Savvy Wi-Fi citizens should not only be on the lookout for fast and nearby hotspots, but also be sure to lock down a secure Internet connection. Accessing open Wi-Fi signals can expose you to hackers, malware, and viruses, which can put private information at risk. At Boingo, we don’t want you to worry about practicing Internet safety, so we’ve developed a handy solution for you – Boingo Security VPN! Continue reading
If you’re a film buff, check out Cheapflights.com’s list of top ten film festivals worldwide. To help you stay connected online while you’re enjoying the cinema experience, we’ve provided links below to the Boingo hotspots available in each festival’s city. Have you attended any of the film festivals on this top ten list? Tell us about your experiences! 1. Sundance Film Festival – Park City, Utah, United States Click here to see a list of 29 Boingo hotspots in Park City, Utah 2. International Film Festival Rotterdam – the Netherlands Click here to see a list of 177 Boingo hotspots in Rotterdam, Netherlands 3. Cannes International Film Festival – Cannes, France Click here to see a list of 348 Boingo hotspots in Cannes, France 4. Guadalajara Film Festival – Guadalajara, Mexico Click here to see a list of 175 Boingo hotspots in Guadalajara, Mexico 5. Rooftop Films – New York, New York, United States Click here to see a list of 877 Boingo hotspots in New York, New York 6. Toronto International Film Festival – Toronto, Canada Click here to see a list of 264 Boingo hotspots in Toronto, Canada 7. Venice International Film Festival – Venice, Italy Click here to see a list of 63 Boingo hotspots in Venice, Italy 8. Hong
Dear Boingo Customers, Friends and Family, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! As we wind down 2011, I thought I’d take a moment to express gratitude, reflect on the year, and reinforce our 2012 efforts as a company. On behalf of the Boingo team, thank you for supporting the company. Boingo is fortunate to have a customer community who celebrates our successes, engages with us through our social channels, and provides feedback for improvement. Your involvement is a big motivator in our efforts to deliver the best Wi-Fi service possible. 2011 was quite a year for Boingo, most notably because of our IPO in May. This year also marked our ten-year anniversary. The past decade has flown by, and I’m proud we’ve built a sustainable company for the long term. In 2011, we also made great strides toward our strategic goals. We grew from 200,000+ to 400,000+ Wi-Fi hotspots worldwide through existing and new partnerships. We deployed additional Boingo-operated networks in new types of venues including stadiums, malls and restaurants. We launched Wi-Finder, an app that helps you find and connect to free and Boingo hotspots. We expanded our portfolio of gadgets we support. We introduced more flexible Wi-Fi plans and payment options. We
In celebration of the new year and the travel adventures ahead, we asked the Boingo Facebook community to suggest songs entitled with cities. We compiled the great suggestions into a playlist on our YouTube channel. We limited the playlist to one song per city so that additional songs can be added to represent as many worldwide cities as possible. That means we’d love suggestions from YOU! Surely, you must know a city-themed song or two not yet on the playlist. We hope these city-themed songs spirit you away, and we wish you many happy travels in 2012 and beyond. To scroll through the playlist, click on the square at the bottom of the screen.
Congratulations to Nashville International Airport (BNA) for winning the 2011 Richard A. Griesbach Award of Excellence, an annual ACI-NA accolade that recognizes the best overall airport concessions program! Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA) evaluates airports in Canada and the U.S. across seven concession categories, including food, retail, and customer service. There are three winners in each category but only one victor for the best overall airport concessions program. We’re thrilled for Nashville Airport — and not just because Boingo manages the Wi-Fi network there. Through our frequent visits to BNA, we’ve experienced for ourselves the all-around awesomeness of the airport’s concessions. We’ve indulged in Memphis-style barbecue at the award-winning Neely’s Bar-B-Que, and we’ve sipped on cocktails during music performances at Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge. Live music, in fact, is what makes BNA extra-special: their “Arts at the Airport” program features a full calendar of live jazz, blues, and good ole country music. The program also showcases a revolving collection of visual arts. Additional nice touches are BNA’s health clinic and green initiatives. We could spend all day exploring the gems at Nashville Airport. Congratulations, BNA team! We’re honored to manage your Wi-Fi service. P.S. If your gadgets are low on battery power, Boingo’s got you covered with charging stations
Here at Boingo, when we talk about keeping the traveling community connected, we’re not just referring to road warriors – we also count the good folks who travel occasionally. Our engineers, for example, only wander away from their code for a rare business trip or a much-needed vacation. That’s why we offer Boingo AsYouGo, a pay-per-connection Wi-Fi option to cover you on those sporadic trips. We aim to provide a top-notch Internet experience whether you Boingo frequently or every once in a while. To that end, we’ve listed five tips below for getting the most out of Boingo AsYouGo. 1. Access Boingo AsYouGo On Any Compatible Device Boingo AsYouGo can be used on any Boingo compatible device, including: laptops, tablets, smartphones and eReaders. You can sign up either on our website before you hit the road or at any of the locations we manage and operate (just open the browser when you’re at the hotspot). Rates vary by region. 2. Connect For 24 Hours on One Device at One Location Boingo AsYouGo gives you online access for twenty-four continuous hours on one device at one location. So say you’re at the airport on a ridiculously long layover. The one-time AsYouGo
Looking for last-minute holiday gifts, either for yourself or a special someone? We polled expert techies and travelers — Boingo superfans — for some super-fabulous tech and travel gift ideas. Got gift suggestions of your own? Help out the Boingo community and post your recommendation in the comments section! “My favorite travel bag is the Deluxe Rolling Tote with Computer Sleeve for all your carry-on essentials. You can find it at www.travelproluggageoutlet.com and receive an extra 15% off by using my discount code: THEFLYINGPINTO15.” -Sara Pinto Keagle “I’m currently in love with the ZaggSparq portable power charger. When I travel or when I’m at work, I don’t have to SEARCH for a plug!! I also have the Zaggfolio iPad keyboard, which “fits” well and comes in cool colors.” -Shelby Meredith Rogers “One of my favorite gadgets that is in my travel case at all times is the handy power bar/surge protector by Belkin. It turns any hotel room outlet, even the one on the desk lamp, into three power outlets. It also gives you two USB outlets to charge all those electronic devices that travel with you. Playbook, iPad, iPhone, BlackBerry can all be charged and they are protected from power surges while they
For the second time in three years, Global Traveler readers have named Boingo “Best Wi-Fi Service.” Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. More than 36,000 savvy travelers contributed to Global Traveler magazine’s 2011 GT Tested reader survey. Readers chose the best of the best for sixty-six travel-related categories, including: airlines, hotels, loyalty programs and travel products. Click here to view a list of fellow winners. Awards are awesome to receive. But we think the most meaningful awards are those granted by the user community, so this means a lot to us. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. As you can see from the photos above featuring a few superstar members of our marketing team, we had a delightful time at the Global Traveler awards ceremony. Read the press release here.
“Does Boingo Wi-Fi affect my 3G/4G cellular connectivity while I’m at a Boingo hotspot?” “I’m at an airport where Boingo manages the Wi-Fi network, and I think they’re blocking my cellular access to force me into buying Wi-Fi.” We’ve fielded questions and comments like the above through our social media channels, so we’d like to share our response here on the Boingo blog for everybody to see. The answer is no, Wi-Fi has no effect on cellular service. It’s technically impossible for Wi-Fi to interfere with cellular connectivity because each technology runs on different frequencies. Cellular service is delivered over licensed spectrum, meaning that your service provider owns its specific frequency range, to ensure they can provide service without interference. Also, it’s actually illegal for anyone to interfere with cellular transmission. It is possible for things such as Bluetooth and microwaves to interfere with Wi-Fi, because they all use the same unlicensed spectrum frequencies. But none of those technologies can interfere with your cellphone Internet service. We do want you to buy Wi-Fi – because it’s a great experience, not because we’ve tinkered with the cellular access. Further reading: “Can WiFi Interfere With Dropped Cell Phone Calls?” via eHow.com “Difference Between
It’s Cyber Monday, y’all! If you’re hunting for some tech bargains, check out our ten favorite deals below. If the prices are right for you, hurry up and buy. These discounts are expiring at the end of today (11/28/2011) or within a few days. Know of other good tech sales? Share the wisdom! 1. Case-Mate Gadget Case Outfit your favorite gadget in a stylin’ case from Case-Mate, currently offering 25% off everything from its site. 2. Capacitive Touch Screen Gloves for Apple iOS Devices Baby, it’s cold outside. Keep those fingers warm and operable with gloves designed specifically for Apple touchscreen devices. We’ve seen these gloves listed for as much as $30 but iGear is offering them for only $9.95. Comes in black, red, pink and gray. 3. Sony Speaker Dock for iPod and iPhone 4 Need a home base for your iPod and/or iPhone 4? The Sony dock station is on sale at Walmart for $49. That’s 50% off the list price of $99. 4. Samsung HD Flash Memory Camcorder If you’re looking for a pocket-sized camcorder, check out this Samsung one, which retails for $159.99 but is now on sale through Best Buy for $99. 5. Fujifilm 16 MP and 15x Optical
Boingo’s leadership in the growing universe of Boingo hotspots is featured in an IDG article by Mikael Ricknäs; the article has been syndicated across the IDG network on various trade publications including PC World, CIO and Network World. Cool! Kudos to Christian Gunning, our director of corporate communications for his contribution to the article. Here are the highlights: The number of worldwide public Wi-Fi hotspots is expected to quadruple, and total 5.8 million by 2012, as operators look for ways to reduce traffic on their mobile networks, according to a recent study by Informa Telecoms and Media. “One of our strategic initiatives right now is to expand coverage into categories that haven’t been built out, but will be,” said [Christian] Gunning. Few big national restaurant chains in the U.S. have hotspots in their restaurants…restaurants will see a big build out in the next three or four years, he said. Wi-Fi hotspots in sports arenas, concert halls and shopping malls will also become more prevalent. Wi-Fi hotspots are also about to become more integrated with mobile networks thanks to a specification called Hotspot 2.0, which is being developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance. It allows users to automatically move between the two network
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