TELUS recently launched more than 8,000 free WiFi hotspots in B.C. and Alberta. The service is free to TELUS customers and non-TELUS customers. But TELUS costumers will have advantages.

The Wi-Fi network integrates seamlessly with TELUS’ 4G wireless network, automatically shifting TELUS smartphone customers to Wi-Fi and helping them moderate their use of wireless data.

You will find TELUS WiFi at  7-Eleven, Fountain Tire and Vancity credit union.

It’s also in BC Place and TELUS World of Science in Vancouver; the Saddledome and TELUS Spark in Calgary; TELUS World of Science in Edmonton; the Richmond Olympic Oval; and throughout the Whistler village and ski resort. TELUS is currently installing Wi-Fi in Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium and the Victoria International Airport.

TELUS customers will have one more advantage when signing on. Their smartphones which automatically connect to #TELUSdirect will be authenticated via their SIM card and the connection will be encrypted using WPA2. But non-TELUS customers with a competing cellco phone will not get encrypted connection….so no typing of sensitive personal information Rogers and Bell users. You are on your own as in most public hotspots.

And for folks who think this might be a TELUS trick to get new users onboard, other than the device hardware address (which is saved to authenticate future sessions), no information about users’ devices or carriers is tracked, said a TELUS spokesperson.

Enjoy.

 ATTENTION!

Is this the end of the 30 second ad?

A recent Microsoft Canada’s Attentions Spans research  shows human attention spans are decreasing, now at 8 seconds, which is 1 second shorter than the attention span of a goldfish!

 Why? Digital lifestyles are decreasing Canadian attention spans.

The research shows that:

• Early tech adopters and heavy social media users are more likely to have issues at school and/or work having to concentrate harder to stay focused on tasks (68%/67%) or get side-tracked by unrelated thoughts or daydreams (66%/65%)
• Negative impact on attention is only true in the long-term as early adopters and heavy social media users front load their attention and have more intermittent bursts of high attention
• Half of Canadians automatically reach for their phone when nothing is occupying their attention
• 2/3 use social media for news, but a surprising 57% prefer getting media through long-form sources
• Almost 60% would feel lost without the devices they use everyday
• 2/3 often use other devices while watching TV

Compared to the seemingly endless obligatory advertising message you have to endure when watching most online videos, I love the mercifully short ones that let you skip the ad in just four seconds. Nice, but most of these ads can’t get their message across, less the name of the ad sponsor.

As a tech writer, I get accused of short attention spans too. Even at home I tend to wonder off if family conversations don’t get the point. Sad.

Can you imagine 8 second ads in the next Super Ball?