No excuse for not getting work done
Not only do they have to pound the streets and carry their notebook PCs with them, they also have to find a suitable line before logging onto the Net to surf for information and download e-mail. They just can’t do it there and then, not even when they require the information ad hoc. Ha! So much for being a road warrior!
This may all be a thing of the past as Hewlett-Packard Singapore's Consumer Business Organization (CBO) has teamed up with Bluengine, a wireless broadband Internet service provider, to offer HP Jornada 720 handheld PC users wireless connectivity to the Bluengine broadband network at "hotspots" in Singapore.
Since the connection to the Net is wireless, you can now download information from the Internet and check e-mail at outlets wired up with Bluengine's wireless broadband network.
Presently, HP Jornada 720 users can enjoy wireless Internet connection at over 32 cybercafes as well as at 13 A&W outlets. The Bluengine network is also available at the area along Seah Street and at the outlets located along this street.
Twenty-four Coffee Club outlets here too will be linked up to the Bluengine wireless network in the near future. In addition, HP Jornada users frequenting the area along Club Street, including all outlets located along this street, will be able to enjoy wireless connectivity via the Bluengine network very soon.
"We are constantly looking for new ways to improve our customer user experience, to enhance their lifestyles. With this partnership, HP Jornada users will be able to enjoy the convenience and ease of accessing information from the Internet and retrieving their e-mail, anytime, even if they are on the go," said Kelly Tan, general manager, Hewlett-Packard Singapore's Consumer Business Organization.
Of course, there is a catch. For accessing the Bluengine wireless Internet network, HP Jornada 720 users need to have an AeroNet card, available from Bluengine. Subscription to the wireless broadband service is free for the first four months, with a monthly subscription fee of S$25 (US$14) applicable thereafter, which will give users unlimited access to the wireless broadband network.
For executives who don’t have a Jornada yet, for a limited period, the HP Jornada 720 handheld PC with the AeroNet card is available from Bluengine at $1,899 (US$1,055). This package also includes free installation and activation, and four months free subscription. The package is also available via hire purchase from Hitachi Leasing.
Looks like now there are no reasons for not getting work done while on the move. Net lifestyle has arrived in the streets of Singapore.