The Cloud offers UK iPod touch users low cost Wi-Fi access

re. The cloud. I have a business account with them and have never had a problem getting connected (maybe I an always in the pub )

Re. Buying the iPod touch in the uk. I just got mine today from bluewater today. They had them in stock previously but returned them when they all started displaying screen issued. Today they had limited stock

"The Cloud are setting up Wifi access across whole city centres"

As I mentioned, I live right near one of those city centres and it's simply marketing bunk. The phone boxes have a range of about 50 yards... and at last count they'd enabled about 8 of them in a city of about 3 miles square. I regularly work where you can *see* one of those things out of the window and there is no wireless signal from it even at that distance.

I believe in the US they have true citywide wireless (if comments on other forums are to be believed) but not here, except possibly parts of London, which I haven't been to in the last year so couldn't check.

The Apple Store Buchanan Street had iPod Touches in this morning, but told me when I bought mine that they were nearly out of stock, and that demand for them was pretty immense.

Just some extra Cloud info. BT use The Cloud network instead of their own now at McDonalds chain of restaurants. You will still see BTOpenzone as availabl, but this is only where the old kit was not turned off.

Also, if you have BT Broadband, most levels come with 250 minutes per month of free WiFi access, which includes using The Cloud via a direct link to BT as one of their partners.

Re out of stock iPod touches

I picked mine up a couple of weeks ago in the Regent Street store, how come they are all gone?!

Also, The Cloud are setting up Wifi access across whole city centres (Birmingham, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham and Oxford, along with the London boroughs of Kensington, Chelsea, Camden and Islington) by adding wireless kit to BT phone boxes.
BT and The Cloud offer free wireless for the Nintendo DS too :)

The Cloud is technically a National Provider, but you have to remember that most hotspots between BT Openzone, The Cloud and T-Mobile are Roaming Wireless hostpots, e.g. if you have a Cloud account, you can use a BT Openzone hotspot and vice-versa.

Not sure if it applies for the iPod Touch/iPhone packages, as T-Mobile charge over £3.99 an HOUR for their hotspots.

@5 - 'the cloud' is not a national provider they are a bitplayer in this market. They mostly cover pubs/clubs (and precious few of them)... the big boys are T-mobile and BT Openzone (who also share each others hotspots).

Importantly they do *not* cover starbucks, costa coffee, etc. Each of their hotspots covers a single building (pub, cafe, etc.). I live a mile from a cloud 'hotzone' - one that they made a great noise about covering 'the entire city'. To date I have *never* seen a working cloud hotspot.

@ MS

Sorry - bloody 1Passwd copying my old comment there!

What I meant to say was yet again it looks like the UK is the US' poor cousin but at least the US market was able to be the beta tester for you and the dark screen issue has been resolved!

@ Mo

I know that they are still taking a time to fulfill the online orders, but my understanding is you can buy in the Apple Stores (at least the Regent Street one). Is that not correct?