

Free Google-Sponsored Boingo WiFi for 4k Locations (But Not For iOS Users) - kunle
http://techcrunch.com/2012/09/11/free-google-sponsored-boingo-wifi-comes-to-4000-u-s-locations-but-not-for-ios-users/

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jack-r-abbit
So Google paid for something so users can get it for free and they want to
limit that to their own customers. If Apple did it I wouldn't really have a
problem with it. I don't really see this as any different than the many, many
apps that are only available to one platform or the other. Sure it is annoying
when a company puts out only an iOS app but I just view that as a lost
opportunity for them. But Google/Boingo aren't losing anyone here. So some
people can't get something for free... but those people either would have paid
anyway or they weren't going to use the service. Not giving it to them for
free isn't really losing a customer.

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yock
So the offering is slated to last only a couple weeks and there's seemingly no
way to identify which locations are included. Am I missing something, or is
this really just a lot of hot air?

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vesky
I don't think the hype this piece of news got was due to the way it works but
mostly because its restricted towards Apple users. It's not newsworthy by
itself but because it's part of the Apple/Google war, bloggers gave it far
more importance than in should've got in the first place.

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yock
Hype aside, if Google & friends are making a marketing offering, it's just
good sense to ensure that the details of what has been offered are very clear.
Google vs. Apple aside, here we have a very official-looking press release
about this supposed partnership and I don't know how or where to take
advantage of it (and, see their advertisements, I might add).

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henryl
FTA: _Google Play_ is sponsoring free wifi. iOS users don't have access to
Google Play.

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ThomPete
Is this new? I have had no problem getting onto Boinge with my iOS device.

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myko
You can still get it on your iOS device(s). The difference is Google is
offering it free.

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ThomPete
Is that new? I mean I have had it for free on my iOS for at least a couple of
months.

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avbor
They are only excluding iOS? Macs are still allowed? What's the problem?

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vesky
I don't think so. I remember reading on a blog that Mac & Windows users have
to pay too.

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abraham
> I don't think so. I remember reading on a blog that Mac & Windows users have
> to pay too.

From the article "Android phones and tablets and Windows and Macintosh laptops
will be able to make use of this service"

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vesky
...and I'm being downvoted because, apparently, TechCrunch is the only
reliable news source online and saying something that might contradict it is
wrong from the start. :)

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abraham
From the official Boingo press release "Android phones and tablets, as well as
Windows and Macintosh laptops, will be offered complimentary Wi-Fi"

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vesky
In that case I guess I was wrong and so was the source I had. Thank you for
proving me wrong. I guess I should start reading the Press Releases more
often.

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xtdx
Is it time for Senate hearings about hotspot neutrality?

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vesky
I wouldn't worry too much about it. Faking an ID towards a wireless network is
pretty easy to do. There will probably be apps that would fool the WiFi into
thinking your iPhone is an Android device.

