Mobile Computing: Internet Access at Airports

Need to hit the Web before a flight? We rank sites for six major airports.

James A. Martin

Feature: Finding Internet Access at Airports

When I'm stuck at an airport, I shop. If there are no compelling retail outlets, I check messages on my cell phone. If it's evening, I've been known to pull up a bar stool and order liquid refreshment. And when all my other options are completely exhausted, I look for a reasonably quiet corner, pull out the notebook, and go to work.

I'd be willing to make work a priority during layovers (at least sometimes) if airports could be counted on to offer comfortable accommodations for portable-computer users. While many airports today offer Internet kiosks, business centers, and Wi-Fi hotspots, you can't assume that the terminals you'll be passing through will offer anything more than a pay phone.

Ideally, there'd be one Web site that details the amenities for business travelers at every U.S. airport. But my research uncovered nothing that even came close. (If anyone knows of such a site, please contact me at james_martin@pcworld.com.)

I checked the Web sites of 12 domestic airports for details about Internet kiosks, wireless access points, and business centers available to the traveling public. Surprisingly, of that dozen, only two provided helpful, easy-to-find information--and six contained no info about business amenities whatsoever. All too often I had to dig to find what I needed, only to come away with sketchy details or no information at all.

Here's a look at the six sites I visited that provided some help for business travelers, arranged from the best to the worst. I've also included tips for other ways to locate Internet access in airports before you leave the office.

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport

Big D gets a Big A for being the overall best airport Web site I visited. The site is slickly designed and fairly well organized, though it took a few clicks to find what I was looking for. The home page offers no obvious link to business services, so I clicked Shops & Restaurants, then browsed by terminal. There are four tabs for each terminal, including one for Services. There you'll find a list that includes Internet kiosks, Internet phones (I'm not sure what's meant by that, as there was no description), and so on. The Laptop Lane in Terminal A included a link to a page with a description and photos of the business center. Also, each listing includes the service's specific location. For instance, I learned that Terminal A has Internet kiosks at Gates A6, A10, and A18. The site also offers helpful and detailed maps, accessed by clicking Airport Guide, then Terminal Guides. A direct link to the terminal map from the services listing would have been even better, but far be it from me to complain. Rating: Top Flight

Los Angeles International Airport

On the left side of LAX's home page is a Passenger Services link; from that you can select Business Center. That link takes you to a page describing The Gate Escape, a business and entertainment service with three locations offering Internet access, laser printing, copying, and computer games; and The Travel Right Cafe, a cybercafe in Terminal 4's Departure Level with free use of modem ports/phone jacks and electrical outlets. The site also includes slick, interactive terminal maps, though the business services weren't displayed. Rating: Smooth Ride

Chicago O'Hare

At the Chicago O'Hare site it took four clicks before I landed on a list of business centers, which included a Laptop Lane (a small chain of airport business centers) in Terminal One and a Hilton Business Center in Terminal Two. The site offered one-paragraph descriptions of each business center along with links to terminal maps, which had each center clearly labeled. But I found no information about Internet kiosks or wireless Internet access points. Rating: Bumpy Ride

Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport

The Atlanta Hardsfield home page has no obvious link to information about business services or Internet access, so I clicked Passenger Information, then selected Concessions. From there, I had to browse each terminal's listings one at a time. In Concourse A, for instance, I discovered a Laptop Lane and a SkyTel Mobil Communications & Business Service. The site offers no details on either, however; only a phone number and a description of their locations. The terminal maps don't offer much detail, either. Rating: Flight Delayed

LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy International, New York

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey operates sites for New York's LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy International (as it does the airports), both of which are accessable from one home page. I selected the LGA Airport Terminal Services choice, then chose Retail Food & Services, which sent me to a static listing organized by terminal. I discovered a Business Travelers Services and a Laptop Lane in the Central Terminal, but nothing else. Neither listing had a description; I learned only that the Business Travelers Services offers ATMs and game terminals. There were no links to take me elsewhere for information and no details on the services' locations. I had to jump around some more before I landed on an airport map, which was of little use. The same was true, more or less, for the John F. Kennedy International Airport Web site, also accessed from this site. New York is the city that knows how, but you can't tell it from its airport Web sites. Rating: Stuck on the Runway

San Francisco International Airport

Surprisingly, I found little information about high-tech business amenities at the Web site of SFO, the gateway to Silicon Valley. The only thing I discovered was the Aerozone Business Center, which I came upon by clicking Passenger Services and then Shopping; for some reason it wasn't listed under Business Services. The description was helpful, but the map linked to it was not. The site leaves you with the impression that Aerozone, in the International Terminal, is the only choice available for business centers, Internet kiosks, or wireless access points, though the Neptune Networks site (see below) lists SFO among its Internet kiosk locations. Rating: Flight Cancelled

Other Sites to Search

Wayport Inc. operates the Laptop Lane business centers and offers high-speed wireless Internet access in four U.S. airports--Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth, Seattle, and San Jose--as well as in many hotels and conference centers.

T-Mobile HotSpot, which competes with Wayport in offering broadband wireless Internet access, is available in dozens of U.S. airports. T-Mobile made a splash recently when the service was relaunched at Starbucks cafes around the country. I found the service fast and easy to use, after a bit of setup hassle.

Neptune Networks provides high-speed Internet access via departure-gate kiosks at nine domestic airports. The bare-bones site doesn't explain where the kiosks are located, however.

Notebooks

News: Gateway, Dell Models Include Top-Speed Chips

When it comes to processor speed, the bar continually rises. Gateway and Dell recently announced plans to sell notebooks that use the 2.2-GHz Intel Pentium 4-M processor, the fastest mobile chip thus far. Gateway has incorporated the chip in its 600L, 600X, and 600XL notebooks, while Dell has added the processor as an option to its Inspiron 8200 and Inspiron 4150 portables.

News: Adding New Meaning to the Word 'Digital'

Trek 2000's ThumbDrive Touch is the first miniature storage device that offers biometric security, the company claims. The itsy-bitsy Flash Memory "drive" connects to your notebook's USB port and holds 32MB, 64MB, or 128MB of data. A fingerprint sensor verifies user identity--you must place your digit on the sensor to gain access to the files stored on the drive. It's available for $119 to $229 (depending upon storage capacity) by calling Trek 2000's toll-free number (888/873-5199) or from the retailers listed at its Web site.

News: Portable Color Scanner

Ambir Technology's new TravelScan XP is a slender portable scanner that reminds me of a curling iron my sister once used. The $150 sheet-fed scanner promises 36-bit color scanning at 600 dots per inch, connects to your notebook's USB port, and weighs only 12 ounces.

Handhelds

News: A Keyboard Without Keys

Adding data to a PDA can be tiresome, and it's impractical to carry a keyboard everywhere. Solution: A virtual PDA keyboard that can be projected onto a flat surface.

Canesta Inc. recently demonstrated its chip technology using "electronic perception technology" that will enable handheld devices to project the image of a keyboard onto a desk or any other flat surface. When you type on the projected keyboard, sensors translate your keystrokes into information the handheld device can read. Canesta is working with several handheld device makers planning to incorporate the technology into their devices, which should be available next summer. There's no word yet on which devices will use this technology.

News: Palm OS 5--Trick or Treat?

The first products based on Palm OS 5 are due to appear beginning October 28, a few days before Halloween. Palm and Sony alike are expected to introduce devices using the new operating system (see the next item for more info). Among OS 5's features: faster speeds, enhanced security and user interface, improved networking and screen resolution, easy integration with mobile-phone features, Bluetooth compatibility, and more.

News: Coming Soon From Palm

In addition to a new operating system, Palm's been busy readying new hardware devices, which are expected to launch later this year and early next. The full details aren't out yet, but this much we know:

• Entry-level Palm devices will cost as little as $100 in the United States.
• Palm will introduce a new device that uses the "always-on" General Packet Radio Service mobile telecommunications technology for the European market later this year and in the U.S. next year. Palm hasn't finalized agreements with GPRS carriers, and the always-on devices will not use Palm OS 5.
• The new PDAs will use a cradle to synchronize with PCs and have Secure Digital slots for expandability, as many current Palms do.

Wireless

News: BlackBerry Calling

Nextel Communications plans to offer a slightly redesigned BlackBerry that looks more like a mobile phone. Nextel's version of BlackBerry will offer Direct Connect, a feature exclusive to Nextel that lets you talk over radio frequencies, like a walkie talkie, without incurring fees. The Direct Connect technology will launch as a nationwide service in June 2003. Meanwhile, the Nextel/BlackBerry device will also work as a regular mobile phone.

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