Free WiFi access in US Airways club lounges

by Scott Carmichael on

This is a nice move from US Airways – this morning, they announced that WiFi access in their clubs will be free from now on.

The service is powered by T-Mobile, and used to require a T-Mobile hotspot subscription or a pricey day pass.

Access is free as of today in their lounges in Buffalo, N.Y., Charlotte, N.C., Greensboro, N.C., Hartford/Springfield, Conn., Los Angeles, New York La Guardia, Philadelphia, Raleigh Durham, N.C., Tampa, Fla. and Washington Reagan. All other US Airways lounges will switch to free access during the summer.

To get online, you’ll need a US Airways Dividend Miles account (free) or an access code card from the staff in the club.

Of course, this also means that you’ll have a good chance of getting a signal if you are standing outside the club doors, in the unfortunate event that you are not elite enough to get access to the club lounge, but don’t tell US Airways I told you that. Just be sure to signup for their mileage program so you can log in to the hotspot.

Get $4 off your next GoGo inflight internet

by Grant Martin on

Now that internet is becoming commonplace in many of the nation’s airlines, cheapasses like myself are trying to find a way to get it for free. Honestly, should it cost 1/2 as much as a month of internet at home to check your email on a 5 hour flight to Los Angeles? Furthermore, shouldn’t people in first class get wireless for free?

I digress. Once supply fills in I hope that internet prices will go down. In the meantime, use the code 4wifi to get $4 off your subscription of $13 or $10 respectively. No, 5wifi or 50wifi does not take more money off. I tried.

Use the code on GoGo enabled flights, including Air Canada, Air Tran, American, Delta, United and Virgin America.

4wifi expires July 2nd. Check out more details about Gogo at their site.

Mile high WiFi at last!

by Annie Scott on

It’s finally happening. There will be WiFi on commercial flights!

Virgin America and AirTran have already begun equipping their fleets WiFi systems, and intend to have all their planes hooked up by the end of the summer. Bigger, still, Delta Airlines and American Airlines are planning to roll out their plans this year and next.

Oh mile high WiFi, where have you been?

According to the LA Times:

“After a three-year hiatus, airlines are bringing back wireless Internet service on planes, allowing business travelers to check their e-mails, browse the Web and log into their corporate networks while in flight. There hasn’t been in-flight Internet access since Boeing Co. killed a very expensive, multibillion-dollar project to wire planes all over the world with a satellite-based system.”

Boeing, you’re going on my “Naughty” list.

Is there a catch? Yes. There will be fees. The LA Times says “The fee will be $12.95 for flights longer than three hours and $9.95 for those that are less. Hand-held device users will be charged $7.95 regardless of the flight’s length.”

Apparently, American Airlines will have a $5.95 special for red-eyes — a red light special, if you will.

Gadling Gear Review – T-Mobile Blackberry Curve 8900

by Scott Carmichael on

Last year, I wrote about the T-Mobile Blackberry Curve, and described why I was convinced that it was the best phone for International travelers.

Its combination of T-Mobile WiFi calling and smartphone features made it an absolute winner, and it was one of the 25 products featured in our “best travel products of 2008“.

As with all mobile phones, technology does not stand still, and T-Mobile recently released the newest version of this Blackberry – the Curve 8900.

The 8900 takes the best parts of the older Curve, and adds a 3.2 megapixel camera with Auto-focus and LED flash, a MicroUSB port (instead of MiniUSB), GPS, a higher resolution screen and an improved keyboard. Still inside the device is the fantastic WiFi calling feature and all the other goodies offered by the Blackberry operating system. The device also underwent a little cosmetic surgery, and is in my opinion the best looking Blackberry to date.
As a reminder – the T-Mobile Hotspot@home service allows you to use a WiFi network as an alternative way of getting on the T-Mobile network.

When you are outside their cellular coverage area, you simply get yourself on Wi-Fi, and you can make and receive calls, send and receive text/picture messages and use the web/email portion of the phone. Of course, none of this is particularly impressive if you are just sitting in Peoria without coverage, but being able to turn on Wi-Fi in your Tokyo hotel and make free phone calls without any trouble is in my opinion the best feature on any phone available at the moment.

Yes – many phones have VOIP built in (the iPhone has Skype for example), but the seamless integration on the Curve is just amazing. You make and receive calls using your own phone number, and you don’t have to screw around with any additional software.

Battery life is quite simply astounding – and is one of the few phones that actually gets close to its promised standby and talk times (5.5 hours talk time and 15 days standby). Even with over 400 emails a day, I could still get away with just one charge a week.

The Blackberry Curve 8900 is not perfect though – the device still uses the old(er) EDGE data system instead of 3G, so when you are using the cellular network, you’ll feel the pain of slow transfers.

Also, the Blackberry OS feels a tad cumbersome when compared to the iPhone or the T-Mobile G1 running Android. Simple things often take more button presses than they should.

Still, despite those minor issues, the Curve 8900 is quite simply amazing, and for anyone leaving the country a lot, a real lifesaver. To make the device even better, T-Mobile is the only operator in the country that offers an unlimited email add-on package. For just $19.95 (in addition to the normal plan costs), you get unlimited email in any country that offers T-Mobile roaming service. AT&T will charge you $60 for just 50MB of international data, and that plan only applies to a select number of countries.

One quick word of warning though – the unlimited email plan really only applies to email, in the past they would permit any data, but recently they made changes that started billing customers for web or other data used abroad.

One final major improvement I need to mention is the new Blackberry App World. This iPhone like “app store” is fantastic, and finally puts an end to the hassle that was always involved with getting applications on the device. The App World is free, and is currently filled with loads of cool applications, including Slacker for the Blackberry.

The Blackberry Curve 8900 is available from T-Mobile for $149 (after a $100 mail in rebate), or from Amazon.com (a T-Mobile dealer) for free (after a $100 mail in rebate). These prices require a new service plan. The price without a new plan is $500.

Want WiFi in your car?

by Annie Scott on

Imagine being to work or surf the internet from the passenger seat on a road trip. Imagine driving to some remote destination and being able to and blog about it, or check your scores, or Skype your girlfriend, or whatever you do just by being in or near your car! Welcome to the future, readers. Autonet Mobile has arrived.

This April 10 — April 18 at the New York Auto Show, the Cadillac CTS Sports Sedan will debut with full roaming internet access. Holy rolling hotspot!

Autonet Mobile is already available as a dealer-installed option for all new and used Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles across the US, but this new partnership with Cadillac includes the company’s latest generation mobile router, a new smaller unit that allows consumers to easily transfer it from car to car via a new docking station.

Cadillac WiFi by will be available nationwide starting in April, and subscription plans start at $29 per month.