Mobati

San Francisco’s municipal WiFi plans look like they are up in the air again. The first time saw concerns about privacy, quality and health, and now it looks like its about money. The plan which started in 2004 has hit some snags again recently, causing Earthlink to re-look their stance and money making opportunities with municipal WiFi projects nationwide.

The municipal WiFi plan was drawn up in 2004, and saw Earthlink providing a pay service for users, and Google stepping in to provide a free service. A vote to be scheduled next month with city officials will rule out the next steps. So far the city does not see it as a viable option to step in with funding for the project, so it could be left on the burner until another backing company steps up to the plate.

A new study put out by AOL shows us what we know to be true, we are addicted to email. Like we didnt know that, but thanks for making it official.

As more and more devices are built with connecting to email in mind, like Blackberry’s and the iPhone, users are taking advantage of this and checking email whenever they get the opportunity. Whether they are on the beach, in bed, or driving.

Some interesting stats, 15% of people see themselves as addicts, with many of those users basing their vacationing around whether they can connect.

The world is finally adapting to the power of open wireless signals. London is the next major city to adopt free public wireless internet access.

Free-Hotspot.com is the group behind this move. They are also a hub resource for people looking to connect to a wireless signal. Free-Hotspot and a network infrastructure firm called MeshHopper have teamed up to open the wireless signal up to businesses and public in a 13 mile stretch along the River Thames.

The new network is called Online-4-free.com. Using it does however require a few disruptions. Free access is only granted if users agree to view an advertisement from 15-30 seconds in length every 15 minutes. Dont want to watch the ads, its going to cost $6 per hour, or $20 a month.

The good the bad and the ugly about Google’s latest mobile application.

Google is almost always at the forefront of mobile technologies that get provided to the masses. Yahoo is by far the leader here with their Yahoo Go for mobile. Nonetheless, its great when Google taps into the powers of their online tools, and feeds them into a mobile setting, as is done with Gmail, Google Maps, and now with Google Calendar on mobile devices.

To get started checking your calendar while on the go, simply visit calendar.google.com for any mobile device and when logged in you will be presented with upcoming events with dates, times and locations. Shouldn’t this be made into an application like the later, its what we expect from Google?

Counting down the minutes, or hours, until your flight lands so you can get work done? Count no more if you’re taking a Qantas flight.

Qantas has announced that by August 2008 its new Airbus A380’s will feature satellite based internet access. There has been no pricing structure set for the service as of yet, but you can bet that many passengers will greatly appreciate this new service. It might even make up for the lousy food, and annoying delays. Look out for ethernet and USB hubs for recharging as well.