WiFi

New York-based Karma — a pay-as-you-go mobile provider that promises only two things: simplicity and honesty — may be on to something. There are zero commitments at sign up (Karma users just pay for the data they need), and with a concept called, "Social Bandwidth," sharing a connection from a Karma hotspot earns users more free data, just like earning additional storage in Dropbox.

Karma's sleek, square-shaped mobile hotspot costs $79 for the device and $14 for every 1GB of data thereafter. One gigabyte is equivalent to approximately eight hours of music streaming or sending/receiving 500 emails with 2MB attachments. You can check your iPhone data usage to gauge how many gigabytes you'll need. Plus, users can rack up free bandwidth by sharing a connection in prime Internet usage locations like coffee shops. The Karma host and the person connecting to their WiFi signal will both earn 100MB. One downside is that users have to sign up with Facebook (no matter what), although this does provide Karma hosts some comfort that the guests on their network are real people.

Could this be the future in anywhere, anytime social WiFi? A typical mobile hotspot, like Verizon MiFi, costs about the same — around $30 per month for 2GB of usage. But that's with a two-year contract. Contractless online access is pretty attractive, especially if your Internet usage on the go fluctuates from month to month.

The device itself can connect up to eight WiFi-enabled gadgets for six to eight hours on a full charge. The 4G network is provided by Clearwire, and interested users can see how well their city is connected on Karma's coverage map. WiFi is becoming more available than ever, and we want to know: will you sign up for mobile hotspots in 2013?

Plan on using flight time to catch up on forgotten emails? Avoid the heartache of stepping onto an airplane only to discover it's WiFi-less by checking the online status of your plane in advance.

Before Booking
If you want to purchase a ticket based on which airline has WiFi onboard, then note it during your search. Travel websites like Hipmunk and Kayak include in their results details whether a flight is WiFi-enabled. When choosing a ticket solely on this feature, though, do realize that technical difficulties are always a possibility, and despite the promise of Internet, there may be an off chance that the wireless connection is down.

Post-Booking
When you're just curious of whether your plane will have WiFi, turn to SeatGuru for a breakdown of every airline's fleet of planes and which have WiFi. Cross-reference that with the plane information in your travel confirmation details to know that, yes, your American Airlines flight on a Boeing 737-800 does have WiFi capabilities.

If your Summer travel plans will be taking you to the Big Apple, there's no need to hunt for WiFi. As part of a new pilot program, New York City is installing free WiFi on select pay-phone kiosks.

Initially, the hotspots will be added to 10 pay phones in three of the boroughs. The long-term plan calls for spreading the WiFi hotspots to more than 13,000 of the city's pay phones.

The WiFi hotspots have been provided for free by Van Wagner Communications, and the idea is for all maintenance costs to be paid by the pay-phone companies. Wondering how it (technically) works? The existing kiosks have been outfitted with "military grade" antennas that can provide WiFi service up to 300 feet away. Check out the list of free WiFi locations to check it out.

Source: Flickr User Instant Vantage

Sending a picture to a friend is now as easy as a beam between iPhones, no email or Facebook login required. First step in getting the WiFi wavelengths to work their magic is to have both Apple devices, whether it's an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch upgradde to iOS 5.1. Once the latest operating system is in gear, download the new iPhoto app for iOS ($5) to both gadgets. If you're transferring photos between your own iPhone and iPad, the app should be loaded on to both devices, granted the same iTunes account is used with each.

Once in iPhoto, select the Gear icon to change the settings and turn Wireless Beaming on within both phones. Both devices need to be on the same wireless network and have iPhoto open. Tap the image you want to send, then hit the Share icon. The Share screen will appear with a number of ways to send photos; since we're beaming a photo, select the Beam icon. Again, you'll be asked to select the image or images to share. Then, find your friend's iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch listed in the iOS Devices Found menu. Tap their device's name, and once they accept the transfer, your photos will wirelessly beam to their Apple product, as seamlessly as if you were aboard a Star Trek Transporter.

There's a trend in the air at CES — a WiFi-enabled camera trend, to be exact. Polaroid is among the companies offering a camera to get you online. The SC1630 Smart Camera harnesses the power of an Android-operating smartphone minus the monthly texting plan.

The 16MP, 3X optical zoom camera uses a 3.2-inch touch screen display to easily share pictures and videos across the World Wide Web of social networks, thanks to its included WiFi and Bluetooth connection. Photos are automatically organized within the camera by date, location, and those smiling people in the shot. Just like any other mobile device, the camera includes a geo-location feature so you don't forget where each memory was made.

The price of Polaroid's SC1630 Smart Camera is still up in the air; look for the camera to hit stores sometime in 2012.

Ahead of this year's Olympic Games, free WiFi is coming to millions of London residents. Mobile company O2 is providing the Internet access throughout the Westminster, Kensington, and Chelsea boroughs of central London.

At no cost to locals, O2's wireless system will be powered by devices installed on street furniture. The city's Internet access is expected to be the largest WiFi zone in Europe. Get ready to tweet and mobile upload to your heart's content if you're part of the crowds headed to London for the Summer games.

Heading out of town for the holidays doesn't mean you have to give up on checking your emails, surfing your favorite websites, or watching your shows on Hulu. If you're on the go, keep an eye out for these six places that offer free WiFi connections (and one big safety warning to go along with it).

• The Big Apple — New York City and AT&T partnered up to launch free WiFi service at 20 city parks across all five boroughs. While we'd like to imagine park goers enjoying computer-less moments, free park WiFi is a great excuse to "work from home." Just wear a coat while you're out.
• Airports — Kayak created a handy guide of WiFi at US airports, noting which airports provide free and secure WiFi.
• The golden arches — In most major cities it'd be difficult to not pass a steady stream of McDonald's, Starbucks, and other big name restaurants. Many of these chains offer free WiFi, putting the "value" in value meal.
• Starbucks — Grab a cuppa Joe and some free Internet while you're at it. You can pretty much find a Starbucks on every block in big cities, and there are plenty to go around in smaller towns and airports as well.
• The library — Oh, forgot about the library since you have a fancy pants ereader now? Well, if you're ever in need of a quick connection, head to your local library branch. If they don't have WiFi, they'll certainly have computers for you to log in.
• Your hotel — You may have to fork over the dough to get online in some cases, but free WiFi is becoming a welcome perk at some hotels and hotel chains. Call ahead to see if your hotel offers free connections, and if not, the concierge should be able to direct you to a generous neighborhood coffee shop or bar with a free signal.
• But remember, safety first! — Just as leaving your home network open and unprotected with a password can be dangerous, so is piggybacking on an unsecured WiFi signal in a public area, so steer clear of wireless networks labeled "Free Public WiFi," which can be dangerous if used. Hackers can create fake networks in hopes of stealing your personal information. Don't let them get away with it that easily!

We're happy to present this article from one of our favorite sites, Yahoo! Shine:

What is this now? An acute Wi-Fi allergy is plaguing five percent of Americans? EHS, or Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity, is a condition defined by headaches, muscle spasms, burning skin and chronic pain.

The cause: over-exposure to mobile phones, wireless internet and the satellites and cell phone towers that keep them pumping. 

One sufferer, Diane Schou, described her symptoms to the BBC this way: "My face turns red, I get a headache, my vision changes, and it hurts to think. Last time [I was exposed] I started getting chest pains — and to me that's becoming life-threatening."

To alleviate her discomfort, her husband built her "radio-wave resistant" wooden cage lined in wire mesh to sleep in. When that didn't work, she moved from her Iowa farmhouse to Green Bank, West Virginia. Population 143. 

For 13,000 square miles around the town wireless networks are obsolete. The Radio Quiet Zone was originally designed for scientific research, but it's becoming a haven for EHS refugees. 

Come on, is this really about radio waves and electromagnetic frequencies?

Staying entertained and connected on Virgin America flights will soon be even easier than before. Starting in late 2012, Virgin America will be rolling out a new in-flight entertainment and technology system called BoardConnect, which will feature larger, HD touchscreen seat-back monitors with full WiFi connectivity and the ability for passengers to connect their personal gadgets to the system before takeoff, while in the air, and even postflight.

This means that passengers can get their curated content, games, and connectivity via the seat-back screen, or connect and use their smartphones and tablets instead. Additional details are scarce, but these new features and benefits could soon make other airlines, who are still jumping on the in-flight WiFi trend, much less desirable.