At a conference in Seattle, big thinkers are discussing the affects of ubiquitous computing: Wi-Fi isn't mentioned much in this piece but wireless technologies of any kind will clearly play a role in many of the visions described here. This is a really interesting piece on how ubiquitous computing might change some really mundane things, like where we go to do our jobs.
Researchers are taking cues from the way that people use technology in ways that marketing folks haven't dictated. So they study instant messagers, bloggers and flash mobbers. One researcher was surprised to find that users of a college campus system that lets users know the location of other users tended to IM most with nearby classmates.