Boingo launches mobile Wi-Fi service from Blackberry

Boingo Wireless has announced that it’s Wi-Fi hotspot service has been launched for Blackberry. The service will allow Blackberry owners to automatically locate and connect to the best Wi-Fi service in their area.

How does Boingo work?

Late last June Boingo secured the patent for its Wi-Fi service, which is basically a constantly updating network of Wi-Fi hotspots. This service is aimed at people who want to use data services on their phones, but don’t want to pay operator data rates. They can use Boingo to locate and connect to free Wi-Fi. As Jonathan Mendelson, Boingo GM of mobile and product management says, the service is about “ease of use and a low-cost, high-speed alternative to cellular data. BlackBerry users can seamlessly switch to a Boingo Wi-Fi connection when they’re online using data-intensive applications.”

Boingo for Blackberry will work just the same as it does on the other major smartphone platforms. Your phone notifies you when you enter a Boingo registered hotspot, and offers you a one-click option to connect to that hotspot. It’s available for download from the Blackberry app store for $7.95 per month, but if you’re a heavy data user than you’ll easily save that much… unless you’re on an unlimited data package, that is.

To begin with, it’s available for the Curve 8900 and 8320 models and the Bold, but more devices will be supported as they become available.

What we think?

I’ve always liked the Boingo service, but I’m not sure how sustainable it’s going to be. The thing is that as a service it really works: it turns Wi-Fi hotspot hunting from a nightmare into a painless exercise. But outside of built-up “downtown” areas in major cities, hotspots tend to be few and far between. They’re also notoriously unreliable when it comes to speed and strength of connection. The problem is that as operator data rates become more reasonable, and their 3G coverage becomes better, even easy access to Wi-Fi hotspots will be more trouble then it’s worth.