Free Wi-Fi for U.K. MySpace users, kind of
Social network MySpace has signed a promotional deal to bring free Wi-Fi to its users...but only in the U.K., and only to access MySpace-owned pages.
It's partnered with The Cloud, a European wireless provider that powers broadband access in establishments like hotels, fast-food joints, and airports. MySpace users will now be able to access the social network, which is owned by News Corp., on The Cloud's paid-subscription hotspots. The access company runs about 7,000 of them in the U.K.
Cool idea. It would've been an interesting extension of credential portability if social-network logins could be used to access Wi-Fi hot spots that would otherwise require subscriptions. But with access limited to MySpace (and what happens if something hosted on an external server is embedded in a MySpace profile?), this deal's usefulness is really limited, along the lines of having Starbucks' free wireless access limited to the iTunes Store.
But it's sort of a nifty promotion for the U.K., where Bebo and now Facebook dominate the social-network scene. The test runs until October, and will be cross-promoted on both The Cloud and MySpace.
Caroline McCarthy, a CNET News staff writer, is a downtown Manhattanite happily addicted to social-media tools and restaurant blogs. Her pre-CNET resume includes interning at an IT security firm and brewing cappuccinos. E-mail Caroline. 
