SOMEWHAT FRANK

i-Gala: Wireless Digital Photo Frame

i-Gala Wireless Digital Photo Frame from Frank Gruber on Vimeo.

I take lots of photos. I post many of them to Flickr and sometimes even email them my friends and family directly. I recently got a chance to check out the latest version of the i-Gala Wireless Digital Photo Frame by Aequitas Technologies that features an 8 inch 800×600 touchscreen display, 1GB internal memory, Wi-Fi and connections with Gmail, Microsoft Windows Live FrameIt and Flickr. This means the frame can connect directly to these services to retreive and display photos. The frame is $240 and can be purchased directly from the i-Gala/Aequitas site.

Check out episode 58 on SOMEWHAT FRANK in the HD video (above) as I recently got a chance to sit down and talk with the founder of Aequitas Technologies, Heikwan Cheng as he explained the new frame in detail. This new frame is just in time for the holidays and should make a super holiday gift for anyone who likes photos.

WiMAX Launches In Baltimore

It has been three years since I first discussed WiMAX technology and at that time it seemed to be generating quite the buzz. So I am pleased to have experienced WiMAX technology first hand today for the first time as Intel, Xohm and Sprint all teamed up to sponsor the WiMAX Baltimore launch event. The event consisted of a preview presentation and then offered a number of hands-on WiMAX experiences which included WiMAX on a boat, in a house and in an automobile. In case WiMAX is something new to you, it is simply wireless Internet with the speed of a broadband or DSL connection.

Video: Bolt Bus Travel Experience To NYC

Traveling from Washington, DC to New York City this week I decided to give a new bus service a try called the Bolt Bus. The Bolt Bus offer a relatively inexpensive way to travel as it was about $40 roundtrip. The service caters to the Internet savvy (and personal technology adventures like myself) as tickets are sold in advance online at BoltBus.com and the bus has wifi and electricity at available to every passenger. This itself makes that four hour drive fly by!

Come along as I venture from DC to NYC about the blazing red Bolt Bus for episode 49 on SOMEWHAT FRANK and offer up some perspective and tips on making your Bolt Bus experience a good one.

Riding The Bolt Bus Roundtrip DC to NYC from Frank Gruber on Vimeo.

A Look Back At 2006

It has been a great 2006, as Somewhat Frank has offered up over 400 articles which attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors. I thought it might be interesting to reflect on some of the best of 2006 as we look forward to 2007. Here are some of the most popular articles:

1. Facebook Redesign Angers Students Over Invaded Privacy (September  6, 2006)
2. VideoJug: The Online 'How To' Video Site (December 28, 2006)
3. Why Isn’t Internet Access Free For Travelers? (November 27, 2006)
4. The History of the Personal Homepage (September  3, 2006)
5. Widgets Live! Everywhere (November 11, 2006)
6. Philanthropy Through Technology (October 18, 2006)
7. Kiboze: Group Text Messaging Made Easy (August 12, 2006)
8. RunFatBoy.net and Get In Shape (September 26, 2006)
9. 37signals Preaches "Less" For Success (April 29, 2006)
10. PlentyofFish.com the Craigslist of Dating (March 25, 2006)

Most of the traffic to Somewhat Frank came from:

1. Google 
2. Digg
3. Direct or RSS feed
4. Yahoo
5. Technorati
6. MSN
7. Techmeme

The top web 2.0 keywords which brought visitors to Somewhat Frank were:

1. web 2.0 directory
2. web 2.0 compliant
3. web 2.0 widgets
4. wine web 2.0
5. how to start a web 2.0 company
6. web 2.0 aggregator
7. web 2.0 sites
8. web 2.0 techniques
9. web 2.0
10. learning web 2.0

Some of the top overall keywords that brought visitors to Somewhat Frank were:

1. frank gruber (no big surprise here)
2. plentyoffish.com
3. green monster games
4. moobella
5. goodsearch
6. like.com
7. somewhat frank (another shocker)
8. devilfinder
9. myheritage
10. chalksite

Finally, let's take a snapshot look at where Somewhat Frank readers came from (click the map to see a larger view):

Alas, Somewhat Frank is a global destination. Thank you all for reading and interacting with Somewhat Frank in 2006 and be sure to tune in for more in 2007.

Happy New Year from Somewhat Frank!

Why Isn’t Internet Access Free For Travelers?

I have been traveling quite a bit lately and have had to rely on public Internet access. Much to my dismay I have found that most hotels and airports still do not offer free Internet access. Why isn't airport and hotel Internet access a standard free feature?

Airport Internet Access
I feel that having to pay for Internet access in airports is unconscionable since travelers are a captive audience and are only in the concourse for a short period of time. I understand it is a business however the price is manifestly unjustice as travelers pay between $5 and $21 for short term access. I would think airports would want to make concourses friendlier to business travelers by offering a complementary service. There are quite a few airports that have taken the lead in this movement as shown in this running list of airports with free wifi. These free wifi airports are most likely supported by advertising. I think most people would look at a few advertisements in return for free Internet access. I just hope that other airports like O’Hare Airport (the busiest airport in the world) and Dulles near Washington, DC would look to please its travelers with free wifi soon.

Hotel Internet Access
Hotels are also guilty of ridiculous markup on Internet access. Hotels do not have you pay for television, water or electric access but Internet connectivity has not yet been lumped into the category of necessities. I would definitely place it on my list of hotel room must-haves. I stayed at the Bellagio in Las Vegas over the summer and recall paying close to $20 a day for an Internet connection and another $20 for a T1 an Ethernet cable. A recent stay at another luxury resort surprised me with similar $10 a day Internet access charges. In both hotels I paid the Internet access charges but I feel these charges should be rolled in as a complementary service.

Other Access Options
There are other Internet access options if the connectivity is as much a part of your life as breakfast. Verizon, Cingular and Sprint among others offer wireless cards and access for between $40-$60 a month which is a steal if you are always on the go and paying for Internet access. Additionally, you could try and find free wifi in your area as I have written previously. 

Bottom-line: The Internet is a series of tubes and is here to stay - therefore it should be looked at in the same light as television service since for many travelers Internet access is a necessity.