• WHAT: The ability to use multiple providers' WiFi "hot spots" through one account for very little money
• WHY: WiFi access is becoming more important, and more expensive to use multiple services otherwise
• COST: $10/month for the first month, $22/month after that, no contracts required

Sure, I try to travel without my laptop as much as possible because I just don't like shlepping things around.  I use my cell phone (currently a Motorola RAZR V3xx, soon to be an iPhone) for email, web browsing and generally staying in touch, but if I've got to write a blog post, compile a consulting analysis or do heavy web-based browsing work I'm going to bring my trusty MacBook (13", 2 GB of memory, glossy screen and 80 GB drive) along for the ride.  And while I can connect it by using my cell phone as a modem (a trick I'll talk about in a future post) sometimes you just feel the need for speed - and you just can't get that from a cell phone-as-modem, even if it's a high-speed (3G) capable phone in a high-speed portion of the carrier's network. 

So if you feel the need for speed and aren't connected to the provider you use in your home or office, the best alternative today is a WiFi hot spot.  (If you don't know what these are there's a wonderful, simple explanation HERE through Wikipedia.) The problem is, though, that there are multiple providers and choosing one will often limit your options to one group of hot spots.  There's a solution to that, though, in the form of a hot spot aggregator called Boingo - and recently they've started offering access at a price that makes it too tempting to overlook.  For about $22/month you can access high speed wireless from 13,000 cafes, 14,000 hotels, 800 airports and many more.  The first month on the special that I caught was $10; other specials offer the second month free when you sign up and pay for the first month. 

Now, there are other options for WiFi access - you can try to find a free WiFi hot spot through one of the many directories.  One of the best directories is HERE.   Or, if you're like me, you'll "sniff" around the local area you're in by looking through the list of access points (the technical term for a hot spot) provided by homes, businesses or communities to see which ones are not secured (i.e., they don't require a password) so that you can jump on for a quick ride.  While this technique works it's time-consuming and not particularly reliable.  You could join one of the popular services like AT&T or T-Mobile to access all of their hot spots, too.  The problem in doing that is it limits you to just their system.  What I like about Boingo is that it combines the access points of multiple services and gives them all (except T-Mobile, which is, admittedly, the most ubiquitous, but others are catching up quickly) to you for one packaged price.  Heck, you can even get unlimited international access through them for about $40/month. 

As per my standard policy, I don't have any financial interest in Boingo (otherwise I state my position clearly) but do think that this is a wonderful idea and a better deal than many of the other services from an individual provider.  I almost signed up for AT&T's hot spot service for $17/month a few weeks ago but decided to hold off - on a flight back from NYC to LA I flipped open the laptop and the Boingo offer popped up... for $5/month more than AT&T's service I was able to add tens of thousands of additional hot spots (including the airport gate area where I was waiting for my flight).  I'm glad I waited - the Boingo plan lets me connect through a local chain of coffee shops (Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, a real California-cult similar to In 'N Out for burgers, if you eat that stuff [I don't]), Barnes & Noble stores (there are several within ten minutes of my house), airports and lots more. 

So, if you feel the need, the need for speed, I recommend Boingo.  Funny name, seriously great deal on WiFi if you sign up... get either a free month or an introductory rate of just $10/month.