Devicescape has shipped Easy Wi-Fi 4.1 for iPhone and iPod touch, integrating location with hotspot availability: This version of the app ties in with Devicescape's plans to provide comprehensive mapping of high-quality fee and free hotspots around the world. The free software automates connections to any hotspot networks that you have credentials for, personal hotspots, and free public hotspots. See my earlier article, Devicescape Adds Seamless Wi-Fi Access Service, Mapping (5 October 2009), for more details on the broader strategy.
The program is organized around a map, which can use the iPhone OS's Core Location service to find your current coordinates relying on--depending on model--a GPS receiver, cellular tower signals, and Wi-Fi signals (relying on Skyhook Wireless).
The program paints over the map with circular zones representing rough areas with one or more hotspots. While painting the map, the map is unresponsive for zooming in or out, which I find irritating, but may be a limitation of iPhone OS. It can take a few seconds to load the overlay data. Tapping a zone provides information about what's contained in the area. (The map can be set to schematic streets or a street/satellite hybrid.)
Tap the magnifying glass, and the program zooms into show the area, and puts pins on a map to indicate each hotspot that's available. Blue pins show one or more radio wave symbols to indicate a composite quality marker for the location about coverage, bandwidth, and other factors. Red pins are out-of-network locations.
Tapping a pin provides more details, including the SSID name, and an icon that takes you to the Maps application to provide directions to the location.
A settings screen lets you control display and login behavior. You can turn Easy Wi-Fi on or off to show or hide locations identified by Devicescape while enabling or disabling automatic login at locations that you have credentials for. You can also show or hide networks outside those for which you have accounts or are in the Easy Wi-Fi list.
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