Free WiFi popping up in local businesses

By SHEILA J. CLARK

Free WiFi Internet access for anyone who needs it is a wish many folks have desired. Now it seems several companies are starting to make that wish come true.

Last week, McDonald's announced that more than 11,000 of its 13,000 U.S. restaurants will offer free WiFi for their patrons in mid-January. Eventually, free WiFi will be provided in all of McDonald's U.S. locations.

The free WiFi access offer will come with no purchase required and no time limits. The small catch is that the offer applies only to the McDonald's restaurants powered by AT&T Wireless.

Currently, all McDonald's in our five-county area offer some type of WiFi access. In our coverage area, that includes both locations in Danville, Harrodsburg, Lancaster and Stanford.

Read more about McDonald's WiFi access at www.mcdonalds.com/wireless.html. Also check out Knowzy's independent and complete guide to McDonald's Wi-Fi at www.knowzy.com/Internet/wifi/Free_Wi-Fi/Free_McDonalds_Wireless.htm.

While we are on the free WiFi Internet access subject, I need your help. I would love to include a roundup of places in our five-county area that offer free WiFi Internet access in a future column. If you know of any places, please e-mail me the locations, along with business hours.

Netbook update

An extremely cheap, environmentally-friendly netbook has been released by Cherrypal. The new netbook is called the Cherrypal Africa and it costs only $99.

First off, kudos to Cherrypal for being completely upfront and honest about its product. It is billing its netbook with three simple words, "small, slow, sufficient.”

The features of the Cherrypal Africa netbook include a seven-inch display, a 400MHz processor, 256MB RAM and 2GB of flash storage. Additional features include a 10/100M ethernet port, a SD/MMC card reader, three USB ports, built-in WiFi, built-in speakers and microphone.

The Cherrypal Africa netbook offers a choice between Linux or Windows CE for its operating system. The battery life is expected to last about four hours on a single charge. The netbook comes with an unconditional 30-day money back guarantee.

Learn more about the Cherrypal Africa netbook at www.cherrypal.com/products.php. Purchase the netbook from the Cherrypal Open Store at www.cherrypal.com/openstore/product_info.php?products_id=5&osCsid=fa9161170802d2ca294fc37751d43c0e.

How to re-enable Vista Sidebar

On the right-hand side of your desktop is the location where the Vista Sidebar usually resides. If it disappears and you want to enable and run the Sidebar when Windows boots up, follow these steps: Click Start, go to Control Panel, click on Appearance and Personalization link, click on Windows Sidebar Properties, check the box next to Start Sidebar when Windows starts, click OK.

Sites to see

Computer School for Seniors at www.CS4seniors.com is offering online computer and Internet lesson plans for Baby Boomers, seniors or anyone wanting to learn more about their computer. The site offers more than 100 senior-friendly lesson plans.

It offers two tuition plans. The basic six-month semester plan offers full access to everything on its Internet Campus for only $36. The special offer plan is tailored for kids, grandkids, caregivers, friends or computer savvy Boomers or seniors who want to help someone get connected with their family. This will allow someone to enroll for two consecutive semesters with a 10 percent discounted total of $65 and then enroll parents or grandparents for free. -- AM News