San Francisco airport turns on free WiFi for all

by Scott Carmichael on

Earlier today, San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom announced that all public spaces at SFO will offer free WiFi for travelers.

The service had previously been offered as a paid option, but when the paid contract ended, the airport operator decided to switch to a free service instead.

As the airport serving the high-tech capital of the world, I’m amazed it took this long – though I’m sure many of the travelers passing through SFO already took care of their online access, with a mobile broadband adapter or tethered phone.

To get online at SFO, search for the network named “sfo free wifi” and accept the terms and conditions. As with any public WiFi network, be sure to practice safe surfing!

[Image from Flickr/bk2000]

Point Inside goes global with international airport map update

by Scott Carmichael on

Mobile mapping application Point Inside just added their first international airports. If you missed our original review of this excellent app, check out what we had to say about it back in March.

The app initially launched covering shopping malls, and while that core functionality is still present, the addition of airport maps obviously made it better.

Today, the application adds support for the following international airports:

  • Amsterdam – Schiphol (AMS)
  • Barcelona – El Prat (BCN)
  • Brussels – Brussels National (BRU)
  • Hong Kong – Chek Lap Kok (HKG)
  • London – Heathrow (LHR)
  • London – Gatwick (LGW)
  • Madrid – Madrid-Barajas (MAD)
  • Mexico City – Benito Juárez (MEX)
  • Paris – Charles de Gaulle (CDG)
  • Paris – Orly (ORY)

So, next time you find yourself at an (international) airport you can’t navigate, and you need to find a shop, ATM, restaurant or bathroom – simply open Point Inside and let it help you out.

Point Inside is available for the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and Android devices. Android users can scan this barcode to head directly to the app.

BBC and Lonely Planet team up for a new travel site

by Scott Carmichael on

The BBC and Lonely Planet have joined forces to create a new travel section for BBC.com. Of course, since the BBC owns Lonely Planet, it makes sense that they turned to them for their excellent content. The site has a great look, and the same easy to navigate layout you’ll find on other BBC sites.

At its launch, the site offers a huge assortment of content, including destination mini guides, an overview of the best seaside resorts and where to watch the best wildlife in Australia.

You’ll find the new BBC travel site at BBC.com/travel.

Bring an A/V cable for your laptop – Hotel tip

by Gadling Staff on

Many hotels offer high-speed wireless from the room, and the more upscale rooms will provide a decent-sized HDTV, as well. By bringing an audio/visual cord compatible with your laptop, you can plug right into most TVs, giving you instant access to all your online content on that beautiful in-room screen.

In addition to making use of a Netflix instant viewing account or Hulu, you’ll be able to bypass overpriced in-room movies (costing $12 or more) in lieu of a $4 new release at the Amazon On Demand Store!

Pro tip: Overcome bandwidth issues by downloading your flick before you arrive.

[Photo: Flickr | wlodi]

Orbitz unveils new hotel comparison tools

by Melanie Nayer on

As the meta search market becomes more saturated, online travel agents and booking sites need to up their game plan in an effort to attract more discerning consumers looking for the nitty-gritty before booking.

Online travel agency Orbitz Worldwide Inc. announced plans to roll out a new “hotel search experience” on its site, complete with destination information, maps, tools and resources for travelers looking to book a hotel room with the OTA.

The side-by-side comparison feature allows users to compare the pros and cons of various hotels in a single view. But there are some other cool new features on this search engine including interactive maps that show both the hotel location and real-time room rate pricing, and a Google Street View image of the hotel and its surrounding neighborhood.You can also filter and sort results based on price, star-rating, consumer reviews and amenities. In most cases, hotel photos, videos and virtual tours from will be posted, but according to Orbitz, these photos and videos will only be from verified customers.

I tested out the site with a quick search for a New York City hotel. My parameters:

3- and 4-star properties in SoHo, Tribeca, or Greenwich Village that offer free WiFi. Orbitz returned four results: Soho Grand Hotel, Tribeca Grand Hotel, Hilton Garden Inn Tribeca and the Washington Square Hotel. Not bad options, and when I clicked on the Google map to the left of the page, I was treated to a map of NYC with the four hotels’ placements, as well as the price info.




My only disappointment: I couldn’t find the ‘real’ street view that allows you to see what’s happening near and around the hotel. I think this feature, in particular, will be extremely helpful for travelers who are booking hotels in a new destination, so Orbitz might want to give it more prominent placement.

Have you used the new hotel booking site on Orbitz? Let us know what you think!