Mobile working Toolkit

Boingo, said Apple

Dinesh C Sharma CNET News.com

Published: 11 Jan 2005 11:25 GMT

Boingo Wireless on Monday released a version of its Wi-Fi hot-spot access software for users of Apple's OS X operating system.

The package, Mac Boingo, is designed to let users connect to Boingo's roaming network of public wireless nodes with a single username and password, the company said. The company's network covers 12,000 hot spots from roaming partners such as Wayport and Surf & Sip, allowing British users to surf in areas as diverse as the British Library, Caffé Nero coffee shops or Wetherspoon's pubs -- nearly 4,000 locations in all -- as well as the rest of the company's international locations.

The Boingo software works with the "sniffing" and connection functions of Apple's AirPort Wi-Fi software. Mac users can configure their computers to launch virtual private network or email software after logging into a Boingo hot spot.

The software can be downloaded free from the company Web site. It is compatible with Mac OS 10.2.8 and later. The roaming service is available for $7.95 per day or a monthly subscription of $21.95, according to Boingo's Web site.