I've just had a weekend in Paris. This is becoming an annual trip for us, and while we were there this year we saw a lot of cafes with 'Hotspot WiFi!' all over them. Often the service seemed to be free. Unfortunately I can't offer any comment on the quality as I didn't take the Powerbook with me.... I don't recall seeing hardly any last wifi hotspots last year; what there was was in the hotels and cost a bomb.
Here's the question: I also noticed that the new smart credit cards are more common there than here - every shop we went into had the new pads where you enter your PIN number. In the cafes I noticed that the waiters had remote pads that they took to the diner's table and got them to enter their PIN there. Presumably these remote pads must work wirelessly. Does anyone know if they use the 802.11 protocols? I was think that this would explain the sudden expansion in public WiFi access - they've got wifi for the remote PIN pads, and they add value by offering it as a service.
Anyone know if my analysis is right?
Tom Burke
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