Portland Looks in WiFi at City Hall

The City of Portland jumped into the wireless age Wednesday announcing that employees and citizens will now have access to free WiFi internet at City Hall. WiFi access is created when a wireless transmitter and receiver are installed in a building.They allow people with laptop computers and WiFi software to send and receive information directly to and from the internet - without plugging into the wall.Commissioner Dan Saltzman says the aim is to attract more visitors. We believe it will also increase the efficiency of employees who work in City Hall and often travel with their notebooks... And finally it's a good partnership with Intel. Intel has donated most of the equipment to make this happen and we're always happy to showcase local products.

Tao Wireless WiFi MP3 Player

Interesting this…a new music player called Tao Wireless Media Player has just launched, and is said to be the first handheld MP3 player with built-in Wi-Fi access…so users cna download music from anywhere where there’s a hotspot.It also has the ability to schedule recordings of favorite programs and act as an FM transmitter and receiver. Tao users can share songs and content with other Tao users, though you still have to pay for content you haven’t already purchased.Tao, which includes a 20GB hard drive and two headphone jacks, will be available later this month in a “soft launch” via the company’s Web site for $399 and through partners such as T-Mobile which will offer $150 off for new subscribers to its mobile service.

Will Municipal WiFi Survive?

Every few months we seem to hear about another initiative by a U.S. city to deploy free wireless Internet access.The latest entry, New Orleans, is still struggling just to get the lights back on, months after Hurricane Katrina caused massive flooding, destruction and death.Nevertheless, New Orleans looks to be the first and only big city to actually implement a WiFi plan.This will provide great access for an entire (reduced) population. It should help New Orleans to recover. But the likelihood of it becoming a larger trend is nil and you can be sure it will eventually be killed there too.If the Internet was struggling and it was impossible to make a buck by being the toll collector on the Information Superhighway, then free wireless (802.11/WiFi) access for the masses would be possible. As things stand today free access to the Internet, no matter how noble the rationale, will impinge on far too many vested interests.

Big Easy WiFi

Would you trust your critical business systems to a wireless network owned, deployed and supported by a municipality?Hurricane-ravaged New Orleans is betting you will and today is rolling out the nation’s first municipally owned wireless Internet system that will be free for all users. The idea is to get the city back on its feet by making it as attractive a place to do business as possible.As reported in the Boston Globe, the system is scheduled to go live today in the central business district and the French Quarter and to be expanded over time.Today’s move will add impetus to an already growing debate over whether it makes sense for localities to launch their own systems.Cities around the country, including most notably Philadelphia, are studying the desirability and feasibility of deploying their own WiFi networks to help bridge the digital divide in low-income areas and to make their cities more attractive to business. Recently, Google offered to build a free WiFI system for San Francisco.Not surprisingly, telephone and cable companies, including Verizon, SBC and Comcast, oppose the moves as unfair taxpayer-funded competition and have successfully lobbied several states to prohibit or restrict these networks.

via CIO