Joe Brancatelli, writer for Portfolio.com and veteran road warrior, shares his list of gadgets and services for making life out of the office more bearable.

• Flight Tracker: FlightStats, online and mobile versions
• Computer Manager: LogMeIn offers “Web-based remote computer access, support, and management”
• VoIP System: Skype for laptops and cell phones “obliterates the high cost of calling” during international travel
• Wi-Fi Roaming Service: you guessed it…Boingo Wireless! “The world is full of WiFi hotspots, but most of them are behind a confusing array of high-priced firewalls. Boingo vaults you over most of those walls at a fair price: $9.95 a month for unlimited access in North America or $59 a month for unlimited global access.“
• Portable Power System: $90 everwhereMax Laptop Charger
• Plug Adapter: Universal World Travel AC Adapter with USB Power Port
• External Drive:  OWC Mercury (doesn’t require AC adapter) or eGo Portable hard drive (stylish)

Read the entire article here.

Introducing  Dr. Enoch Choi, a Family Medicine partner in urgent care at Palo Alto Medical Foundation. In his spare time, Enoch is a prolific blogger, a clinical instructor at Stanford University School of Medicine, a volunteer at the Community Pregnancy Center of Mountain View, a member on various boards including the Menlo Park Presbyterian Church Medical Missions, an advisor for venture firms, a doting father, a dedicated husband, and a fantastic  karaoke singer. This is far from an exhaustive list of all the things that make up Dr. Enoch Choi. That’s why “Renaissance Man” is an apt description for him.

Recently, Dr. Choi spoke  about the H1N1 virus (”swine flu”),  emphasizing the importance of getting vaccinated. Even if you rarely get sick and don’t usually get the flu shot, he says, this year is the time to do it. People who are  most vulnerable to H1N1? Pregnant women, those with already compromised immune systems, young children,  and travelers.

That’s right, you globetrotters! Even if you’re as  healthy as a horse, get vaccinated because on the road, you’re exposed to a considerable amount of germs, including H1N1. To listen to Dr. Choi’s entire chat, please click here.

Meanwhile, we delved into one of Enoch’s many pastimes: traveling. Here are a few of his travel tips:

1. Is there a gadget you can’t live without?

The iPhone.

2. When you travel, what is the one item you always take with you?
I always pack a corkscrew.

3. What is your favorite city in the world and why?
Singapore because it’s multicultural, clean, affordable, accessible, and a gateway to Southeast Asia.

4. What is your favorite dining spot in the world?
The hawker stalls in Singapore.

5. What book is on your nightstand?
Testosterone for Life by Abraham Morgentaler.  

6. What’s the most surprising/unexpected place you’ve ever visited?
Poyang hu, in the Jiang Su Province of China.

7. Can you offer an insider tip or recommendation for your favorite vacation place?
Get unlimited data / wi-fi access for wherever you’re going. I confess: I’m a big Boingo Wi-Fi fan.

Thanks, Dr.  Renaissance Man! Keep saving the world!

You asked for it, and we’ve delivered! Boingo Mobile, our Wi-Fi service for mobile devices and smartphones, is now available on the Blackberry® Curve 8900, Blackberry Curve 8320 and BlackBerry® Bold.

For just $7.95 per month, Boingo Mobile gives you a high-speed alternative to cellular data so you surf the Internet, download large files, upload pictures, and stream video — all on your Blackberry. Usage is unlimited and you can connect all over the globe. That’s right, surf to your heart’s content while you travel for business or pleasure and save on international roaming costs.

To get Boingo Mobile, first download our free login software directly to your Blackberry. The software tells you when you’re in a Boingo hotspot and automatically connects you. Next, sign up via the software; or alternatively sign up on a PC.

We’re constantly working to expand our portfolio of smartphone support, which now includes the Android™, iPhone®, Symbian™ Series 60, and Windows Mobile™ platforms. We know how much y’all love those mobile devices of yours!

To download the free Boingo software for Blackberry, click here.

To download Boingo software for other mobile devices, click here.

To sign up for Boingo Mobile Wi-Fi for your Blackberry, click here.

Read the press release here.

In support of cancer awareness in general (October is Breast Cancer Awareness month), we interviewed survivor extraordinaire, Meaghan Edelstein.

Two years ago, at age 28, Meaghan was diagnosed with stage 3B cervical cancer and told her chances of survival were slim. But she waged a victorious battle against the illness and then went on to establish  Spirit Jump, a “grassroots non-profit organization with a mission to provide hope and comfort” to those battling cancer. During her own ordeal, Meaghan was so comforted by the “uplifting cards and inspirational gifts” that she has duplicated this experience for other cancer victims through Spirit Jump.

Meaghan, yours is a remarkable story of survival against the odds and we toast to your continued health! Good luck as you travel around the globe dispensing comfort to others battling cancer.

Here are a few of Meaghan’s travel tips:

1. Is there a gadget you can’t live without?

I cannot live without my iPhone! Spirit Jump runs 100% through social media and email. We have people all over the world trying to connect with us and that means at all hours of the day.  With my iPhone I can stay connected no matter where I am or what I am doing.

2. What is your favorite city in the world and why?

I LOVE Boston. It’s a city full of history and full of life. I received my cancer treatments at Dana Farber Cancer Institute so there is a very special place in my heart for Boston.

3. What is your favorite dining spot in the world?

What a hard question to answer! There are so many great places and I think each city has a specialty.  I just got back from Vegas and ate at a fabulous restaurant in the Venetian called Zeffirino.

4.  What book is on your nightstand?

One of my favorites books The Time Travelers Wife.

5. Where have you been recently that you liked or were surprised by?

Las Vegas. I just got back and I have to say it was a blast! When I was diagnosed with cancer I thought I would never get to Vegas but I guess I proved myself wrong. It was a great city with wonderful food, shows and people!

6. What’s the most surprising/unexpected place you’ve ever visited?

St. Augustine,  Florida. I went on a short weekend vacation and had no expectations. My boyfriend and I had such a wonderful time there. It was absolutely beautiful, full of history, Tiffany crystals, ghosts and a wonderful winery. I can’t wait to go back. The Saragossa Inn in St. Augustine Florida was amazing!

Thanks, Meaghan!

If you’d like to support someone battling cancer through Spirit Jump, get more information here.

Have you ever used your phone and/or laptop while, ahem, using the restroom?   If you’re worried that chatting, texting, emailing, and surfing while on the can is socially unacceptable, then worry no more!

According to a recent Intel study on technology etiquette, 75% of U.S. survey responders feel “it is perfectly appropriate to use Internet-enabled devices, including laptops, netbooks and cell phones, in the bathroom.”  (Never mind the germs!)

But you’re not quite off the hook when it comes to mobile usage in public situations: 69% of respondents feel that “checking e-mails, sending text messages and making phone calls while in the company of others, are unacceptable.”

To be frank, I employ a mixed approach to mobile etiquette. I text and surf the Internet on my smartphone while in the company of friends, family, and colleagues. But I rarely answer phone calls while in the company of anyone (unless it’s an emergency), and I turn off my phone entirely when in a business meeting. However, I find it irritating to be in the company of people, including my friends, who constantly text, surf, and talk on their phones.

Clearly, we are in need of some hard, fast rules, and Anna Post — author and etiquette expert for the Emily Post Institute — agrees: “As technology continues to become more prevalent and play an integral role in our everyday lives, it becomes more challenging to discern appropriate behavior from potentially offensive behavior.”

Guide us, please, Ms. Post!

In the meantime, let’s make up our own rules. Which mobile usage scenarios are acceptable/unacceptable, normal/weird for you? Surfing the Internet on a date? Talking in the elevator? Texting in church?

Read about Intel’s survey here.

As I write this, I’m gorging on an Angus Third Pounder, large french fries, and large Coke from McDonald’s. The food is good, but it would be even more delicious if I had a shot at winning $1 million from the MONOPOLY^® Game at McDonald’s, which kicks off today and goes through November 2nd.

Unfortunately, I’m out of the running since Boingo Wireless is a game sponsor, precluding employees from participating. Alas. But YOU still have a chance to win any number of prizes including the already mentioned $1 million and other cash prizes, an Xbox, a Shell gas card, My Coke Rewards® points, and free Boingo^® Wi-Fi service at more than 11,000 Wi-Fi enabled McDonald’s® restaurants in the U.S.

Mac Daddy!

In order to play, all you have to do is collect game pieces on medium and large drinks, large McCafe hot cups, hash browns, Angus Third Pounders, large french fries, and 10-piece and 20-piece chicken McNuggets.

What distinguishes the 2009 MONOPOLY^® Game at McDonald’s from other years is the ability to play through your mobile phone as well as social media channels. Enter game codes through text messages and Facebook, and receive updates on the “$1 Million Dice Roll” by following McDonald’s on Twitter at @McDonalds.

Note that in order to roll the dice on your latest game pieces, you have to go online at www.playatmcd.com. So consider bringing your smartphone or laptop to a Wi-Fi enabled McDonald’s and connect to Boingo^® Wi-Fi for that lucky roll!

If you win either the $1 million prize or a Boingo^® Access Pass, don’t be shy about boasting! Send us a Tweet, Facebook post, or blog comment and tell us all about it!

Read the game rules here.

Good luck, and may the best McPerson win!

Budget Travel magazine just announced their 2009 list of top 10 travel innovations that contribute to an “easier, more enjoyable and more affordable” travel experience. Drum roll please…

1. Kayak.com: the discount travel site added new features, including “search sharing, a real-time map of available airfare and an iPhone application.”
2. New York City: the Big Apple gets kudos for creating “new public spaces like making Times Square car-free and turning an abandoned railway into a walkway called the High Line.”
3. Apple: the company continues to get recognition for the iPhone 3GS and its “built-in applications store for anything you might need on the road.”
4. American Airlines: the “One-Way Flex Awards loyalty program…helps occasional travelers earn rewards.”
5. JetBlue: it’s the little amenities, “like the Re:Vive bar kiosks at JFK airport,” that differentiates this popular airlines.
6. Intrepid Travel: the adventure travel site is “carbon-offsetting all of its itineraries by early 2010.”
7. Google: “Street View mapping feature for theme parks and trails” makes family vacations much easier to navigate through.
8. Delta: customer service is friendly and stylin’ with the Red Coats, “agents dedicated to troubleshooting at a number of airports.”
9. Hyatt: the ubiquitous hotel chain makes a habit of announcing “new surprise perks to new and loyal customers.”
10. TripAdvisor: Nifty new tools such as “the Vacation Rental Calculator, the Top Values Tool, and the Fees Estimator” give travelers a leg up on savings.

Our one contribution to the list at #11 is…Boingo Wi-Fi for laptop and smartphone users! Our 2009 “innovations” include the addition of 16,000 hotspots (for a total of 130,000+ locations globally) as well as support for the hottest new smartphones such as the iPhone 3GS, Android MyTouch 3G, and Nokia N97. Boingo Wi-Fi helps travelers get online to check their itinerary on TripAdvisor or to email photos to family. We make your travel experience easier, more enjoyable, and more affordable. Find a Boingo hotspot just about everywhere.

Read the entire USA Today article here.

Fritz Faerber of the San Francisco Examiner shares some helpful tips for traveling abroad with your iPhone (or any GSM phone) without incurring a hefty bill:

1. Disable “Data Roaming”
2. Turn off email “Fetch” option
3. Consider adding a temporary international calling plan
4. Consider adding a temporary international data plan
5. Keep track of usage statistics
6. Connect to Wi-Fi whenever possible

Need to locate a Wi-Fi hotspot? Check out our Location Directory. We have a feeling you won’t have any trouble finding a Boingo hotspot overseas.

Read the entire article here.

Here at Boingo, we have an active Green Initiative that has made environmental awareness part of the workday. We recycle everything from newspapers to soda cans to batteries. We turn off power strips at night. We’ve switched to CFL’s in many of our light fixtures. And whenever possible, we also participate in community initiatives such as Heal the Bay’s Coast Cleanup Day

On September 19th, Boingo folks were among 14,038 southern California volunteers who “scoured beaches, parks, alleys, creeks, highways and stormdrains” and “removed a record-setting 300,413 pounds of debris and recyclables… a 65% increase from last year’s total.”

While Coastal Cleanup Day was successful by any measure, as a one-day event it falls short of solving the ongoing problem. It’s stunning that there is so much debris littering our beaches in the first place. Clearly, there is an opportunity to raise awareness of the need to keep our beaches (and cities and towns and countrysides) tidy.

So in honor of our commitment to a better environment, we’ve cooked up a green-themed haiku contest, sponsored by our friends at Goodjoe. For the next two days, submit a haiku in homage to the environment for a chance to win a green-themed t-shirt from Goodjoe, which comprises a community of talented artists who create designs to inspire the community. Browse through the gallery here.

Entries may be submitted via Boingo’s blog, Facebook page, or Twitter page. The top three haiku winners will be notified by midnight, September 25th. Winners will have the chance to receive their favorite t-shirt design (see available designs below).

On your marks. Get set. Game on!

Good news for Boingo members who live or travel frequently in Europe: we’ve just added 4000 new Wi-Fi locations in Sweden, courtesy of our partner TeliaSonera!

“The locations include: convenience stores and gas stations such as 7-Eleven, Bilisten, OKQ8, Pressbyrån and Statoil; hotels such as Best Western, Clarion Choice, Ibis Hotels and Quality Hotels; grocery stores and supermarkets, including City Gross, Coop Sweden, Hemköp and ICA; camping sites, including First Camp; retailers, like Wayne’s Coffee; as well as airports, marinas, train stations, and Surfzon Wi-Fi hotspots.”

Read all about it here.