Boingo wireless offers GoBoingo!, a 1 MB application for connecting to its aggregated network of over 100,000 hotspots: Glenn, you might say to me, even though we might not be on a first-name basis, why in the name of all that is right are you posting an entire item about Boingo Wireless's new connection software for Windows 2000, XP, and Vista? Like we care, you may say.

Here's the deal: Boingo isn't precisely poised for world domination, but they're in a very interesting position. They're the only company in the world with both a worldwide hotspot footprint that's quite enormous, and that charges a flat rate for both U.S. only and worldwide access. Thus, this move is in line with their efforts to make it easier to get folks on the go--Go!--in the many airports they service to download a client quickly, install it without a reboot, and gain access to the network.

Boingo has leveraged its airport network into a significant but undisclosed increased number of subscribers. The easier it is for a traveler to get special software installed that lets them become a trial Boingo user, the more likely that user converts. Boingo has offered a similar package for Mac users--still not updated for Intel Core 2 processors, for shame--and they will continue to offer a full connection management package for Windows that includes network key management and an 802.1X supplicant.

With the proliferation of handheld devices with Wi-Fi built in, most of which lack a browser or are intended for an audience that shouldn't have to mess with logging into a hotspot--think about the Kindle, where Amazon chose cell data partly for simplicity--Boingo has a big opening into a big market.

So you might care, just a little bit.