We’ve seen manufacturer app stores, we’ve seen OS app stores, but now WeFi, the community providing information on free Wi-Fi hotspots has launched its own equivalent of an app store over at WeFiApps.  The applications available are generally data-intensive ones, and are grouped into various categories (which they have called palettes).  There are palettes for Road Warrior, Stay in Touch, Going on Vacation, GPS at its best, Messengers Showdown, Listen! and Watch!, Stay Updated and The World of Video (amongst others).

When you download these apps, they include the WeFi application, and a special WeFi application launchpad, allowing you to ensure you configure these applications to only use the free WeFi hotspots around the world, ensuring you minimise data costs.  It should be said that although all apps are free to download, some apps do require registering to use with payment, but once registered, can then be used without further costs by selecting the correct Wi-Fi access points.  As we’ve mentioned before, the WeFi solution comprises the community generated database of free Wi-Fi hotspots, a smart connection manager, and the hotspot directory such that it can locate the nearest free Wi-Fi based on your current location.

Although the app store itself may never be a runaway success, bundling applications with their tools will make this website useful to allow people to be safe in the knowledge that they are not running up horrendous data costs.  Interesting, we hear that WeFi are looking to start offering a premium version will will be able to connect to chargeable Wi-Fi hotspots, putting them in direct competition with the likes of devicescape (who concentrate on the smart connection manager side of things) and Boingo (who concentrate on the provision of chargeable Wi-Fi).

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009 at 11:18 am and is filed under Gadgets. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.