[Paleopsych] The little high tech jitney that can...

[Steve Hovland]

Jitney Rolls on to the Hamptons, Wirelessly
The Hampton Jitney gets a cell data uplink to hook its passengers up via 
Wi-Fi <http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/03/technology/circuits/03jitn.html> 
(reg. required): In a short piece by your editor in Thursday's New York 
Times, I describe the Wi-RAN (Rolling Area Network) developed by CEDX and 
Best Mobile Computing, and in trials with the Hampton Jitney. The Jitney is 
the high-class way to commute between your summer home or just plain Long 
Island residence and Manhattan. Some people commute--and I kid you 
not--every day, clocking in 3 or 4 hours roundtrip or more.
In that environment, as on trains and planes, people don't have just quiet 
time to contemplate but empty time that's worth filling. Some of the Jitney 
coaches also have electrical outlets, meaning that you don't have to worry 
about discharging your battery, either.
While the service runs today at 100 Kbps, the New York metro area will 
certainly be one of the first to see higher-speed cell offerings or even 
other forms of mobile wireless (cue Craig McCaw's entrance) allowing the 
service to expand its speed over time.
Service runs $8 per trip or $40 per month for unlimited usage.