on 21/11/2003 17:07, Arkady at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > So, unless I am with T-Mobile, anywhere in Starbucks in the US, I can't get > online, unless I pay a per use fee, right? What do Americans with laptops do > when they travel abroad, wirelessly or with dialup?
The question with WiFi hotspots is how often will you use them? There are several different companies that provide WiFi access in various places that makes it difficult to anything but use pay-per-use. One company may provide service in one place, another company in another. Internet access from you laptop while in another country can be vary. A few hotels provide access from their rooms, for a fee. There are also WiFi hotspots, which will require a pay-per-use charge. Here in Australia, the Starbucks that do exist do not have WiFi, I believe. You can also purchase prepaid dialup internet access in many countries. A lot of tourist areas also have internet caf�s who might allow you to plug your computer into their network. As you can see, it is not as simple as a cell phone which you can arrive in a city and just turn on. The 802.11b standard was not originally designed to work like this. It was designed to replace ethernet cables. The hotspot nature also leads itself to having tiny areas serviced by different companies, making it difficult not to pay each for use when you use their service. I see them as internet caf�s but without the wires and you must bring your own computer. -- Matthew Smith -- To unsubscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> archives: <http://www.mail-archive.com/entourage-talk%40lists.letterrip.com/> old-archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/entourage-talk%40lists.boingo.com/>
