John Gordon
Chief Technology Officer
Posted on May 21, 2007
At Starbucks in Germany, as in the US, the wireless service is provided by T-Mobile/T-Com. The network name (SSID) is different here though: T-Mobile_T-Com. Devicescape is able to log you in at these hotspots using a variety of T-Mobile/T-Com/T-Online credentials, but be warned you will be paying roaming fees if you are using ones from outside of Germany. Starbucks in Paris doesn’t have working Wi-Fi yet, though it is clearly on the way. I stopped at two locations near the Les Halles area and both had Wi-Fi hardware running. One had the SSID Starbucks and the other notready – both responded with a page (in English) stating that the wireless network was not available yet.
John Gordon
Chief Technology Officer
Posted on May 20, 2007
The newest hotspot to be supported by Devicescape is the Milano Caffe in Aachen, Germany. In addition to free wireless access, they have very reasonable food and drink and a pleasant location on a busy little square filled with cafes, bars and restaurants. Oh, and McDonalds is next door too. Add Milano Caffe to your Devicescape account and all your devices will be able to get online while you sip on an espresso, a beer or even a cocktail. I’ve been using it to make international VoIP calls from my Nokia N95 (using the VoiceStick account I have), and uploading my photos including this one directly to Flickr from the phone.
John Gordon
Chief Technology Officer
Posted on May 19, 2007
In addition to the commercial hotspots I’ve already mentioned, there are a number of places that I found with free access. The Hotcafé locations all provide free access by means of a code you get from the bartender. There is free wireless access in the Pompidou Centre as well, though you have to register for a free account. That same account appears to work at some of the OzoneParis.net locations as well. Then there are places, like Quigley’s Point in the photo or the Hotel Novotel Paris les Halles, that provide open access to the internet.
John Gordon
Chief Technology Officer
Posted on May 19, 2007
Another Hotcafé location, this one directly opposite Gare du Nord, and right next door to the hotel I was staying in while here in Paris. As with the other Hotcafé locations, this one accepts WiFi Smart Pass credentials too.
John Gordon
Chief Technology Officer
Posted on May 18, 2007
Next stop in my first day of looking for Wi-Fi in Paris was the Leonard Café (57, Rue de Turbigo). Here the Wi-Fi service is free, but requires an access code from the bar. The service is operated by Hotcafé. You can also get online using WiFi Smart Pass. WiFi Smart Pass is now a Devicescape supported credential provider, although only Hotcafé locations. If you find another location that accepts WiFi Smart Pass, or a Hotcafé location that does not work, please let us know through our web form for new hotspots.
John Gordon
Chief Technology Officer
Posted on May 18, 2007
First stop in the northern European trip is Paris, France. Directly opposite the hotel is one of the premier train stations in Paris: the Gare du Nord. Inside the station you will find a number of Wi-Fi networks, although not all available everywhere. Look for Orange Wi-Fi, Naxos Wi-Fi, Neuf WiFi and in some places the Ozone Paris network. Orange and Naxos have a number of roaming partners from around the world; Neuf Wi-Fi has less but does also allow free access to train information in the station. Many of Devicescape’s users will find that their accounts already work these hotspots (and should be aware of their roaming fees if they choose to use them while traveling).
John Gordon
Chief Technology Officer
Posted on May 17, 2007
Today I am at the Mercure Terminus Nord 3 hotel in Paris, France – just over the road from the famous Gare du Nord train station. It is the first day of a two week trip around northern Europe to verify support for the major European hotspot operators. The hotel has an Orange Wi-Fi hotspot in it, which is working well already. Stay tuned over the next two weeks for my daily reports, including some photos taken with my new Nokia N95 Wi-Fi enabled cellphone (which is running the soon to be released internal beta of Devicescape of course).
Posted on May 15, 2007
Do people really want wi-fi? It seems they do. These people took to the streets of San Francisco to protest the cities slowing down of the planned roll out of the Google/Earthlink muni net that has been planned for sometime. Some have suggested this was a fake protest. BUT some, like muni advocate and expert Esme Vos of MuniWireless , feel that cities service their citizens by rolling out the free service and widespread access. Interested in this debate? Check out the varying sides and see where you land: Google offers S.F. Wi-Fi — for free – SF Gate – October 1, 2005 Details reportedly devil San Francisco muni wireless plan – MuniWireless Dec. 27, 2006 Making Radio Waves – SF Weekly – March 28, 2007 BTW: We, at Devicescape, think everyone wants Wi-Fi!
Posted on May 9, 2007
Devicescape has been slotted into the next SF Beta demo night at 111 Minna Gallery. We will be stationed at Table 1 in the front room starting at 6:30 pm. Come out and see the latest updates to the Devicescape solution, sample some of the devices we are currently working on and talk to our development engineers who are working on developing a full platform for other developers and creatives to build their Mobile 2.0 applications on. The place is fun, festive and seriously “bleeding edge” – both the companies that showcase there as well as the attendees. Details: SF Beta May May 31, 5:30-9:30 PM @111 Minna Gallery Gourmet catering, music throughout the night, a dozen startup demos, and great people all night long. Tickets: $10/20 Online, $15/$25 Door » RSVP Now » Order Tickets Online
Posted on May 1, 2007
We received word today that Devicescape is one of the finalists in the Wireless Broadband Innovation Awards under the category “Best VoIP Product or Service.” There were over 170 entries and we are proud to be among the finalists. The final decision will be announced at an awards ceremony and dinner event to be held at the close of The Wireless Event in London. In case you’re traveling or even live there, here’s the details: The Wireless Event May 23 – 24 Olympia Exhibition Centre – London The Wireless Broadband Innovation Awards May 23
