Early adopters of Windows Vista are getting three months of free Wi-Fi access from hot-spot operator The Cloud.
"(Microsoft) chose us because of the extensive network coverage we have in the U.K., which is numerically far greater than some of the other Wi-Fi operators here," a representative of The Cloud told ZDNet UK on Thursday, adding that the operator is "delighted" with the partnership.
Those who have installed the newly released Microsoft operating system in the United States are currently able to take advantage of a similar hot-spot deal with T-Mobile. It is valid through April 30 when users sign up for a complimentary trial account, according to T-Mobile.
Vista users will be able to access The Cloud service by visiting Microsoft's U.K. Vista home page and signing up, according to The Cloud, though that site currently does not have promoted mention of the deal, purported by the official Windows Vista Magazine to begin Friday. The Cloud added that users would not have to give any credit card details to sign up for the three-month promotion.
The Cloud operates 7,500 Wi-Fi sites across the United Kingdom, with indoor hot spots in airports, railway stations and hotels, and outdoor "hotzones" in six city centers. The representative added that the company would offer Wi-Fi access across the financial heart of London as of the end of March.
"FREE" WiFi access is great, but not much of a catalyst for early adopters of Vista. Those who go after "FREE" deals will likely not be buying the new HW prebundled with Vista and the tech-savy are both already online and taking a wait-and-see approach to Microsoft's latest OS.
Instead of trying to leverage/mimic the UGLY "FREE" with purchase... model exploited by the cell phone carriers, Microsoft would be better served getting them all to support Outlook 2007's SMS messaging features.
SMS from the desktop has the potential for REAL ROI benefits and would be a valid reason for many to upgrade to Outlook 2007. Unfortunately, although Office 2007 was available to developers for more than a year prior to launch, T-Mobile and other cell providers still don't have support in place for Outlook 2007's SMS features.
Chinese authorities have reportedly taken iPads from a third-party retailer, a move apparently brought on by Apple's continued refusal to honor a trademark for the iPad name owned by a Chinese manufacturer.
NY professor believes that a word-based algorithm can help bring together those who believe, with one glimpse, that they have found and lost the love of their lives.
The Silicon Valley online payments startup grew by 1,000 percent last year and is hopeful it can repeat that level of growth this year. To do that, it's had to move away from its early friends-and-family roots and embrace small businesses.
Chamtech's spray-on antenna uses a nano material to provide a low-power boost to antenna range. The wireless-in-a-can product may some day bring an end to unsightly cell towers.
EnerG2 opens a plant to make an engineered carbon that will improve performance of energy storage devices and make storage for start-stop hybrid cars less expensive.
Instead of trying to leverage/mimic the UGLY "FREE" with purchase... model exploited by the cell phone carriers, Microsoft would be better served getting them all to support Outlook 2007's SMS messaging features.
SMS from the desktop has the potential for REAL ROI benefits and would be a valid reason for many to upgrade to Outlook 2007. Unfortunately, although Office 2007 was available to developers for more than a year prior to launch, T-Mobile and other cell providers still don't have support in place for Outlook 2007's SMS features.
already feels they have to sweeten the deal!
Pitiful!
I'm sure a massive agreement like that ONLY took two whole days... one to agree on and one to get C|Net to post about it.
Troll on Ian. Continue Damming those who do, and also Dam those who don't.