Terra Lycos, the Internet portal, will offer a hotspot finder service in Europe: A client from Perfigo will help customers sniff for nearby hotspots. The service will offer information about the available service and connect users if they want. Lycos hopes that hotspot operators will provide regular updates about their hotspots for the Lycos database.
The Perfigo clight will create a secure connection for users and in the future will block machines that are infected by viruses.
The client will display advertising and in the beginning the service will be free but that's likely to change. I think it's a fine idea for Lycos to want to maintain a database of hotspots but I'm not sure why anyone would pay for this service. There are plenty of free lists online of hotspots. Plus, you don't need a special client on your laptop to find out if you're in range of a hotspot.