Hot Spots Are Happening

Arik Hesseldahl

NEW YORK - The first time you sign on to the Internet via a Wi-Fi hot spot from outside your home or office, you'll suddenly feel just a bit freer.

At least we did, when we tried T-Mobile's HotSpot service. This is the service that offers Wi-Fi connections in places like Starbucks and at airports and other public places. Last week, T-Mobile, the wireless company that is a division of Deutsche Telekom (nyse: DT - news - people ), announced it would start placing hot spots in Hyatt hotels and resorts across the United States.

In case you're not familiar, here's how the T-Mobile Hotspot service works: You sign up for a plan with T-Mobile that gives you a user name and password to access its thousands of wireless Internet connections. That means that when you take your laptop to Starbucks or to Kinko's--a division of FedEx --or other locations, you can sign on to the Internet, check your e-mail and do whatever business on the Web you have to do.

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