Wi-Fi Networking News notes that The Wi-Fi Alliance has launched a WAP site as a companion to their Wi-Fi Zone program. The URL for their WAP site is http://wap.wi-fizone.org.
The site allows users to search for a certified Wi-Fi Zone from their mobile phone. The interface is quite clunky, but it’s oldskool WAP. There’s something to be said for the lowest common denominator. Finding a local Wi-Fi Zone was a little tedious. Here’s the series of clicks that I had to go through to find local access points: wap.wi-fizone.org -> Search -> United States -> MD -> multipage list of cities to choose from.
Here’s where the usability of the WAP site begins to approach zero. I tried several cities in my area and found nothing bust listings for hotels. I don’t want to go to a hotel for my Wi-Fi. There are a bajillion Starbucks stores in my area with Wi-Fi. Every Borders book store in my area has Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi is all over the place, yet only hotels are listed in the Wi-Fi Zone WAP site.
Is a business traveler going to cancel his or her hotel reservations just to stay in a hotel that they just found out has Wi-Fi? I seriously doubt it. If you’re not helpful to technology-minded folk looking for a hotspot (and willing to pay!), and you’re not all that useful to business travelers, how useful are you?
I hate to bash, because this site is totally a step in the right direction.
Note to Wi-Fi Alliance: Get those Starbucks, bookstores, and other spots with Wi-Fi listed in your Wi-Fi Zone program. You’re probably going to have to convince T-Mobile that a Wi-Fi Zone certification is “A Good Thing.” Add a ‘search by zip/postal code’ box to your front page. Speaking of your front page, it’s quite sterile. Spruce it up a bit. Think about adding an XHTML-MP site for all those technofolk with a laptop and a Nokia 3650 looking for some commercial Wi-Fi. Expand. Make it easier. Make it better. Now you’ve got something.