Tech Blog

[#1]

I can go to a bathroom at most any airport in the world and turn a tap and get running water - for free.

I can sit at a check in desk 6 hours before my scheduled flight, some 3 hours before the gate staff will start work and sit by a pillar on the floor draining electricity to recharge my iPad and top up my laptop - for free.

But if I want some WiFi , they want $12 and hour.



(It looks like $20 an hour in the image, but those quotes are in Brazilian Reais, the exchange is $12 an hour).

Go to YVR or YYC or any Starbucks in Canada and WiFi is free - just like water and electricity.  We, in Canada, are starting to treat the internet as a utility - paid for in private, free in public.

Later, in Houston's IAH , I was able to grab 45mins of (slow) free WiFi between flights before the paid model would kick in.  A totally reasonable freemium solution - any easy way for commuters to connect between gates while getting those who are going to sit for a few hours pay the freight.

Wouldn’t it be nice if the rest of the world caught up with that notion - or at least offered it up at a reasonable rate?

catch the buzz ... pass it on.

[#2]

This is one of those "foamy latte problems" that Darren Barefoot was discussing on his blog a few days back. It's funny, because I'm almost *shocked* when I arrive at an airport and discover there is no free Wi-Fi in sight, particularly in places like LAX.

[#3]

I prefer to make my own way. I'm never in a foreign country now without my own smartphone data plan. If I need Internet, I just tether.

The sad part is that even prepaid data in some countries is better than post paid plans in Canada. We TOTALLY get shafted here.

[#4]

With HST and countless taxes, I too welcome FREE stuff. However, who's going to pay for it? As well as pay to maintain it? Don't we pay enough for airport improvement fees, landing taxes and various other charges each time we take a flight? At a time when everyone wants lower prices the latest model is "user pay". Many will refuse to pay for things they don't want to keep prices low. Wifi is one of them. If someone want's wifi, they can pay for it. Another issue with free or low-cost wifi is how busy it is. At home I can grab a 170mb podcast in 4 minutes. It can take 6hrs at a hotel in the evening on a shared wifi connection. Mid-morning, it can still take an hour to download. I agree with Stephen. For the price of a cup of coffee a day, a data plan doesn't limit my Internet at one location or another. From a bus, train, or ferry, I can access the internet anywhere and anywhen. Getting a temporary US plan with Telus before a trip to Hawaii, gave me Google Maps and transit information on a trip to Hawaii and San Fran. The plan paid for itself with all the money I saved on making transit decisions for me. Going to Asia? Get a SIM card for your unlocked Blackberry and save even more!