Handheld PCs / Wi-Fi hotspots UK & Ireland?

[Longshanks]

Thinking about getting a handheld PC (Palm, HP) for my travels and cruising this summer (Celtic and Irish seas), mainly for accessing the WWW via Wi-Fi hotspots, but also for viewing pics, sending e-mail, updating blogs, etc. Do these things really deliver what they say, and are there that many WiFi hotspots around in the UK and Ireland outside the big cities...and are they fee or subscription based? What's the experience of other forumites? I've been using my mobile phone to do all this up to now...

 

[Robin2]

I'm not sure if many of the WiFi spots in Ireland are free. I have not looked hard, but anywhere I have tried they have been subscription services. I believe McDonalds restaurants have free access - but they are not everywhere.

I was enthusiastic about a pocket pc a few years ago (bought a Dell with bluetooth gps etc) but I haven't used it much recently. Have a look at the new Asus EEE pc - probably cheaper, bigger screen, keyboard. I haven't seen one, but they seem to be selling well.

 

[ToMo]

I'm not much impressed with my HP IPAC, its very fiddley the gps function failed within a year the wifi detection also leaves much to be desired.
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[Dyflin]

http://www.lookintoireland.com/wifi.htm or http://www.free-hotspot.com/ or http://irishlinks.blogspot.com/2008/01/where-to-find-free-wifi-hotspots-in.html

Two marinas in Ireland (Dun Laoghaire and Malhide) have/will shortly have Oceanwave which is fairly common in the UK too.

 

[whipper_snapper]

I have just been using an ipod touch for doing all that. It is not a phone and so is limited to wifi, and it's text entry is fiddly for a lot of writing. But for basic, free, connection it is pretty cool.

(I won't be buying an iphone for a while, there are some obvious add-ons to come.)

 

[Allan]

I've been looking at the Mio 560 for all of what you mention plus road navigation and maybe some form of backup for the chartplotter.
Allan

 

[landlockedpirate]

There are about 500 free wifi hotspots around the Uk (Mainly in pubs, hotels, Mcd's etc), and the number is going up all the time. But its not enough to give decent coverage, a major city might have half a dozen at most.

To get better coverage I use these guys. They have 1000's of hotspots and its £7 a month for unlimited access.

 

[Richard10002]

A nokia N95 will do what you want. bit fiddly for text entry, but does the job.

Get a t mobile web n walk contract, and you've got web access wherever you can get a mobile signal, or a wifi signal.