If you’re a complete luddite like me, then connecting to the internet in any way shape or form is something of a miracle. When I’m out and about, the whole process becomes even more irritating as I am reminded time and time again of my complete absence of rudimentary skills.

However, the whole world of wi-fi is to become easier, say reports, thanks to a big ol’ technology upgrade.

The Wi-Fi Alliance (which sounds like a team of rubbish pilots from Star Wars) talk of a new specification called Wi-Fi Direct which will allow wi-fi devices like phones and laptops connect to each another without joining a traditional network.

This should be happening as soon as next summer and, if you have a device that doesn’t have Wi-Fi Direct, then apparently, you’ll be able to upgrade through a software download.

The Wi-Fi Alliance’s marketing director, Kelly Davis-Felner, told BBC News: “This is going to be a quick and convenient way to use wi-fi in future to print, synch, share and display. The consumer is going to experience this as a very easy-to-use mechanism that will be quite seamless.”

Wi-Fi direct will search for hotspots for your phone or laptop and will enable devices to connect from a home or workplace. Of course, this would make Bluetooth pretty pointless to anyone who has a swank wi-fi phone. You could argue that this could do away with the need to use wi-fi routers at all in some places.

The Wi-Fi Alliance members include Intel, Apple and Cisco… the latter being the guy who did The Thong Song obviously.

Anyway, anything that makes it easier to get online is a good thing if you ask me (which you didn’t, I’m aware of that).

[viaBBC]

If you’ve ever travelled by Greyhound in the states, you’ll recognise that Bill Bryson hit the nail on the head when he wrote in The Lost Continent:

“…most of the people on long-distance buses are one of the following: mentally defective, actively schizoid, armed and dangerous, in a drugged stupor, just released from prison or nuns. Occasionally you will also see a pair of Norwegian students. You can tell they are Norwegian students because they are so pink faced and healthy-looking and they wear little pale blue ankle socks with their sandals.”

It’s a documented fact that not only are ex-cons given a Greyhound ticket to reach their halfway house after leaving prison, but those still serving time are transferred between prisons on these public services. Throw in the good, toothless folk of America who carry their possessions in black plastic sacks and you have a journey that can be pant-shittingly scary.

Hopefully the new Greyhound service launching in the UK won’t be quite so unnerving. The new routes will initially travel from Portsmouth and Southampton to London, with the promise of more to be added next year – including routes to Scotland. Fares cost from as little as £1.50 when booked well in advance through their new website, for a journey that takes less than two hours between the South coast and the capital. Read through the perks and it’s not a bad deal at all – reclining seats, free wi-fi and power sockets are all standard.

Compared to the traditional Greyhound buses in the US, there’s little similarity – the new service is more reminiscent of its US East coast spin-off the Bolt Bus, which offers similar facilities and pricing structures. Greyhound has better name recognition in the UK however, even if there’s a nagging concern that you’ll become a torso case for the Maryland sheriff.

So who is behind this attempted revolution in national coach travel? Why, it’s your favourite train operator, FirstGroup. In fact the Scottish firm operate the whole Greyhound operation across the states – so now you know that when your train service sucks, it’s because they’re busy titting about with buses in Alabama.

Good news for you today, especially if you suffer from the dual addictions of internet access and corporate coffee. Here’s a handy hack that lets you enjoy free wi-fi access at any branch of Starbucks, although it hasn’t been officially announced so keep it between us, right?

Bitterwallet reader James has told us about a new Starbucks Card that one store in London mistakenly handed out to several customers, that includes free wi-fi as one of the perks. This brings the UK into line with Starbucks in the US and Canada, where cardholders get up to two hours of free wi-fi access per day.

Starbucks have made no official announcement of this new card yet, and there’s no mention of it amongst on their website, but as James’ photo proves it’s on the way:

Starbucks cards are free – all you have to do is credit them with a minimum amount of £5 to spend on your cawfee, then register the card online. For the completists amongst you, you’ll find the terms and conditions here. No word on whether existing cardholders need a new card for qualify for the free wi-fi, but no doubt you’ll find out soon enough, you caffeine-guzzling beast of a corporate whore.