The Shaw WiFi Trial has started (only a few hot spots)

[Tom]

A couple of the smartphones are through Koodo.  Koodo's plans start at $15 and include voice mail, caller id, and unlimited texting.  The $20 plan includes free evenings (starts at 7pm) and weekends.  Koodo then adds on a "data saver" option, where it's $0 if you use no data, $5 if you use up to 25MB, $10 if you use up to 100MB, $15 if you use up to 250MB, $20 if you use up to 500MB.  Since the kids pay their own bills, they prefer to use no data, so wifi is much preferred whenever and wherever possible.

Shaw's on-the-go wifi doesn't have a "free hotspot notice".  If your device isn't registered, you have to select the wireless network and then provide your shaw email address and password.  Since it's not a password we use often (don't use shaw email), it's not one we remember.  Thus I prefer to register the laptop.

This problem would disappear if Shaw would remove the arbitrary limit of devices.

It'd be interesting to know if they would increase it for you.

I use my Shaw address, but that's probably just a legacy of it being the only good address I could get back in 1999 or so. I still have the same address after 12+ years that's kinda crazy.

[Lazybones]

Shaw's on-the-go wifi doesn't have a "free hotspot notice".  If your device isn't registered, you have to select the wireless network and then provide your shaw email address and password.  Since it's not a password we use often (don't use shaw email), it's not one we remember.  Thus I prefer to register the laptop.

Shaw hotspot locations such as A&W and Cobbs do present a public hotspot option, if your device is not already registered, at least in my area...

I am not sure if you are using SHAWs wifi router at home, thus NEED to register your devices... I don't I have the cisco unit in bridge mode with no WiFi and use my own router.

As for the email address, ANY email address attached to your account should work so you could create a new one that is easier to remember.

Oddly I have 2 iPhones registered via the hotspot portal (while at A&W) but only one older device appears on my account page so I am not sure the device limits are the same for devices attached to HOME vs devices that are registered on the go for some reason.

[Darren Dirt]

It's not an "always" thing, it's a "frequently" thing.  Sometimes the phone comes along but the laptop or ipod or tablet stays home, but it's not uncommon to have two devices on a kid - one for texting and one with all the good songs.

Good lord, do you remember ten years ago when having a laptop was still considered a big deal, and now everyone's moving to tiny pocket computers and it's infiltrated their lives?

2 pop culture references came to mind:
Outer Limits episode "Stream Of Consciousness" <-- typical scifi "warning -- if things keep accelerating like this..." theme

and this Cracked After Hours episode -- particular the part starting at 4min55sec when Soren begins "it's OUR skynet... THE INTERNET ... if anyone tried to turn it off, WE would turn on them!"
http://www.cracked.com/video_18400_why-scariest-sci-fi-robot-uprising-has-already-begun.html

maybe that Futurama ep wasn't too far off...

(ps: I'm just as addicted to instant-access-to-all-info-all-the-time as you guys are)