The Chronic Consumer

Now that more and more businesses are offering wifi access to customers, it’s not that difficult to be able to get online (often for free) even when traveling. The only problem is locating a hotspot where you can set up your laptop and get down to business. For me, this usually means walking around with my laptop open (like a total goon, I might add) as I wait for the signal bars to light up indicating that I have a connection.

Well, those days are coming to an end pretty soon. I’ve got my eye on the Canary Wireless Digital Hotspotter 2, which is set to be released sometime in September. This is a portable device that fits in the palm of your hand and tells you when you’ve found a hotspot. All you do is push a button and wait for the results to flash on the display.

I know there are comparable devices available right now, so you might ask why I’m going to wait until September for the Canary to be released. First of all, the Canary has a feature that I haven’t found on other devices. Namely, it will tell you whether the wifi network you’ve found is secure or not, so you don’t actually have to boot up your laptop to find out. Other devices just alert you to the presence of a hotspot without telling you this additional information. And second, I’ve read many glowing reviews of the first Hotspotter product from Canary, so I’m going to assume that the new version will be even better.

I’m expecting to spend about $50 on this device, but I’m sure it will be worth it. I can’t wait until the Digital Hotspotter 2 comes out!!