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Microsoft Ad Campaign Puts a Hotspot Inside a Magazine

Posted by timothy on from the now-there's-a-premium dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Microsoft is putting in real Wi-Fi hardware hotspots inside some copies of the latest issue of Forbes magazine. The unique Office 365 promotion was revealed in a post on the Slickdeals.net message board. The WiFi router, when activated, offers 15 days of free WiFi service via T-Mobile's network on up to five devices at once." Which is more impressive: Wi-Fi hotspot in 2013, or E-ink display in 2008?

7 of 194 comments (clear)

  1. Oh boy. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    This'll be fun for stewardesses.
    "Sir, please turn off your magazine."

    1. Re:Oh boy. by Dishevel · · Score: 5, Funny

      The problem today is the insane number of people who scour the planet looking for ways in which to be offended.

      --
      Why is it so hard to only have politicians for a few years, then have them go away?
  2. In America we use internet to bring you magazines by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    in Microsoft Russia we use magazines to bring you internet.

  3. Re:Security breach by PTBarnum · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So it's just like employee smart phones, then? If random devices can extract sensitive data from your WiFi network, you're doing your security wrong.

  4. Why are our landfills overflowing? by OrangeTide · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's because of toxic trash like this.

    --
    “Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
  5. One just arrived, I kid you not by DorkLensman · · Score: 5, Informative

    I just had a "matrix" moment. I read the summary ... and within 10 minutes, a priority mail package arrived. "What's this?" ... opened the envelope and out popped a suspiciously thick copy of Forbes, containing one of the hotspots. Surreal. Hopefully, I will have time tonight to do some testing.

  6. Tested it yesterday by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    I received one of these at work yesterday. When you open the page that contains the WiFi hotspot it pulls a tab in the fold of the magazine. This activates the hotspot. You can then connect to the hotspot using the included password (Office365). When you open a browser it will redirect you to the Microsoft Office 365 website, but it only does this first time that you open the browser. You can then navigate to other sites and browse the web as usual. I was also able to open and login to WoW. It was not fast mind you but it worked. I went to speedtest.net and checked the speed to the nearest remote server. It tested out at about 1.5M download and 0.5M upload.