Do NOT count on your cell phone for texting. Are you planning n meeting up with friends? Pick a specific time and place to do it. If someone says "text me when you get there and I'll find you" it means they don't want to see you because cell coverage in Grant Park (and it's surrounding halo of hotel and club after-parties) is abysmal. Texts take hours to get through. Seriously. more ›

Sprint has been teasing Chicagoans for over two years with its proposed WiMax, a 4G wireless network that would blanket the city with high-speed internet access. Although the network was originally supposed to be available in 2008, PC World reported that technical issues (providing sufficient backhaul to wired networks) and "upheaval in the company" blocked the path to success. As it turns out, Sprint, alongside ClearWire and Comcast, have finally ironed things out and will begin selling WiMax in the next several weeks. Other locations for the end-of-the-year roll out include Philadelphia, Seattle, three North Carolina and three Texas cities, and Hawaii. more ›

Love fades. Existence kills our dreams. It’s all shite in the end anyway. more ›

There are precious few days left for your last-minute holiday shopping. If you're out to get a jump on the crowds, consider catching an early breakfast and shopping through the lunch rush by hitting one of these Near West Side joints. more ›

We once dreamed of free municipal WiFi. Now, we'll settle for cheap WiMax, the new standard that will offer WiFi-like speeds but with about ten times the range, which cuts down on the number of towers needed in a coverage area. Tech website Ars Technica was on the Chicago River earlier this week for Sprint's demonstration of its new XOHM WiMax service. The testers were given laptops with XOHM plug-in cards and Motorola cell phones hooked up to the network. more ›

Ah, the best laid plans of politicians and telecoms often go awry. When Chicagoist first heard the possibility that we could soon be bathing in glorious Wi-Fi in the streets of our fair city, we reacted with skepticism. We did dream a time when we could check our e-mail while riding the bus or post while relaxing on the beach. But that was back in 2006. Unfortunately, for now, we will have to put... more ›

Spring appears to have, er, sprung, at least temporarily, in most of the Ist-A-Verse, so naturally, we're all feeling pretty good. (Yes, we know that spring doesn't start till later this month. Just let us enjoy our weather!) And that makes us that much more eager to share all of the nifty things we're up to... more ›

Fon is a community WiFi provider whose goal is to create a worldwide network of wireless users who agree to share their broadband connections with others who do the same. This might sound like a pipe dream, but they've gained enough traction to score backing from Google and Skype. Their latest project is to bribe people who live near Starbucks (or any other cafe, they say) to join their network and offer a cheap WiFi... more ›

As a commenter on our iPhone post pointed out, there was another exciting wireless technology announcement this week sure to set Windy City geeks' hearts aflutter, and it's something that actually one-ups the vaunted love child of Steve Jobs and Cingular. Sprint announced that Chicago would be one of two initial metro areas to get WiMAX coverage (D.C. being the other). WiMAX is a fourth-generation wireless broadband technology that could reach speeds close to those... more ›

This was not a very happy week for the -ist network as one of our own, Phillyist co-editor Star C. Foster, passed away early in the week. Her wit, intelligence, and good nature shone through the site, making Phillyist an immensely fun read. She was loved by many and will be missed by all. Phillyist paid tribute to her this week with a heartfelt letter to her and an obituary. And now, the awkward... more ›

We have been helped through many long lonely walks and nights with our iPod. We've found it therapeutic and necessary in many circumstances, and as you can tell, we are quite attached. We have dealt with a kid saying, "Wow, is that the oldest iPod ever?" and one has even broken on us already. Fortunately, that one was still under warranty. With this one, however, we were not so lucky. That's right folks, it's joining many before it in going to iPod heaven. We thought about finding a friend we didn't like too much, and suing them, but that evidently that doesn't work. As we contemplate our next move, we have found ourselves in quite the quandary. more ›

While looking into the story about Chicago moving some of its servers to Red Hat Linux we stumbled upon what might be a trend for the city. Let’s call it a trend in blowing lots of hot air. Chicagoist is very into both the ideas of the city saving money, and in supporting Linux, but we hope this venture is not just an “us too” kind of a gesture. Jumping on the bandwagon is cool for a little while, but there’s potential for so much more. Remember the city-wide Wi-Fi plans? Imagine Chicago taking a leading role in technology adoption and setting an example in the country. That would be cool. We’re a little ways away from that vision at this point though. more ›

And it must have something to do with having their corporate HQ in Chicago, right? more ›

If you're in a fix at O'Hare, trying to email that presentation to your boss before your flight takes off, don't get your hopes up. Turns out that the Wi-Fi there sucks. The Chicago Department of Aviation is fielding complaints about customers unable to sign on, getting kicked off the network once they do make it, and flaky, unreliable service. An O'Hare tech support rep said that the system is a "beta site," a convenient excuse used by computer folks for years, and blamed much of the trouble on the heavy traffic at the airport. Although it probably gets less traffic, Midway's network has garnered few complaints. more ›

Tibetan Mozart's Requiem by MagnaWave more ›

Little-known secret: Chicagoist is somewhat of a fitness buff. We’re pretty dedicated runners, but we like to mix up the exercise regime. This quest for some cross-training led us to Eckhart Park for lap swim this week. However, we arrived early and had some time to kill. Not to mention, we were feeling the hunger. Imagine our delight when we turned and saw the Swim Café. Located at 1357 W. Chicago, the Swim Café is... more ›

Torontoist throws down the gauntlet and challenges all comers: pillow fight, bitch. They also stand up for a fellow blogger taking heat from the TTC and welcome city-wide WiFi. SFist can finally admit it: It's possible that Bary Bonds juiced. Is Bay Area artist (tempted to put quotes around that) Thomas Kinkaid "kinda crappy" or "explosively crappy" or does he just like marking territory? SFist wonders. Technology comes in the form of new Mac goodness... more ›

Chicago's chief technology officer announced yesterday that the city will seek bids from technology vendors for building out a city-wide wireless internet network, or "Wi-Fi," as the kids call it. The network would compete directly with cable, DSL, and cell phone based ISPs, who, if Chicagoist's personal experience is indicative of everyone else's, tend to take their customers for granted. A vendor-backed service would be similar to what Google has proposed in San Francisco, where they offered to foot the bill for a free Wi-Fi network citywide, as long as people don't mind looking at [more] ads while they surf. more ›

Like the fizz in a root beer float, Bobtail Soda Fountain is bubbling with charm and nostalgia. With its colorful, striped awning and bright, cheery interior, the shop channels 1950s appeal. However, with features like free WiFi access, it is complete with modern style. Jeff Wilcoxon and Chris Hill opened the soda fountain at 2951 N. Broadway with the belief that ice cream should be made fresh and served by a soda jerk. The... more ›

Today at 11 AM, the McDonald’s at 600 N. Clark (nee The Rock and Roll McDonald’s) will serve as the launch party for Nintendo’s Mario Kart DS and the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Mario himself will take time out of his busy ‘shroom-ingesting schedule to appear along with Ronald McDonald, as customers with a Nintendo DS system compete against Nintendo game programmers and others from around the world in a Mario Kart showdown. The Nintendo Wi-Fi... more ›

Aurora mayor Tom Weisner will introduce plans for a citywide WiFi network as part of the 2006 operating budget, potentially making Aurora the first city in Illinois to provide free wireless internet access to its citizens. The budget proposal will ask the city council for $5 million to build the network infrastructure. An official from the mayor's office said that once the network is up and running, they may charge a fee for higher-speed access and provide basic access for free. more ›

It's highly unlikely that any Web site has talked as much about Cereality Cereal Bar & Cafe's impending arrival than Chicagoist. more ›

Is it just us or does it seem like there's a lot of shit going down at Schaumburg-based Motorola lately? more ›