iPhone: Leech Some Bandwidth
Posted on July 15, 2007
Filed Under Culture & Lifestyle |
A lot has been said about the iPhone, much of it good… some of it bad. And while we have our own complaints and compliments like so many others, we’ll spare you the boring post about what we think (as if any of you really care). What we will say however is that there is one aspect of the iPhone that has been seemingly overlooked and that is its WiFi capability. On its own, the fact the iPhone has WiFi is pretty cool. And like many, we use the WiFi more than the slow and obnoxiously unstable EDGE network. Of course, that’s simply a byproduct of having WiFi in the studio and spending most of our working day there. But then it hit us: How many designers or computer related professionals have found themselves without a net connection and a desperate need to get online?
Scarily Luckily the amount of people who (knowingly or otherwise) “share” their net connections is overwhelming. And while there are numerous devices on the market that sniff out hotspots, there has never been one as sexy or efficient as the iPhone. By default, the iPhone will connect to an open network should it detect one. But one trip to the ‘Wi-Fi’ section under ‘Settings’ reveals all of the available networks in the area. And while we’re not techies, from our rough observations the detection range is amazingly strong. As if that weren’t cool enough, the iPhone constantly searches for new networks which is great if you’re driving around aimlessly in search of bandwidth.
So What’s This All Mean?
Well the concept of Wardriving is nothing new. In fact, it’s been around for eons. But typically one had to have a laptop or similar device handy which is a lot more cumbersome than an iPhone. Of course, there’s also the grey area of legality in ‘borrowing’ someone’s net connection for a bit. We don’t condone breaking the law, but we’re guessing an iPhone looks a lot less suspicious than an open laptop in the front seat. So you be the judge. If you suddenly need to upload a file, click your own banner ads, or access the net on the go… perhaps look no further than your iPhone lined pocket before whipping out the almighty Macbook.
Comments
6 Comments
Leave a comment
Links
From “How to steal-wifi” on Slate. “The FCC told me that they don’t know of any federal or state laws that make it illegal to log on to an open network. Using someone’s connection to check your e-mail isn’t like hacking into their bank account. It’s more like you’re borrowing a cup of sugar. (Unless you hog their bandwidth by watching lots of streaming video—that’s like hijacking a sugar truck.)”
http://slate.com/id/2109941/
Cheers,
Marc
Wasn’t there another article here on monday?
Interesting article, what caught my eye the most was that the time on the clock reads 4:20. Coincidence? I think not.
Looking past that, Im curious, what do you think is lacking in the iPhone. I ask, because Im still on the fence on whether to get it or not. I hear that AT&T service isnt that good, especially here in Boston.
Awesome idea. I know it’s not the most legal thing in the world, but it’s really handy to know where hotspots are.
I want one. Real bad. Gimme!
Indeed it does say 4:20. Send us your address and we’ll send you some smoke. (Just kidding). That was a good catch though. The iPhone is very good since we’ve been asked by a few readers - but for anyone who does a lot of email or ‘business’ on the phone they’ll find it lacking. For example, if you get 30 emails in one day on your phone (not uncommon for us), there is no ‘Delete All.’ Instead you have to delete all one by one. Also, you can’t copy and paste text which is very unintuitive. No MMS is baffling.
For the best review on the phone we’d suggest looking at:
http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/03/iphone-review/
We agree pretty much with everything that has been said.