Boingo Wireless is giving away 15 minutes of free Wi-Fi in airports around the world - if takers are willing watch a 15-second advertisement. According to Jaunted, iPhone and iPod Touch users will be the first devices to benefit from this quarter-hour of super premium access Wi-Fi; eventually Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Windows Mobile devices will get in on the action.
So, what exactly can you do with 15 minutes of Wi-Fi? Well, if you're like me, it will take that long for your iPod Touch just to loading data from all of your email accounts, let alone actually reading many messages. But if you consider yourself creative when strapped for time, here are somethings you could do:
- Watch approximately three YouTube videos, depending on length.
- You could watch two-thirds of a half-hour comedy downloaded straight from the Web in Quicktime-compatible format.
- Read at some posts on Mashable.com, your #1 source for social networking and Web 2.0 news. (Definitely the best option.)
Okay, here's the thing. The idea of ad-supported Wi-Fi in airports is a perfectly fine idea. But realistically speaking, 15 minutes is just, you know...insanely short. To Boingo I say this. Feel free to show me a 15-second ad for 15 minutes, but continue with the connection. One ad every 15 minutes, for however long you're sitting at the terminal. Sound reasonable?