We're incredibly unfriendly to "e-travelers."
(yes, that term sounds lame but it's the best I can do.)
Consider the following photograph I took at DFW while on my way back from California:
That's my laptop, plugged into a chair with an outlet, which gives me a massage (which I had to turn off because it hurt), let me listen to "music" (I had my iPod and was on the phone anyway) and most insultingly, only dispenses electricity when I pay for it by the minute.
Now, I'm not opposed to paying for things. Take Wi-Fi, for example. Free Wi-Fi, while sometimes nice, can be crowded, slow, and insecure. Consequently, now and then I'll pay T-Mobile or whoever a few bucks when I have a long layover so I can get some real work done. If I traveled more, I would buy a "broadband" AirCard, but I'm not at that point yet.
I do believe that you generally get what you pay for, and when I feel I get better service by paying for it, I pay. Case in point, capitolvalley.net's email is on a hosted exchange server which lets Alex and I use Exchange's various useful features to collaborate and maintain contact using our BlackBerry devices when we work several thousand miles apart. We pay extra to our wonderful hosting service (and they are wonderful, because they put up with me) for this service because it works very well, and brainstomed/tried out a few different solutions before agreeing to split the cost of the hosted Exchange and BES for a pretty good price. For the most part, it's been incredibly helpful. We get what we pay for.
Airports need to maintain infrastructure, some things are best left to "outsourcing." T-Mobile has done a great job of putting Wi-Fi everywhere and keeping it well maintained wherever they install it. On the other hand, electrical outlets are not something that should be "pay by the minute" by themselves. I understand they are scarce, but so are places to sit while waiting for a flight and charging your gear and working.
Here's an idea to the Airport Authorities of the World: I would gladly throw down a few bucks for access to a "mobile office area" during layovers (not, I repeat not the "club lounges" that airlines offer for exorbitant amounts) where I could pay for a quiet space with access to Wi-Fi or a plug-in, a work surface, comforable chair, and maybe a USB hub to charge my BlackBerry, iPod, and other devices that all share a common connector.
What I will never do again, if I can help it, is pay $5 for 20 minutes of electricity to charge my laptop so I can write. To whoever running the Dallas Fort Worth Airport had the bright idea to install those chairs, you can do better.
(yes, that term sounds lame but it's the best I can do.)
Consider the following photograph I took at DFW while on my way back from California:
That's my laptop, plugged into a chair with an outlet, which gives me a massage (which I had to turn off because it hurt), let me listen to "music" (I had my iPod and was on the phone anyway) and most insultingly, only dispenses electricity when I pay for it by the minute.
Now, I'm not opposed to paying for things. Take Wi-Fi, for example. Free Wi-Fi, while sometimes nice, can be crowded, slow, and insecure. Consequently, now and then I'll pay T-Mobile or whoever a few bucks when I have a long layover so I can get some real work done. If I traveled more, I would buy a "broadband" AirCard, but I'm not at that point yet.
I do believe that you generally get what you pay for, and when I feel I get better service by paying for it, I pay. Case in point, capitolvalley.net's email is on a hosted exchange server which lets Alex and I use Exchange's various useful features to collaborate and maintain contact using our BlackBerry devices when we work several thousand miles apart. We pay extra to our wonderful hosting service (and they are wonderful, because they put up with me) for this service because it works very well, and brainstomed/tried out a few different solutions before agreeing to split the cost of the hosted Exchange and BES for a pretty good price. For the most part, it's been incredibly helpful. We get what we pay for.
Airports need to maintain infrastructure, some things are best left to "outsourcing." T-Mobile has done a great job of putting Wi-Fi everywhere and keeping it well maintained wherever they install it. On the other hand, electrical outlets are not something that should be "pay by the minute" by themselves. I understand they are scarce, but so are places to sit while waiting for a flight and charging your gear and working.
Here's an idea to the Airport Authorities of the World: I would gladly throw down a few bucks for access to a "mobile office area" during layovers (not, I repeat not the "club lounges" that airlines offer for exorbitant amounts) where I could pay for a quiet space with access to Wi-Fi or a plug-in, a work surface, comforable chair, and maybe a USB hub to charge my BlackBerry, iPod, and other devices that all share a common connector.
What I will never do again, if I can help it, is pay $5 for 20 minutes of electricity to charge my laptop so I can write. To whoever running the Dallas Fort Worth Airport had the bright idea to install those chairs, you can do better.
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