myHotspots Blog

Secure Your Wireless Network... With Paint?

2009-10-05T21:00:00.003Z

Coming up with a bulletproof way to secure your wireless network has been the challenge that has eluded boffins and continued to make many people cautious about making the switch to wireless. Hiding SSIDs, MAC filtering, WEP (64bit and 128bit) and WPA are now joined by... paint in the fight to protect wireless networks.

The University of Tokyo has developed a type of paint which contains (here comes the science bit) aluminium-iron oxide which when coated on walls apparently blocks wireless data from getting in or getting out of the room.

What do you think? Would you be interested in a security shielding you can slap on the walls, and would you redecorate in order to protect your wifi network from unwanted intrusions?

PURE EVOKE Flow Internet Radio Review

2009-08-06T20:35:00.003Z

Pure Evoke has for a long time been established as one of the premier names in the DAB radio market. We took at the look at the Flow DAB Internet Radio which combines their previous talent for DAB with the ability to stream radio stations across a wireless internet connection.

For a long time, DAB radios all seemed to want to hark back to a bygone age with their appearanace and styling, and whilst the form fact of the Flow internet DAB radio is reminiscent of past radios, the slick piano black casing and clear OLED display are firmly forward looking.

The radio allows for 10 FM presents, 30 DAB presets and unlimited internet "favourites". As well as being able to stream internet radio, you can also access audio recordings on a wifi connected PC (great for accessing your MP3 collection) and plug in your iPod too. "Listen Again" archives, from radio stations that offer them, such as those from the BBC, can also be accessed.

On the downside, if you want to use the radio on the move, you can't use standard batteries but instead have to a Pure battery charge pack. Also, the interface can be a little fiddly to navigate at times. But probably the most important thing is the sound quality, and in this respect, the Pure Evoke Flow didn't disappoint at all and delivered a quality that is difficult to match with similar priced competitor products.

See more internet wifi radios.

Nokia N97 Review

2009-07-12T22:19:00.005Z

I recently upgraded my phone to the Nokia N97 and thought I'd take the opportunity to review this shiney new Symbian smartphone on the 3 network.

It's fair to say that 3 are not associated with the latest handsets so I was pleased to see them launch Nokia's new N97 handset on the network very shortly after its launch. The most noticeable thing about it is the large touch screen. I'm not enough of a touch screen geek to know the difference between capacitative or resistive screens, but to me the screen looks great and responded nicely to the touch.

The home screen is customisable and can include up to 8 shortcuts to applications of your choice, and several live content feeds, such as latest emails or Facebook updates. It, of course, reminded me of the old N800 which I previously reviewed here.

The other big feature is the slide out full QWERTY keyboard. My advice is to practice opening the slider in the privacy of your own home because it takes a bit of practice and you are likely to look quite an idiot the first few times you try and work out how to get inside - but maybe that's just me.

Battery life is supposed to be pretty good on this, but I can only imagine that assume you have no applications open as I found it goes down pretty quickly, and seems to accelerate in draining power as it nears the last third.

Basic Functions

Making calls is easy - browse the Contacts or press the Dialer button to bring up the touch screen numeric pad. If you're in a call and need to press a key (ie for using automated phone services), you'll need to press the dialer key to bring the number pad up again.Text messaging is easily accessed too and you can use the touch screen or the QWERTY keyboard to knock out your messages.

Text messaging brings me onto my first major annoyance. Whenever I received text messages on the phone, it would only display the number of the sender despite the name being in my Contacts. I tried changing the mobile number to international format and I tried deleting it altogether and saving it from the actual text message itself, but it still wouldn't play ball. After a bit of hunting around on Nokia forums, I found that if you have contacts on your SIM and your phone memory, the phone won't recognise the name as a sender in text messages. So I deleted all the contacts from my SIM, which did fix the problem but even then it only fixed it for new messages and old messages didn't pick up the name. Distinctly unimpressive.

Applications

Apps are the big phenomenen of mobile devices, thanks to the success of the iPhone app store and Google Android (by the way, the guy from 3's upgrade team hadn't even heard of Google Android when I spoke to him). Nokia is finally catching up with its own app store under the name, Ovi.

The Nokia N97 from 3 comes with a bundle of nice applications ready to go, well almost ready to go - a couple of them, like Qik and MSN needed updating at first use.

The Nokia Messaging application works well. It asked for my email address and quickly determined the type of account - using Google Apps for Domains - and then my password. Before long, my inbox was up on one screen. I get too much junk in my email to be really bothered about being alerted everytime I get a new message, so personally I prefer the free Google Mail application you can download through My3 or from Google although it's not currently fully optimised for the N97's screen but is usable.

Nokia Maps are there to make use of the GPS. This is my first phone with GPS and I suspect it's one of those features that once you get used to, you'll wonder how you coped without it. Already I found it useful on a bike ride at the weekend in establishing where exactly I was!

Skype is of course a big deal on 3, with them offering it free of charge to customers. And it really does well: I called another Skype user and it was good as a standard phonecall.

Other preinstalled software included BBC iPlayer - only a few clicks and you can be watching Eastenders full screen - and Qik which lets you broadcast live video straight from your phone to an internet audience (you get a short URL to share with friends and contacts etc). Videos are then also stored for viewing later too.

Through the Ovi store, you can access new applications with a range of free and paid for apps, as well as plenty of junk and theme packs. There's nothing like the range you will find for the iPhone, but its a start and hopefully this will be something that will grow. By far the best app I've found so far is the social media client, Gravity. It's not cheap at £8, but it's a super slick way to access Twitter especially if you have more than one account. It's very well intergated with Twitter picture services like Twitpic.

Camera

The N97 has a 5mp camera on board and is quickly switched on by sliding open the lens cover, which put me in mind of my much loved old K800i. Press "options" and there's load of settings that appear on the screen. Seeing the array of options overlayed across the screen with the shot in the background actually makes these settings easier to access than having to navigate knobs and buttons on a conventional camera.

(click to enlarge)

Connectivity

HSDPA, Wireless networking and Bluetooth give me all the connectivity options I could want. Whilst iPhone users on O2 ponder how they can possibly be charged extra for "tethering", I can easily connect this to my laptop and use it as a modem, or smarter still, use the JoikuSpot software to turn the device into a wifi hotspot - letting you access the net from your laptop etc using its wifi connection.

Joikuspot Light edition is free and lets you share HTTP access across a wireless connection. The premium, paid for edition, lets you share other protocols.

If all this worked, this would be a dream phone, but connectivity has been a big area of disappointment. I've never seen so many error messages on a mobile phone and connectivity is unbelievably patchy. I'm using the Nokia N97 is the same house as I was previously using my Sony K850i, and I'm seeing frequent interruptions to service in a way I've never exerienced before.

Go on the web, it works great. Go back on two minutes later - "Web: Gateway Not Found". At one point, I called 3's technical support and the recorded message suggested that taking the SIM out and putting it back in fixes 90% of all problems. Yep, did that and it worked fine - but how often do you want to be taking the SIM out of your phone.

Verdict

A boat load of features, access to an app store, a decent camera with a touch screen and slide out keyboard - this could and should have been an awesome phone but shocking reliability has left me frustrated and occasionally pining for my old phone. I love the features and the cool-ness of it, but I do need it to be able to reliably perform on a regular basis.

Notspots Revealed in 3g Coverage Maps

2009-07-08T23:32:00.003Z

Thinking about getting a broadband dongle for internet access on the move? In theory they sound great, but the service does depend on network coverage which varies by network and by region.

Ofcom has today released their maps of 3g coverage across the UK which gives an at a glance view of the service across the country for 3, Vodafone, Orange, O2 and T-Mobile.

The map itself doesn't allow for any detail by magnification but it can at least act as some kind of guide when evalutating which dongle is best for you.

See the 3g coverage maps here

Areas which don't have broadband speed internet are labelled, notspots. Back in May, the BBC released figures on the broadband notspots where fast internet couldn't be achieved over ADSL or cable lines.

my Notspots?

2009-05-28T12:10:00.002Z

Research commissioned by the BBC has found that many people in the UK live in what has been termed, "broadband notspots". The poor folk in these blighted areas are often only capable of receiving broadband at speeds of below 2mb.

You might expect that these notspots are in rural areas but the research shows it actually affects homes all over the country, many in towns and cities.

Check the BBC's map of broadband notspots

Workers Home Tech Habits Revealed

2009-05-19T23:19:00.002Z

A survey of over 300 workers in Canary Wharf has found that over a quarter of them work from bed using their laptop or smart phone.

Of those that do opt to take their laptops to the bedroom, over half of them spend between two and six hours a week tapping away from under the covers.

Perhaps most shocking is that almost a fifth of respondants admitted to using an unsecured wifi network at home.

The survey was carried out by tech security company, Credant.

Dire Consequences of Using Someone Else's Wifi

2009-05-17T15:24:00.002Z

Just read a disturbing story in the local Kent Messenger about a man from Deal who used an an open wireless network to access the internet. Whilst accessing the "non-public" wifi access point, the police stopped him and asked him what he was doing.

His honest reply saw him taken down to the station and spend a night in the cells. A duty solicitor advised him he had committed a crime the next morning, and the 29 year old man accepted a police caution.

He thought that was the end of it but unfortunately when he went to apply for a job, they did a check on him and found he had a caution under the Computer Misuse Act and he didn't get the job.

No information is provided in the story - sorry, can't find a link but will update this if I can find one - as to whether the owner of the wireless access point actually complained about their internet access being used.

Personally I find this very troubling. Some people leave access points open because they are happy to share their access. It's impossible to know if you see an open access point whether the owner is relaxed about sharing or technically incompetent.

Do you think the police were wrong to arrest the man in this case? Was he wrong to accept the police caution?

Mumbai Police Enforce Wifi Security

2009-01-10T19:22:00.002Z

Police in Mumbai are to undertake random checks of residential Wifi networks to detect unsecured WLANs. Local police, still reeling I'd guess from those awful attacks in Mumbai, believe that unsecured networks have been used by terror groups, as well as for other criminal activities.

"We may issue notices under the Criminal Procedure Code to those who do not secure their WiFi network in the future," a senior police officer told the Times of India.

Do you think people should be compelled to secure their networks? Is it irresponsible to leave an wireless network open? Share your thoughts using the comments feature.

Spykee The Wi-Fi Robot Released

2008-10-16T23:20:00.002Z

Finally, about a year late, Spykee the Wifi Spy Robot from Meccano has finally been released. This clever bit of kit has a webcam built in, and using the wifi capabilities you can connect up to control him and have him wander around your house, scaring the pets and filming any intruders. When battery starts to run low, he takes himself back to his base station to recharge. Perfect for flats, less useful for houses, this is a very nifty gadget which also an MP3 player built in.

Find out more about the Spykee Wifi Robot

BT Openzone Customers Lose Cloud Access

2008-09-30T13:30:00.002Z

An agreement that gave BT Openzone customers access to the Cloud's 7,000 wifi hotspots comes to an end next week. The two companies were not able to agree terms going forward, and BT's customers - residential and business - will find that the number of places they can get online is substantially reduced.

BT operates 3,000 hotspots of its own but the collaboration with The Cloud gave its customers a far wider reach. The failure of commercial negotiations between the two companies may mean BT customers will struggle to find a place to get online.

The Cloud is apparently offering a BT customers 30 days worth of free Wifi if they take out a subscription with them.

Read more on this story:
The Register: BT Withdraws Wi-Fi Access to The Cloud
ZD Net: BT's Wi-Fi Lets Go Of The Cloud

Mobile Broadband Gets Boost

2008-09-30T13:02:00.003Z

16 leading tech firms including Dell, Asus, Lenovo, Vodafone and 3 have announced a collaboration which will see mobile broadband chips embedded in notebooks and other other devices from this Christmas. In the same way that Wifi users had to buy external cards before being built in as standard, it is hoped that mobile broadband - which is already proving to be very popular - will be boosted by being embedded in the machines.

The initiative, led by the GSM Association, has seen the creation of a new Mobile Broadband service mark (seen left) which will indentify the computers with the new connectivity option. Buying a computer with this symbol should mean being able to take it out of the box and start surfing straight away, depending on network coverage.

Network coverage will most likely be critical to this. I use high speed internet through 3 on my mobile phone. In London, it works brilliantly but on a recent trip to Liverpool, the service was very patchy. Buyers in rural areas may also find it a challenge to get internet access at useful speeds.

Wifi Detector Watch

2008-09-26T15:30:00.004Z

Do you ever see something and think "Of course, why did I think of that!?".

That's how I felt when I saw this cool Wifi Detecting wristwatch. Why would anyone carry around a wifi detector when it could be seamlessly integrated into an attractive looking wristwatch. In case you're not familiar with what a wifi detector is, it basically looks for WLANs nearby to save you having to fire up your laptop etc to check.

So this is a very smart design idea, I think - what do you reckon?

They cost about £20 quid from I Want One Of Those and could be an ideal gift idea for the geek in your life this Christmas.

London To Be Wifi City, Says Boris Johnson

2008-09-23T18:08:00.002Z

London Mayor, Boris Johnson, has raised the prospect of London becoming a Wifi city, with internet access available right across the capital. Speaking to BBC Radio London, "BoJo" suggested that wifi enabling the City would be a way to help the "information technology poor", and compared the idea favourably with the Government's own new initiative, which is to issue vouchers to poorer households.

The Mayor said:

"I think that's the way we should be going, rather than bunging money to people, which sounds a bit like a desperate bribe by the prime minister," he added.
"Let's look at ways that we can improve the infrastructure in this city so that there's wi-fi access everywhere."

Find out more about what the Mayor had to say to BBC London

myHotspots Featured in Times Online

2008-09-14T23:30:00.002Z

Oh, how did I miss that. I was just checking the statistics for the website and noticed a whole loads of referrals from the Times Online. Turns out myHotspots featured in an article they put out in June, listing 50 Great Things You Can Get Free.

We've already been features in the Telegraph and the Independent, which must make us the favourite wifi directory Britain's qualities dailies. Just waiting for the Guardian to fall into line and follow suit now.

Millionth User Signs Up At Fon

2008-09-14T22:53:00.002Z

User generated wifi network, Fon, has announced that its one millionth member has signed up. The user, from Japan, marks an impressive landmark for the company which has been pioneered the scheme where you buy a Fon wifi router for home, which gives people access to your internet connection, and by becoming a member, you can use use other Fon user's WLANs all around the world.

Sony Strikes PSP Deal with Fon

2008-08-30T23:18:00.003Z

Sony has signed a deal with community hotspot provider Fon, which will see Japanese PSP owners get access to an official content site through any of the 44,000 Fon hotspots. The access doesn't allow open net access but instead offers user the chance to get downloads and updates from an official provider. Fon is a global operation, offering wireless equipement to end users for free in exchange for open access, so could PSP owners worldwide lookforward to similar arrangements? Let's wait and see...

Nokia Announces Two New Wifi Phones

2008-08-30T23:10:00.002Z

Nokia has announced two new exciting handsets which both feature wifi connectivity, and HSDPA 3.5g for data access across the mobile network.

The N85 and N79 models also both benefit from 5mp cameras, built in GPS and also FM transmitters which act like the iTrip and broadcast audio to nearby radio receivers.

This look like excellent additions to the UK handset market, and you'll be able to pick them in October.

Find out more about Nokia's N-Series Mobiles.

Free Nokia Handset With Mobile Broadband from Vodafone

2008-08-15T14:31:00.003Z

Vodafone are giving away a free pay as you talk Nokia 1208 handset to customers who take up their mobile broadband offering on a 12, 18 or 24 month contract. To benefit from the offer, just sign up for mobile broadband use the voucher code mobilebb01 during checkout.

Click here to visit the Vodafone Mobile Broadband page.

Offer available whilst stock lasts.

Free Wifi Access For MySpace Users

2008-08-06T11:01:00.002Z

MySpace has signed a deal with Wifi provider, The Cloud, which gives users of the site free wifi access from any of the network's 7000 hotspots.

Users of the social networking platform will be able to log into the site where they see the Cloud logo, free of charge, and update their blogs, message friends etc. The arrangement will initially just run until October.

Interested in Wifi and Wireless Technology?

2008-07-26T14:53:00.003Z

We are looking for someone interested in wireless and wifi technology to become a regular contributor to this blog. The ideal candidate will source stories on wifi, wireless, bluetooth, 3g and mobile broadband and post here, at least once a day. There will also be the chance to review the occasional gadget. It's a UK blog, so stories so stories should be relating to the UK, or from a UK perspective and preferably writteby by someone for whom English is a first language.

Payment is negotiable and might be on a per word or per post basis.

If you would like to be considered, please email wifiblog@uretopia.com for more information in the first instance.

Free Elonex Webbook with Orange Mobile Broadband

2008-07-17T10:18:00.002Z

Carphone Warehouse have come up with a stonking deal to give you a free ultra portable Windows XP notebook when you opt for mobile broadband from Orange.

The Elonex Webbook is one of the new breed of ultra portable notebook computers, weighing only 1.3kg and offering a 10.2" widescreen display. It has an 80gb hard drive and 512mb Ram, and comes pre loaded with Windows XP, Internet Explorer and Outlook Express, making it the perfect internet and email device.

This tasty bit of gadgetry comes free of charge thanks to Carphone Warehouse when you take out mobile broadband from Orange, on a 3gb download limit per month, for £25/month for 24 months.

This is a great solution for a student, or just anybody that wants an affordable way to access the internet on the move. For more information, visit the Carphone Warehouse website.

Free Wifi at York Train Station

2008-06-15T15:12:00.002Z

York's mainline train station is to benefit from free Wifi. Cellular-News.com has reported that train operator National Express East Coast is installing free wireless internet access which will be accessible from platforms 1-5, as well as all cafes and waiting areas.

Read On

New 3g Apple iPhone Announced

2008-06-13T15:19:00.000Z

Apple boss Steve Jobs has announced the imminent release of the new Apple iPhone, which will come with 3G technology. The original iPhone was without doubt an attractive and desirable piece of kit, but it was also very expensive for a device that didn't even have 3g access.

In separate news, it has been announced that O2 has tied up with BT Openzone to give iPhone access free to thousands of Wifi hotspots, in addition to the hotspots from The Cloud which they already had access too.

Nabaztag - the Wifi Rabbit

2008-05-23T09:06:00.002Z

Nabaztag has been out for some time, but I have to admit, I have no idea what it is. Ok, so it's a wifi rabbit - what the heck is that? Apparently you can send and receive emails with him, although I seriously have no clue as how you would compose a message or even receive one - does it read to you ?? As well as that, he can play MP3 files you have downloaded and there's some speech recognition in his belly button. Sounds crazy - but whether it's the cool side of crazy, I'm really not sure. I'll try and get hold of one to review to let you know what I think.

Check out the video below for more information and check out its ears rotating around - it's actually a scary looking thing. I can imagine this wifi bunny being the source of nightmares for some people. But if you're into your gadgets, I guess he will certainly be a talking point!

The instore price for this at PC World is £89.99, but they currently have a "web exclusive price" of £59.99. Just reserve it online, and go down to your local branch to purchase for £30 cheaper than someone that just walked in off the street. Check out the Nabaztag at PC World

Wifi to become common in portable media players

2008-04-29T12:41:00.003Z

MacWorld.co.uk has reported on research findings from iSuppli which suggest 20% of portable media players will be Wifi enabled by 2012. The ability to sync, download and stream wirelessly is going to be an increasingly key function of media players, moreso even than other technologies such as touch screen or bluetooth.

One company that has long been pioneering integrated Wifi on media players is Archos, and not one to rest on their laurels when it comes to innovation, they have just announced the release of a "GPS In Car Holder" add on for their popular 605 media player. This brings satellite navigation mapping together with the Archos screen and audio quality to create the ultimate entertainment and navigation device.

I hope to be able to review at some point in the future so come back soon for more info.