Published by Dana Spiegel on January 11, 2010 under NewsComments Off
Our roving Wi-Fi reporter, Klaus Ernst, has checked out the Times Square area again looking for CBSMobileZone hotspots that were online (though barely functional) a few months ago. Here’s his report:
when trying to connect at a CBSMobileZone lately I keep getting redirected to:
no aptilo terms of service page coming up. Also the “cbsmobilezone.com” Website is gone. Could be accessed from anywhere not just their hotspots.
Right by CBS on Sixth Av I caught a good one: upper case and lower case. Was always like that. My guess is that the lower case was their tryout and they never corrected it.
The last time I was able to connect to CBSMobileZone was on Nov. 28 (Subway entrance 7th Av and 53 St) I checked the stats from an email I sent from there. The hotspots have definitely something to do with Verizon:
from [10.128.6.248] (pool-71-167-227-24.nycmny.east.verizon.net[71.167.227.24])
So is CBSMobileZone history? Have you heard anything?
So, has anyone heard anything about CBSMobileZone? Is it in fact quietly shut down?
Published by Dana Spiegel on December 29, 2009 under EventsComments Off
Members of NYCwireless have been invited to participate in PluggedIn, a great social media event on January 12, 2010. Be sure to register and use discount code “plugged”!
PluggedIn is a mobile and social media summit, bringing together handpicked media, advertising, social media and mobile executives and gatekeepers. The event is designed to facilitate knowledge sharing, relationship building and deal making. See 25 companies present and talk about what they are doing and what they look to achieve in 2010.
Participating companies include: Klout, Tweetphoto, Tweetfeel, Movoxx, Flyscreen, AppsSavvy, and many more.
PluggedIn is run by Founders Roundtable, a digital media networking company focused on leveraging relationships to help startups succeed. The reason for PluggedIn is the frustration with typical industry conferences which are overcrowded and lack the intimacy and cut-to-the-chase attitude required for in-depth dialogue and true relationship building.
Published by Dana Spiegel on December 26, 2009 under NewsComments
I had a very interesting email exchange today with Thomas Cheplick, a reporter at the Heartland Institute. For those of you paying attention over the past few years to the Telecom sector, you’ll remember The Heartland Institute as a Sock Puppet Organization that “that call themselves independent but have ties among each other and to the industries about which they are stating they have an objective opinion.”
Apparently, Mr. Cheplick is writing an “article” on the recently announced Miami Beach Free Wi-Fi network. We are certainly in favor of local city governments trying to help local residents and provide a valuable utility, especially when it is used to enable city workers and public safety services to get roaming internet access to better do their jobs and to save the city and taxpayers money.
But Mr. Cheplick’s bias against any such initiative, as well as the bias of his employer, shows through clearly in his initial email requesting NYCwireless comment. He even goes so far as to outright lie about the reasons behind the closure of other Muni-Wi-Fi networks (hint: it has something to do with the fact that the providers of such networks, such as Earthlink and MetroFi, either exited or went out of business). It seems clear to me that whatever Mr. Cheplick writes, its going to be heavily one sided, with a strong slant towards supporting big business and a big slant away from wanting to help local residents help themselves. Something to be aware of in case you come across Mr. Cheplick’s “article”.
Interestingly, I’ve met many conservatives and liberals alike that are big supporters of people and small local governments helping themselves. Its a mystery to me why anyone (unless you are an executive as a large Telco or Cableco) would be against people becoming self-sufficient. But then again, I don’t have an agenda paid for by an incumbent big business.
And yes, Mr. Cheplick, you are correct that “off-the-record” can be a two way street. So perhaps you’ll think twice about being naughty around the holidays. Hopefully, this public post will nicely match the lump of coal that was surely left in your stocking this year.
What comes after television, the internet and mobile is what has been commonly referred to as the fourth screen. But what is the deal with all these screens. What are they, why are they important and what do we as producers, designers, technologists and marketers need to know?
SCREEN 1: Traditional Broadcast and Cable Television starring Steve Ronson: EVP/AETN (A&E Television Networks)
SCREEN 2: Desktop, Laptop and computers starring Lance Podell: CEO/NextNewNetworks
SCREEN 3: Wireless and Mobile starring Dana Spiegel: Executive Director of NYCwireless
SCREEN 4: Digital out-of-home advertising and everything else starring Michael Kogon: Founder and CEO/Definition6
Although they get all the press, phones aren’t actually the only devices that make up our rapidly expanding world of mobile communications. Laptops and portable game consoles are also being widely used by on-the-go consumers. And companies like Yahoo and Google are paying close attention to that. Both sponsored expansive free wifi services for the holidays. Yahoo’s blanketed Times Square, while Google’s took to the airports and skies beyond.
More than a palindromic number, 12/21 is an evening for drinks, hors d’oeuvres, and special guests at the professional networking event for New York technology.
Our mission is to bring together all aspects of technology and the business of technology in one event.
Come rub elbows and connect with colleagues from every segment of NY tech, as we unite the technical and business communities that we’re all a part of.
All are invited – CTO/CIO, junior admin, engineer, developer, entrepreneur, manager, author, speaker, media, and business professional.
This, our third groundbreaking event, is co-hosted by Bootup and Girls in Tech (see our 2007 and 2004 events).
Space is limited and we may have to close RSVPs early.
Date: December 21st, 2009 at 7:00PM Location: Forum, 127 Fourth Avenue
Business casual attire is required.
Published by Dana Spiegel on December 7, 2009 under NewsComments
Our own Klaus Ernst had a chance to check out the new Times SquareWi-Fi network, and snapped some pictures of the network’s home page (on his iPod Touch) and some of the advertisements in the area:
I finally got connected at 43 and b’way. I tried saturday – no luck. No good at the steps either. Could this be new CBSmobilezone?
I tried again Friday (12/4). Same thing. Ok at 43, nothing at 46th St.
We don’t know of anyone that was able to get the CBSMobileZone network to work. Hopefully the quality and range of the Times SquareWi-Fi network improve.
Friend Bruce Lincoln, Entrepreneur in Residence at Columbia Engineering’s Center for Technology, Innovation & Community Engagement, sent us an invite for a CommunityBroadband Hearing taking place next Friday, December 11 at Columbia. I’m planning to attend, and suggest those of you that fill the different roles outlined below attend as well.
If you are planning on attending, leave a comment so we can find you!
It is important that members of the local community have an opportunity to participate in the National Broadband Planning process which is currently underway in Washington.
Toward that end, I invite you to participate in an FCC Field Hearing on Friday, December 11, 2009 at Columbia University in New York. The meeting will be held in Davis Auditorium from 8:45 am until noon.
The field hearing will bring together policymakers, elected officials, not-for-profit organizations, small businesses, anchor institutions, public agencies, broadband providers, foundations, community-based organizations and community leaders, academicians, and researchers. Together we will share thoughts on how collectively we can ensure all New Yorkers have access to broadband and the educational, economic and social opportunities it can provide.
I hope you will be able to attend as a representative of your organization or constituency. To fully understand the importance of broadband access from all points of view, your participation is vital. The agenda includes a “community visioning session” where you will have an opportunity to share your thoughts, ideas, and concerns with the group.
You can confirm your attendance via e-mail to bl2317@columbia.edu.
Opening Remarks (Dean, Feniosky Pena-Mora, Columbia Engineering)
9:00
“An Overview of the New York State Broadband Vision and Strategy” (Edward Reinfurt, Executive Director, New York State Foundation for Science, Technology and Innovation, NYSTAR)
Published by Dana Spiegel on November 10, 2009 under NewsComments
Our friends over at the Times Square Alliance just sent us word that their new Wi-Fi network is up and running, and will be launched today. This is a great new amenity for New Yorkers and visitors alike, offering Free Wi-Fi to everyone. So grab a coffee and have a seat in one of the new Broadway Pedestrian Plazas, and get online for free (Yahoo! is sponsoring).
Check out the press release below:
Times Square Alliance Provides New Amenity Marking the Next Stage in the Evolution of the Broadway Plazas in New York
NEW YORK, Nov. 10 /PRNewswire/ — The Times Square Alliance announced today that they have teamed up with Yahoo! to bring free wireless Internet access to Times Square. Times Square, long known as the Crossroads of the World, will also be the crossroads of the wireless world. Together, Times Square Alliance and Yahoo! are enabling you to connect within the Crossroads of the World so you can access your world and the world around you.
Whether you are accessing free Wi-Fi from your laptop or mobile phone, Times Square Alliance and Yahoo! are empowering visitors to do more with the Web so they can get more out of their experience within Times Square. Visitors gain access through a new portal that offers the latest information about Times Square events and businesses, as well as local weather and news from around the world.
“Times Square has always been a neighborhood on the forefront of creativity and technology,” said Times Square Alliance President Tim Tompkins. “It’s among the most plugged-in, linked up and media-saturated places on the planet. So it’s only fitting that visitors to the Crossroads of the World enjoy free Wi-Fi as the next step on Times Square’s journey to becoming a world-class 21st century public space.”
The Broadway Pedestrian Plazas have created a gathering space for the community and visitors alike, and now the addition of this new, free service further provides them with access to the level of cutting edge technology traditionally associated with Times Square.
Pedestrians on the new Broadway Plazas can sit down at a cafe table, or on Duffy Square’s iconic red glass steps, and access their email, read the review of a Broadway show they are considering, browse local restaurant menus, or simply see who’s playing at Caroline’s that evening. Locals could even use the free web access to translate conversations with interesting tourists from around the globe.
The service will be kicked off today, November 10 with a Times Square Internet Cafe operating from 8:00 to 11:00 a.m. on the Broadway Pedestrian Plaza between 43rd and 44th Street, just east of Military Island. Patrons will be able to sit down in the internet cafe, enjoy a free cup of coffee and log onto the new Wi-Fi service. Tables will be provided for patrons that bring their own laptops and additional laptops will be available to visitors on a first come, first serve basis.
The Times Square Alliance expresses their appreciation to Newmark Knight Frank and Sherwood Equities for their invaluable assistance in bringing Wi-Fi to the Great White Way.
THE TIMES SQUARE ALLIANCE (www.TimesSquareNYC.org), founded in 1992, works to improve and promote Times Square. In addition to providing safety and sanitation services, the Alliance coordinates many major events in Times Square including New Year’s Eve, manages the City’s busiest Tourism Center and advocates on behalf of its constituents with respect to a host of public policy, planning and quality-of-life issues.
NYCwireless is a non-profit organization that advocates and enables the growth of free, public wireless Internet access in parks, public spaces, and affordable housing residences in New York City and surrounding areas.
If you are interested in building a free Wi-Fi hotspot in your business, park, or housing development, contact us.
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Very cool Wi-Fi hack! Jalalabad's Fab Fi: How Junk Was Turned Into a High-Speed Wireless Network - http://bit.ly/bHRGH82010/03/05
Published by Dana Spiegel on January 11, 2010 under News 
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