In the past, Boingo’s app was really only useful to its customers as it located paid locations. That made sense, of course, since Boingo makes its money by selling Wi-Fi, either on a subscription or pay-as-you-go basis. Although it operates only a smattering of its own networks at some airports and other public locations, it has roaming agreements allowing it to sell unlimited access at more than 325,000 locations.

The new app, which will be free, will be of use for non-customers as well, displaying a map with Boingo’s paid hotspots in red and free Wi-Fi locations in blue.

Boingo spokesman Christian Gunning said the company hopes to sway a few new customers to its paid network. Even those that don’t become paying customers will help improve Boingo’s database by validating which free networks are indeed up and running.

“We all get something out of the equation,” Gunning said.

The app can even help users automatically log-on to the free locations. Gunning, who lives in Los Angeles, said he once logged into a free hotspot provided by a Jewish museum along his commute. Now, every time his car stops at that stop light he notices his Android phone automatically log onto that network.

In your iPad 2 review, you recommended it over all other tablets for “average, nontechie users.” Does this mean you don’t recommend it for techie users?

A:

No, not at all. I merely phrased it that way because mainstream, average, nontechie users are my target audience, and I don’t review products through the eyes of techies, enthusiasts, hobbyists, or corporate IT departments. I never have. I have used similar phrasing in other columns over the years. I’m sure many people who consider themselves techies would find the iPad 2 to be the best tablet as well.

Q:

I intend to buy an iPad 2, but I also have an iPhone 4, which can be used as a Wi-Fi hotspot. Will this hot-spot feature work with an iPad 2? Does it mean I don’t need to get the model with the cellular network feature?

A:

Yes. I tested this scenario with a Verizon version of the iPhone 4 that had the hot-spot feature set up, and the iPad recognized it as a Wi-Fi network. And this method isn’t limited to Apple phones. I also tested the iPad 2 successfully with the hot-spot feature of an Android phone.

Q:

I’m thinking about replacing my old laptop with an iPad 2 but am somewhat reluctant considering that tablets do not have physical keyboards. How do you think the lack of a physical keyboard affects the use of a tablet vs. a new laptop?

A:

My own experience, with both iPads and other tablets that use virtual keyboards, is that they are just fine for things like email or short documents, once you get used to typing on glass.

However, if you never get the hang of that, the iPad works with wireless Bluetooth keyboards, and some iPad cases come with built-in physical keyboards. You would have to be the judge of whether this is a better solution for you than a small, light laptop like a MacBook Air, or a Toshiba Portege R700 series.

Email mossberg@wsj.com

AT&T also plans to sell the iPad 2 in its retail shops starting at 5 p.m. on Friday–the same time it will go on sale at Apple Stores and other outlets.

“We are thrilled to offer iPad 2 in our stores and give customers several easy ways to connect to the nation’s fastest mobile broadband network,” AT&T emerging devices unit head Glenn Lurie said in a statement.

Verizon has said it too plans to offer its version of the iPad in stores, starting on Friday. Also, contrary to some reports, the company said it has no plans to charge an activation fee for iPads running on its network.

Both AT&T and Verizon allow customers to sign-up directly from the device, with no contract or up-front fees, on a month-to-month basis.

AT&T’s pricing plans, as laid out by Mobilized last week, start at $14.99 for 250MB of data. A second option for $25 a month, gives users 2GB of data.

Overage charges vary depending on whether a user is billing his credit card directly (prepaid) or having AT&T send a bill (postpaid). For info on that, and a comparison with Verizon’s charges, check out the chart from last week.

Verizon’s iPad service starts at $20 for 1GB of service, with plans ranging all the way to $80 a month for 10GB of data.

As for the iPhone 4 hotspot feature, AT&T is charging the same rate it currently does for tethering on the iPhone, and for hotspot capabilities on Android phones. The company requires customers subscribe to its $25 data plan and then charges $20 extra, which includes 2GB of additional data. Data use beyond that is billed at $10 per gigabyte.

The iOS 4.3 update brings a number of features including faster Web browsing and improved streaming media support. For iPhone 4 owners, it also adds the ability for the device to act as a portable hotspot. Until now, the feature has been available only on the recently released Verizon iPhone.

It also allows the button on the iPad to act either as a mute button or as a lock for the screen orientation, depending on a user’s preference. The button initially locked the screen in portrait or landscape mode, though Apple changed it to be a mute button with iOS 4.2. Now people will have the choice.

The iOS update is a free update for the iPhone 3GS, GSM (non-Verizon) iPhone 4 models, the iPad and recent iPod Touches. Apple has not said when the improvements will come to the Verizon iPhone, although, as mentioned, it already has the hotspot.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs previewed the OS update at last week’s iPad event, but had said it would not come until this Friday.

In addition to announcing the new iPad 2, Apple also offered new details on iOS version 4.3, the next release of the operating system that powers the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch.

Among its features are:

• FaceTime video chat being added to the iPad
• Improved JavaScript performance
• Better home sharing with AirPlay, including improved slideshows and the ability to stream video from within iOS apps.
• Users will be able to use switch on the iPad to either mute or lock the screen orientation. originally the button on the iPad was used to lock the screen, but Apple changed the button to match the iPhone’s mute setting with last iOS update. Not everyone liked the change.
• Personal Hotspot (for iPhone 4 only). Now it won’t just be on Verizon iPhone, bringing smiles to AT&T, which has said it hoped to offer such a feature soon.

It’s coming as a free update March 11 for GSM iPhones (i.e. AT&T for folks in the U.S.), the iPad and recent iPod Touches. Apple is also bringing iMovie to the iPad as a universal app that will run on both iPads and IPhones for $4.99 on March 11.

Garage Band also coming to iPad, Jobs said, with a version that is compatible with the Mac version so you can start a music project on one and finish on the other. There are instruments that look like the real thing and even “smart instruments” for those that can’t play a note. (See mom, I told you the accordion lessons were wasted on me!)

Check out our hands-on video with the iPad 2.

Although it has been preparing to lose its iPhone exclusive for months, the carrier has made a few eleventh-hour moves aimed at stemming as many defections as possible.

Just yesterday, the carrier announced a more generous rate plan that benefits customers who tether their iPhone to a computer, offering those customers twice as much data as before for the same price. AT&T also announced plans to offer a wireless hotspot feature on smartphones with the same data rates it charges for tethering. Although the feature is initially being offered for Android, AT&T intends to expand that to other phones–including those sold by a phone maker that rhymes with Snapple.

AT&T has also been sounding off about the benefits of its iPhone in statements to the media, postings to its Web sites and even in emails to existing AT&T customers who have an iPhone or other smartphone. Among the features it is touting are the ability to talk on the phone and browse the Web at the same time, more international usability and potentially faster data rates.

All this comes as Verizon is gearing up for what appears to be a crush of pent-up demand. The carrier has already sent a note to its own workers asking that they hold off with personal purchases so that more non-employees can get devices. And Verizon has some selling points of its own. As expected, early reviews (including the one from our own Walt Mossberg) show that call quality is improved on the Verizon iPhone. In addition, it has built-in wireless hotspot capabilities and the option–for a limited time, anyway–for a $30 unlimited data plan.

As for the other carriers, they may not have an iPhone to sell, but that hasn’t stopped them from lobbying to win a few switchers as well. T-Mobile has been particularly aggressive, casting stones at both Verizon and AT&T over network speed and costs.

The numbers themselves were lackluster, with Verizon Communications reporting per-share earnings, excluding pension and other items, of 54 cents on revenue of $26.4 billion. The earnings were a penny short of expectations, Bloomberg said, with revenue about in line with what analysts predicted. After initially dipping, Verizon shares were trading recently at $36.35, up about 3 percent.

Once again, though, much attention focused on the Verizon iPhone, which goes on sale next month.

Ahead of the company’s earnings conference call, Verizon Chief Operating Officer Lowell McAdam told The Wall Street Journal that the company would offer a $30 unlimited data plan, similar to what it offers for other phones.

“I’m not going to shoot myself in the foot,” he told the Journal. AT&T used to offer a similar plan, but switched to usage-based pricing for new customers last year; plenty of the subscribers that Verizon is courting, however, have been able to keep their unlimited plan with AT&T.

Verizon has announced it will sell the iPhone at prices similar to what AT&T charges for the iPhone, so its service pricing has been one of the big remaining unknowns. Verizon is also likely to charge an extra fee for customers who want to take advantage of the device’s ability to act as a wireless hotspot. AT&T’s iPhone doesn’t have such a feature.

The iPhone also impacted Verizon in other ways last quarter, McAdam said, noting that it appeared to hold back subscriber growth, although the company did add some 870,000 new customers.

“It wasn’t what I hoped it would be,” he told the Journal.

Verizon’s earnings report suggests an opportunity to sell some iPhones to its existing customer base; only about a quarter of its contract subscribers have smartphones.

The company said it expects that, with the addition of the iPhone and devices running on its new LTE network it expects that number to roughly double this year, with smartphone penetration accounting for more than half of customers by year-end.

PREVIOUSLY:

• Verizon to iPhone Users: You Will Buy The $30-Per-Month, Unlimited Data Plan and You Will Like It
• Verizon iPhone to Debut With Unlimited Data Plan

However, those ready to throw away their MiFi should remember that there’s an important caveat: Because the CDMA network doesn’t handle voice and data at the same time, the hotspot works only when you aren’t talking on your iPhone.

If a call comes in while people are connected to the iPhone-created hotspot, data access ends until the call is done.

Meanwhile, it’s worth noting that Boy Genius Report says that the hotspot may not remain a Verizon exclusive. The enthusiast site says that the next version of the iPhone operating system will add support for the hotspot feature. However, to actually be used in such a manner, hotspot capability will also have to be enabled by one’s wireless carrier.

AT&T iPhone customers will certainly remember that the iPhone supported tethering to a computer well before the company enabled the feature for its customers.

An AT&T representative said the company is “exploring” the possibility of such a feature but declined to comment further.

You might have heard of it: The iPad.

Indeed, Verizon apparently wants to offer such a product, with the CFO of Verizon Wireless parent Verizon Communications telling Bloomberg that the company would offer such a product at some undefined point in the future.

But a Verizon Wireless representative declined to comment on the Bloomberg report and also declined to comment about its iPad plans. An Apple representative also declined comment.

In fact, the iPad is already sold at Verizon stores.

But it is a Wi-Fi-only model that is paired with a Verizon portable hotspot. The wireless carrier certainly could keep offering it in just that fashion, but it also might make sense at some point to sell a model with a connection to Verizon’s network–something which is currently offered only via AT&T.

In the mean time, Verizon also has another big tablet coming–the Motorola Xoom it introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show

It has the exclusive on the Xoom and is likely to be the first with a Honeycomb-based Google Android tablet for some time, making the need for a Verizon-connected iPad perhaps less critical.

Also, because the Verizon iPhone can act as a portable hot spot, customers could easily share that device’s Internet connection with their iPad. Verizon has not said how much it will charge for either its iPhone service or how much the additional charge will be to use its iPhone as a hotspot.

The only major feature difference is the fact that the Verizon model can be used as a hot spot to connect up to five other devices to the Internet.

“A big part of it is the software, I’d say the biggest part,” Schiller said. “It uses the hardware in different ways.”

The Verizon iPhone is Apple’s first foray into phones that run on a CDMA network. Schiller wouldn’t comment on whether Apple plans to offer a CDMA version of the iPhone in other countries, but acknowledged that door is now open.

One opportunity that the hotspot option opens up is the ability for customers to buy a Wi-Fi only iPad that taps the Verizon iPhone’s cellular connection to access the Internet.

“It’s a good way to do it,” Schiller said.

First and foremost, it will be on Verizon’s network, which Verizon loyalists and iPhone holdouts certainly hope will mean better calls. I think this will be an interesting test in general to see which of the iPhone’s shortcomings are its own and which can really be blamed on AT&T.

Of course, the Verizon iPhone may also benefit from lessons learned from the iPhone 4, and that makes an improved antenna more likely.

The Verizon iPhone might also be available in white–something promised, but not yet delivered, for the iPhone 4.

Less likely, but still possible is that the Verizon iPhone might have the ability to act as a portable hotspot, a popular feature on competing super-duper smartphones.

Also of note will be to see which networks the Verizon iPhone supports. While designed for Verizon’s networks, it may also have the necessary radios to act as a world phone when traveling outside the reaches of CDMA.

It also matters a great deal which Verizon network it works on. Support for Verizon’s 4G LTE-based network would increase cost and lower battery life, but have benefits beyond faster data speed. It would also allow Verizon a workaround for one of the CDMA network’s biggest limitations–the inability to mix voice and data at the same time.

PREVIOUSLY:

• Tired: Speculating About Verizon iPhone. Wired: Speculating About Verizon iPhone Sales.
• Verizon iPhone to Debut With Unlimited Data Plan
• Apple CEO Likely to Appear at Verizon iPhone Event
• Verizon Event Set for Tuesday–iPhone Time

I have had a little disagreement with my IT guy. He says that when taking my laptop out in public, I should never type anything with passwords or confidential information. He says that someone can pick up my information. I say that I can’t believe that everyone in public is totally exposed. There must be some way to protect yourself while on a public network. Who is right?

A:

There’s no single correct answer. It’s true that thieves in public places can and do steal passwords and other sensitive information transferred over public Wi-Fi hotspots. But it’s also true that methods like Virtual Private Networks can mitigate this problem, and that most public hotspots are, just by the odds, unlikely to harbor these thieves at any one time. However, my advice is to avoid doing any sensitive tasks, like banking or stock trading, while using public hotspots. And, if you’re doing anything confidential on your company or home network remotely, use a VPN, which is like a secure tunnel through the internet.

Q:

I recently purchased a new iMac and am considering installing anti-virus/spyware/malware programs on it. Reader forums in MacWorld magazine say it’s not needed. A local newspaper computer columnist says he’s had Macs since the early ’80s and has never run an AV program and has had no problems. Other online computer advisers say Macs are always vulnerable and advise to run AV programs. Any recommendations here?

A:

No computer is inherently invulnerable to malicious software, and that includes the Macintosh. However, nearly every malicious program known is meant to run on Windows and simply won’t operate on the Mac operating system. The handful of Mac viruses and other malware that have been discovered are either proofs of concept, or have spread to very few users and done little or no damage. Most Mac users I’ve known don’t run third-party security software and haven’t had malware problems. So I don’t routinely recommend Mac security software.

There are two caveats, however. If you are running Windows on your Mac, you should install Windows security software, to run while Windows is in use. Also, Mac users are just as vulnerable as Windows users are to online scams, or to insecure public networks. So, even though you may never get a virus, you still have to be careful about doing sensitive Internet tasks via public hotspots or careless behavior like clicking on links sent you by unknown email senders.

Q:

My car has an audio jack that integrates any input into the sound system. I know that Kindle has a text-to-speech feature. Would I be able to use that feature via the audio jack in the car?

A:

Without having tested your car’s input jack, I assume the answer is yes. The Kindle has a standard headphone jack.

However, note that the text-to-speech feature works only on certain books, not all of them. Publishers have the right to allow or disallow it for any book.

Also, even if it’s enabled, it isn’t the same as an audio book, which is usually read by a trained narrator or by the author. Instead, it’s a computer doing the reading.

You can find Mossberg’s Mailbox and my other columns at the All Things Digital website, http://walt.allthingsd.com.

“[The] iPad consistently produced lower download speeds than Windows based laptops,” Piecyk wrote today. “This appears to be an issue with the iPad and hot spots and not Wi-Fi in general since our iPad speeds on our home Wi-Fi were equivalent to other devices. When we tested the iPad on our FiOS powered Wi-Fi connection, we received the full 25 Mbps of available download speed on every test.” (Click image below to enlarge.)

Odd, particularly since iSpot was specifically engineered to work with Apple devices.

“There appears to be something going on in how Apple’s Wi-Fi implementation is working with wireless hotspots,” Piecyk concludes. “Once again, all we can refer to is a company’s relative expertise in RF engineering. Our home Wi-Fi router does not have to deal with incoming 4G signal or a need to preserve battery life like a hotspot does. We suspect we will be getting a lot of feedback on this topic in the coming weeks as we dive deeper into the issue.”

A safe bet. I’ve reached out to Apple and ClearWire both and will update here if I hear back.

Apple (AAPL) still has an exclusive wireless relationship with AT&T, but Verizon will step around that hurdle by bundling the Wi-Fi version of Apple’s tablet with its own wireless MiFi hotspot device. It will sell an iPad-specific wireless plan that will give users a gigabyte of data for $20 a month.

Verizon (VZ) will also sell Wi-Fi iPads without a wireless bundle; sales begin October 28. Meanwhile, it hasn’t abandoned AT&T (T), and will begin selling its tablets through that carrier’s stores on the same date.

Sprint is leading this race. Its 4G network already is available in 32 cities, and the company plans to add at least 14 more by year end.

Now, Sprint (S) is preparing to release the first 4G-capable phone in the U.S. on June 4. I’ve been testing it for about a week in two cities: Baltimore, where Sprint has fully rolled out 4G, and Washington, D.C., where it is in the process of doing so.

This new phone, which also works on Sprint’s 3G network, is called the EVO 4G. It runs Google’s (GOOG) Android operating system and is built by HTC, based in Taiwan. It will cost $200 after a $100 mail-in rebate, with a two-year contract. Monthly fees will start at $80 for unlimited data and text messages, 450 talk minutes, and free calls to any mobile phone on any network. That’s a $10 hike from Sprint’s comparable plan for 3G phones.

My verdict: The HTC EVO 4G, when used on Sprint’s 4G network, offers the highest consistent downstream data speeds I have ever seen on a cellular network. It also has a number of other strong features: a front-facing camera for video chatting, and the ability to serve as a Wi-Fi hotspot (for an extra fee of $30 a month) that can simultaneously connect up to eight laptops or other devices to the Internet.

However, the data speeds I got in my tests weren’t spectacular, or anywhere close to the typical maximum Sprint claims, even in Baltimore, where the company’s 4G network is mature. And, when using 4G, the EVO’s battery runs down alarmingly fast. In my tests, it didn’t last through a full day with 4G turned on. The carrier, in fact, is thinking of advising users to turn off the 4G network access when they don’t think they need it, to save battery life. This undercuts the whole idea of faster cellular speeds.

Sprint’s HTC EVO 4G cellphone

In addition, the 4G advantage isn’t yet available in most cities. And the phone is heavy. Also, like other Android phones, it has limited storage for third-party apps—just 358 megabytes of total memory capacity of 9 gigabytes.

The phone itself is physically similar to T-Mobile’s HD2, a 3G phone also built by HTC. Like the HD2, it has a larger screen than on other smart phones—4.3 inches measured diagonally versus the more typical 3.5 or 3.7 inches. That makes the EVO, like the HD2, bulkier and heavier than most competitors.

However, in addition to its greater speed due to 4G, the EVO has several other features the HD2 lacks. Notably, it has that front-facing camera, the ability to connect to a big-screen TV using a modern connector port called HDMI, and a built-in kickstand to keep it upright for video viewing. In addition, because it runs Android and not the creaky Windows Mobile software used by the HD2, the EVO offers a much cleaner interface and many more available apps.

But the big deal about the EVO is that it can handle 4G, and I focused my tests on this.

Sprint claims that average users will see downstream data speeds of between 3 and 6 megabits per second on the EVO when 4G is in use. In my tests, in the heart of Baltimore’s popular Inner Harbor district, I averaged 3.4 mbps downstream over 4G, and just under 1 mbps upstream (the upstream speed is capped by Sprint at 1 mbps.) That downstream speed was double the EVO’s speed when using 3G, and the upstream speed was about triple.

In D.C., where the Sprint 4G network is still being completed and tuned, downstream streams varied widely, from under 1 mbps to a high of around 4 mbps.

The EVO was much faster than an iPhone using AT&T’s (T) network, which in Baltimore never got to even 1 mbps downstream and in D.C. averaged about 1.8 mbps. Verizon’s (VZ) new Droid Incredible, another HTC Android phone, did well in both cities, averaging about 2 mbps downstream, but that was still slower than the EVO.

Sprint explains I never saw anything close to its top claimed speed by pointing out that both cellular reception and test methods can vary greatly, and that my sample was small.

I tested other features successfully. I used the EVO to provide Internet connectivity to a Lenovo ThinkPad and an Apple (AAPL) MacBook laptop simultaneously, and both performed speedily. I also could view photos and videos on my TV by connecting the EVO with a special cable. But I couldn’t test the video-chatting feature because the necessary software wasn’t ready yet.

If you are hungry for more cellular data speed, and live in a current 4G Sprint city, the EVO may be just what you need, as long as you’re prepared for short battery life.

See a video with Walt Mossberg on Sprint’s new 4G phone at WSJ.com/PersonalTech. Find all of Walt’s columns and videos at walt.allthingsd.com. Email him at mossberg@wsj.com.

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