AOL recently informed customers that beginning next month, AOL will charge dial-up subscribers $25.90 per month. The price won't be that much of a shock, since it's $2 more than those dial-up customers are paying now. More important, it's equal to what high-speed DSL (digital subscriber line) or cable subscribers pay to get AOL services such as e-mail and customer support along with high-speed Internet access.

The price jump shows just how important it is to the Internet giant to get more of its customers onto broadband. It has led to an obvious question for longtime AOL customers: Who wouldn't move to broadband when it costs the same price?

AOL makes no bones about the fact that it is trying to encourage people to upgrade to faster service so they can better view the bandwidth-intensive content on the AOL site. "The hope is that we'll be encouraging users to upgrade to broadband because a majority of them will be able to get high-speed connections," said AOL spokeswoman Anne Bentley. Full Story...

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MetroFreeFi.com, a directory of free wireless Internet hotspots, has released a survey of the top 10 cities in Maine ranked according to the number of free Wi-Fi hotspots. A free Wi-Fi hotspot is a public location that provides locals and visitor wireless Internet at no cost.

The wireless hotspot data was gathered from MetroFreeFi.com's global database, which includes over 10,000 free wireless hotspots and is a collaborative effort by free Wi-Fi users. MetroFreeFi.com ranked cities by the number of free Wi-Fi hotspots within city limits, taking population density into account.

"Mainers expect to find free Wi-Fi wherever they go," said Scott Lewis, Co-Founder of MetroFreeFi.com. "A growing number of businesses are accommodating locals and visitors by providing free wireless access."

The Top 10 Wireless Cities in the Maine:

(For detailed information please visit: http://metrofreefi.com/stats/top-10-wireless-cities-in-maine/)

1) Portland, ME (10 hotspots with a population of 64249)
2) Augusta, ME (5 hotspots with a population of 18560)
3) Bangor, ME (5 hotspots with a population of 31473)
4) Ellsworth, ME (4 hotspots with a population of 6456)
5) South Portland, ME (4 hotspots with a population of 23324)
6) Belfast, ME (3 hotspots with a population of 6381)
7) Auburn, ME (3 hotspots with a population of 23203)
8) Lewiston, ME (3 hotspots with a population of 35690)
9) Freeport, ME (2 hotspots with a population of 1813)
10) Scarborough, ME (2 hotspots with a population of 3867)

Source: www.metrofreefi.com

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Staying competitive and up to speed with the latest technology has prompted many Cabarrus County business owners to offer wireless Internet services, or Wi-Fi, to clients who now expect it.

A growing number of businesses -- ranging from coffee shops and restaurants to shopping centers -- are offering the service. And in most places, it's free.

Wi-Fi, which stands for "wireless fidelity," is technology that allows computer users to log onto the Internet without phone lines. Users have to be near a Wi-Fi access point and have a wireless card plugged into their laptop or an antenna built in to pick up a signal.

"We know a lot of people have a very limited time for lunch, and we wanted to make it convenient for people that might be pressed for time during their lunch break to come, have their lunch and still do their work and e-mail correspondence," said Brooke Hardebeck, spokeswoman for Carolina Mall. Full Story...

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The increasing incorporation of technology into daily life has spawned hands-free cell phone devices, hand-held and laptop computers and, more recently, wireless networks in such public places as restaurants.

While these "wireless hotspots" offer their customers convenience, they also pose a potential security threat to their users, according to Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan. Full Story...
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Kyocera Wireless released a new product that combines CDMA2000, EV-DO broadband wireless connectivity and Wi-Fi for setting up a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot.

The firm said that its new KR1 Mobile Router connects a single EV-DO connection to a Wi-Fi, 802.11g router to create a mobile hotspot for wireless access. The router connects to PCMCIA or USB-enabled EV-DO handsets.

Kyocera said that it is targeting businesses who need to create temporary wireless networks for users. The new hardware costs $299.99 and was developed in a partnership with D-Link.

Even though they are 'college towns' the Free Wi-Fi hotspots are open to the public.

Survey Details:
The wireless hotspot data was gathered from MetroFreeFi.com’s global database, which includes over 10,000 free wireless hotspots and is a collaborative effort by free wi-fi users. Cities with populations under 100,000 listed as college towns according to census data were ranked by the number of free wi-fi hotspots within city limits. Population played an important role in the rankings, causing college towns to beat out similar towns with lower ratios of hotspots to city population.

The survery also says:

* The abundance of free wi-fi hotspots in college towns suggests that the younger generation simply will not pay for wi-fi access.
* Businesses can appeal to students by providing free wireless Internet access.
* Paid wi-fi providers such as T-Mobile Hotspot are not meeting consumer expectations. Full Story...