It was only a matter of time before the global leader in WiFi hotspot service embraced the little green robot. Following on the company’s decision to give a free month of Boingo WiFi hotspot access to Slingbox customers burned by AT&T’s iPhone SlingPlayer Mobile restrictions, Boingo has announced the availability of its WiFi hotspot finder and connection manager for the Android mobile operating system.
The new Android-based Boingo application should make it easy as pie for any Android user to find and log into one of Boingo’s 100,000 WiFi hotspots dotting the globe. “For the Android phones – and the entire growing smartphone market – Wi-Fi is a key part of the user experience,” said Jonathan Mendelson, general manager of mobile and product management, Boingo Wireless. “With the fast Boingo network, you can now do more on your Android phone with faster uploads to YouTube and Picasa, quicker email downloads and a better Web experience with Wi-Fi speeds, wherever you are in the world.”
The Boingo Android app is compatible with all Android handsets running any version of Android OS (including Android 1.5 “Cupcake“)Find the new Boingo Android app in the Android Market and from Boingo.
Full press release after the jump.
BOINGO WIRELESS NOW AVAILABLE FOR ANDROID SMARTPHONES
Boingo Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot Finder Expands Its List of Supported Mobile Operating Systems,
Also Including Apple iPhone, Symbian Series 60 and Windows Mobile
LOS ANGELES – June 17, 2009 – Boingo Wireless, the world’s largest network of Wi-Fi hotspots, introduces the availability of its first Wi-Fi hotspot finder and connection manager for Android, the mobile operating system developed by Google and the Open Handset Alliance. With the addition of Android, Boingo continues to increase the number of supported mobile platforms and phones.
With the open platform on Android, Boingo is able to produce a very user-friendly and easy-to-use Wi-Fi experience for the Android platform; Android is one of the world’s fastest-growing mobile operating systems (OSs) in terms of available applications and support by wireless carriers, handset vendors and developers.
Boingo Mobile currently is available for all Android smartphones, including models running the latest version of the OS, Android 1.5. Android smartphones available today include the G1 from T-Mobile USA, the HTC Magic from Vodafone and the HTC Dream from Orange France, with additional models from vendors and wireless carriers such as China Mobile, Huawei, Lenovo, Motorola and Samsung scheduled for release later this year.
Most Android smartphones include Wi-Fi, which the Boingo application enhances by providing a convenient, automated way to connect. The application automatically notifies users when they are in a Boingo hotspot without needing to open the application, and connects to the Boingo network with one-click. When in a hotspot, the Boingo application will appear in the notification bar, and depending on phone settings, will either vibrate or play a sound.
Leveraging the successful Android public beta testing from the Boingo Labs site (http://labs.boingo.com) and by incorporating user feedback, Boingo will continue to foster innovation and update its application to provide new features providing users even more benefits from the Boingo network and its locations, such as hotspot location mapping.
“For the Android phones – and the entire growing smartphone market – Wi-Fi is a key part of the user experience,” said Jonathan Mendelson, general manager of mobile and product management, Boingo Wireless. “With the fast Boingo network, you can now do more on your Android phone with faster uploads to YouTube and Picasa, quicker email downloads and a better Web experience with Wi-Fi speeds, wherever you are in the world.”
With the addition of the Android platform, Boingo adds to its continuously growing list of supported mobile platforms and devices that also includes Windows Mobile, Nokia/Symbian Series 60 and the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch. The Boingo Android application works on current Android phones and soon to be released Android smartphones. The Boingo application is available in the Android Market, and at http://www.boingo.com/download.
About Boingo Wireless
Boingo Wireless, Inc., the global market leader in Wi-Fi, makes it simple and easy for people to enjoy Wi-Fi access on their laptop or mobile device at more than 100,000 hotspots worldwide. With a single account, Boingo users can logon to the Boingo Network locations that include the top airports around the world, major hotel chains, cafés and coffee shops, restaurants, and metropolitan hot zones. Boingo, and its Concourse Communications Group subsidiary, operate wired and wireless networks at 55 airports worldwide, including 29 of the top 100 North American airports, as well as the WSDOT Ferries Division Wi-Fi network. For more information about Boingo, please visit http://www.boingo.com.
Boingo, Boingo Wireless, Boingo Mobile, the Boingo Wireless Logo and Don’t Just Go. Boingo! are registered trademarks of Boingo Wireless, Inc. All other trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.