4 ms·

Free Google-Sponsored Boingo WiFi for 4k Locations (But Not For iOS Users)

28 points by kunle 14y ago

xtdx 14y ago
Is it time for Senate hearings about hotspot neutrality?
- gst 14y ago
  No.
- vesky 14y ago
  I wouldn't worry too much about it. Faking an ID towards a wireless network is pretty easy to do. There will probably be apps that would fool the WiFi into thinking your iPhone is an Android device.
jack-r-abbit 14y ago
So Google paid for something so users can get it for free and they want to limit that to their own customers. If Apple did it I wouldn't really have a problem with it. I don't really see this as any different than the many, many apps that are only available to one platform or the other. Sure it is annoying when a company puts out only an iOS app but I just view that as a lost opportunity for them. But Google/Boingo aren't losing anyone here. So some people can't get something for free... but those people either would have paid anyway or they weren't going to use the service. Not giving it to them for free isn't really losing a customer.
avbor 14y ago
They are only excluding iOS? Macs are still allowed? What's the problem?
- vesky 14y ago
  I don't think so. I remember reading on a blog that Mac & Windows users have to pay too.
  - abraham 14y ago
    > I don't think so. I remember reading on a blog that Mac & Windows users have to pay too. From the article "Android phones and tablets and Windows and Macintosh laptops will be able to make use of this service"
    - vesky 14y ago
      ...and I'm being downvoted because, apparently, TechCrunch is the only reliable news source online and saying something that might contradict it is wrong from the start. :)
      - abraham 14y ago
        From the official Boingo press release "Android phones and tablets, as well as Windows and Macintosh laptops, will be offered complimentary Wi-Fi"
        vesky 14y ago
        In that case I guess I was wrong and so was the source I had. Thank you for proving me wrong. I guess I should start reading the Press Releases more often.
yock 14y ago
So the offering is slated to last only a couple weeks and there's seemingly no way to identify which locations are included. Am I missing something, or is this really just a lot of hot air?
- vesky 14y ago
  I don't think the hype this piece of news got was due to the way it works but mostly because its restricted towards Apple users. It's not newsworthy by itself but because it's part of the Apple/Google war, bloggers gave it far more importance than in should've got in the first place.
  - yock 14y ago
    Hype aside, if Google & friends are making a marketing offering, it's just good sense to ensure that the details of what has been offered are very clear. Google vs. Apple aside, here we have a very official-looking press release about this supposed partnership and I don't know how or where to take advantage of it (and, see their advertisements, I might add).
ThomPete 14y ago
Is this new? I have had no problem getting onto Boinge with my iOS device.
- myko 14y ago
  You can still get it on your iOS device(s). The difference is Google is offering it free.
  - ThomPete 14y ago
    Is that new? I mean I have had it for free on my iOS for at least a couple of months.
henryl 14y ago
FTA: Google Play is sponsoring free wifi. iOS users don't have access to Google Play.

28 points by kunle 14y ago

xtdx 14y ago

Is it time for Senate hearings about hotspot neutrality?

gst 14y ago
No.
vesky 14y ago
I wouldn't worry too much about it. Faking an ID towards a wireless network is pretty easy to do. There will probably be apps that would fool the WiFi into thinking your iPhone is an Android device.

jack-r-abbit 14y ago

So Google paid for something so users can get it for free and they want to limit that to their own customers. If Apple did it I wouldn't really have a problem with it. I don't really see this as any different than the many, many apps that are only available to one platform or the other. Sure it is annoying when a company puts out only an iOS app but I just view that as a lost opportunity for them. But Google/Boingo aren't losing anyone here. So some people can't get something for free... but those people either would have paid anyway or they weren't going to use the service. Not giving it to them for free isn't really losing a customer.

avbor 14y ago

They are only excluding iOS? Macs are still allowed? What's the problem?

vesky 14y ago
I don't think so. I remember reading on a blog that Mac & Windows users have to pay too.
- abraham 14y ago
  > I don't think so. I remember reading on a blog that Mac & Windows users have to pay too. From the article "Android phones and tablets and Windows and Macintosh laptops will be able to make use of this service"
  - vesky 14y ago
    ...and I'm being downvoted because, apparently, TechCrunch is the only reliable news source online and saying something that might contradict it is wrong from the start. :)
    - abraham 14y ago
      From the official Boingo press release "Android phones and tablets, as well as Windows and Macintosh laptops, will be offered complimentary Wi-Fi"
      - vesky 14y ago
        In that case I guess I was wrong and so was the source I had. Thank you for proving me wrong. I guess I should start reading the Press Releases more often.

yock 14y ago

So the offering is slated to last only a couple weeks and there's seemingly no way to identify which locations are included. Am I missing something, or is this really just a lot of hot air?

vesky 14y ago
I don't think the hype this piece of news got was due to the way it works but mostly because its restricted towards Apple users. It's not newsworthy by itself but because it's part of the Apple/Google war, bloggers gave it far more importance than in should've got in the first place.
- yock 14y ago
  Hype aside, if Google & friends are making a marketing offering, it's just good sense to ensure that the details of what has been offered are very clear. Google vs. Apple aside, here we have a very official-looking press release about this supposed partnership and I don't know how or where to take advantage of it (and, see their advertisements, I might add).

ThomPete 14y ago

Is this new? I have had no problem getting onto Boinge with my iOS device.

myko 14y ago
You can still get it on your iOS device(s). The difference is Google is offering it free.
- ThomPete 14y ago
  Is that new? I mean I have had it for free on my iOS for at least a couple of months.

henryl 14y ago

FTA: Google Play is sponsoring free wifi. iOS users don't have access to Google Play.