WiFi thermostat puts power (and cooling) at your fingertips
October 31, 2008
In an age where we can put WiFi into a plastic bunny that wiggles its ears in response to commands over the Internet, why not stick the same wireless networking into a thermostat that allows remote monitoring and schedule changes? It could also shave substantial dollars off your utility bills. Toronto-based Ecobee thinks it has a winning plan for reducing everyone’s cost of heating and air conditioning, while giving utilities greater interaction with customers when needed. Ecobee also hopes to reduce the odds your home winds up flooded, frozen, or boiled over.
Ecobee marketing and sales head Jessica Dolmer told Ars that the thermostat was designed to make it easier for average individuals to better manage their energy usage, which her firm believes leads quickly to reduced energy expense. A poorly programmed or nonprogrammed thermostat causes waste by having heating and cooling running for longer than desired or necessary.
The Ecobee thermostat has a touchscreen that uses a graphical user interface to guide an owner through establishing settings. Like other programmable thermostats, the Ecobee lets you set a schedule for what the temperature should be when you wake, leave the house during the day, return, and go to sleep. You can also set date and time ranges for vacation settings.
Although I haven’t used an Ecobee, the company’s site demonstrates the interface quite well. My wife and I recently replaced our furnace and thermostat. Despite getting a middle-of-the-lin…
Pedophiles May be Using Your WiFi
October 31, 2008
A FOX 31 examination uncovered alarming methods that child pornographers and pedophiles are using to avoid getting caught…by making it look like you are the criminal. FOX 31’s Julie Hayden reports.
AT&T officially delivers free WiFi to BlackBerry / iPhone users
October 31, 2008
We thought we’d heard the last of this whole AT&T / Starbucks WiFi deal yesterday, but alas, we were terrifically mistaken. AT&T has come forth today with two fluffy press releases that flesh out the details, and amazingly, there are some inclusions that we weren’t made aware of yesterday. For starters, all iPhone / iPhone 3G customers will now have free (and seemingly limitless) access to AT&T WiFi hotspots across the US — we’re talking Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, the whole lot. Additionally, the carrier has welcomed select BlackBerry users — that’s the Bold for now, the Pearl 8120 / 8820 “later this year” — into the same deal, though the official verbiage mentions that an “unlimited data plan” is required. If you didn’t make the cut this time, fret not — AT&T has plans to invite “more mobile devices” into the fold here shortly.
AT&T offers free Wi-Fi access to iPhone owners
October 30, 2008
After months of back and forth, AT&T has finally made official its plan to offer free Wi-Fi access to iPhone owners.
The deal, which applies to thousands of AT&T hot spots in the US, also includes company-owned Starbucks locations that offer Wi-Fi access.
To take advantage of the access, iPhone owners must join the “attwifi” wireless network at a participating location, then enter their ten digit mobile phone number into a Web form. They’ll then be sent a free text message with a hyperlink; tapping on that link will begin the session. AT&T says free access is renewable every 24 hours, but the process must be completed separately for each different location.
AT&T’s free WiFi plan has a checkered history: the service first appeared last May only to disappear shortly thereafter; some speculated that this was because it was a simple matter to have other WiFi clients pretend to be iPhones, netting free access to a service that AT&T normally charges for. The following week AT&T’s site said that hotspot access was included in iPhone plans, a reference which was quickly removed. In July, information on free WiFi access once again appeared on AT&T’s site, only to be once again removed.
Our counterparts in the US have tried out the service at a local Starbucks, and an AT&T spokesperson confirmed to Macworld that the launch is official this time.
Japanese iPhone gets official 1-Seg WiFi tuner, battery charger
October 30, 2008
Japan does love ‘em some mobile TV. Now 1-Seg digital goodness has been announced for iPhone users. The 80-gram tuner provides a TV fix over WiFi and doubles as a battery extender when plugged into the iPhone 3G’s dock connector. Trendy sidewalk zombies, the streets are yours. We’ll update you with prices and dates when known. One more pic for size comparison after the break.
Update: Official PR with specs (no price) is now out: 3 hours continuous 1-Seg viewing, 2-/4-hours charge via AC/USB, and available mid December along side a free 1-Seg application from the AppStore.
IPhone Free WiFi Is Back
October 30, 2008
“iPhone users used to be able to get free Wifi from AT&T hot spots, including Starbucks locations. The service was pulled because of the browser-agent hack. Now the service is being re-launched, this time with a link sent via SMS to the iPhone for the hotspot, valid for 24 hours.”
Free Nationwide WiFi for iPhone Users
October 30, 2008
AT&T just sweetened the pot for all of its iPhone subscribers. If you own an AT&T iPhone, you now get free WiFi access at AT&Ts 17,000 hotspots across the country, including at most Starbucks. Although just last summer AT&T teased customers with the same freebie service, only to put up a pay wall afterwards, this time it looks like the free WiFi is here to stay.
So if you live in a part of the country where AT&T’s 3G data network is spotty, you can now supplement that coverage with AT&T’s WiFi network. It is a nice a bundle. You want to go with the WiFi connection whenever you can get it, regardless.
But why is AT&T doing this? It’s not to seal customer loyalty. The two-year contract does that. Perhaps it is to make up for lapses in its 3G coverage, or simply to take some of the load off the 3G network so that everybody’s mobile Web surfing doesn’t slow down. I really don’t care. What I want to know is why isn’t there an AT&T WiFi Locator app in iTunes?