also a pair of ethernet jacks on the back, for full-speed file transfer and back-up. The Cloud Storage 4000 is priced up at $450 and includes an DLNA server which will hook-up with D-Link's own BoxeeBox, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 -- storage buffs can even setup automatic email and SMS event notifications. Read up on the finer details in the press release below.
EA goes 100% online with gaming
From now on, don't expect to see EA coming out with single-player offline titles, because there won't be any. EA Labels President Frank Gibeau said that the company is full-on embracing cloud gaming and online interaction: "I have not green lit one game to be developed as a single player experience. Today, all of our games include online applications and digital services that make them live 24/7/365." Forbes speculates that this approach might be a boon to MMO players, who might witness a movement toward more integrated services. EA isn't looking to turn all of its titles into MMOs, however, but is definitely adding multiplayer components and more social interaction to them going forward. Gibeau claims that this is what the players are demanding. "People want to access games anytime and anywhere, they want to connect with friends, and they want to be recognized across multiple devices," he said. "Cloud gaming is going to make it easier to step over walled gardens."
ASUS boasts about AiCloud features in new teaser (video)
Router, Rowter. However you say it, you probably need one, which is why ASUS is temping you toward buying one of its new AiCloud models. The new service is designed to unify your data across devices, letting you share and stream multimedia and documents from PCs to smartphones. You'll also be able to store files online, remote control your PC from your tablet and create single-click download links to share with your friends. ASUS is so excited about the project that it's released a new advert telling you all about it, which we've included for you after the break.
AcerCloud blows into Europe, bringing remote access to your (Acer) laptop
We took a good look at the AcerCloud service early this year and its companion Android handset, the award-winning CloudMobile phone. Now, Acer has launched a beta service in Europe, so buyers of the company's new laptops and desktop machines over there will be able to try it out for themselves. To get it working, you can install the portal app onto your Android device and Acer PC, allowing you to download images and other files between the pair. You can also send files back to your computer for backup, expanding the storage of your smartphone or slate through your own mini-cloud. Everything will be synced through the service, which will store the data if your home machine isn't fired up -- and transfer everything when it's alive again. There's no word on when users will be able to partake stateside, but if you're across the pond, hit the source link for the mobile app.
SkyDrive app for Windows Phone gets 2.0 update, reduces free storage capacity
Microsoft has updated its SkyDrive cloud storage and sharing app for Windows Phone -- you know, the one that offers more free storage than a certain competitor. New features include a batch-select tool to make moving files around easier while on the go, the ability to directly manage folder permissions and the quick sharing of files with approved recipients in your People Hub. Version 2.0 is currently available for download in the Marketplace -- even for low-end Windows Phones. In other news, Microsoft has revealed pricing for its just-launched Skydrive app on Windows desktops, setting you back $10, $25, or $50 a year for an additional 20GB, 50GB or 100GB. Scrapped in the process is the 25 gigs of free storage that Microsoft once offered to new users, now dropping that pro-bono capacity to just 7GBs, save for the lucky few that opted in before the company announced its new pricing structure. Update: It's been confirmed on Microsoft's website that the upgrade from the new 7GB limit to the previous 25GB for existing users is a limited time loyalty offer, so be sure to manage your storage as soon as possible to avoid the new limits. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Sky offers free WiFi to broadband customers via 'The Cloud', makes pun writers' jobs too easy
Sky broadband customers will be pleased to hear that the operator is to release a new "Sky Cloud WiFi" app that will let them hop onto 10,000 hotspots around the UK. The new venture comes after it snatched up service provider The Cloud earlier this year, and also includes WiFi at partner outlets such as: Pizza Express, Caffè Nero, JD Wetherspoon and First Great Western trains. The app will be free, and available on iOS and Android, but only Broadband Unlimited / Connect customers will be able to dine at the free-data table when it launches in mid-April. That said, with the option of being able to register up to six devices per household, perhaps now's the time to give your Sky-subscribing friend a call, just to see how they are.
Nivio brings the Windows desktop to your iPad and Galaxy Nexus, we go hands-on
Remember the hoo-hah OnLive cooked over some supposedly fast-and-loose Windows licensing? Well Nivio's been quietly rolling out its own, proudly licensed, version of a cloud-based Windows desktop. Its minimum requirement is the ability to handle HTML5, meaning that a Microsoft-powered OS can be used across iPads, Android phones, MacBooks and everything else in between. Nivio offers up a cloud storage platform alongside a Windows 7-style (it's based on the Windows 2008 R2 Server; same building blocks) OS that allows the user to sync up to 10GBs across devices. What else does it have? Microsoft Office -- on your tablet or smartphone of choice and all licensed through Redmond's very own Service Provider License Agreement (SPLA). The service launched in February, and is currently clearing a backlog of users on its books, attempting to gauge how people are using the service before exploding any servers. It's also started making its first steps in Europe, so we decided to take a look while its makers were in London.
HTC strikes Dropbox deal, will offer 5GB free on Sense 3.5 phones
HTC has now launched itself into the clouds, confirming that its latest Android phones will get an extra 3GB of storage with Dropbox. According to Pocket-Lint, the extra space will extend to all HTC devices running Sense 3.5, which at the moment means it's limited to the forthcoming HTC Rhyme. We probably won't see the Dropbox deal extend to HTC's Windows Phones though -- Microsoft reckons it has the whole file-syncing thing covered.
Free for All: The end of physical media
In my ongoing journey to find my next laptop, I have begun to suffer from tunnel vision. After all, there are only so many ways to package a processor, some RAM and a graphics card or chip. Sure, sure, I can become an obsessed overclocker and work hard to squeeze the most power out of a PC possible, but instead I would rather pay for a good-quality, mid-range device. I use the heck out of the one I have now, and it was only $500. One thing I am noticing is that I always snicker when I read websites that brag about included optical drives, which do me very little good but cost me more money. I rarely, if ever, use a CD or DVD burner. There's just no reason to. I can upload 20gb videos to my YouTube account and use services to send larger files. I rarely have a need even for that. Now that my wife and I have Pandora and Spotify, we don't even need to worry about physical libraries of music... it's streamed to us wirelessly. What does this lack of physical media mean for the free-to-play gaming world? Well, a lot. click past the cut and we'll discuss it.
Nintendo opens 5,000 free WiFi hotspots across the pond, connects your 3DS to The Cloud
Still fuming over that 3DS price drop despite the Big N's conciliatory make-goods? If you happen to be a resident gamer in the UK, tack some 5,000 free WiFi hotspots onto the company's apology. According to a report from International Business Times, the service, backed by BSkyB-controlled The Cloud, goes live today, bringing users access to all the console's usual online features and should come in handy when in-game DLC becomes available later this year. No doubt the move from Nintendo's British outfit is intended to add a little purchase incentive to the DS' underwhelming successor, as well as boosting the gaming giant's own declining earnings. No matter, with twenty free games and gratis WiFi -- it's looking good to be an early adopter.
O2 plans free and open WiFi network across the UK, Sky picks up The Cloud
Only a handful of Muni-Fi projects ended in anything greater than eternal tears here in the States, but hopefully O2's up for the challenge across the pond. The UK carrier just announced its intentions to "refine the WiFi landscape" in its home nation by launching O2 WiFi, with a raft of "premium hotspots" to be rolled out and managed by key venue owners. As of now, it's hard to pinpoint who exactly will begin hosting O2's routers, but the key part is this: they'll be open for all customers to access for free, no matter which mobile or broadband provider they are with. Making no bones about who it's coming after, the operator has affirmed its intentions to "at least double the number of premium hotspots currently offered by BT Openzone and The Cloud combined by 2013," with the rollout to begin as early as today and continue for as long as it takes. 'Course, doubling up The Cloud may take a little more work given that Sky just picked it up for an undisclosed sum, but hey, we're sure every Briton in existence would just love to see these two duke it out for WiFi supremacy.
Digital 'Cloud' could form over London for the 2012 Olympics
No, we're not talking about "the cloud" where data goes to disappear and (hopefully) be retrieved again. We're talking about an actual (well, artificial) cloud that promises to be both a real structure and a massive digital display. That's the bright idea of a team of researchers from MIT, anyway, and it's now been shortlisted in a competition designed to find a new tourist attraction to be built in London for the 2012 Olympics. Dubbed simply "The Cloud," the structure would consist of two 400-foot tall mesh towers that are linked by a series of interconnected plastic bubbles, which would themselves house an observation deck inside and be used to display everything from Olympic scores and highlights to a "barometer of the city's interests and moods" outside (that latter bit comes courtesy of the group's partnership with Google). As if that wasn't enough, the whole thing also promises to be funded entirely by micro-payments from the public (which would also determine its final size), and be completely self-powered, with it relying on a combination of solar power and regenerative braking from the lifts in the towers. Video after the break.
London to become Europe's largest WiFi hotspot
As if blanketing the rim of the River Thames with WiFi wasn't good enough to get us out of the office and into the park, the Evening Standard is reporting that the whole city of London will soon becomes "Europe's biggest wireless internet hotspot." As expected, some 130 base stations will be arranged in a sophisticated mesh networking setup, which will span "the entire Square Mile," subsequently giving about 350,000 employees in the area access to unadulterated wireless internet. Wireless gurus from The Cloud are working in conjunction with city officials to tie off the final steps, and while initial coverage areas will dwarf Soho and Barbican City, the map above shows just how broad the service could get. Unfortunately, this edition of citywide WiFi will not come gratis, as users who plan to take advantage will be kindly asked to fork over about £11 ($22) a month for access.[Via Inquirer]
The Cloud offers UK PSP users radio access via WiFi
While Sony's PSP hasn't seen all of the bizarre add-ons and proposed features become reality, there are quite a few that have indeed been realized, and just in case those PSP Spot downloads aren't keep you blokes in England happy, we've got one more reason that it pays to tote around that handheld. The Cloud, a major wireless hotspot provided in Europe, has teamed up with Channel 4 Radio to deliver 4Radio programming to PSP users via WiFi. Purportedly launched to coincide with the beginning of Celebrity Big Brother, PSP users who come into a Cloud coverage area will have access to a special link on the browser's landing page that will connect them to the radio content free of charge, but browsing other sites will unfortunately require you to pony up for the convenience. Moreover, users can even access and download 4Radio podcasts, so you won't miss a single show for the rest of, um, the next two months, as that's when this svelte promotion is (sadly) scheduled to cease.[Thanks, Jake]
Big Brother taps PSP, in UK
UK PSP owners may be surprised to find their handhelds' web browsers being automatically directed to Channel 4's 4Radio website when launching from one of The Cloud's 7,500 public wi-fi hotspots. Don't worry, it's all part of the plan.According to Channel 4 Radio director Nathalie Schwarz, the deal with wi-fi provider The Cloud is part of an effort to "connect with a young, mobile audience," the lot who's hungry for "bold and mischievous radio programming," but doesn't want to turn on the radio. If you find Celebrity Big Brother podcasts being aggressively pushed onto your PSP completely invasive, you're not alone. This is one PSP novelty we hope is never adopted again.
Nokia handsets to get iPass WiFi connectivity client
Owners of WiFi-enabled, Series 80- and S60-powered Nokia handsets will soon have "one-click" access to over 50,000 hotspots worldwide thanks to a new software client being developed in conjunction with trusted connectivity services provider iPass. Already available for Windows, Macintosh, and Windows Mobile devices, the iPassConnect client gives people an easy way to connect to any hotspot across some 28 different networks, including T-Mobile, Wayport, and The Cloud, offering both a consistent user experience and simplified billing. The first models to receive the iPass treatment will be the 9300i and 9500 Communicators, which should see the new software sometime this summer, followed by a version for E-series devices by the end of the year.[Via PC World]
