Starbucks to offer free WI-Fi at all US locations starting July 1st!

by Scott Carmichael on

Starting July 1st, finding an online fix will be just as easy as finding your coffee fix. The official Starbucks Twitter account just announced that Wi-Fi will be free of charge at all their US locations. This instantly turns them into one of the largest operators of free Wi-Fi in the world.

Best of all, the Twitter announcement confirms that no registration will be required, and that connections will be “one-click”.

Even though 3G and 4G are becoming more popular (and available), finding a reliable connection isn’t always easy – and especially in large cities, Wi-Fi is often the only efficient way to do anything involving large files or video.

TripAdvisor leverages the power of Facebook and your friends

by Scott Carmichael on

Something very interesting was added to TripAdvisor this morning – the ability to include tips and reviews from Facebook friends. Starting today, when you sign in with Facebook on Tripadvisor, you’ll be able to supplement the TripAdvisor reviews with personalized recommendations from your friends.

The new feature works by combining the current TripAdvisor information with the TripAdvisor Cities I’ve Visited™ (CIV) application on Facebook. In CIV, over five million users have submitted over one billion destination entries. Once you start researching a destination, you can ask questions on your Facebook Wall or use private messaging to ask friends for their thoughts.

At first, this new feature may appear to be a fairly basic social media experiment, but it has the potential to turn into something really cool – getting advice from random strangers is convenient, but getting advice from your own friends and family is just much more personal. The new Facebook integration is available right now – just click on the “sign in with Facebook” button on a destination page on TripAdvisor.

Social media addicts get hotel points when they jones for recognition

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Does check-in mean more to you than a pretty girl at the front desk, fumbling with your credit card and a humble request for an upgrade? If this expression instead reminds you that you’ve been the uncontested mayor of your tiny cubicle for the past seven and a half months – and you like to travel – Topguest.com has you in mind. This new social media service seeks to score hotel points for you based on foursquare, Gowalla, Loopt and a handful of other networks.

So far, Standard Hotels is previewing Topguest. According to CNET:

Right now, there are two rewards in place: check in to all four Standard hotels in the course of a week (which involves being in New York, Los Angeles, and Miami) and earn a complimentary week’s stay at any one of them), or check in to Standard establishments ten times and receive a 25 percent reservation discount.

Okay, so the perks are a little thin right now. But, if Standard can wrangle the addicts, look for the other hotels to get on board.

Excellent “stay connected abroad” article from our friends at Engadget

by Scott Carmichael on

Engadget (and Gadling) writer Darren Murph has posted an excellent overview of your options on how to stay connected when you travel. In the article, you learn about the differences between CDMA and GSM, how Google Voice and Skype can help when you travel, and just how insanely expensive international mobile data is.

Consider the article a “must read” if you plan to travel abroad and hope to be just as connected as you are back home.

Next week, we’ll have our own overview here on Gadling – but with a strong emphasis on how to pick the best travel smartphone. With so many new phones hitting stores this summer, being able to pick the one that will actually work when you are abroad is a must. In the meantime, head on over to Engadget for the article.

Win free Inflight Internet for a year from T-Mobile and Gogo Inflight

by Scott Carmichael on

Back in February, we mentioned a neat promotion between T-Mobile and Gogo Inflight where buyers of the new T-Mobile HTC HD2 get 6 months of free access to the Gogo service.

Now the two have teamed up again to promote this new Windows Powered smartphone.

Sure, the grand prize may be a trip for four to L.A., but to me, the free year of Gogo Inflight Internet access is the prize that stands out. In total, you’ll get 200 free sessions, and honestly, if you fly more than that in a year you are insane (or well on your way to it).

This is over $2,500 in free Internet access – and more than enough for a ton of inflight Tweets about how awesome inflight Internet is.

To enter the contest, you’ll need to hand over some personal information, and extra entries can be won if you link things to your Facebook account.

Other prizes include an HTC HD2 smartphone, TV box sets, DVD’s and more. So, head on over to the contest page and try your luck.