I am in the Minneapolis airport waiting for a flight to Waterloo, Iowa where I will see my brother and family. This is the second time I have traveled with my laptop and it is very handy while waiting in the airport. I can read email, chat with friends, and catch up on reading blogs. I can even connect to work and fix bugs. The Portland airport is even better since they provide free wireless. In Minneapolis, I paid $8 for the day.
Connectivity is a public good and free connectivity is even better. But there will always be locations where there isn’t connectivity. Currently, this includes flying. Online applications will always have problems with areas of poor connectivity. Instead of always-on web applications, a better model is email where it is possible to download messages and work offline. It is better to be online to have immediate communication and to be able to access email from anywhere.