Posted on April 30, 2009
Those of you who are Nokia phone users will likely notice a new version of Easy Wi-Fi making its way out to you. There’s already a new version – 3.0.70 – available on the Devicescape download page, and we’d expect that the Nokia Download! folder will get updated pretty soon. The biggest change for this new release is that it heralds that start of us charging new users for the Nokia application. Windows, Mac, and Nokia webtablet versions remain free, for now, but the S60 will move to a paid model to match the Apple iPhone and iPod applications available at the Apple App Store. We’ve set pricing at $4.99, which is on the low side for Symbian applications but seems to be a reasonable balance. Nokia Download! has no e-commerce capability, so purchases take place via Devicescape’s website using Google Checkout. As Nokia introduces their Ovi Store, we’ll migrate to use that too. To be clear, it’s only new users who will have to pay. The download is actually a 7-day, fully functional trial for them and needs to be purchased to continue operation. If you’re an existing Easy Wi-Fi user you’ll be able to enter your account information…
Posted on March 3, 2009
We just released a brand new product called Serengeti for iPhones and iPod touches. Shockingly, Apple moved it through the approval process in just a few days, catching us quite by surprise! We’re pleased about the app because we think it’s a neat workaround to the “Black Hole” problem that John mentioned a couple of posts back. But, more significantly, it represents a new capability for us: Easy Wi-Fi for Application Developers! Serengeti is the first application that’s Easy Wi-Fi enabled. It embeds a small Easy Wi-Fi library which is used to ensure you have a network connection and log you into your Wi-Fi provider if it’s necessary. Serengeti does this to streamline your web surfing, but it’s easy to think about the applicability of this approach for many other iPhone apps that benefit from Wi-Fi. Integration of the library is very easy. The binary itself is small and simple to use. Each user of an enabled application needs to have an Easy Wi-Fi online account so there is an initial process to link the application to the users account. That can be done by showing a simple form for signup/signin or – more likely – by throwing the user…
Posted on February 18, 2009
With a lot of (much appreciated) help from our enthusiastic user base, Devicescape’s network list is growing every day. New networks from around the world are being added all the time; everything from campus networks to small coffee shops; independent hotspot network operators to aggregators. Most of the time we can get these networks added and working quickly once the required information is sent to us, but every once in a while we come across a network that is either harder to get working, or very rarely impossible. When we contact the operators of a network like that for help we get mixed responses. Some are incredibly receptive and get it straight away, others less so, sometimes with good reasons (which we’ll get into later). So, I wanted to write up something that explains the value of Devicescape to a smaller network operator, and also lets you know how you can get your network added to our list and working easily. If you’re a network operator, whether you understand the advantage of Devicescape or not, this post is especially for you! Why Be Part Of Devicescape’s Network? Increasingly, people are getting online with devices other than their laptops. When they’re…
Posted on July 2, 2008
If you haven’t been swept away by the flash flood of green tech and green groups sprouting up these days, you must be living under a rock. Everywhere I turn, there is a new green company and a new green trend. Just last week at the Connections Digital Living Conference, a company that shared the stage with us was successfully touting it’s eponymous Green Plug technology. That same week I was invited by Premier Power to a party at a green bar, the Temple, where, according to the invite…”Green is Glamorous.” Is it a bubble? Almost certainly there are bubblicious aspects to what has been happening – lots of money flowing into an unproven and low P/E industry, but greener technology is an essential ingredient in the future of technology if not the future of the entire planet. I’ve heard some great ideas – and my favorites so far are the ones that are simplest. Easier ways to recycle. Solar powered NOCs. Universal plugs for devices and gadgets that save waste (and the amount of weight I have to pack when I travel). Solar powered device chargers. Solar powered Wi-Fi access points. And just so I don’t focus exclusively on…
Posted on June 27, 2008
All this week, at the Connections Digital Living conference we’ve heard about how seamless connectivity is de rigeur for making digital living in the home and on the go a reality. Phil McKinney from HP projected that this would be ubiquitous by 2010 – and I suggested that Devicescape had a way to get us there. The attached connections-digital-living-devicescape presentation, given on stage at the conference yesterday by Simon Wynn, VP Products at Devicescape, goes into more details of our role in making access seamless – and driving value for you.
Posted on June 26, 2008
Devicescape is showcasing our technologies this week at the Connections Digital Living Conference in Santa Clara, CA. This is a great location for us, since nearly ever session, at some point, discusses how essential “seamless connectivity” is to growing the digital living business – and hey – this is what we do. Yesterday, we announced our essential role in enabling seamless connectivity and how we are constantly advancing our technology to improve ease of use and access for consumers. Access to services on the internet is the driving force behind device uptake – but what is holding growth of this industry back is that access is still too hard. In the home, people need one touch set up. In the office, secure and fast connections. On the go – access everywhere. In essence, people want magic in the background – everywhere they go for everything they do. That’s a tall order – but we’re working on it. And with our partners and all the big brains like these with us here at this conference, we’ll be getting there soon.
