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Thu, Oct 30, 2008 11:43 EDT
AT&T iPhone, BlackBerry Bold Users Get Free Hot Spot Wi-Fi (For Real This Time!)
Topic: InfrastructureBlog: Mobile WorkHorse
Current Rating: |
Yesterday, AT&T iPhone owners received a text message from the wireless carrier notifying them that they now have free access to any of AT&T's 17,000 Wi-Fi hot spots across the United States in establishments like Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, McDonalds and more. This is the third time AT&T has said as much in the past year, but according to the company, the news is legitimate this time around.
I received the following message yesterday at 3:53 pm EST:
"Your Apple iPhone now has free AT&T Wi-Fi access at thousands of hotspots nationwide, including Starbucks. For info visit www.att.com/attwifi."
At that point I'd already read rumors that such an announcement would be made, but even after receiving the message I remained skeptical of whether or not I'd ever really see free AT&T Wi-Fi on my iPhone. That's because the company erroneously posted notices about free hot spot Wi-Fi for iPhone users on its website twice in the last year, yanking the information--and the offer--at the last minute and chalking it up to "human error."
However, AT&T Spokesperson Seth Bloom confirmed to me yesterday that iPhone users do indeed now have free AT&T Wi-Fi hot spot access, and that's not all: Bloom sent along another press release this morning that says AT&T BlackBerry Bold users will also have free Wi-Fi access when that device goes on sale November 4.
The free AT&T hot spot Wi-Fi is coming to additional AT&T BlackBerry devices in the future, as well, including the Pearl 8120 and the high-end 8820, Bloom says.
I haven't had a chance to make it to the locals Starbucks to test the service quite yet on my iPhone or Bold, but considering the fact that AT&T is making the news official, I'm assuming everything's good to go.
If any of you iPhone/Bold users can confirm that free AT&T hot spot Wi-Fi is now available, drop me a comment to let me know.
AS
Last weekend, I visited my local Barnes & Noble/Starbucks (located at 1 Worcester Rd. in Framingham, Mass.) to pick up some new reading materials and test out the free hot spot Wi-Fi AT&T claims is now available for iPhone users. Unfortunately, whenever I tried to connect to the Starbucks/AT&T Wi-Fi hot spot at the coffee shop I kept getting connection errors. After three unsuccessful attempts to connect to the hot spot using the iPhone, I tried to connect using my BlackBerry Bold and had even less luck.
When I tried to connect via iPhone, the hot spot seemed to recognize my device, and my Safari browser window displayed the logon screen that's shown within my post above. However, when I tried to enter my iPhone's mobile digits as requested to connect to the hot spot I repeatedly received the following error message:
The experience with the BlackBerry Bold 9000 was even worse. The AT&T hot spot didn't even recognize my Bold's Wi-Fi browser and only showed the regular desktop login screen that requested my AT&T hot spot user name and password for access to the wireless connection.
It's worth noting that AT&T never said hot spot Wi-Fi would be available for the BlackBerry Bold before it launches on November 4—though it did say that iPhone hot spot Wi-Fi would be available immediately--so that could be the issue on the BlackBerry side. I'm not sure what's going on with the iPhone though...
Regardless, I plan to return to this Barnes & Noble/Starbucks tomorrow, on AT&T Bold launch day, to see if I can successfully connect via iPhone or Bold at that point, and I'll post my findings right here. Stay tuned...
AS
I just returned from my local Barnes & Noble/Starbucks, the same location that I visited last weekend, and I've got some new findings to report.
First of all, I was able to access the free AT&T Hot Spot Wi-Fi the company promised using my iPhone 3G. In fact, the process was a breeze: I simply turned Wi-Fi on, launched the browser, entered my 10-digit mobile number when prompted and waited about 30 seconds for a text message that connected me. As soon as I clicked on the link in the text message, I saw the following screen:
As for the BlackBerry Bold, still no luck on that front, though I'm communicating with AT&T right now to see if we can pinpoint the problem. More on the BlackBerry Bold and AT&T Hot Spot Wi-Fi coming soon...
AS
Rating:
Thanks for checking on this promise from at&t...I am sure am not the first person to make you aware of this but the AT&T wifi is working at Starbucks.
I have a new bold (picked up this AM in Manhattan) and turned off my mobile network connection and turned on WiFi and it shows up as AT&T WiFi and seems to be working perfectly. I have received email and accessed the web.
My question is can you tell me if using WiFi is easier on the battery and is it as fast or faster than the AT&T 3G connection?
Thank you in advance.
Rating:
Price: $200 for 8GB black, $300 for 16GB black/white and blackberry 9000 bold for $344
Weight: 4.7oz.
Dimensions: 4.50 x 2.4 x 0.48 in.
Display: 480 x 320 Pixel; 3.5 in. diagonally
Battery life: Up to 5 hours talk time on 3G and 10 hours talk time on EDGE; up to 300 hours standby
Service provider: AT&T
Internet/Data network: 3G, Wi-Fi
Camera: 2.0 megapixels
Blackberry Bold Unlocked
Battery
AC Charger
Stereo Handsfree Headset
USB Cable
Carrying Case
Getting Started Guide
User's Manual
BlackBerry Desktop Software
Contact Email:kate_sales147@hotmail.com
Rating:
I have a basic question on wifi on PDA's.
I hear advantages of using wifi are ability to connect where carrier service may not be available and faster speeds even when it is.
What about outside US wifi hot spots, like in Nicaragua where there is one on nearly every corner. Can you use these wifi hotspots to make calls and avoid the very expensive roaming and connection charges for calls back to the US on your phone? If so, any difference in Sprint, ATT, Verizon. I hear Verizon does not have WIFI capability on the Storm, Curve, etc but may on Storm 2.
Thanks in advance for any advice and info.
Al Sacco writes about (and drools over) anything and everything mobile or wireless as it applies to the global workforce--with a focus on BlackBerry smartphones.
Got tips? Send 'em Al's way.
Follow this blog on Twitter: @MobileWorkHorse.
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