WiFI usage grows in surprising ways. Pixelydixel a Spanish blog alerted me to this new development, the Chumby. I loved it. Basically the Chumby is a WiFi device that comes to life when you make it do whatever it is that you would like it to do. It is the 21st century answer to the alarm clock. I wonder if we could get a Chumby version that also has our chipset in it and is both a Chumby and a FON social router.

FONeros are members of the FON WiFi community, the largest in the world. FONeros can be Bills, Linuses or Aliens. The following is a list of our top countries by numbers of FONeros.
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Here are some pictures of the Foneras being produced. They will hit the market in September. The key feature of these Foneras is that they give out two SSIDs, two networks, one if FON´s and the other is called “My Place” and has a key that the FONero can share with his family and friends.

Sailing around the Mediterranean I find myself begging for WiFi at every port. I do have 3G but not only is it many times not available, as in Montenegro for example, but when it is available (as in Italy) it is extremely expensive to roam on it, and, what´s worse, it´s too slow and frequently fails. As a result I find myself begging for WiFi, hoping I can find WiFi signals that I can use and more than anything hoping that FON really becomes a global success. Share excess bandwidth at home and roam the world for free becomes especially useful when you go on vacation. Right now I finally did find one open wifi network and I felt I had to blog it. I am so thankful to the owner of this open access point whoever he or she is….

I have been looking at the MYLO. It’s the perfect FON companion. If you like the MYLO you will need connectivity and that’s where FON kicks in. I will call SONY and try to bundle FON with the MYLO, it’s one cool gadget.

Picture comes from rense and was modified by anina.net

Today´s NY Times breaks the story of how FON plans to work with Skype. Basically what you see here is a FON Social Router inside the cradle and a WiFi handset that is Skype ready.

The picture appears printed in the paper edition of this story. What we designed here is the most social phone around because it not only works in YOUR cradle but it works in the cradle and social router of any other fonero (FON member who shares WiFi).

Tired of tying up your laptop when uploading and downloading? Try the FON Liberator.

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FON is a social movement to spread the benefits of information technology to as many corners of the world as possible. But a social movement is not enough without an important educational component. This is what I have already done with Educ.ar and Educar Chile. Now it is FON’s turn to look towards important educational channels for spreading its message. Thus, FON has signed an agreement with GenevaLogic, one of the world’s leading providers of educational classroom software. GenevaLogic has more than 50.000 installations running and will bundle FON Social Routers with their “Vision – software packet”. This way schools and their students (ie, in computer & physics classrooms and teachers lounges) will have WiFi access. The lack of Internet and information technology access will be immediately removed from these schools. Any school interested can have the Vision Software bundled with FON Social Routers and operate the routers as a BILL or as a LINUS.

Geneva Logic will also help FON to make 5 EUR FON Social Routers accessible for teachers and students and help to bundle orders and minimize shipping costs.

Peter, thank you for this! This is really great and should motivate many schools to become FON enabled and connected. We hope that universities will soon follow!